Kenzie moved closer to the table. There was a shuffling sound and Griff’s voice came over the line.
“Mom? Is that you?”
“Griff.” Tears sprang into her eyes. “Oh, baby, are you okay? They haven’t hurt you?”
“I’m locked in a room someplace but I don’t know where it is. They wear ski masks whenever they come in. I’m scared, Mom.”
“We’re going to bring you home, Griff,” Reese said firmly. “Just do what they tell you until we can make that happen.”
Kenzie leaned toward the phone as if she wanted to get closer to her son. “I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love—”
The phone jerked away and the metallic voice resumed. “As you heard, the boy is fine. He’ll stay that way as long as you keep your end of the bargain.”
“We’ll expect to talk to him again before I sign the papers.”
“Fine. You’ve got three days. Get it done by close of business on Thursday or the kid dies.”
As soon as the call came to an end, Reese grabbed the disposable and hit Tabby’s contact number. “The kidnappers just called. You able to get a trace?”
“I’m on it, but so far it’s pinging all over the country. I’ll keep after it. It might take a while.”
“Keep me posted.” The line went dead.
* * *
Kenzie collapsed into a chair, tears streaking down her cheeks. She wiped them away and looked up at Reese. “I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe they kidnapped Griff to force you to back out of a business deal.”
Reese’s eyes, a hard, icy blue, lashed into hers. His jaw was set, his features grim. She had never seen such controlled fury in his face.
“They’re going to wish they hadn’t touched him,” Reese said. “They’re going to wish they had never set their sights on that oil rig.”
“That’s what’s been going on all along,” Kenzie said. “The accidents, the crash. More accidents. Then they killed the mechanic who sabotaged the helicopter.”
Reese seemed to force his fury back inside. “Probably to keep him quiet. They’ve been escalating, growing more and more determined to get what they want.”
He looked down at her and she read the guilt he was feeling. “I’m sorry this happened to you,” he said. “To Griff. I feel responsible. Derek Stiles tried to convince me to back out of the purchase, but I wouldn’t do it. Now these men have your son.”
“It’s not your fault, Reese. You had no way of knowing this would happen.”
“Maybe not, but I’m going to fix it.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the disposable phone, hit a number in the contacts.
“Who are you calling?” she asked.
“My brother.”
Renewed fear hit her. The men had warned her not to involve Reese’s brothers. But the truth was they couldn’t do this alone. They had to trust someone and Reese trusted Chase.
Kenzie grabbed his arm, her fingers digging into his biceps. “I want to hear what he says.”
Reese pushed the speaker button, set the phone on the table. “They called,” he said when Chase answered. “They want me to back out of the Poseidon deal.”
“For Chrissake, that’s what this is about? The accidents? The chopper crash? They want the rig that badly?”
“It’s more than that, apparently. Whatever’s going on, it’s linked to something bigger.”
For a moment, Chase fell silent. “Lee Haines’s murder. It has to be part of this. Linked in some way. Too much going on for his death to just be coincidence.”
“I didn’t kill him,” Kenzie said. “I swear I didn’t.”
She could hear Chase shifting the phone from one ear to the other. “Reese believed you from the start. Now your innocence is becoming more and more apparent. They’ve got your boy. Murder and kidnapping? Whatever’s going on, it’s big. You just need to believe that no matter what happens, we’re going to figure it out.”
“We’re going to get your son back,” Reese promised.
“For that to happen,” Chase said, “we need to make plans.”
Kenzie didn’t argue. She trusted the men to help her. But she refused to stand idle. She would do whatever was necessary to help her son.
The brothers talked, laid out some sort of strategy, but Kenzie’s mind was on Griff and the terror she had heard in his voice. She imagined him locked in a dark room, men in ski masks standing guard over him.
Her throat closed up. Everything inside her felt icy cold.
When Gran appeared in the kitchen, Kenzie walked over and hugged her. Gran hugged her back, both of them holding on longer than they usually did. With a shaky breath, she explained the phone call, told her grandmother that she had spoken to Griff and that he was all right. Gran nodded dully. She looked haggard and pale, as brittle as a fallen leaf.
“We’re going to get him back,” Kenzie told her. “Reese and his brother are working on it. He’s going to be okay.”
Gran said nothing. Kenzie closed her eyes and tried to convince herself to believe it.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Reese phoned the Garrett Resources contract lawyers and set the wheels in motion to cancel the deal. But he wasn’t ready to contact Sea Titan yet. Giving the kidnappers what they wanted could be a death sentence for Griff.
It was afternoon when Tabby called on Reese’s disposable phone. They were back at the kitchen table, Gran holed up in her room.
“I’m with Kenzie,” Reese said. “I’m putting you on speaker.” Whatever happened, Kenzie deserved to be kept in the loop. Plus, he was sure there was no way in hell she was letting him do this alone. He set the phone on the table.
“A couple of things,” Tabby said. “First, I’m still working on that trace. These guys are good. I haven’t got anything yet, but I’ll keep at it.”
“Thanks, Tab.”
“Also, I’ve been looking into Black Sand Oil and Gas.”
“And?”
“The company has definitely been slipping in and out of the red. They need a way to infuse money into their coffers or they’re going to be in serious trouble.”
So his suspicions were confirmed. Black Sand needed the Poseidon. The question was, what lengths would they go to in order to get it? Murder? Kidnapping? Griff was Arthur’s grandson, his own flesh and blood. Was he willing to put the boy in danger to save his failing business?