“No. I don’t care if you change the brat or not. Just shut her the fuck up.”
Alice was wailing mightily now, probably a combination of being taken from the pool and encountering an angry man who she didn’t know in her home. He wasn’t exactly giving off good vibes, and kids were no fools.
“She’ll quiet down if you let me change her and give her a snack. Please.”
Owen grabbed Aunt Maggie’s arm and hauled her to him, jamming the gun against her side. “All right, let’s go to the laundry room then. Try anything and I’ll shoot your aunt.”
“I’m not going to try anything,” Jenna growled before carrying Alice to the laundry room and rooting around in the clean clothes for a little T-shirt and pants. Owen held Aunt Maggie close while Jenna found what she needed. She dried Alice off and changed her on the dryer, thankful she had a box of diapers in the laundry room so she could add a fresh diaper as well. Alice was getting so good at using her potty chair, but Jenna didn’t want to have to worry about the little girl needing to pee and being unable to make it because of the stress—or if Owen didn’t let Jenna take Alice to the potty.
Once Alice was changed, she started to simmer down a bit. Jenna walked them into the kitchen and got Alice a cheese stick and some apple slices. Once she was in her high chair with her food and her sippy cup of water, she whined a bit but she didn’t cry.
“Sit down,” Owen said, pushing Aunt Maggie toward a chair. “You, too,” he told Jenna.
They sat. Jenna glanced at her aunt, worried that the poor woman was terrified since she hadn’t said a word yet. She wasn’t terrified, though. She was furious. Her eyes crackled with fire and her cheeks were red. Jenna prayed that her aunt didn’t say or do anything to piss this man off.
“Now you’re gonna tell me where that Bitcoin is, or I’m going to start cutting,” he said very coolly, dragging a switchblade from his pocket and flicking it open as he tucked the gun into a hidden holster at his waist. He glanced over at Aunt Maggie. “Starting with her. It won’t be easy though, I promise you that. I’ll cut off fingers and toes before I go for the big stuff. Gonna be messy, and it’ll hurt like hell.”
“How dare you,” Aunt Maggie spat. “How dare you threaten us this way.”
“Watch it, grandma, or I’ll gag you,” he replied with a growl.
“It’s okay, Aunt Maggie. Just let me handle this.”
“Yeah, handle it, Jenna. Tell me where the money is and you can get back to your lazy morning hanging by the kiddie pool.”
Jenna didn’t believe him for a second. If she told him where the money was—if she knew where the money was—he’d kill her and Aunt Maggie both. He might let Alice live because she was a toddler and couldn’t ID him, but then again maybe he wouldn’t.
“I don’t know where it is,” she began. Owen’s eyes narrowed as he made a move toward Aunt Maggie. He grabbed her hand and jerked it forward, then pressed the knife against her middle finger. A line of blood welled up and spilled over, but Aunt Maggie didn’t so much as flinch.
Jenna shook so hard she thought she would rattle apart. She swallowed down the scream that threatened. “I might be able to find it,” she blurted. “I have an idea where to look.”
Owen didn’t let go of Aunt Maggie’s hand, but he lifted the knife and leaned back. “Oh yeah? Where?”
“I can’t tell you.” He started to move the knife back to her aunt’s hand and Jenna let the words tumble out. She didn’t know if she was brave or stupid, but she knew he’d kill them all if she gave him the information. “If I tell you where, you’ll kill us.”
“I need to make sure I have access to the account. I can’t do that if you’re dead.”
“And I need to make sure my aunt and my friend’s baby stay alive.”
He assessed her. Then he let go of Aunt Maggie’s hand and leaned back in the chair, all cocky and superior. “Okay. Tell you what. I’ll give you twenty-four hours—in fact, I’ll be generous and give you until noon tomorrow. That’s an extra hour.” He got to his feet, and relief started to melt her spine. But then he grabbed Aunt Maggie’s arm and tugged her up, and Jenna’s spine stiffened again. “Grab the kid, grandma. We’re going for a ride.”
Jenna shot to her feet. “Wait, no—you can’t take them.”
“Honey, be glad I’m not killing them. I’m taking the old lady and the kid, and you’re going to get that money for me. You don’t get it by noon, I’m going to send you a finger. And I’ll keep sending fingers and toes until they ain’t got any left. Call the cops, they die. I see a cop sniffing around or hear anything on the scanner, they die. Better make that clear to your boyfriend, too. Got it?”
“Yes.” She swallowed. “You should take me with you instead. I’m the one who knows where to look. They don’t know anything at all—”
“Doesn’t work that way, girl. If I take you, you might decide to get all brave on me or lead me on a wild goose chase for the hell of it. It’s amazing what kind of resistance people are capable of when they set their mind to it. But if I take people you love…” He shrugged. “Different story. You’ll do anything to save them, though you might not do it to save yourself.”
“Please,” she begged. “I want to live. I’ll do my best for you—”
“I know you will, which is why I’m taking granny and the brat.” He took a small envelope from his shirt pocket and handed it to her. “Swallow that.”
Jenna opened the envelope. There was a small pill inside, but it wasn’t filled with powder. It looked… metallic. “What is it?”
“GPS device. I want to know where you are at all times, sweetheart. I don’t know where you are, they die.”
“And if the signal craps out?” she asked as fresh anger surged in her veins.
“Guess you’ll have to take that chance.”
“How do I know it works? You could be lying.”
“How do you think I found you? There’s one in her wallet. Put it there when I checked the cable. Led me right to you. Stupid broads, the both of you. Now swallow it and don’t try to stick it under your tongue.”
Jenna gritted her teeth. Aunt Maggie looked a bit more scared than she had before. “Fine,” Jenna said. She grabbed a bottle of water and swallowed the pill.
“Open your mouth and show me the underside of your tongue.”
She did and he pushed her head back, tugged her jaw open wider, and peered inside to make sure she hadn’t hidden the pill anywhere. “How am I supposed to get in touch with you? You have my phone,” she grated when he let her go.
“I’ll be in touch.” He grinned. It wasn’t a nice grin. “I’ll know where to find you, won’t I?”
“Take me,” Aunt Maggie blurted. “I understand why you have to. But leave the child. She’ll be more trouble than you want.”
“Nice try, but I’m taking you both. Grab the kid and let’s go.”
“I need to get her diaper bag,” Jenna said on a rush. “She needs snacks and clothes and some toys—”