“And Jaime couldn’t tell us about your real job to protect you?” her mom surmises.
“No,” I say again, this time a little shamefaced. “Jaime thinks I’m a car salesman. It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you about it another time after I have the opportunity to explain myself to Jaime. But right now, we are short on time. I need to talk to your son, Brian.”
“Brian?” Mrs. Dolan exclaims. “What does he have to do with it?”
“Is he here?” I press, clearly agitated over the time being wasted. “Because if he is, get him up here. You can hear right along with him why I think he’s involved.”
“Go get him, Elizabeth,” Mr. Dolan says, wary eyes still pinned on me.
“He’s sleeping,” she says as she heads that way. “Let me go wake him up.”
Sleeping in the middle of a Saturday afternoon while his sister is kidnapped because of him. Fucking great guy.
Mr. Dolan and I don’t speak while his wife gets their son. I can see a million questions in his eyes, as well as distaste for me. I’m not sure how much of that is that I married his daughter behind their backs, I lied to her, or I’m here delivering dire news.
Finally, Mrs. Dolan exits the basement with Brian following behind. He has the same features as Jaime, and he tiredly rubs at his eyes.
When his gaze lands on me, he looks to his dad. “Who’s that?”
“Your sister’s husband, apparently,” Mr. Dolan mutters dryly. “He has some questions to ask you.”
Brian’s eyebrows shoot up. “Her husband? When did that happen?”
I step forward, moving past Jaime’s parents and coming toe to toe with her brother. “I need you to shut up and listen.” It’s obvious Brian is inherently a coward, as he doesn’t even bow up against my rude treatment. Instead, he stares at me with wide eyes and nods. “Jaime was just kidnapped by men wearing face masks who had distinct Irish brogues. I happen to know you’ve been hanging out with some unsavory Irish thugs lately.”
Brian’s face crumbles, his cheeks flaming red. “Oh shit. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.”
“Brian,” his mother exclaims, quickly grasping he has something to do with this.
I hold my hand out to her, indicating she should hold her tongue.
“Why would they take her?” I demand. “And where?”
“I owe them a lot of money,” he whines, sounding like a child. “They unloaded some stolen goods on me. Gave me an advance of money. I was supposed to sell the stuff, then turn the profit over to them. Except I’m not good at fencing that crap, and I couldn’t sell it. I spent the money, and they’ve been threatening me.”
“Which is why you’ve been borrowing money from Jaime,” I growl.
Brian’s face goes cherry red. “Yes. I was holding them off, giving them a few hundred here and there. But why would they take Jaime? They know she doesn’t have the type of money I owe them.”
“I suspect they’re holding her for ransom,” I spit out, totally disgusted with him. “Check your phone for messages.”
“It’s downstairs,” he mutters, then hurries that way. While we wait for him, Mr. and Mrs. Dolan get in an argument over their son’s misguided ways and how to handle the situation. Mr. Dolan suggests kicking him out of the house. Personally, I think it’s a moot issue as he’s probably facing jail time for fencing stolen goods.
Brian comes running back up the stairs, jabbing at his phone. He stares at something, gasps, and then turns it to show me.
A simple text from someone listed under the name Boyle. If you want your sister, bring all the money. We’ll be in contact as to where.
“Shit,” I mutter. Another exchange of money for a kidnap victim. It’s my specialty, but I never thought I’d be using my skills to save my wife.
Brusquely, I take his phone from him, planning to have Bebe do an analysis on it. I order all three Dolans to grab their belongings. “You’re coming to Jameson with me until we can get this figured out.”
“What about Laney?” Mr. Dolan asks. “Is she in danger?”
“Probably not since they have Jaime, but I’ll send someone over to pick her up. You’ll need to call her now to fill her in about what’s going on.”
Mr. Dolan nods, nabs his cell phone out of his pocket, and dials his youngest daughter.CHAPTER 21CageIt’s been a whirlwind of activity for the last three hours. Every minute that ticks by that Jaime is not by my side is a minute that builds my fury and fear. It’s not a good combination, and I feel like a bomb ready to go off at any provocation.
I’m proud of everyone at Jameson, and I really appreciate the FBI agent helping us out. Clay seems to have his shit fully together, and he coordinates his resources with ours. We turned over all the information both Bodie and Jackson had gleaned on Brian, then Clay interviewed Brian himself. Jaime’s parents and her sister Laney were safely tucked upstairs in the common area with Joslyn and Anna keeping them company, probably going crazy with fear.