“Equipment for what?” she asked in a quiet voice.
Simon glanced at her. There was no way to reassure her, so he was going to be upfront. “Equipment to save my dad, and bring these guys down once and for all.”
Chapter 16
“We want you to exchange the money at exactly two in the morning.” The sound of the cold voice filled the living room.
Simon looked down at his watch. That left a little over eight hours. Eight hours until he could see his father again. Eight hours until he stopped these criminals for good. “Where do you want to make the swap?”
The voice on the other end of his cell phone rattled off a street name. Simon’s eyebro
ws shot up in recognition. “That’s not far from Dover.”
“Exactly. So you won’t get lost,” the man said. “We’ll meet you in the park. If you bring the cash, you get your father back in one piece. No cops.”
The kidnapper hung up without another word and Simon exchanged a glance with Jake. “Do we have enough time to put everything in place?”
He and Jake had gone over their plan multiple times in the days leading up to tonight. But even with a plan, there were still so many variables they couldn’t foresee. There was no way to know what the kidnappers would do, which meant there was going to be a hell of a lot of improvisation tonight. Thinking on their feet held a lot of risk.
Jake nodded. “I think so, but we need to leave immediately.”
“I’m coming with you.” Heather looked up from her place in the armchair, her chin raised defiantly like she was ready for a fight.
“That isn’t a good idea,” Jake said.
“I didn’t ask you,” she said firmly. “It was a declarative statement. I’m going with you. My parents are here with Finn, and there are multiple guards watching the building, so I know my family will be safe.”
“I’m not putting you at risk,” Simon said.
“Oh, so it’s okay for you to put yourself at risk, but I can’t?” Her golden eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’m not letting you face this alone.”
“This is a very dangerous situation,” he told her.
“So was the night your father got kidnapped, but you stayed behind while I had to leave and worry about your safety.” She folded her arms. “I’m not going to sit around and wait to find out if you’re safe. Not to mention, an extra pair of hands and eyes can help. I will be going with you, whether you like it or not.”
They were wasting precious time arguing, and he suspected that was why she had left things until the last minute. Pressure would only make him relent that much faster, which she was no doubt counting on. Her courage was damn infuriating, but he admired it. Heather really would fight for the people she loved.
From the fire burning in her eyes, it was evident to him that nothing short of locking her in the bathroom was going to stop her from coming.
Simon didn’t like bringing her, but if the worst happened to him at least Heather would be able to help his father. She would do anything for him, even help his father after the way he had disrespected her that night in the ballroom.
He sighed. “Fine. You can come with us, but you can’t get in our way. You do what we tell you at all times.”
“That’s right,” Jake agreed. “Plus, you’re not supposed to come out of the van.”
Momentary anxiety flickered across her features, and then her face was placid again. “I understand.”
“Let’s go,” Simon said.
Once he grabbed the duffel bag full of equipment, they all headed downstairs to his building’s underground parking lot. As expected, a huge black van was parked on the far end of the lot. It was still early evening, with a long night ahead of them.
Though the van windows were tinted, Simon knew from the sound of the engine running that the driver Jake had recommended was sitting up front. They all got into the van, settling into their seats before navigating out of the parking lot.
The van was part of a fleet of secured vehicles that Dover owned, and the inside looked like something out of a spy movie. In addition to the seats and briefcases full of money there were foldout chairs, computer monitors, tactical gear, and even a cache of weapons at the back.
Heather looked around from the seat next to him with wide eyes. “I didn’t know Dover owned something like this.”
“We own scores of armored vehicles, though we don’t like to advertise our security apparatus,” Jake said. “The van is bulletproof, so you’ll be secure as long as you remain inside. Our driver also has the finest military training in the security business, which means you stick to him like glue if anything goes wrong, Heather.”