I swallow the scathing remark on the tip of my tongue and look straight forward, watching the intersection ahead with great interest. The light goes from green to yellow.
When it turns red, I make my move.
The moment the vehicle comes to a stop, my hand flies to the door handle. I whip off my seatbelt and shove the door open, practically throwing myself out onto the street.
“Willow!” Arturo bellows after me. “Willow, get back here!”
I don’t hear a word he says. I make a mad dash for the sidewalk, determined to disappear amongst the gawking crowd when—
A strong arm wraps itself around my waist.
“Nice try,” Zane says, throwing me over his shoulder with ease.
I kick and I scream. “Let me go! What do you think you’re doing?”
“My job, darling.”
He forces me back into the car, slamming the door in my face. He climbs in next to me, wedging me between himself and my father just as the light turns green and the car lurches forward.
Arturo looks like he’s two seconds away from having a heart attack. “Didn’t I tell you she was a slippery one?”
Zane nods. “That you did, sir.”
“You’re in a world of trouble, Willow. When I’m done with business downtown, I’ll see to it that you never leave the compound ever again. Well done, Mr. Phillips.”
“Thank you, sir.”
I cast my eyes down and glare at my lap, pretending to sulk. I discreetly press my knee against Zane’s, a silent reassurance.
Everything is going according to plan.
Chapter 18
Zane
I NEED TO EARN ARTURO’S TRUST.
MAKE A BREAK FOR IT, I WILL CATCH YOU.
Iwrote the little note in the margins of the book I gave her.
She played out her instructions perfectly. She was convincing and well-timed, and now I’m one step closer to pulling the wool over her father’s eyes. The key to a successful hostage rescue is that the captors never see me coming. The sooner Arturo believes I’m on his side, the sooner I can manipulate the situation into our favor.
Willow will be free and clear before her father even knows what happened.
I wasn’t particularly worried about Willow facing harsh punishment considering the fact that she’s already being kept prisoner. In the week I’ve been here, I’ve noticed Arturo has plenty of harsh words but has not once raised a hand to her.
If he ever did, he’d have to go through me—consequences be damned.
Arturo conducts his business downtown efficiently. It’s an in and out situation, and then we’re on our way back in under ten minutes. As expected, Willow is confined to her room.
“You,” Arturo says, crooking his finger in my direction, “with me.”
I look at my brother. “Keep an eye on her.”
Heath gives me a mock salute. “You got it.”
Arturo guides me into his office. It is far more spacious than Willow’s room and three times as gaudy. It’s as though I’ve walked onto the set ofScarface, what with his big mahogany desk and over the top accents. There’s even a taxidermy tiger posed in the corner of the room. I wouldn’t at all be surprised to find lines of coke on the man’s desk and a machine gun bolted to the underside.