Page 92 of Protecting Kelli
“You’re making a mistake,” Smiley said. He and Flash were matching her and Brant step for step now, and Kelli swore she could see both men readying themselves to pounce.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Brant said, producing a knife out of nowhere and angling it toward her chest—right over her heart. “I’ll kill her. Right here and now. I swear I will! How long do you think she’ll live with a hole in her heart? Not long. She’ll bleed out in seconds and it’ll beyour fault.”
“What do you fucking want?” Flash said in a low, pissed-off tone.
“I want my money!” Brant screamed, sounding hysterical.
“What money? The money you tried to get out of the government? You’re an idiot if you ever thought the Navy would pay a cent of that ransom.”
“Well, they might not have paid, butyouwill if you want to see your precious girlfriend again. Now stop walking or I’ll do it! I’ll kill her!”
“Then you definitely won’t get your money,” Smiley said in a stone-cold tone.
To her surprise and horror, the knife in Brant’s hand lowered—and she gasped in pain as just the tip penetrated her shirt and skin.
Flash reached out an arm, halting Smiley’s forward motion.
“I’m serious! I have nothing to lose. Stop right there!” Brant yelled.
The knife still stuck in her chest hurt.A lot.Between that and the lack of oxygen, Kelli was having a hard time thinking straight.
“As long as you do what I say, she’ll be fine. I want a million dollars delivered to a new bank account I set up this morning. And if you doanythingto get it shut down, I’ll send her back to you in pieces. An ear one day, a few fingers the next. The last thing you’ll get is her heart. And don’t fuck with me! I’ll do it!”
A million dollars? Flash didn’t have that kind of money. Even if he got help from all his friends, Kelli wasn’t sure they’d be able to come up with that much cash. Brant had obviously gotten greedy, upping his demand significantly from the fifty thousand he’d originally hoped to get for this kidnapping.
Because Kelli was focused on getting air into her lungs—but not breathingtoodeeply, so the knife wouldn’t bepenetrating her skin any farther—she didn’t realize they’d reached a vehicle. It wasn’t until the arm around her neck loosened and Brant pushed her into an open door that she even thought about trying to escape.
But that idea was instantly foiled when Brant, still holding the knife, struck out and slashed her thigh.
Pain blossomed hard and fast. Kelli slapped her hand over the gash in her leg even as she cried out.
“Kelli!”
Flash’s voice sounded as if it was very far away. Brant pushed her over until he was behind the wheel of the decrepit, older-model four-door car, then he peeled out of the parking lot before his door was even shut.
Looking out her window, Kelli saw Flash and Smiley running after the car. Then they abruptly stopped and ran back toward Flash’s SUV.
Brant laughed. The sound so evil, it made the hair on the back of Kelli’s neck stand up.
“Those idiots aren’t going to catch up. I’ve outsmarted them! All I had to do was wait and be patient and today was my day. I knew you were somewhere, hiding out. I tried following your boyfriend, but he eluded me day after day. I couldn’t find where you two were staying. But today, he and his friend were careless, and I followed them straight to you. I’m gonna get my money! One way or another!”
Kelli’s throat felt bruised from the pressure he’d used with his arm, hauling her around. And her thigh was on fire. At least her chest no longer hurt as badly…but Kelli was terrified. Where was Brant taking her? She’d dropped her purse in the confusion, so she didn’t have her phone to call for help or give any clues as to where they were heading.
Brant drove like a man possessed. He took corners way too fast, side-swiped a couple cars, went the wrong way on one-way streets, and generally broke every rule of the road. It wasn’t long before Kelli realized he was right. Flash and Smiley weren’t going to catch up to him.
He was getting away.
Surreptitiously glancing at the man behind the wheel, Kelli tried to come up with a plan. Some clever way to escape before he did more than just make her bleed. Because he was going to kill her—she had no doubt. Even if he got his money, he wasn’t going to let her live this time. He was too pissed off that his kidnapping plan in Jamaica had failed. That she and Flash had escaped. That it took so long to find them.
Then something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.
Tucking her chin and pretending to fuss over the cut on her leg, Kelli turned her head just enough to glance into the back seat—and was surprised to see a pair of hazel eyes staring back at her.
Bree Haynes was in the backseat! Sitting on the floor behind the driver’s seat, covered by the clothes and other junk cluttering up the entire back of the car. It looked as if every possession Brant owned was back there…but howBreecame to be there was more than Kelli could comprehend.
Bree shook her head and put a finger up to her lips, warning Kelli to stay quiet, then held up a phone.
The relief that almost overwhelmed Kelli made her dizzy. Or maybe that was blood loss. She didn’t know. Shehad no idea how the heck Bree was in this car, but the fact that she had a phone—and was hopefully using it to communicate with Smiley—was enough for Kelli to get her hopes up.
