Page 71 of Now Until Forever
The GPS didn’t tell him which apartment she was in, just the building. How would they find the floor and the correct residence without going room by room through the entire building?
Maizie said, “I’m worried about her.”
“It’s unusual behavior, but does it mean something is wrong?” He wanted to respect Eliana’s privacy. But again, it might cost him the chance to keep her safe if she was in danger.
“Because the operating system was rebooted back to factory settings, I was able to turn on her microphone from here and listen. I immediately contacted Chicago Dispatch and requestedofficers to her location.” Maizie paused. “Carlos, she’s in big trouble.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Eliana tried to breathe behind the gag, her hands secured behind the chair. Across from her, Faith had tears in her eyes. Eliana felt like she was suffocating, but that was the least of her problems right now.
Sarah strode back over to the two guys. One was on a laptop with Eliana’s phone on the counter next to him. The other stood guard.
Eliana couldn’t best all three of them, pretty certain that the gun Sarah held wasn’t the only one in this apartment. She didn’t have her knife—and right now she could’ve used it. At least before she got shot for trying. How was she going to get her and Faith out of this?
Sarah put one hand on her hip. “Why is this taking so long?”
Laptop Guy said, “It’s the security permissions on her phone, but I’m through them and now I’m transferring the files, okay? It’s working, but I can’t make it go any faster.”
Both guys wore slacks, black shoes, and white shirts. They looked like the kind of religious types who knocked on someone’s door. Which was a scary thought, considering who they were actually turning out to be—and it wasn’t honest people with good intentions.
The more muscular guy watched her and Faith while Sarah paced around, her dark hair shifting over her shoulders. The nightgown, with a coat over it. She wore flat shoes that had to be uncomfortable with no socks. She certainly looked the part. Enough that Eliana had fallen for the ruse completely.
Eliana needed the gag off her mouth so she could at least try to talk her way out of this. She tried to nudge it with her shoulder, pushed at it with her tongue. Worked at it. Ignored the guy looking at her, and the taste in her mouth.
She needed this thingoff.
Finally, she got the gag off her chin, where it fell to hang around her neck. “Sarah.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “Sarah!”
Muscle Guy spoke up. “We should just kill them right now. Give me the gun.”
“Shut it.” Sarah spun and wandered over, dismissing his suggestion. She was clearly the one in charge, which was interesting. “We can’t kill them until after the files transfer. Someone will hear the shots and come running, and it’ll beusthey find. Not the scene we’re going to stage.”
Eliana chewed on the fact that this woman, who would usually be subservient to men in a fringe religious order, seemed to be in charge. The two men deferred to her, whether they liked it or not.Interesting. She didn’t know how it would help her get out of this situation, though.
Eliana tried to figure out where to start and what she could say that would actually work. “You think the police are going to believe this is a murder-suicide? We’ll both have ligature marks on our wrists.”
“Maybe you like it kinky.” Sarah snorted. “The police will believe what I give them to believe. Don’t worry about me. I’ll live a long and fruitful life while you’re rotting in a grave, and everyone you know is crying, crying, crying.”
Eliana couldn’t look at Faith, or she would lose her nerve. “That’s what this is? Are you living a fruitful life? Seems more like you’re here to clean up the Mother’s loose ends.”
Sarah leveled the gun at Eliana’s face. “Don’t you say her name.”
“I don’t think they’ll believe it’s suicide if I caught a bullet to the face.” Eliana tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. She shifted on the seat, turning to the side. The inside of her elbows caught the sides of the chair, so she unhooked her arms from the back and sat sideways, facing Sarah, with her arms still tied behind her.
Sarah lowered the gun, chuckling. “You think they won’t believe Faith shot you? I won’t need to convince anyone. It’ll be obvious that’s what happened.”
“Guess you should get it over with before the bruising around my wrists sets in.” Eliana lifted her chin.
Muscle Guy looked like he wanted to grab the gun and start shooting everyone. Over by the counter, the other guy typed furiously on the keyboard. Her phone started to vibrate across the counter, and he swore. “She’s getting a call. I’ll have to start again.”
The distant sound of sirens split the air outside.
None of them reacted to it, as if they assumed it was commonplace in the city. It was, but to Eliana the sound of police at work always meant someone coming to her rescue. She would never be left to fend for herself or without backup. After all, that was the family she’d been born into.
Even if she was miles from anyone she was related to, she knew they would never leave her to face danger. Like it had been with Tony in the vault. He’d turned from aggressor to aide as soon as he regained his senses, and she knew his true self had been in there the whole time. After all, he’d protected her in the vault, telling her to hide right before the shooting started.
“Maybe you should answer it,” Eliana said. “Could be informative.”
