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She resumed humming that sad, sad song and Noni let her thoughts drift away.
Lake Salvador, Louisiana
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1:45 P.M.
Corey brought the boat to a floating stop next to the second boat they’d left behind as an emergency getaway. It was supposed to have been for Ed, in case they got separated.
They had gotten separated, but permanently. Corey’s throat closed up, partly in grief and partly in panic. Ed was a critical part of their operation and now he was gone.
The blonde would pay for that, too. But he couldn’t let himself think about Ed yet. He needed to secure their hostage. Later. He’d worry about Ed later.
“You take it back to the camp,” Corey told Bobby. “I’ll stay in this one.”
Bobby eyed the tarp-covered figure in the boat’s belly. “I can take this one.”
Corey didn’t trust Bobby to be alone with their prisoner. They needed the blonde as leverage against Cardozo first. “That’s all right. I’ve got her. I’ll meet you back at camp.”
Bobby frowned like a spoiled child deprived of a toy. “You never let me have fun.”
The truth was that Bobby’s fun was getting out of hand. He’d gotten way too excited with Noni Feldman that morning. They’d be lucky if the woman was still alive when they returned.
“I have to have something of value to trade to Cardozo.” Because Cardozo wouldn’t want to comply. He wouldn’t want to give up Bella Butler, but in the end, he would. “Besides, I get dibs. We’ve been over this. If I let you go first, you won’t leave any of her for me.”
“You’ll have plenty left over of her,” Bobby said, almost whining.
“Like you left plenty of Noni Feldman this morning?” Corey demanded.
Bobby’s jaw hardened. “I didn’t kill her.”
Only because Corey had made him stop. “We need Feldman to draw Allyson.”
“Can I have Allyson?”
“Yes. You can have her all to yourself.”
“And this one?” Bobby asked, nudging the Sorensen woman. “Can I have her after you’re done with her?”
“Yes,” Corey snapped, exasperated. “But not until we have Bella in our hands. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Bobby grumbled. “I understand.”
I swear, the man is like an insane toddler. “Good. Take that boat back to the camp. I’ll meet you there.”
Bobby began to move from one boat to the other but stopped, holding his phone, which was buzzing with an incoming call. “It’s my buddy.”
Bobby’s buddy, who was one of André Holmes’s trusted men. Always master of the understatement, was Bobby.
“Answer it. Put it on speaker.”
“You gotta be quiet,” Bobby said. “You’re not supposed to know who he is.”
Corey mimed zipping his lips and Bobby accepted the call. “What’s up?” Bobby asked.
“I did what you said to do,” Drysdale said, and he sounded afraid. “Send me my money.”
Corey frowned at Bobby. “What money?” he mouthed.
Bobby waved as if it were no consequence. “You’ll get it when this job is done. I haven’t gotten my share yet, so I can’t pay you. We discussed this.”
