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Kristi turned to Rafe. “Hugh is involved in this?”
“Still no proof.”
Kristi’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen. “Unknown number.”
“Pre-paid phone,” Jon said, and typed on his keyboard. Within seconds, he looked at Kristi. “Answer the call. Keep them talking as long as you can. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Rafe wasn’t holding his breath. Hale and Fleming were savvy enough to pull off Stewart’s kidnapping without a hitch. They wouldn’t miss the likelihood of Fortress tracking their phone call. “Put the call on speaker.”
Kristi swiped the screen and tapped the speaker button. “This is Kristi.”
“How much do you love your father?” came the mechanical voice. No way to confirm if the caller was Hale, Fleming, or Ward.
“Who is this? What do you want?”
“We have Alan Stewart. His safe return will cost you $10 million transferred to an offshore account and $100,000 cash delivered in person. We’ll be in touch in three hours with instructions.”
Jon circled his finger, silently telling Kristi to keep them talking.
“Wait. How do I know he’s still alive?”
“You don’t.”
“That’s not good enough. You can’t expect me to take your word that my father is alive and well. I’m not paying a penny until I have proof of life.” She glanced at Rafe.
He gave her a nod of approval. She was handling this like a pro.
Thumps, curses, then Alan Stewart spoke. “I’m all right for the moment, sweetheart.” He sounded weak, his speech a little slurred. “I love you. Tell Rafe I’m sorry.”
The sound of a fist hitting flesh came over the speaker followed by a loud male groan.
“Dad! Please, don’t hurt him. Tell me how to get the money to you and when. I need time to gather that much cash.”
“Don’t test my patience,” the mechanical voice said. “Stewart has the cash in his home safe. You’ll bring it to me. If you don’t, your father will pay with his life.”
“All right. I’ll get the money. When do you want it?”
“We’ll give you instructions in three hours.” The call ended.
“Anything?” Rafe asked Jon.
“Not long enough,” he said.
Kristi sighed. “I’m sorry. I held them on the phone as long as I could.”
“Hale and Fleming work in security. They know how long establishing a lock on their location takes.” Rafe kissed her temple. “You did a great job, Kristi. Thanks to you, we know your father is still alive and coherent enough to talk to you.” For the moment.
“The kidnappers knew about the cash in Stewart’s safe,” Jackson said. “Did he tell them or did they already know?”
“I didn’t tell anyone how much money Dad keeps in his safe.” Kristi leaned her head against Rafe’s shoulder.
“Did Ward mention your father’s safe in a conversation?” Cal asked.
“Several times.”
“Do you have a safe?” Rafe asked.
She wrinkled her nose. “Dad insisted. He’s given me several pieces of jewelry over the years. Some of the jewelry belonged to my mother. I don’t wear much jewelry unless I’m hosting a fundraiser with Dad. Other than that, it stays in the safe in my bedroom.”
