Chapter 1
Mallory’s blood turned to ice at the sound of Jake’s voice calling out her name. Her legs no longer able to support her, she sank down onto her couch.
“Miss Williams?” The unnaturally deep, distorted voice harshly called her back to attention. “Do you understand? I will not hesitate to kill him if you don’t bring me the money within the next hour.”
“Please,” Mallory’s voice was strained. “I don’t have that kind of money.” What was she going to do?
“Then you’ll have to figure something out,” the voice said pitilessly. “I’m texting you directions to his location. Come alone, or we kill him anyway.”
“Please,” Mallory forced out, her tone strangled. “I’ll get you whatever you want. Just don’t hurt him.”
“That is entirely up to you, Miss Williams.” The phone went dead. Mallory was shaking so hard that the phone slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor. It beeped three times, letting her know that she had a text. She reached down with trembling fingers and scooped it up. As promised, the kidnappers had sent her directions to where she was supposed to go.
Her first instinct was to get help, to call the police. But no, they had told her to come alone. She swallowed down the fear rising in her throat. She couldn’t risk Jake.
It wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes to reach his location. That gave her just under forty minutes to come up with five-hundred thousand dollars. A mad giggle escaped her. It might as well have been five-hundred million; she had just over one thousand dollars in her bank account. She raked her fingers through her hair in frustration.
What am I going to do? She wondered frantically, wracking her brain for a solution.
Then it came to her: the diamond and sapphire necklace that Jake had given her. He had said it was worth one-hundred thousand dollars. It was only a fifth of what the kidnappers asked. Could she bluff her way through it? How would they know its actual value? Mallory had never been a good liar, but she didn’t have a choice. It was her best chance.
But the necklace was at Jake’s house, and that was twenty minutes away. She didn’t have much time. Pull it together! Mallory commanded herself sternly. She willed her legs to cease their trembling and forced herself to her feet. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins now, giving her strength. She had to move faster. Grabbing her keys from the hook at her front door, she dashed out of her house and flung herself into her old Corolla. She pushed it to its limits as she sped towards Jake’s house, praying that she didn’t get stopped for speeding. By some miracle, she found herself tearing down his driveway fifteen minutes later.
But she couldn’t allow the staff to see her upset; they would know that something was up. She forced herself to ease her foot back off the gas pedal, nearing the manor at a more normal pace. Breathing deeply through her nose, she struggled to slow her shallow, panicked breaths. Still, she couldn’t help half-jogging to the front door.
The wait between her ringing the bell and the butler arriving at the door seemed to take a lifetime. When he finally opened it for her, she tried her best to seem casual.
“Won’t Jake be home soon?” She asked.
“Yes,” the liveried man answered. “He should be back in an hour or so. You’re more than welcome to wait for him.” Thank god her presence didn’t raise any suspicion; she had spent enough time here that it didn’t seem odd for her to be at the house when Jake was out.
She stepped over the threshold when the man opened the door and quickly made her way to Jake’s bedroom, hoping that he had stored the necklace there. Flinging the door open, she began unceremoniously ripping open drawers, throwing out their contents as the frantically searched.
Frustrated tears welled in her eyes as she realized she had torn through every drawer in the room to no avail. Jerking her fingers through her hair, she looked around wildly. Then she spotted it: a large, lidded box crafted of cherry wood sitting atop Jake’s chest of drawers. Her heart sank when she saw that there was a lock on it. She vainly tried to pry it open, breaking her nails as she scrabbled at the tiny crack between the base and the lid. Finally, with a sob of frustration, she flung the box at the wall. It dented the wooden panels on impact, but there was a crunching sound that accompanied the loud bang when it hit the wall. Mallory dropped to her knees and let out a sob of relief when she saw something glinting brightly; the box had broken open. Picking it up, she threw it down to smash it against the floor, and it broke open.
She scooped up the sparkling necklace and shoved it into her purse. Then she fled the room, taking the stairs two at a time as she headed for the corridor that would lead her out of the house. She checked her watch; she only had twenty-five minutes to get to Jake. Struggling to still her heaving chest, she headed for the door as slowly as she could force herself to.
The butler looked at her quizzically as she neared the exit. “Miss Williams?” He asked.
Mallory turned, not knowing what to say. “Um…” She began. “I forgot something at my house.” She didn’t have time for this conversation! Her car would barely make it to Jake in time.
An idea sprang to mind. “Do you think I could borrow the Jaguar?” She asked quickly.
The butler’s eyebrows rose. “I can get Thomas to drive-” He began, but Mallory cut him off.
“I’d really like to take it out myself. I’m sure Jake wouldn’t mind.” She had no idea if Jake would mind under normal circumstances, but considering their predicament, she was sure that he wouldn’t be too mad.
The man seemed torn, not wanting to deny her, but clearly worried that he would get in trouble for it. Finally, he sighed. “I’ll get you the keys.”
Relief washed over Mallory, and she found herself impatiently bouncing in on the balls of her feet once he left to get the keys for her. As soon as they were in her hands, she said a quick, “thank you,” and was out the door. She half-ran to the old carriage house that served as Jake’s garage. When she was finally in the driver’s seat, she cranked the ignition, the car letting out a satisfying roar as it came to life.