“That’s not what I hear. I hear you’re working for that newspaper tycoon. Now what’s his name again?” Obviously enjoying her discomfort, he theatrically stretched out his response. “Oh, yeah, now I remember. It’s Mac Buchanan. My lady tells me you done real well for yourself. Tells me you head up his financial department.”
“No. I haven’t seen or spoken to Ashley for more than six months,” she lied. She was in regular contact with her best friend by telephone and Skype, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Wanting a new life, Ashley now lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was her seventh move in the six and a half years that Karl had spent in prison. Such was her continued fear of him and what he might do to her should he find her again, Ashley had aimlessly flitted from state to state in an effort to be rid of him and his memory.
And yet, still he’d found her.
Karl Graves was a sick individual, but he was also extremely intelligent and resourceful.
“Haven’t seen her for six months, you say? Don’t fuck with me, bitch. You ain’t gonna pass no polygraph, spouting bullshit like that.” Kendall heard him take an angry, deep breath on the other end of the line, and she figured the main event was about to begin. “I’m gonna tell you where we go from here. The way I figure it is this. You owe me for six years and eight months. Have you any idea how hard it is to get a job after spending half your adult life behind bars? No. Of course you fucking don’t, because everything has been handed to you on plate, what with your wealthy parents and your fancy education. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You’ve never had to work for anything, have you, bitch. Anyway, let’s just say it ain’t easy, and my time inside sure doesn’t look good on any job application.”
The more he spoke, the more she despised him. What the hell did he know about her life to judge her like that? Kendall saw where his diatribe was heading, but she’d resist this sick individual at all costs. “You want money, don’t you?”
“Clever girl. It was your evidence that sent me down. Without your pious lies on the witness stand and all that wiping away of crocodile tears, I’d have walked.”
“You deserved everything you got.”
“Shut the fuck up and listen. I’m an intelligent guy. Out in the real world, I’d earn an easy one hundred and fifty thousand bucks a year. Times that by six and a half, and we’re in the right ballpark. What do you say we just round it up to a million bucks, bitch.”
She’d flitted from one emotion to another. First it was fear that had overwhelmed her, only to be replaced by anger. Now she felt incredulous, bemused even. A million bucks? What planet did this guy live on?
“It’s not going to happen, Karl. Jesus Christ, whatever antipsychotic drugs they pumped inside you in that place, they weren’t strong enough to keep you grounded in reality.”
Kendall immediately knew she’d hit a nerve when he exploded with rage.
“Never, ever, talk to me like that again, whore. Never make the mistake of disrespecting me again. Do you hear, because if you do, I’ll make it my mission in life to hunt you down, and do to you what I did to your little friend.”
Fear had returned as the dominant emotion, and she suddenly felt frightened to reply, unsure of what he would do next. Eventually, after a lengthy and ungodly silence that had the effect of making her squeeze her fingers into her own naked thighs, leaving bright red marks, he breathily whispered, “Say, Kendall, I’ve got someone here who wants to talk to you.”
She listened intently, until a defeated sniffle finally reached her ear. “Kendall, please. You have to do what he says.”
“Ashley, is that you?”
She knew this vermin had found her best friend, but she didn’t know she was right there with him, under his complete control. Maybe she’d naively hoped that Ashley had got away from him again. “If you don’t do what he says, he’ll kill me this time.” Her sobs were real and not in any way embellished, and Kendall’s heart broke at the thought of the trauma her friend must be suffering right now at the hands of this madman.
She bit her nails down to the quick. “Listen, sweetie, I’ll call the police. I’ll get you out of there.”
“No. It won’t work, Kendall. He…he…blindfolded me and put me in the trunk of the car. I don’t know where I am now. I don’t know anything anymore.”
“Oh, God, sweetie.” Her heart broke into a thousand pieces as Ashley’s tremulous voice relayed the depth of her fear and bewilderment. “But a million dollars, I can’t…I just can’t. If I try to take that type of money, I’ll be found out.”
“Please, Kendall, you’re all I’ve got.”
Dilemma—a common word and one who’s definition she was acutely aware of. If she stole a million dollars from Buchanan Enterprises to pay off this guy, her chances of getting caught were high. Sure, because of her position of financial controller, she could hide the discrepancy for a while, but not forever. It would only be a matter of time before she was found out, and then a lengthy spell in prison awaited her. Even if she paid the sicko, there was no guarantee he’d release Ashley. He was crazy enough to kill her just for the hell of it.
“Please, Kendall, please. I’m begging you. Dear God, I’m begging you. I know it puts you in a bad position, but I’m just so frightened.”
How could she ignore the pitiful heartfelt pleas of her best friend, who she knew deep down would willingly sacrifice her own life should she find herself in a similar situation? Yet, she was in no doubt that Karl would kill Ashley in an instant should she continue to defy him in order to save her own skin. Suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, she realized she didn’t face a dilemma at all. With absolute clarity, she saw the route ahead. Her duty was to save her best friend. She’d worry about herself later, when Ashley was safe.
“Ashley, listen to me,” she whispered. “I promise I won’t let you down.”
“Oh, God. I love you so much, Kendall,” she sobbed.
She then heard the unmistakable sound of three sharp slaps, closely followed by an agonizing wail of despair coming from her best friend.
“Please, Karl, don’t hurt me any more. I’ll do whatever you want, but please don’t hit me again.”
Kendall banged the telephone against the table. “You leave her alone you fucking bastard. Do you fucking hear me?” She placed the phone to her ear again.
The coldest, most emotionless voice she’d ever heard came back at her. “Yeah, sure I hear you, bitch. I hope I’ve made myself clear?”
“Yes, Karl. You win. I’ll do whatever you say.” Her heart thudded uncontrollably with the enormity of the situation she faced.
“Good. You got thirty-six hours, whore. Now listen real good to what I’m about to tell you, or I’ll be posting your friend to you in small packages…”
Chapter Four
4:00 p.m. Monday afternoon at Metropolis Towers, the headquarters of Buchanan Enterprises
Intrigued and angry as hell in equal measure, Mac Buchanan tapped the telephone against his chin several times, before finally putting it to his ear.
“Kendall, can you come to my office right away, please?”
“Certainly, Mr. Buchanan.”
Although she only said three little words, there was a palpable anxiety lacing her husky voice, and he figured he was on the right track. Something was wrong, very wrong, and he’d get to the bottom of it if it was the last thing he ever did.
Two minutes later, he heard a timid knock at his office door, and he slowly took his booted feet from the executive desk. To increase her anxiety levels further, he waited for his financial controller to knock a second then a third time before casually saying, “Enter.”
When she pushed open the heavy oak door and walked into his office, he was immediately intoxicated by her beauty. Her elegance and loveliness captivated him as much now as it had the first time he’d laid eyes on her, but with composure being of paramount importance, he nonchalantly gestured to the chair opposite.
“Take a seat, honey.” Making the effort to look as concerned and compassionate as humanly possible, he reached across and patted her hand. “How are you feeling today?”
Kendall shifted nervously in her seat. “Much better. Thanks for your concern.”
“That’s good to hear. I understand that migraine can be real debilitating, enough to bring some people right down. By the way, thanks for calling to tell me you weren’t well enough to have dinner with me at Le Bernadin.”
She shuffled again in her seat and let out a barely audible but guilty as hell cough. “I’m sorry I disappointed you, sir. I just felt so unwell.”
Mac feigned his concern again by nodding benignly in her direction. “Yeah, I can imagine. I expect you went straight to bed. Right?”