Page 64 of Ransom for His Secret Son

Oh no. Maria. The woman who had cared for Brody’s son, who had no part in this twisted game, who had been released by SAPD hours ago, thinking she was safe.

And now she was in Tarrant’s hands.

Well, maybe. Since Remi wasn’t about to believe a word this scumbag said, she whipped out her own phone and texted Violet. Yes, it was early, but this was important.

Is Maria safe? Remi texted.

She kept a tight grip on her phone, her pulse pounding as she waited for the response.

“I take it you’re verifying that Maria isn’t where she’s supposed to be,” Tarrant said. “Good. That’ll speed things up.”

Remi wished she could punch that smugness right out of Tarrant. Wished, too, that this was just a sick hoax, meant to try to tear into their happiness because the twins were now safe.

Remi’s phone finally vibrated, and she glanced down. You just woke me up, Violet replied. Hold on.

Not the response she wanted, but at least Violet was checking. Remi tapped her fingers against the phone, watching Brody’s body go impossibly still as Tarrant continued his twisted mind game.

“I’ve been on the run a long time, Sheriff. I’m getting tired of it. You and your PI friend aren’t on my trail now. Well, probably,” Tarrant amended. “No reason to come after me now that you have the kids. But someone is always coming after me, and that’s what I want to stop.”

She tuned him out when her phone vibrated again, and she saw it was from Violet. Maria’s not answering her phone.

Remi’s stomach clenched. No. No. This couldn’t be happening.

Is she in trouble? Violet added a heartbeat later.

Remi’s thumbs flew over the screen to respond. To be determined, but I think so. Tarrant says he has her. I need you to find out where she was last seen.

“So I’m guessing you’ve confirmed that Maria is indeed missing.” Tarrant’s voice carried that oily edge that sent a chill slithering down Remi’s spine. He gave a slow, satisfied hum. “Good.”

Remi’s grip tightened around her phone. Violet hadn’t been able to reach Maria. She and Brody both knew what that meant.

Brody’s tone was pure ice. “Where is she?”

Tarrant ignored the question. “I took her shortly after she left the police station. Didn’t put up much of a fight. Seems she was under the impression she was free to go.” He gave a low, mocking laugh. “Imagine her surprise when she realized she wasn’t.”

Remi clenched her jaw.

Maria had done nothing to deserve this. She wasn’t part of Tarrant’s games, wasn’t involved in his long list of crimes. She’d only been a nanny, someone paid to care for Brody’s stolen sons. And now she was leverage.

“But now that you know what’s at stake,” Tarrant went on, “let’s get to business. An innocent woman’s life is on the line.”

“Tell me what you want,” Brody said through clenched teeth.

Tarrant made a sound of amusement. “I want a showdown. Once and for all. No more hunting, no more running. I want Christina, Eloise and Langley there. No other cops. Just the four of us with Remi and you.”

Remi’s heart pounded.

“And here’s the fun part,” Tarrant continued, his voice laced with dark amusement. “I’ll give each of them one shot to kill me.” He laughed. “Then I get one shot to kill them.”

Remi’s stomach twisted. This wasn’t just some desperate attempt to escape. Tarrant was planning his own twisted execution-style game. One that could end with multiple dead bodies, including Maria’s.

Tarrant let the silence stretch for a moment, his sick little plan sinking in. Remi could practically hear the smile in his voice when he finally spoke again. “You have one hour.”

Brody’s grip on the phone tightened, his knuckles going white. “That’s not enough time.”

“Make it enough time,” Tarrant snapped. “You call me once you’ve assembled everyone, and I’ll give you the meeting place.”

Remi’s pulse revved up even more as she stared at Brody, silently willing him to stall, to find a way to turn this around. But Tarrant wasn’t finished.