Broken Promises (21 page)

“You can’t lay this on me, man. Jackie
wouldn’t scare us to death like this, and you damned well know
it.”

“I don’t
have
three million. Now that
the FBI’s involved, they can just catch this kidnapper. I mean,
that’s what you guys do, isn’t it?”

“Make up your mind, dip wad.” Alex held his
clenched fists close to his sides to keep from knocking Brad a good
one. “Which is it? One minute, she’s laughing at you and drinking
mojitos, and the next you want to sit back and let the FBI find the
kidnapper. Can’t have it both ways, man.” Jaw tensed, he dragged a
hand through his hair.

“For all I know, it’s somebody after you.
Looks like
you’re
the one who needs to come up with
two-thirds of the ransom.”

“I don’t freaking have two million dollars.
You’re the financial whiz—ah, hell! Who gives a flying fuck—” Alex
stormed from the room. Killing his brother-in-law wouldn’t bring
any of them home. Come to think of it, Hixson had probably told
Alex about the escort agency to divert him on a wild-goose chase. A
freaking monumental waste of time.

He stopped at the front door long enough to
say, “By the way, Bette heard from Jackie. She was still alive a
few hours ago.”

“I-I’ll do what I can,” Brad called after
him. “Gotta stall for time.”

Stalling for time and obtaining proof of life
were two things he had planned. All he had to do was wait for the
kidnapper to call again.

Waiting wasn’t his best sport. But something
was about to break. It had to.

Chapter Twenty-one

The kidnapper’s sandy beard threw her for a
second, but not the blue eyes. The same smile too. Yes, the bastard
was smiling. He was a bit bulkier, but if the kidnapper wasn’t
Alex’s twin, he was a blood relative. “Andy? You’re Alex’s brother,
aren’t you?”
Okay, play nice with the kidnapper, Bette.

He nodded a little uncertainly. “I prefer
Drew.”

Obviously, Alex’s twin wasn’t dead at all,
which begged the question—several questions, in fact—whose body was
found all those years ago, and where the hell had Andy, or Drew, as
he preferred being called, been all these years? “Drew’s fine with
me. My family used to call me Tina, but my name’s really—”

“Bettina and now you go by Bette,” he
finished for her, still smiling with Alex’s smile, although his
teeth weren’t quite as perfect. Maybe Alex had braces and Drew’s
kidnapper hadn’t bothered. But how did he know her birth name?
Maybe Jackie mentioned it. “Well, this certainly is an interesting
turn of affairs. I never thought to meet you. Alex will be thrilled
to know you’re alive.”

Drew’s gaze narrowed for a second when she
mentioned Alex’s name. Her last word trailed off. How had he
survived? Mouth dry as the driest Chardonnay, she swallowed the
rest of her questions.

“You’ve a very interesting background, Miss
Spinelli
. Yes, I know who you are. After Jackie so
graciously joined me, I had some time to dig into your
background.”

Bette swallowed the ever-growing lump in her
throat. Creep must be handy with his computer. Her background
wasn’t all that visible—at least she hadn’t thought so until now.
Like she had nothing better to do than Google herself.

He motioned for her to have a seat. Since her
knees were about to give out, it seemed like the sensible thing to
do, so she sat. Her mind whirled with options…actually, with the
lack of them.

“Most of my family is here now.” He continued
with his gracious-host act. “Do you think Alex will arrive soon?
I’m looking forward to seeing him after all these years, as you
might imagine.”

“Um, yes, I suspect he will.” Difficult man
to read. Was he really looking forward to seeing Alex again, or did
he have something else in mind?
Stall for time.
What else
could she do?

“I’ve followed his career, you know, waiting
for the right time and circumstances for us to get
reacquainted
.”

Again, a brittle edge crept into his tone.
Not that she was any expert, but Drew seemed a few bricks short of
a load. She glanced around the finished basement. Not a rough
cellar like she’d first feared. The floor was painted concrete, but
here and there, several small area rugs were scattered about, plus
a few pieces of comfortable furniture…and toys. “Where’s Cody?”

“I asked Jackie to put him down for a nap. I
thought it best to give you time to get used to your surroundings.
I tried to make it homey. I hope you approve.”

Like she was going to live in his basement
the rest of her life? No freaking way! “So, Jackie’s okay?”

“Of course. I know my method of arranging a
family reunion is a little unorthodox, but I wouldn’t harm a hair
on her head. I missed her and Alex so much, and my adoptive parents
too, although I didn’t get to spend much time with them before…” He
glanced away quickly, then met her gaze again, ignoring the
elephant in the room. He held out his hand. “Come, I want to show
you your quarters. I thought you’d like to be close to Jackie. Is
that all right?”

She nodded, rose to her feet, and carefully
took Drew’s hand. It felt so much like Alex’s. In spite of his
bulkier build and the beard, his voice was dead-on almost the same,
except his upstate accent was more pronounced. Only the transitory
wildness in his gaze unnerved her. Wasn’t everyday a woman was
kidnapped and treated like a guest at the kidnapper’s warped idea
of a family reunion.

He led her around the corner of the huge
basement. Had to be one hell of a house upstairs. If she could just
get up there and get to a phone… She’d left hers in the car when
she got out and opened the gate.

“This is your room, right next to Jackie’s.
There’s a full bath—you’ll have to share. Sorry ’bout that.”

“Not a problem.” Oh, no, the problem was
right beside her: all six feet three inches and two hundred plus
pounds of problem.

He tapped on a closed door. “Jackie, our
company’s here.”

The door opened, and a wide-eyed Jackie
stepped out somewhat slowly. Over her shoulder, Bette made out Cody
asleep on the bed. A rush of relief flooded through her. “Hi, I’m
so glad you could make it.” Jackie put her arms around Bette’s neck
and whispered, “Sorry, but he made me call you. Threatened Cody.
Just play along.”

Bette nodded her understanding and said
aloud, “I think Drew has a great idea. A family reunion. And I’m
really,
really
glad you invited me, even though I’m not
exactly family. I suppose that was you at Jackie’s?”

“Sorry.” He nodded slowly. “But you’re the
key to getting Alex here. Y’see he—uh, never mind.” His eyes went
all funny again, and his hands clenched at his sides.

Uh-oh. Maybe Alex’d be better off if he
missed this particular reunion. They all would.

“So, what have you been up to since…?” Bette
broke off when she noticed Jackie shaking her head, as well as her
panicked expression.
Okay, then, try something else
. “Uh,
does Alex know where to come?”

Drew smiled. “Oh,
Alex
was always the
smart one. He’ll figure it out. You did.”

“Yes, I did, but…” Bette chewed on her bottom
lip.

“Something wrong?”

“My dog. I’m afraid she ran off when we—uh,
met. She’s not used to the woods. She’s more like a city dog.
That’s what she’s used to.”

Jackie’s brow furrowed at the mention of
Bette’s dog, then she shook her head and eased back into her room,
leaving Bette alone with Drew.

Drew shrugged. “If I wasn’t expecting Alex to
show up soon, I’d go look for her myself.”

Wringing her hands, Bette tried again. “No, I
really think
I
should go. She’s a little shy. She’ll
probably hide from anyone but me. She’s really not used to being
around men.” God, she was babbling like the village idiot. How long
could she keep it up?

“How’s Alex get along with her?” Drew snorted
with laughter. “You know, he got himself chewed up pretty good by a
poodle when we were just kids. He never cared much for dogs after
that.”

“Well, he’s not crazy about her, but I hope
that’ll change in the future.” If they even had a future.

“Alex seems crazy about you. Never knew him
to get involved with anyone before, especially someone with a
dog.”

How the hell did he know anything about
Alex’s life or his involvements? Had he been cyber-stalking his
brother? She glanced toward the stairs. “D-do you think I could go
out and have a look around? Her hearing’s sharp. She’d probably
hear me and come running. I’m not really sure how far we came after
you—uh, picked me up.”

“Don’t worry about that.” His dismissed her
worries with a wave of his hand. “Your dog’ll be okay until there’s
time to have a look.”

“But Alex isn’t here yet, so there’s still
time.”

Drew smiled, then gave a chuckle. “Wouldn’t
want
you
to get lost out there too.”

Not that she expected him to let her go. He
was crazy. Crafty. But definitely not dumb.

“Your room—I’m afraid it’s not as well
furnished as Jackie’s. I’ve been planning this reunion for a while,
but I didn’t know until recently that you’d figure into my plans.”
He gave an eerily familiar smile. “The more the merrier, I always
say.” He opened the door with a flourish.

Inside the small room was a bed with a
discount-store quilt folded across the foot. Two pillows. Not even
a side chair she could use to whack him over the head. “I’m sure
I’ll be very comfortable.” Like hell she would.

“No trouble at all.”

“I don’t have a change of clothes. I don’t
suppose…”

He smiled, and somehow it didn’t have a
pleasant effect on her jitters. “Check the closet. I picked out a
few things when I bought the bedding.”

“That’s so thoughtful.” She opened the door.
Jeans, flannel shirts, and a pair of boots. Great, she could go
hiking and roast to death in the June heat. “How long did you plan
for us to stay? They really miss Jackie down at the office. The
temp is looking forward to working part time again.”

“Why don’t we play it by ear? Surely, you’re
not in a hurry to leave. Not before
Alex
joins us.”

Every time Drew mentioned his brother’s name,
his squirreliness grew more and more apparent. His tone changed and
grew edgy as if his throat tightened.

“But I promise I’ll—”

His gaze widened, his fists clenching at his
sides. “Don’t talk to me about
promises
! People don’t keep
them. Never. Ever!” He whirled away from her and stomped up a set
of stairs which apparently led up to the house. A door slammed, and
Bette heard the loud click of a deadbolt.

Damn. Somehow, she’d set him off. What was
it? All she’d said was, “I promise I’ll—” That had to be it.
Note to self: erase that particular word from your
vocabulary.

She knocked on Jackie’s door. When the door
opened, she said, “He’s gone upstairs. Has he ever let you up
there?”

“No. And he never fails to lock that
door.”

“Are you really all right? Has he hurt
you?”

Jackie shook her head and slipped her arm
around Bette’s waist. “I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this, but
selfish as it is, I’ve never been so glad to see anyone in my
entire life. Although Alex and a squad of FBI agents are right up
there at the top of my list.”

Bette giggled, then sobered. “I did something
to set him off.”

“That’s easy to do. His fuse is on the short
side,” Jackie said with a tight smile. “I tried to warn you.”

“I know, but I had to test his gracious-host
façade to see how far he’d let me go. Guess I found out.”

Jackie wrung her hands. “We’ve got to get a
message to Alex. I think Drew means to get even. His body language,
his tone of voice—both tell me he’s angry.”

“Yes.” Bette nodded. “There’s no telling what
his kidnapper put him through. Is he here alone? Have you seen or
heard anyone else?”

Jackie glanced upward. “No one.” She closed
the door behind her. “Let’s talk in your room. I don’t want to wake
Cody.”

They entered Bette’s room and sat side by
side on the bed. “And Cody’s all right? Isn’t he scared?”

“He was very upset when Drew brought him
here. I’ve tried to make it a game.” Jackie’s bottom lip started to
tremble. “But I don’t know how much longer I can keep him
pacified.”

“Okay, so Drew seems to be alone and in
charge now. Why didn’t he come forward before? Why carry on with
this whacked-out reunion BS?”

“He’s not quite sane. There are times when he
seems normal, but at others, it’s very clear he’s on the brink of a
total breakdown. I’ve heard him shouting and talking to himself
upstairs. But that’s just this vet’s opinion.”

“I don’t doubt you for a minute. We’ve got to
get out of here. Does he ever leave?”

Jackie nodded. “Yes, sometimes for several
hours at a time.”

“Is there anything we can use for a weapon?”
She glanced around the room. “There’s nothing in here.” She got to
her feet and left the small room, giving the remainder of the
basement a hurried once-over. Poking in several boxes, she found
nothing of use. Where was a MacGyver, or more specifically a
MacGregor, when you needed one?

“I’ve already gone through everything.”
Jackie’s voice grew faint. “At least we’re warm, and he feeds us
regularly. Good food too.”

“
Great,
our kidnapper is a chef.” As
she talked, she ran from one of the high windows to another. All of
’em sealed shut. Dammit. “Don’t give up. Alex knows I heard from
you. I left him a voice mail telling where I was headed. Drew must
have some deep pockets, ’cause a house like this takes major bucks
to maintain.”

“I can’t imagine where his money comes from,”
Jackie said. “It’s not just the house. There’s all the land
surrounding it. It’s so secluded. I mean, I haven’t heard anything
or anyone, not since he brought me here.”