His Ransom 6
Chapter One
“You’re Jake’s brother?”
I stared at Sean, my mouth agape. My mind was whirling.
“You can’t be Jake’s brother,” I said. “Jake’s brother is…” I trailed off, totally confused.
“Did he tell you about me?”
Sean sat down in front of me. He crossed his arms atop his knees. Behind him, the light of the lantern illuminated the white bones of the Paris catacombs. The rope that he had tied me with rubbed against the skin of my wrists as I shifted my weight forward to see him more clearly.
He didn’t blink. If he really was Jake’s brother, surely there would be some hint of feeling there, something that I could see. But his dark eyes hid any emotion.
“He told me that you died,” I said. “The fire…”
“Yes,” Sean said. “That’s what Jake thought.”
“But—”
“My brother has been mistaken for a long time,” he said. “Too long. And now it’s time for us to make things right.”
Right? Was that what he called kidnapping me to the bottom of the Paris catacombs? I couldn’t believe that this was Jake’s brother.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Isn’t that clear?” Sean asked. His dark eyebrows arched over his forehead.
Again, the pang of familiarity. Only this time, I knew where it was coming from. Or at least, I thought I knew. Could it really be? This was Jake’s brother, the brother he’d thought had died a long, long time ago.
“No,” I said. “You can’t be in it for the money.”
“Why not?”
“Jake’s family was rich,” I said. “The business… the apartment in New York City. You had billions!”
“I had nothing,” Sean corrected, holding up a finger. “Our father was rich, not me. And Jake got everything.”
I frowned. I didn’t understand what Sean was implying.
“Jake was a young kid when the fire happened,” I said. “He was only five. He said—”
“I don’t know what Jake Carville knows about our father’s death,” Sean said. He rocked back on his heels, looking up at the ceiling of the catacombs. “For all I know, he was innocent.”
A dark shadow passed over my mind. Sean was blaming Jake for all this? A fierce burst of anger struck me.
“He was innocent,” I said. “He thought that you all died in the fire. He said—”
“Yes!” Sean stood up suddenly, towering over me. “That is what he would say to everyone.”
“It’s true,” I said. I needed to defend Jake, his guilt pressing me on urgently like a hand at my back. “He wouldn’t lie.”
“He’s lied to you before,” Sean said. “Don’t tell me he hasn’t.”
I paused.
Had Jake lied?
My thoughts fluttered back to the moment Jake met me. When he had his men take me from my job and bring me to him. He had lied then.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I’ve followed Jake for his whole life,” Sean said. His shoulders were tense, watching me. He wanted to see if I believed him, maybe. “I’ve seen what he does. What he’s capable of doing.”
“Then why now?” I asked. “Why did you take me now? Because I was here in Paris with him?”
“That was a nice coincidence,” Sean said.
His fingers tapped against his thigh. Another one of Jake’s mannerisms reflected in him. Or maybe I was just trying to put things together that weren’t there, seeing similarities where I wanted to see them. I pulled back, trying not to let Sean manipulate me any further.
“Just a coincidence?”
“It’s a coincidence you were here, yes. But we needed the money now.”
He wasn’t telling me everything, that was for sure. Even if he needed the money immediately, that didn’t explain everything.
“Why me?” I asked.
“He loves you,” Sean said. His mouth twisted. For a brief moment I saw an undeniable flash of jealousy in his eyes.
“He loves me?” My question was only a whisper.
“From everything I’ve seen. You’re the only woman he’s ever cared for. You’re the perfect hostage.”
He stood abruptly and looked off into the shadows.
“He’s coming,” Sean said.
My heart beat furiously. I strained to see down the dark caverns of the catacombs.
Was it really Jake? Was he coming for me?
Chapter Two
From out of the dark, they came. The surgeon first—Rien, was his name. He had his hand in his pocket, and I knew that his fingers were on the same syringe that he’d used to inject me when they had first kidnapped me on the street. But behind him—
“You’re Jake’s brother?”
I stared at Sean, my mouth agape. My mind was whirling.
“You can’t be Jake’s brother,” I said. “Jake’s brother is…” I trailed off, totally confused.
“Did he tell you about me?”
Sean sat down in front of me. He crossed his arms atop his knees. Behind him, the light of the lantern illuminated the white bones of the Paris catacombs. The rope that he had tied me with rubbed against the skin of my wrists as I shifted my weight forward to see him more clearly.
He didn’t blink. If he really was Jake’s brother, surely there would be some hint of feeling there, something that I could see. But his dark eyes hid any emotion.
“He told me that you died,” I said. “The fire…”
“Yes,” Sean said. “That’s what Jake thought.”
“But—”
“My brother has been mistaken for a long time,” he said. “Too long. And now it’s time for us to make things right.”
Right? Was that what he called kidnapping me to the bottom of the Paris catacombs? I couldn’t believe that this was Jake’s brother.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Isn’t that clear?” Sean asked. His dark eyebrows arched over his forehead.
Again, the pang of familiarity. Only this time, I knew where it was coming from. Or at least, I thought I knew. Could it really be? This was Jake’s brother, the brother he’d thought had died a long, long time ago.
“No,” I said. “You can’t be in it for the money.”
“Why not?”
“Jake’s family was rich,” I said. “The business… the apartment in New York City. You had billions!”
“I had nothing,” Sean corrected, holding up a finger. “Our father was rich, not me. And Jake got everything.”
I frowned. I didn’t understand what Sean was implying.
“Jake was a young kid when the fire happened,” I said. “He was only five. He said—”
“I don’t know what Jake Carville knows about our father’s death,” Sean said. He rocked back on his heels, looking up at the ceiling of the catacombs. “For all I know, he was innocent.”
A dark shadow passed over my mind. Sean was blaming Jake for all this? A fierce burst of anger struck me.
“He was innocent,” I said. “He thought that you all died in the fire. He said—”
“Yes!” Sean stood up suddenly, towering over me. “That is what he would say to everyone.”
“It’s true,” I said. I needed to defend Jake, his guilt pressing me on urgently like a hand at my back. “He wouldn’t lie.”
“He’s lied to you before,” Sean said. “Don’t tell me he hasn’t.”
I paused.
Had Jake lied?
My thoughts fluttered back to the moment Jake met me. When he had his men take me from my job and bring me to him. He had lied then.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“I’ve followed Jake for his whole life,” Sean said. His shoulders were tense, watching me. He wanted to see if I believed him, maybe. “I’ve seen what he does. What he’s capable of doing.”
“Then why now?” I asked. “Why did you take me now? Because I was here in Paris with him?”
“That was a nice coincidence,” Sean said.
His fingers tapped against his thigh. Another one of Jake’s mannerisms reflected in him. Or maybe I was just trying to put things together that weren’t there, seeing similarities where I wanted to see them. I pulled back, trying not to let Sean manipulate me any further.
“Just a coincidence?”
“It’s a coincidence you were here, yes. But we needed the money now.”
He wasn’t telling me everything, that was for sure. Even if he needed the money immediately, that didn’t explain everything.
“Why me?” I asked.
“He loves you,” Sean said. His mouth twisted. For a brief moment I saw an undeniable flash of jealousy in his eyes.
“He loves me?” My question was only a whisper.
“From everything I’ve seen. You’re the only woman he’s ever cared for. You’re the perfect hostage.”
He stood abruptly and looked off into the shadows.
“He’s coming,” Sean said.
My heart beat furiously. I strained to see down the dark caverns of the catacombs.
Was it really Jake? Was he coming for me?
Chapter Two
From out of the dark, they came. The surgeon first—Rien, was his name. He had his hand in his pocket, and I knew that his fingers were on the same syringe that he’d used to inject me when they had first kidnapped me on the street. But behind him—