Ethan pulled a phone out of his pocket. Balancing it in one hand while clutching his gun in the other, he took several pictures of Will. “That should put his heart at ease. We wouldn’t want him to think we killed you off and decide not to pay.”
“He might not pay anyway,” Will felt compelled to mention. No plan was foolproof.
“Oh, he’ll pay for you.” Ethan’s eyes glowed with a maniacal glee. “He’s going to lose his shit when he sees these pictures.”
Ethan pushed several more buttons until a soft ping told Will the message had been sent. A scant minute passed before Ethan’s phone rang.
“Ooh, look who’s calling. Your Master wants his pet back. It would be a shame if we had to return him soiled goods.”
Will bit his lip. He had to balance the urge to beat the crap out of Ethan with making sure he stayed safe for Lindi. He couldn’t take any chances. A stray shot from an inexperienced gunman could kill him just as easily as a bullet from a mobster. He needed to find out how many guys were around.
“Hello, art dealer,” Ethan purred into the phone.
Will could hear shouting but couldn’t make out the words. Still, the thought of his lover on the other side of the line had his heart pounding. He had to get back to Lindi—failure wasn’t an option.
Ethan held the phone out from his ear. “Now, now, let’s not lose our temper over a simple business agreement. We’ll return your boy to you as soon as you wire us five million dollars. We’ll even give you forty-eight hours to come up with the cash before we start sending your pretty thing back to you in pieces.”
While Ethan taunted Lindi, Will thought over how to get a message to his lover. If Lindi called Will’s father and brothers, they would come help Lindi get Will back. He didn’t want to contemplate the price of their assistance, but unless Lindi wanted to get his Fed friends involved, Will’s family was his only choice.
“Here, he wants to talk to you. Don’t forget to tell him you love him,” Ethan said in a singsong tone. “I already told him if he called his buddies in the FBI, I would kill you.”
It wasn’t so much Ethan’s tone but the joy in his eyes that worried Will. Ethan might not be a professional killer, but his expression told Will he wouldn’t mind killing him if he thought he was justified. Will wasn’t confident he’d be the first person Ethan had ever killed, either.
Will’s hand shook as he accepted the phone. “Master, I’m fine. Please don’t be mad at me. Don’t make me sleep in my bed alone, not when you just started letting me sleep with you. Just pay them, and we can be together.” He infused more fear into his voice than he was feeling. He knew most kidnap victims wouldn’t be calm, but most of them weren’t raised by mobsters either.
“Calm down, Pet. I’m coming for you.” Lindi’s deep voice eased Will’s minor anxiety.
“I’ll be fine. Just remember what I said. I love you.”
There was a long pause, and Will knew Lindi was trying to decipher his words. “I love you too.”
Ethan snatched the phone back and glared at Will. “Pathetic. You shouldn’t give him that much control over you. He’s just a guy who likes to belittle others to make himself feel like a god. It’s disgusting.”
Will shrugged. He didn’t care about Ethan’s opinion; he just needed Lindi to get his message. Ethan didn’t have to approve of Will’s lifestyle as long as he didn’t shoot him because of it.
“Now let me tell you my terms.”
Was Ethan the mastermind behind the forgeries? Will had thought it was the guy who’d stopped him at the club, but the biggest guy didn’t have to be the one in charge.
“I’ll call you with details for Will’s return when you have the cash,” Ethan said, then hung up. “Don’t worry, pretty pet. We’ll get you returned to your Master soon. How about we just think of you as a mongrel who strayed too far from his owner. Maybe the worst thing you’ll get from your Master is a whack on your nose with a newspaper.”
Throwing his head back, Ethan laughed at his own joke.
Will silently planned Ethan’s death as he smiled back.
Chapter Three
Lindi stood from the table.
“What’s going on?” Carlyle asked. Carlyle and Victor were sitting at Lindi’s dining table. They’d followed him home from the club after Lindi had been certain Will had gone missing. Ralph kept calling and apologizing for not being at the door. Apparently, the second of Will’s abductors was the club’s new bouncer. Greg had also called and apologized for hiring members from the forger ring. Lindi didn’t hold him accountable. If they could forge art, it would be nothing to fake references. Greg couldn’t have known.