"When did you get the phone call?" I kept my voice quiet and steady.
She checked her phone. "Twelve minutes after ten."
"Do you recognize the voice?"
"No."
"Listen to it again, carefully."
She did. "No."
"Can you think of any enemies Brian had?"
"I told you already, no."
"Rynda," Rogan said, "someone grabbed a Prime off the street in broad daylight. It had to be a rival House. Nobody else would have the balls. Did Brian say anything? Was he angry with someone?"
"Brian doesn't get angry." Rynda sighed.
"Who is his biggest competitor?" I asked.
"House Rio," she said. "But he wouldn't know anything about that in detail. Edward runs the business. Brian grows mushrooms."
Rogan was looking at me.
"Edward is in the clear," I told him.
"Did you think Edward had Brian kidnapped?" Rynda shook her head. "Edward would never do anything to hurt me."
Rynda's cell phone rang.
"Put it on speaker," I told her.
She answered the call and pressed the speaker button on screen. I gently took it from her.
Same male voice, controlled, even. "Give it to us, or he will come back home in pieces."
"My name is Nevada Baylor," I said. "I'm authorized to negotiate with you on Rynda's behalf."
"No negotiations."
"We're trying to meet your demands. We want Brian back home safe. But we require proof of life, so we know we're dealing with the right people. In our place, you would want proof of life, wouldn't you?"
There was a pause. A softer male voice said, "Rynda?"
"Brian!" Rynda made a mad lunge for the phone, but Rogan clamped her down. "Brian, are you okay?"
"Just give them what they want. Please."
The phone call ended.
Rynda buried her face in her hands.
"FBI-" I started.
"No," Rogan, Rynda, and Cornelius said at the same time.
Yes, why wouldn't we call professionals who specialize in exactly this type of crime? That would be silly. "They will call again."
"What if they kill him?"
"They won't kill him," Rogan said. "They went through the trouble of kidnapping him, which means they want their ransom. If they kill him, they'll have nothing to negotiate with."
I handed her the phone. "Rynda, the next time they call, you have to establish an emotional connection. It's critical. Ask them questions. If they answer, repeat the answer back to them and ask if it's right. Get them to the place where they agree with you. They need to get used to viewing you as being on their side. Use your magic. I know it's hard, but you can't get upset and you can't be hysterical. Make them think that all of you are in this together and that you want them to succeed. Get them to tell you what it is they want."
She took the phone and nodded.
"You will be safer with me," Rogan said. "They're calling your cell. You can take it with you."
"Don't be ridiculous, Connor. I'm a Prime in a house that's built like a fortress and filled with armed guards. My kids are already freaked out, and you want us to move across town into your barracks. No. I'm going to stay right here. We have to stay right here, because we are waiting for Daddy to come home."
Rogan's face promised a storm. "Very well. In that case, I'll put a team on your house."
Rynda looked up at him, and there was steel in her eyes behind all the brittleness. "No, you won't. We have our own security. I appreciate the offer, but no. I'm going to take care of my kids. If you want to help me, please find my husband."
There wasn't anything I could say after that.
Outside I took a deep breath. "Do you want to explain to me why we can't call the FBI?"
"Neumann kidnapping," Cornelius said.
"A rival House kidnapped George Neumann in the 1980s," Rogan clarified. "The FBI went in and lost over forty agents. Nobody was convicted."
"How is that possible?"
Rogan shrugged. "Connections and enough money for excellent attorneys. The FBI no longer gets involved in our kidnappings. This is House business. We handle it ourselves."
Nice. Another perk of being a House I hadn't counted on: when you're in trouble, law enforcement won't help you.
Rogan typed something on his phone. "You should've helped me convince her to leave the house."
"She's a mother and an empath. She knows exactly how scared her kids are. She feels they need stability and a familiar environment. Wild horses couldn't drag her out of that house right now." I rubbed my face. "Can you send a hostage negotiator to help her?"