“Oh, please. I’m a spoiled rich girl with psychiatric issues. How important can I be?”

“To me?”

She didn’t respond except for a little shiver. Good. He didn’t want her to be scared. He wanted her to believe that he could get them out of this. If not tonight, then in the near future. He needed her to do whatever he asked of her, no matter what. And for that she needed to be panic-attack-free.

It would all be so much easier if his own brother wasn’t sitting in the next room. What killed him was that he’d let Charlie get the better of him again. The first time had cost him his military career. This time it would cost a hell of a lot more. He couldn’t even blame his brother. Charlie was Charlie. Nope, this was his own damn fault, and before he got fired, quit, whatever, he was going to make damn sure Ed Martini and Jazz would never bother anyone again. He would make sure that none of the Baxter money was taken and he’d do whatever the hell it took to make sure Tate Baxter went home safely.

“Michael?”

“Yes?”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. No, I’m just angry at myself. I should never have let you go into that store alone.”

“I wasn’t alone.”

“But Elizabeth-”

“Is amazingly capable. She isn’t at fault. I won’t have her lose her job over this.”

He smiled, glad she couldn’t see him. “Okay. Elizabeth stays.”

“Good.”

“Speaking of good, you’re doing damn well yourself.”

“Not really.” She snuggled in closer, and he was glad to have her warmth. “I passed out. Several times.”

“Understandable.”

“And when I was conscious, I was in full panic mode. I didn’t do any of the stuff I was trained to do.”

“It’s a whole different ball game when it’s for keeps.”

“I’m just sorry, that’s all.”

“For what? None of this is your fault.”

“I don’t know. Maybe all these years of focusing so much energy into my fear of being kidnapped…”

“You did not bring this on.”

She sighed, and he felt a small drop of wet on his shoulder.

“Talk to me, Tate. I’ve heard…”

“That I’d been kidnapped?” she asked. “That we-me and my cousin-were taken from my bedroom?”

He wasn’t sure if he should push or just let it go. Maybe talking about it would help, but he was no psychiatrist. Of course, she’d probably told Dr. Bay about this, but Dr. Bay, he now knew, was an ass.

He nodded, squeezed her shoulder.

“Her name was Lisa. She was my best friend. My only friend. Because her father and mine worked together and we were the same age. We did everything together.”

“Same age, huh?”

“Yep. Her mother-my aunt Sharon-made sure we stuck close because my mother died when I was two.”

“I didn’t know you were that young.”

“I don’t remember much about her. But I remember everything about my childhood with Lisa.”

“Tell me about it.”

“She had really long hair and I used to love to brush it. I would pretend I was a hairdresser and we’d play every day. I was sure that’s what I was going to be when I grew up.”

“You? A hairdresser?”

“Why not?”

“I can’t picture it.”

“Back then, when we were little kids, we weren’t really rich. Not like we are now. My father and his brother had gotten some lucrative government contracts, which is basically what made the company, but we were as nouveau as it gets. We were so happy. We traveled, we explored. Lisa and I did everything together. We were as close as sisters.”

“What happened?”

“We were fifteen. So that’s-”

“Nine years ago.”

She nodded and her hair brushed against his neck.

“Since we traveled so much to places like Italy, England, Spain, we’d been taught to be really careful there because of all the kidnappings. Lisa and I barely thought about it, but there was always someone watching out for us. Damn, it was fun. I never felt lonely. We had the same tutors and the same homework. We wore the same clothes. We actually didn’t look that much alike, but everyone thought we were twins.”

“Sounds great.”

“It was.”

That little shiver he’d felt just a few moments ago was back, but it meant something completely different now. He’d seen her tremble just before a panic attack. Just before her breathing became labored and her skin turned deathly pale. He’d meant for the conversation to relax her, to help her trust him. Not send her into a tailspin.

“I never had anyone I was real close to when I was a kid,” he said. “I was into sports, mostly football, but I kept having to change schools.”

“Why?”

“My old man was a drunk. We had to skip on the rent at least once a year.”

“Oh, my God.”

“Yeah, well. He was the reason I signed up for the Army, so I guess it wasn’t so bad.”

She turned to look at him. It was so dark in the room he couldn’t make out her expression, although he had a good idea what it was. “Wasn’t so bad? I can’t believe you’re so cavalier about it.”

“I’ve lived with it all my life. One adjusts.”

“I don’t think it’s nearly that easy.”

“You’ve adjusted.”

“No, I haven’t. That’s the whole point. I should have adjusted years ago. I should have put my fear in the proper perspective. I mean, come on, what are the odds that-”

He heard her take a swift breath, then laughter. Not giggling this time but the real thing.

“What’s so funny?”

Her answer was delayed as she got herself under control. “What are the odds,” she said, “that I’d get kidnapped three times?”

He grinned. “I’d say they were pretty good.”

“Yep.”

He stroked her hair, which was softer than he’d even imagined. “Well, the odds of you getting kidnapped four times have to be astronomical. So once this is over you’re home-free.”

She laughed again, and he joined her, and it was maybe the best thing that could have happened. Her whole body relaxed. Hell, at this rate, she might actually get some sleep tonight. They both needed to eat, sleep, stretch. He had no idea when opportunity would knock, and they both had to be ready.

He thought about getting up, but then her hand went to his chest and he realized she hadn’t finished her story.

“Anyway,” she said, her voice softer now, “we were really careful in Europe but not so much back home. It wasn’t that no one thought anything could happen to us, but-”

“Home turf. It’s hard to stay diligent.”

She nodded. “We spent the night at each other’s houses all the time. The night they took us we were at my place. It was summer, hot. I wasn’t a big fan of the air conditioner, so I had my bedroom window open. It was nice to feel the breeze.”

“Sure,” he said.

“I remember a hand over my mouth. It smelled like stale cigarettes. We were dragged out the window in the middle of the night. Both of us were blindfolded, gagged and tied up. We were thrown in the back of a truck. We rode for a long time and then we were carried inside, down some stairs. It was a basement, and it smelled like cigarettes and beer.

“It gets fuzzy after that. I only remember a few things. Lisa screaming. Someone taking off my nightgown. Praying. Then I was on a street I didn’t recognize and I was wrapped in a white sheet. I was alone.”

“You escaped.”

“I got out, but I don’t know if I had anything to do with it. Someone could have put me there, for all I know.”

She wasn’t shaking. Her voice was steady. Even her skin felt warm and dry. Had she told the story that many times? Or would she fall apart if he said a wrong word?

“I saw a woman in a window and I went to her door. She called the police.”

“Lisa wasn’t so lucky.”

“No. She wasn’t. They found her body three days later in a field that was covered with junk. They hadn’t bothered to dress her, they just dumped her like so much trash.”

“Tate-”

“It’s okay. It’s good to remember. To focus on the fact that it isn’t over until it’s over.”

He pulled her close, resting his cheek on her soft hair. “There’s nothing fair or good about any of it,” he whispered. “I hope the bastards burn for eternity.”