Rush (Eligible Receivers #3)

Chapter Twenty-three

He'd fucked up.

Linc’s gaze landed on Nora for the… Hell, he wasn’t even sure how many times his eyes had strayed to her in the past five hours. She hadn’t moved since the last time he’d looked. Or the time before that. And by that he meant literally. Sitting hunched, barely breathing, it killed him every time he glanced at her face and saw the forlorn expression he’d put there.

Fear-fueled adrenaline had spurred his initial reaction to Nora’s phone call along with a heaping dose of his own guilt. That Nora had been an easy target to lash out at was something that would haunt him forever. Because for the first time in his life, he’d ignored his gut instinct. Linc had known Sid Parker wasn’t going to back down easily. He’d seen desperation before on the field and he’d seen it again in that conference room.

He’d lost count of the number of times he’d wanted to apologize for his words. But, then he’d remember how he’d ignored her curled on the floor when he’d walked into the house. Of how she’d been hurt not just emotionally but also physically. His woman. The lady he referred to with every beat of his heart as one of his two girls. And then he’d sit his ass back down because he was a damn coward. If she turned away from him now— No, he couldn’t take that chance because his energy and focus needed to be on Sophie and getting her away from that bastard and his crazy ass wife.

Linc just hoped that once Sophie was home and he’d have the time to apologize and explain himself to Nora properly that somehow she wouldn’t hate him as much as he hated himself.

“Lincoln!”

His manager’s voice caught his attention and he looked over to see Elizabeth Torres stomping over in heels so high they defied her no-nonsense stride. She dropped a bag at his feet and from the sound of its heft, she’d done the impossible and rounded up one million in cash in just a few hours.

“Thanks for coming so fast, Liz.”

The five-foot nothing barracuda stood in front of him, feet planted as wide as her pencil skirt would allow. “It’s my job.” Then she belied all that assertive authority when her face softened and she asked, “How’re you holding up?”

“I’m okay. Be better once I get Sophie back.”

Her eyes darted across the room, sticking on Nora for a few seconds before coming back to him. “That the fake fiancée?”

Liz had been against the scam from the start, calling it a PR nightmare, and knew Linc hated it when she called her that. “We’re gonna have a problem if you don’t curb that shit. You know her name. Use it.”

Her head canted, something working behind her eyes. “Nora’s not looking so great. Why aren’t you over there with her?”

“I’m the last person she wants to be around right now.”

Her eyes narrowed into the stern expression he’d seen a thousand times. “What did you do?”

He sighed, “Let’s just say, I should’ve thought before I spoke.”

Proving why she was so good at her job, she correctly deduced the situation, spitting out, “Please tell me you didn’t blame that poor girl for what’s happened?” His expression must have been answer enough because she admonished, “You need to apologize.”

“I know, and I fully intend to but now’s not the time.”

“Trust me, the longer you wait, the harder it’ll be for her to accept it.”

Linc had known the woman standing before him since he was a rookie, and in all that time this was the closest they’d ever come to a personal conversation. “I appreciate the advice.”

“But you aren’t going to listen,” she stated flatly as though talking to an idiot. “Fine. It’s no skin off my nose. I was just hoping the fake engagement would turn into a real one and save me the effort of printing a retraction.”

“Glad to see you’re not going soft on me. You had me worried there for a minute.”

He was given a dry smile as she turned and walked away, heading for the kitchen. Linc picked up the bag at his feet and walked it over to the taller of the detectives. He’d been told everyone’s names but, for the life of him, couldn’t remember a single one.

“The money,” Linc announced.

“Perfect. I’ll give it to the tech guys so they can wire it.”

They’d gone over the operation with him. After he made the drop, the police would track the signal to its ending location and if all went well, they’d make an arrest and bring Sophie home.

The detective had made it sound so easy, but Linc knew nothing was ever as easy as it sounded. He just hoped this one time was the exception to the rule.

***

“Are you ready Mr. Scott?”

He had the money—as requested in a large backpack—the keys to a discreet rental, rented in Liz’s brother-in-law’s name so he wouldn’t be followed by the paparazzi, and his cell phone. “I think so.”

He glanced over at Nora, still isolated but now standing, wringing her hands, and made what he considered to be the first right move with her since this nightmare had begun. He went over to her. “Everything’s going to be okay.” He spoke softly even though no one was around to overhear.

“Please be careful.” There was a catch in her voice that almost did him in.

Soon, Sophie would be home. Soon, they’d be alone. Soon, they could put this all behind them. He reached out to touch her hand and his stomach iced as she flinched before covering the action by tucking her hair behind her ear.

Linc’s jaw locked, stilling the words he wanted to say behind his teeth. For now. Soon he'd have both of his girls back safe and sound and in his arms where they belonged.

He passed Liz on his way to the door. She looked only half as concerned as Nora but on her scale that meant she was practically frantic.

She stopped him with a hand on his forearm. “I know the police will be following at a distance but stay sharp. I don’t want to have to write your obituary.”

“Don’t worry, I’m sticking around to give you a paycheck.”

They joked but her eyes told a different story and he hoped his reflected the same.

She squeezed his arm and when he opened the front door he heard her say, “Don’t get in an accident, I didn't get the added insurance. You don’t pay me enough to give the price-gouging rental companies anything extra for that crap.”

That actually pulled a smile from him. She was so full of shit. He paid her enough that she could’ve bought a car outright for tonight with no worries.

His smile was gone by the time he reached the car, adjusted the seat, and buckled himself in. He pushed the starter and the car roared to life. His hands shook as he clutched the steering wheel, but not out of fear—out of anger. Not having a second alone since he’d been home, his thoughts hadn’t had time to brew. Nora’s description coupled with the low ransom amount had been what tipped the scales for the police to consider the Parkers the most likely suspects. A pro would’ve asked for ten times the amount Linc was currently carrying.

How two people could be so vile as to leverage a small child for money was beyond Linc’s comprehension. That the one in question was their granddaughter upgraded the Parkers, as far as Linc was concerned, from vile to contemptible. He didn’t even feel bad for hoping they’d get life in prison though the minimum twenty-year sentence would most likely do them in. Linc sneered. Yeah, he’d be okay with that too.

He drove out of his neighborhood, staying alert for the unmarked police car that followed but also for news vans or paparazzi. Being a weekday and so late at night, a tail who wasn’t the cops would be easy to spot.

Or so he hoped.

He wasn’t foolish enough to believe the story wouldn’t leak, he just hoped it happened after the culprits were apprehended and Sophie was home safe.

Familiar with the area around the drop-off location as it was only a few blocks from the stadium, Linc navigated the streets in a route least likely traveled by anyone but a native—one last ditch effort to blow off any pesky press. He knew the police were also on the lookout and would call him if there was a problem, but the last thing Linc wanted was for anything to scare away the kidnappers. He just really wanted the exchange to go smoothly. All he could think about was getting Sophie back.

Linc slowed as he reached the corner of 15 th and Yamhill and the strip mall located there. The note had said there was a dumpster in the alley behind the coffee shop. He was to drive by it slowly, toss the bag in without getting out of the car, and then drive away.

No lingering.

No funny business.

No cops.

He supposed two out of three wasn’t bad.

When Linc pulled into the empty parking lot, he noticed the absence of headlights behind him and figured the police had already found a place to park and wait. Even if the cops didn’t have eyes, Linc reminded himself not to worry. The money was wired, a transistor strategically placed within one of the bundles of cash. Linc had opened the bag himself, searched for it, and upon not finding it was satisfied the kidnappers would never guess it was there. Knowing all that, he pulled into the alley with confidence that the police had everything under control.

The passage was narrow, but not so much so he worried about scratching the rental. There were two dumpsters in the alley, one with the lid down and one with the lid up. He wasn’t supposed to leave the car so assumed the dumpster with its lid up was the one he was to use.

Pulling up as close to the bin as possible, he applied the brake, peering into the shadows while he rolled down the window. The sour stench of spoiled milk wafted into the interior of the car as Linc tossed the bag in the trash and quickly closed the window. He drove slowly down the rest of the alley to the exit, keeping a lookout for any loiterers but not seeing a soul.

His part was done. All that was left was the hard part—drive back home and then wait .

Wait for the moment Sophie was back in his arms.