Highways & Hostages (34 page)

A few minutes later, Phoebe heard the gate at the bottom of the hill come to life. Valerie drove up the path and slowed to a stop as a tall figure emerged from the house. Phoebe didn’t recognize him until he stopped a few feet away from the passenger side of the car and peered inside. It was Marc!

Oh man, this guy is
mine
.

Phoebe looked across the drive to locate Stella. She caught Stella’s eye and waved. Stella gave her a thumbs-up.

Marc stepped closer to the car and tapped the passenger window. Phoebe bounced on the balls of her feet as the window rolled down. She was ready to go, but was waiting for the signal. With her eyes locked on Stella, she gripped her can of hairspray in one hand and the lighter in the other.

Stella nodded. Phoebe let out a breath. It was go time.

Stella rustled a bush next to one of the female statues. Marc jerked upright and looked in her direction while simultaneously reaching toward the back of his pants.

Phoebe sprinted like her life depended on it—it kind of did—and leapt onto the man’s back. They both hit the ground hard, Marc on his stomach with Phoebe on top of him.

“What the hell? Who are you?” Marc roared.

“I’m your worst nightmare, bitch.” Phoebe slammed his face into the ground.

“Oh, God. Not you again,” Marc growled. “I was nice before, but I won’t be so nice now. Get off of me, and perhaps I’ll go easy on you.”

Phoebe picked up his head and then slammed his face into the ground again.

“You’re going to pay for that!” Marc said. He tried to buck Phoebe off his back, so Stella sat on his legs to keep him still.

“Phoebe!” Stella hissed. “Stop!”

Valerie came around the front of the car and knelt by Marc’s head. “We’re looking for our friend Finn. Is he in there?”

Marc turned his head to the side and spat. “Why would I tell you anything? Get off me, and perhaps I will let you all go with a warning… Well, not that one.” He jerked his head back at Phoebe.

Valerie caught Phoebe’s eye and nodded.

Phoebe lit a stream of hairspray on fire right above Marc’s head. “Fuck your warning. You feel that? It’s gonna be a lot closer next time. You see Will’s eyebrows?”

Marc started to buck again. “He doesn’t have any.”

“That was
my
handiwork,” Phoebe said, grinning.

“Tell us what we want to know,” Valerie demanded.

“Okay, okay. Just take her with you!” Marc swallowed. “He’s here. Upstairs.”

“We good to go?” Valerie asked Stella.

Stella nodded. “C’mon, quick! Someone’s bound to come see what’s happening out here. Let’s go, Phoebe.”

Marc sneered beneath her, the moonlight glinting off that ugly gold tooth

“You guys go ahead,” she said, eyes on the tooth. “I’ve got some business to finish up here.”

Stella looked like she wanted to argue, but Valerie tugged at her shoulder. “She can take care of herself.”

Stella stared at Phoebe. Without warning, she threw her arms around Phoebe’s neck, then ran into the house after Valerie.

“Just keep trying, Billy!” Finn said through gritted teeth.

Since Billy’s legs were still free, Finn had gotten the idea for Billy to scoot up behind him to try and break the ties holding his legs. At the moment, he didn’t trust Billy enough to free himself first. Unfortunately, it complicated matters that they would be back to back, and Billy wouldn’t be able to see what he was doing. Also, Billy was a weakling, but Finn thought they had a better chance of getting out of the situation alive if they were closer to one another.

“It’s so heavy,” Billy puffed from his hunched position, the chair on his back. “And I’m really uncomfortable.”

“Well, I’m sure a nice six-foot hole in the ground is
a lot
more comfortable,” Finn said.
I would think impending death would inspire a little more hustle.

The door to von Rothschild’s office flew open. Finn and Billy froze. Billy’s eyes widened in fear and he looked to Finn. Finn was filled with fear, but he made sure to keep his face blank for Billy’s sake as he looked to the door.

Claudia kicked the door shut behind her and casually strolled into the room. She stopped in front of Billy, arms crossed, and looked between the two of them.

“It looks like you two have been
very
naughty boys,” she said.

Billy cowered in his chair as she placed a heeled foot between his spread legs. She tipped the chair over.

“What the hell?” Billy whined.

“Give the tough guy act a rest, Claudia,” Finn said. “That wasn’t necessary.”

“You’re not in any position to be giving
me
commands, Jacob.” Claudia closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as if just being in the room with him was giving her a headache. “God, do you always have to be so damned self-righteous? It gets old really quick.”

“Um, could you pick me back up?” Billy asked. He kicked his legs in the air like an overturned beetle.

“Why are you doing this?” Finn asked. “What’s happened to you, Claud?”

“What’s happened to me? Nothing’s happened to me. I’m the same woman I was ten years ago, only now my father is realizing my worth.”

Finn was confused. “What are you talking about?”

An evil smile stretched across Claudia’s face. “You know how you said I only liked you because you were different? Because you weren’t what I was used to? You were right. I didn’t love you. I didn’t even like you.”

Finn shook his head vigorously. “That’s not true. You’re just trying to hurt me.”

Claudia’s lips pulled back from her teeth even further so she looked like a big cat ready to swoop in for the kill. She leaned forward, inches from Finn’s face, and placed a hand on either side of his chair. “Oh, but it
is
true. Frankly, I felt like you always tried too hard and were too needy. But when Alex and I didn’t work out, you offered another option for penetrating Julian’s inner circle and proving to my father that I could handle the family business.”

Finn’s mouth opened and shut without a sound. Claudia was his first love, and even though he had been the one to break it off with her, he still regretted it years later. He had even contemplated going to prison for her. And now he was finding out that it had all been a lie.

His first impulse was to spit in her face, but his grandparents had taught him better than that. Instead he clenched his jaw and remained silent.

Claudia straightened. “What’s that? Holier-than-thou Finn has nothing to say?”

“Where’s your loyalty?” he growled. “Do you even know what that means?”

Claudia’s laugh, which had once reminded Finn of tinkling bells, now grated on his nerves. “I’m loyal to no one but myself. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but I think it would do you some good, Finn. Too bad you don’t have the time left to learn it.”

In the mansion’s large foyer, Stella and Valerie crouched behind a statue of a naked woman playing a harp. Valerie hunched over, breathing hard.

“I need to hit the gym more often,” she said between gasps. “What do we do now?”

Stella poked her head around the doorway that led into the center of the house. This place was massive. With all of the statues and ornately framed pictures, it felt like a museum. She shook her head to clear it; she needed to focus on the task at hand.

Stella turned back to her friend and grimaced. “We’re doing the right thing, aren’t we, Val?”

Valerie rolled her eyes. “You really waited until we sicced Phoebe on some guy and trespassed into someone else’s house to ask that? Yes, we’re doing the right thing. Do you see anybody?”

“No. And it’s laid out just like Phoebe said. Giant room with a staircase in the middle. On the other side of the room, there’s another hallway. Phoebe said the library where they kept her was on the second floor, not far from the stairs. We need a distraction to get as many people down here as possible.”

“I am
all
about distractions,” Valerie said, eyeing a vase in the opposite corner of the foyer. “Here’s what we’re going to do: You’re going to go hide in that other hallway.” A smile bloomed across her face. “And I’m going to break things and lead them on a wild goose chase.”

“Okay.” Stella hugged Valerie. “Good luck.”

“Who needs luck when you’ve got me?” Valerie gave Stella a small shove. “Go get your man.”

Stella peeked back around the doorway. The coast was clear. She hesitated before darting out into the middle of the rotunda. After making it to the other side of the room with no problem, she slipped into a corner of the darkened hallway. She leaned forward and gave Valerie a thumbs-up. Valerie flashed a salute, then darted across the foyer. Moments later, the sound of shattering porcelain echoed throughout the house.

Stella looked back at the staircase. She prayed everyone would come at once, because once she hit the stairs, there would be nowhere for her to hide.

Two large men stampeded down the stairs and raced to the foyer. On the same side of the house, farther away, came the thud of something extremely heavy hitting the marble floor. The men disappeared down the hall.

Stella crouched, muscles tense. She waited for a few seconds to see if anyone else would appear at the top of the stairs. When no one did, she seized her chance.

Claudia had just knocked Finn onto his back next to Billy when the door to the hallway flew open. Finn couldn’t see who it was from his position on the floor. Actually, he probably didn’t
want
to know who it was.

“THE WAITRESS?” Billy shouted. “What the hell is
she
doing here?”

“Stella!” Finn’s heartbeat sped up and he allowed himself to feel a glimmer of hope. Unable to sit up, he settled for craning his head for a better view.

Claudia spun around. “So
you’re
the Stella I’ve heard so much about. I’m
so
glad you could join us.”

Stella took a tentative step into the room. “Finn, are you okay?”

“Like I told you, he’s fine. Just tied up,” Claudia answered.

“That was really lame,” Billy muttered.

Finn was relieved to see Stella, but he didn’t want any harm to come to her because of him. Claudia had gotten away with lying to him for years; who knew what she was capable of? “Stella, just get out of here.”

“No, Stella, stay awhile. Let’s have a woman-to-woman chat.”

“I don’t want to talk to you. I came for Finn. So if you just let him go—”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Any other requests?” Claudia asked pleasantly.

“Yeah, go to hell.”

Stella started purposefully in Finn’s direction, but Claudia reached out and gripped her bicep.

“Redheads are so feisty!” Claudia sneered.

“My hair is not fucking
red
!” Stella yelled as she stepped forward and head butted Claudia in face. Claudia yelped and stumbled backward with her hands over her face.

“Jesus!” Finn exclaimed. He never expected that from Stella. But after the way she’d smacked him in front of the garage, maybe he should have.

Stella rushed over and righted Finn’s chair. She started fumbling with the ties around his wrists.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad to see you, but why are you here?” Finn asked.

“Because I know you’d do the same for me,” Stella replied. “Damn! I don’t have anything to use to cut these off.”

“Um, can you two pause the love fest and help me up?” Billy asked.

“Stella—” Finn’s eyes widened as Claudia stalked forward with blood streaming from her nose.

Claudia reached past him and grabbed a fistful of Stella’s hair, dragging her around the chair on her knees. Stella scratched at Claudia’s arm, but the other woman refused to let go. Claudia continued to throw clumsy punches at Stella’s face, but Stella managed to dodge each of them. When Claudia tired and loosened her grip slightly, Stella went limp, then threw herself at Claudia’s waist, tackling her down to the floor.

That’s my girl!
Finn bet Claudia regretted declining his offers of self-defense lessons now.

“It’s like my dreams are playing out in real life!” Billy said.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?” von Rothschild boomed from the doorway to his office. One hand rested on his walking stick. The other held a pistol, aimed at the women struggling on the ground.

“Daddy! She came to save Finn. It’s the little brat’s sister!” Claudia said. “She broke my face!”

“Get. Up. Slowly.” There was no trace of the pleasant, amiable man who had been in the room earlier. Von Rothschild’s hospitable host mask had completely faded away. The man standing before them was the real Christoph von Rothschild Finn had known was in there all along—a verifiable bogeyman.

Stella untangled herself from Claudia and stood slowly with her hands raised.

“Christoph, it’s not her you want, it’s me! Just go ahead and shoot me!” Finn said.

Stella kept her body facing forward but directed her comments to Finn. “We did
not
go through all of this trouble just for you to go and get yourself killed at the last minute. I had better things to do tonight.”

“SHUT. UP. Shut up, shut up, shut up,” von Rothschild roared. He took a deep breath and looked around the room. “Where are Marc and Tobias? Marc went to receive a package for me, but hasn’t come back. And I sent Tobias to see about a noise downstairs.”

“She said ‘we.’ There are more of them,” Claudia said from the floor.

“Damn right there are!” said a familiar voice from behind von Rothschild.

“The other waitress!” Billy shouted. “Can someone please get me up from here?”

“Hold it right there,” Valerie said, “or I’ll shoot!”

“Daddy, she doesn’t have a gun, she’s just holding a keychain!”

Everything happened at once. Von Rothschild let go of his walking stick and spun around with his gun. Valerie squeezed her keychain. Some kind of mist poured from it, hitting von Rothschild in the face. As he reached for his eyes, the gun fell from his fingers, going off. The bullet missed Valerie entirely. She shoved him and ran through the dissolving cloud of mist, aiming the keychain in the direction of Claudia and Stella.