At forty-four, I try to think before I react.

His phone buzzed. Donatti pushed the button. A voice said, “I’m here, boss.”

“I’ll come get you.”

He walked out of Terry’s hospital room—there were only ten beds—past the treatment room, and out the double doors into the hallway. Pendergast was about six even with a stocky build and big arms. Donatti often saw him reading in the staff dining hall on his off-hours, sipping coffee and engaged in the classics. He motioned to him with a crooked finger, took him through the medical maze until they reached Terry’s room.

“I’ll be in my office upstairs. If something comes up, call me. I’ll be down in thirty seconds. Stay outside her room. No one goes in. Not even the doc.”

“Got it.”

“You want a chair?”

“Been sitting all night, boss. I’m fine.”

“Good man.” Donatti turned and went up to his office.

Sitting at his desk, he turned on the phones and both of them had about 20 percent power left, which was enough for his purposes. He went on Terry’s phone app first and took several snapshots of every single call that had been placed to her in the last five days. Did the same with texts. He repeated the procedure with Juleen’s phone. Then he turned them both off.

On the first day, the call list showed Gabe’s number, his number, and Juleen’s number. Then it went dark for thirty-six hours until there was a series of calls from just a name.

Devek

Devek

Devek

Devek

Must have been over two dozen calls.

The texts were equally frantic.

Where are you. Call me! It’s urgent.

Call me, Terry. It’s very urgent.

Emergency. Call me.

About twenty texts, all of them displaying panic.

Time to find out what that was all about. The difference between India and Nevada was thirteen and a half hours, which would make it about two-thirty in the afternoon there. He turned on Terry’s phone, pressed the call button, and waited. It was picked up on the second ring. Donatti waited.

“Terry?” A male voice. “Where are you? I’ve been trying to reach you for three days. Is Juleen with you? Is she okay? Are you all right?”

Donatti said, “It isn’t Terry.”

“Oh, dear God, please don’t hurt her. Please don’t hurt my daughter. Please, please. I will get the money. It will take a little time, but I swear to you I will get all the money. I will give you one hundred thousand USD as a show of good faith, but please don’t hurt—”

“It’s Christopher Donatti, Devek. I have them. They’re safe.”

There was a pause over the line. “Terry is with you?”

“Yes.”

“And Juleen too?”

“Juleen, yes, but not Sanjay. He was taken from Terry, and, as a parting gift, they beat the shit out of her.”