Nate met her eyes and mouthed, good job.

She looked back at the table and waited. Just a second passed before she heard the most beautiful voice in the world.

"Mama?"

"Ana, baby, are you okay?"

"I want to go home. I don't know where Aunt Leslie is. The man said she left. Why would she leave without me?"

Marisa's eyes filled with tears at her daughter's sad voice. "I'm sure she didn't want to, pajarita."

"Mama, he says I have to go. I love you."

"Love you, too."

Nate tapped her back, and she turned to him. He mouthed, Leslie.

She nodded as, through the phone, a door slammed. The man's voice came on. "Satisfied?"

"Where's my sister?"

"Like your kid said, she had to go."

"What did you do to her?"

"Your daughter's all right. If I were you, I'd focus on that."

Marisa let the moment drag, let the man think she was considering that.

"So you got my money?" Rick asked.

She took a breath and rehearsed the story they'd decided to tell. "I spent most of the morning at the bank trying to get it today, but there are rules about these things. It's in a mutual fund—"

"You put my money in a mutual fund?"

She swallowed and looked at Nate. He seemed to be asking if she needed help, but no. She could handle this.

"I never had the money," she said. "The person who took it put it in a mutual fund."

"Right. And they're just giving it to you out of the goodness of their heart."

She tempered her reply. "Some people care about children."

"I care about children. Just not little Mexican brats."

Her blood pulsed through her veins. She'd never been a violent person, but if this man were standing in front of her right now, Marisa would kill him. She tamped down the rage and said nothing.

"You spent the morning at the bank?" he asked.

"The money will be deposited into my account on Monday, they said first thing in the morning."

"I thought you wanted your kid back ASAP. You couldn't get them to expedite it for you?"

"Probably, if we'd called the police. But you said not to do that."

Silence. It stretched until Marisa started to say something else. Nate shook his head. Wait.

So she waited.

After a minute, he said, "Fine. I'll be in touch Monday."

"Are we going to make the exchange in New York?"

"Like I said, I'll be in touch."

The line went dead.

Chapter 30

RICK NEARLY THREW THE burner phone in a fit of rage.

Spent the morning at the bank? They hadn't left the cabin.

They were playing him. They were trying to set a trap for him. They had no idea who they were dealing with. No idea.

Lucky for him, he didn't have to wait for Monday to get the information he needed.

This whole thing would be finished tonight.

Chapter 31