The Guardian Read Online Free

a nice number, then me and your dad are going to talk. Now tell me something—let’s see; how does it go—tell me something that just you and your mom and dad know.”
    Janine couldn’t speak. She felt herself trembling so hard.
    “Come on, come on.”
    She couldn’t. Her mind had gone blank. Couldn’t think of what he wanted. She said, “Mama.”
    He shoved her. “Goddamn it! Tell me something only you and your mama know. Just saying, ‘Mama,’ doesn’t do shit for me!
    “Oh, Christ, she peed on the floor!” the man yelled, and Janine realized with terror that she had. Her leg was warm.
    Suddenly she felt herself lifted up and she cried out before realizing it was the woman. The woman called out in a loud voice, “Drink your beer! I’ll clean up in a second. And I’ll get what you want out of her.” The woman’s voice was hard and not very friendly, but Janine hugged her with all of her strength.
    She heard the door close behind them, and then the woman said in a mean voice, “Listen, I’m not always going to be able to get in between him and you like I just did. So when he asks you something, you answer him fast. You got that? Now talk to me. You got any brothers or sisters?”
    Janine shook her head.
    “OK, let’s see.… What did you have for breakfast this morning?”
    Janine tried to think, but her mind was jammed with only what had happened in the past few hours, and she’d have been hard pressed to say her name in that moment.
    The woman’s voice was impatient. “Well, what do you usually like? Pancakes? Cereal?”
    “Bagel,” Janine said softly.
    “What?”
    “Bagel. I like a bagel with peanut butter and banana mashed up on top of it.”
    The woman laughed. “Kids,” she said. Janine didn’t know why what she said was funny and didn’t like it that the woman could laugh when all she felt like doing was crying and being held by her mama, and having her dad sitting beside them, his hand on her back… .
    “OK, bagel with peanut butter and banana. Let’s see if that and your old man can get you out of here.”
    The woman brushed Janine’s hair with her hand for a moment. That made Janine feel a little better, and she worked up her courage to say, “Take me home, please?”
    “Shut up.” The woman had taken her hand away abruptly. Janine heard the sound of the tape being pulled off the roll again, and the woman taped Janine’s mouth and tied her hands and feet to the bed.
    And left her.
     
     

 
    Chapter 5
     
     
    The phone finally rang at 3:43 in the morning.
    Greg and Beth reached for it at the same time, and then Beth pulled her hand away. “You do it.”
    Ross sat beside Greg and nodded over at Allie, who quickly rolled off the couch and pushed back her tousled hair. Beth shoved the pad and pen over to Greg as he picked up the phone.
    Ross put his ear beside his brother’s and held his hand lightly over his mouth so whoever was on the phone would only hear one man breathing.
    “Yes?” Greg said.
    “Guess who, Mr. Lincoln,” a rough voice said. Ross closed his eyes, listening hard.
    “Let me speak to my daughter, please.”
    “Shut up. She’s not with me. I’m in a phone booth, and I’m gonna say this once. A million-five. Tonight. I’ll get back to you on when and where.”
    Greg said, carefully, “Please listen to me. You’ve got to understand that I don’t have that kind of cash sitting in the bank.”
    The man hung up.
    “Jesus.” Greg looked up wonderingly at Beth. “Oh my God, that’s it?”
    “He’s probably just thinking about a trace,” Ross said. “He doesn’t want to talk that long, that’s all.”
    “You’re right,” Allie said. “That’s probably all it is.”
    Beth’s lower lip trembled, and she stared at Greg. “Why’d you tell him it would be hard?” A flush swept up her face and she suddenly shouted, “Why did you say that? Why didn’t you’d tell him we’d do anything to get her back?”
    “Honey, he didn’t give