Chapter 308 The Ransom Call
Author
"What about that photo Tommy took?" Elara’s voice cracked, breaking the heavy silence. "The guy Jack was talking to at the grocery store. Can we ID him?"
"Already running facial recognition through the FBI database." Yardley turned to her, his expression softening. "Elara, you need to go upstairs. Get some rest."
Elara’s stomach twisted. "I can’t sleep. I’ll just crash on the couch down here."
"Like hell you will." Hunter’s Alpha voice left no room for argument. "You’re pregnant with twins. You sleep in a real bed, or you’ll be useless when we need you. Leave your phone downstairs. We’ll wake you the second it rings."
Elizabeth stood and put a gentle hand on Elara’s shoulder. "Honey, he’s right. You’re running on empty right now. That’s not going to help anyone."
Elara looked around at their exhausted, worried faces. They were all terrified, and her stubborn attitude wasn’t helping.
"Fine." She nodded reluctantly. "But I’m keeping my phone. And my door stays open. The second something happens, you better wake me up."
The stairs felt like climbing a mountain. Every step drained what little energy she had left.
In the master bedroom, Elara collapsed on top of the covers without changing clothes. The king-size bed felt huge and empty without Dominic’s warmth beside her.
Her phone kept lighting up with worried messages. Hannah had texted six times in the past hour, each message more panicked than the last.
But Elara didn’t want sympathy texts. She wanted her husband home.
--
At 3:17 AM, her iPhone rang loudly.
Elara shot upright, heart pounding. Unknown international number. No caller ID.
She steadied her shaking hands and answered.
"Hello?"
Static crackled through the line. Then a voice, digitally distorted: "Luna Elara. We have your mate. Today, 8 AM. Crescent Park, south entrance. Ten million cash, unmarked bills. You come alone. One cop, one fed, even a meter maid, and we send you his fingers in a box."
Click. The line went dead.
Elara stared at the phone, her whole body shaking.
She ran straight to Yardley’s study and pounded on the door.
"Elara?" Yardley appeared, looking exhausted.
"They want ten million. Tomorrow morning. Crescent Park." Her voice cracked. "I have to go alone."
"Like hell you do." Yardley was instantly alert. "We’ll have snipers, undercover agents..."
"NO!" Elara’s scream echoed through the house. "They’ll kill him! They said they’d kill him!"
She was losing it, hyperventilating. "I’m going. I’m bringing the money and I’m going alone and..."
"Elara, stop." Yardley grabbed her shoulders. "You’re pregnant. You’re not walking into a trap."
"He’s my HUSBAND!" She shoved him away, eyes wild. "I don’t care if I’m pregnant! I don’t care about anything except getting him back!"
Her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
It’s Alpha Zack. We need to talk. I know who took Dominic.
Elara showed Yardley the screen. His face darkened.
"What if he actually knows something?"
"What if this is a setup? What if he’s working with Jack?"
Elara was already dialing. Yardley cursed under his breath.
"Elara." Alpha Zack’s voice was tense. "Don’t say anything. Just listen. The guy who drove the wedding car is Shaon Rooney. Ex-con, muscle for hire. Word on the street is Jack hired him through a middleman."
"Why should we trust you?" Yardley cut in, voice like ice.
"Because..."Alpha Zack’s voice cracked slightly. "Because I owe Elara."
The raw pain in his voice was obvious. "I can’t take back what I did. Can’t undo the damage. But maybe I can do this one thing right."
Silence stretched across the line.
"Rooney’s got a cabin up in the Blackwood Mountains. Off Highway 16, near the state forest. Isolated as hell. Perfect place to stash someone."
"How do you know this?" Elara demanded, her heart racing.
"Because I’ve been hunting Jack’s associates since we met at the airport. Called in every favor, burned every bridge I had."
His voice was raw with exhaustion. "I screwed up with you, Elara. Broke your heart, made you doubt yourself. Let me fix this. Let me prove I’m not the monster you think I am."
Yardley and Elara looked at each other.
The unspoken question hung between them: Can we trust this man?
"Send me the exact location," Yardley said finally.
"Already sent. Check your phone."
Sure enough, GPS coordinates appeared on Yardley’s screen.
"Yardley." Alpha Zack’s voice turned deadly serious. "If you’re thinking about raiding that place tomorrow morning, don’t. Wait until after the ransom drop. If they don’t get their money, Alpha Dominic’s dead."
The line went quiet.