Chapter 535
Despite Davina cutting the kids off, the brief snippet of audio steadied Camilla’s racing heart. Jasper was alive and with Davina. As long as the police traced the signal, they would find him.
She met Officer Newell’s eyes. “I’m heading there right now. Don’t do anything reckless. Don’t hurt Jasper p>
Davina’s tone suddenly spiked in pitch. “Hold on. Is Lance with you? Bring him. Just the two of you p>
The request caught Camilla entirely off guard. Davina despised her; why would she invite Lance into the mix? Wasn’t she afraid of him overpowering her?
“What exactly are you trying to accomplish?” Camilla pressed, deliberately stalling. Every second she kept Davina on the line gave the police a better chance to lock onto the signal.
“Don’t ask questions. Do as I say, and you’ll find out when you arrive,” Davina snapped. “I don’t have all day. You have thirty minutes. If you aren’t there, your son is dead p>
The raw desperation in Davina’s voice suggested a woman with nothing left to lose. Before Camilla could stall any longer, the line went dead.
Lance had gone into The Charles Group offices early that morning, so he hadn’t heard the news yet. Camilla immediately called him, gave him a rapid-fire summary, and sped toward the abandoned factory. Officer Newell took Bonnie and a tactical unit to track the traced signal for the children.
When Camilla pulled up to the rusted gates of the desolate factory, Lance was already waiting. His expression was a storm of anxiety and regret, but there was no time to dwell on it. Camilla redialed Davina’s number.
“We’re here. Tell me what you want,” Camilla demanded.
“Walk all the way to the back. The innermost warehouse,” Davina instructed eagerly. “Don’t hang up. I want to hear everything p>
Her voice trembled with a sickening anticipation.
The air in the factory was thick with the foul stench of old gasoline and decaying metal. Camilla navigated the maze of rusted doors until she reached the final warehouse. Approaching the entrance, she caught the sharp smell of cheap tobacco and the sound of rowdy, crude laughter spilling from inside.
Davina cackled through the phone. “Are you there? Do you see it? Do you see the special gift I prepared for you p>
Sunlight cut through the grime-covered windows, illuminating three rugged, sleazy-looking men loitering in the center of the room. Hearing footsteps, they turned toward Camilla, and the leader let out a foul, predatory whistle.
“Sleep with those three men while Lance watches,” Davina hissed into the phone. “Do you hear me p>
“Are you out of your mind?” Lance spat, his patience snapping.
Camilla felt a surreal urge to laugh. Davina had orchestrated an elaborate kidnapping just to orchestrate this trashy, melodramatic revenge fantasy. She wanted to humiliate Camilla by forcing Lance to watch. But Davina clearly hadn’t accounted for the fact that taking out three back-alley thugs would be child’s play for someone with Lance’s combat training.
“Out of my mind?!” Davina shrieked hysterically. “You pushed me to this! You two ended up together, so why couldn’t you stay out of my life?! It’s all your fault, Camilla! You made Barnard fall in love with you, and look where it got me! Everything I’ve suffered, I am returning to you tenfold! You ruined my happily-ever-after, so I’m going to ruin yours p>
“If you want your son back, you will sleep with them in front of Lance! Or your son dies p>
Her shrill voice felt like ice picks stabbing through the phone speaker. Camilla knew Newell’s team was rapidly approaching Davina’s location. She just needed to buy a few more minutes.
“Davina, do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Camilla asked, keeping her tone measured. “Barnard is the one who committed the crimes. You could have lived the rest of your life in peace. Why resort to this? Aren’t you afraid of prison p>
“What do you know?!” Davina screamed. “There’s no going back for me! They’re going to arrest me eventually anyway, so destroying you before I go down makes it all worth it! Lance claims to love you so much, doesn’t he? Let’s see if he still wants you after watching you get used by other men! Hahaha! I can’t wait to see how this ends p>
“What do you mean there’s no going back?” Camilla probed, sensing a darker secret hidden in her rant. “If you let Jasper go right now, I’ll pretend none of this happened. We go our separate ways. Deal p>
“Shut up! You wouldn’t understand! Get on your back right now! I want to hear the noise in one minute, or your son is dead p>
Inside the warehouse, a burly thug with a buzzcut took a step forward. “Hey, gorgeous, let’s make this easy for everyone. Quit stalling and let’s get down to business. That crazy lady on the phone means it. You don’t want your kid getting hurt, right p>