25
They pulled into the driveway of the Johnson place and parked beside Deb’s corvette. Before they reached the steps, the door flew open and Becca raced down the stairs and into Sawyer’s arms. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her.
“Thank God you’re okay.”
Sin could see tears in Becca’s eyes as she hugged him. “I was so afraid you were dead.”
Sawyer broke his hug, pushed her hair away from her face, and wiped her tears. “You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
Sin walked past them and up the stairs. “In the house, you two.” She stopped at the top of the stairs and turned toward them. “Now.”
Sin had Sawyer wait at the kitchen table while Deb took Becca into the bedroom to perform a physical. She used that time to make a phone call. A call to Lancaster. He picked up before the first ring had a chance to finish.
“O’Malley,” he barked. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve called you? Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through? I want you off this case and I want your damn shield?”
She took a deep breath and composed herself. “I apologize for the lack of contact, Mr. President, but I’ve been kinda busy. I have Becca.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone. Sin could hear his sniffle. The sound of a father, not a president. “Is she okay?”
“Yes. Shaken up, but okay.”
“Where are you? Are you on your way back to D.C.?”
“Where I am is not crucial at the moment, and no, we’re not headed back to D.C. Not yet.”
She could picture Lancaster’s face reddening as she waited for him to say something. “What the hell does that mean?” he yelled.
“First of all, I don’t want your detail to hear this conversation. Second of all, I don’t want anyone, and I mean anyone, to know Becca was found.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re still not sure if there is a leak. I don’t want anyone to know Becca is safe until I find Pia.”
“You didn’t find Pia?”
“Not yet, but I’m working on it.”
“Look, I understand your precaution, but I demand to see my daughter.”
“Unfortunately, Mr. President, I don’t think you’re in a position to demand anything. You want my shield. Be my guest. It’s more trouble than it’s worth. But with or without it, I’m going to find Pia, and I’m going to solve this case.”
“What case? There is no case. You were asked to find my daughter and you found her. Case closed.”
Sin thought about mentioning Russo’s name but thought better of it. “If you’d like to speak to your daughter, call me back in an hour from a new throwaway.”
“Who do you think you are treating me like this? I’m the president of the United States.”
“I mean no disrespect, but there is another young woman who is being held captive for god-knows what reason. I don’t have time to be diplomatic. Now what’s the number of the throwaway? If I don’t have the number, I’m not answering the phone. I’m hanging up now.”
“Don’t hang up,” Lancaster grumbled. “Write this number down.”
“I’m ready when you are,” she said. She listened to Lancaster read off the number. “Got it.”
“You better answer the phone when I call.”
“I don’t appreciate being talked to in that tone, Mr. President.”
She heard Lancaster chuckle. “You and I are going to dance when this is over with, O’Malley.”
“In all due respect, Mr. President, I don’t dance.” She ended the call before Lancaster said another word.
During the next hour, Sin let both Becca and Sawyer know that her dad would be calling. She also told them why she couldn’t let Becca go home. Not yet.
“You really think the kidnappers will hurt Pia?” Becca said.
“I do. That’s why I need you to stay with me until I find her.”
Becca looked at Sawyer for some sort of answer. He nodded. “I think we need to do as Agent O’Malley suggests.”
“Okay,” Becca replied.
Sin looked at her watch. “Your dad should be calling in a few minutes. Why don’t you both grab a cup of coffee or something to eat while I check in on my team.”
She left the two of them with Carmelita in the kitchen and made her way to the library. Inside, she shut the door, dialed Frank and paced while she waited for him to pick up.
“Sin, is everything okay?”
“Sorry to call you at home, Frank. Everything is okay, and everything is not okay.”
“You’ll have to be a bit clearer than that.”
“It means I have Becca, but this case goes a lot deeper than just a kidnapping.”
“Hold on. Let me go into the other room so I don’t wake Sylvia.” She waited a minute until Frank spoke again. “I’m grateful you found Becca. I knew you would. How is she?”
“She’s okay.”
“And her roommate?”
“I’m working on finding her.”
“Christ,” Frank sighed. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“I don’t have time to fill you in right now. I need a trace on a phone number.”
“This is the second time you’ve asked me to do a mundane search during this case. You’re access to the web is better than the bureau’s. Why ask?”
“There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle that don’t add up. I rather your people track the information I need so I can keep my mind clear.”
“What kind of pieces?”
“The two bothering the most at the moment are that Pia was the one the kidnappers wanted, not Becca, and . . .”
“That is a surprise,” Frank interjected.”
“Yeah. And it gets better. Did you know that Pia’s parents run two of the largest ‘Ndrangheta families in Italy?”
There was a burst of silence on the other end of the phone before Sin heard Frank exhale audibly. “Let me get a pen.” She gave him the number of Lancaster’s throwaway. “Got it. Whose number is this?”
“A throwaway Lancaster is using. I told him Becca was safe but that I couldn’t bring her
