Free Highways & Hostages by Jax Abbey Page A

Finn said.
    “How’s everything on your end?” Billy asked.
    “Just fantastic,” Finn replied.
    “Good; keep it that way. Talk to you later.”
    Finn clicked off the phone, looked at Stella, and arched a brow.
    Stella crossed her arms and fixed Finn with an intense glare. “What’s in it for me?”
    Again, Finn was caught off guard. He’d have to watch himself around her. “What’s in it for you ?”
    “Yes, what’s in it for me, and what do you need help with?” Stella repeated. “You are obviously desperate for my help, or you wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths.” She waved a hand at the discarded baggie and its severed fingers.
    Finn ran a hand through his hair. “I need to get from here to Millstown, Texas by Saturday. It’s near San Antonio. I need your car.”
    “So why don’t you just take my car? Why do I have to go with you?”
    “Because you’ll run to the police.”
    “Driving you to Texas is way more work than I’m willing to put in. What if I promise I won’t run to the police?”
    Finn frowned. “Are you serious? Look, I’m going to make A LOT of money by doing this. I’ll give you fifteen percent of what I make.”
    Stella’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What kind of job is this? It sounds like you’re going to rob a bank. Are you a bank robber?”
    “No, I’m a…courier. I have to pick up something for my boss from Texas and bring it back.”
    “So you’re a drug mule,” Stella said.
    “How the—” Finn put his hands on his head and doubled over in frustration before righting himself and sighing deeply. “No.”
    “Is it legal?”
    “Erm…not exactly. Look, I’ll give you twenty percent for your trouble.”
    Finn could see Stella turning over the offer in her mind. “Is it blood money?”
    “Not at all.”
    “I want fifty percent.”
    “Twenty-five.”
    “Fifty.”
    Finn scrubbed at his face. “Thirty-five. I’m being generous here.”
    Stella regarded Finn for a few moments. “Could you put that thing away?” she asked, gesturing at the gun. “It’s not exactly instilling me with confidence.”
    Finn looked at Stella. He put the gun back in his waistband and raised both hands.
    Stella stood with her arms crossed. “Do I have to do anything illegal?”
    Finn shook his head. “I just need you to help drive.”
    Stella and Finn stood face-to-face for a few moments, staring at each other. “Thirty-five percent, eh?” Stella said.
    Finn nodded and swallowed. Stella offered him her hand and Finn shook it, breathing an internal sigh of relief.
    “Okay. When do we need to leave?” Stella asked.
    Finally, things were progressing! “Tonight,” Finn said.
    Stella looked at him aghast. “What would you have done if I said no?”
    Finn shrugged.
    Stella ran her hands over her hair. “I have to call and ask for time off. Bert’s going to be really suspicious since I never take time off. Not even sick days. And I need to call my fiancé—”
    “And just what do you plan on saying to him? ‘Sorry, dear, but I have to disappear for a few days with this random guy who has kidnapped my sister. But don’t worry, I’ll call you when I get back’?” Finn recited in a reedy, high-pitched voice.
    “I do NOT sound like that. And no, I wasn’t going to use those exact words, but something similar. It’s non-negotiable.”
    Finn frowned. Who the hell was this broad? He felt like he was losing control of the situation. If—strike that— when he completed this job, Julian better make him second in command or he was walking.
    “I’m kidding,” Stella said. “Derek would freak if he knew what was going on. I won’t tell him, but I do need to call him.”
    “Fine.” A reluctant Finn handed Stella her phone, then pulled out his gun. “No funny business. Put it on speaker.”
    Stella rolled her eyes and called her fiancé. She turned her back on Finn.
    “Stella, you were supposed to call me after you finished your shift! I was about to come over