Free Red-Hot Vengeance by Sandrine Spycher Page A

whom?”
    “Some guy with huge glasses and apparently a lot of money. I don’t know his name.”
    “Have you seen Juliana Farrell lately?” Williams attacked.
    This time Carter hesitated. “Have you?” he tried.
    Williams didn’t answer. Of course he’d seen her at the auction sale. And of course he knew Carter was lying. While he’d been quite nervous before, he was now answering with great composure. That could only mean he was hiding something.
    “Why didn’t you try to escape?” Williams asked, choosing another angle of attack.
    “Because some crazy bitch wants me dead, and I feel safe here,” Carter confessed.
    **
    Williams sat next to López’s bed. The Spaniard was still in a critical state. Williams looked at him while pondering the whole ruby affair. He still had to find the ruby, bring it back to its rightful owner, and put whoever stole it behind bars.
    He’d been tracking the gem for a year and when, finally, he’d found it, not only had it disappeared again but new problems had emerged. Vaughn had tortured Carter and destroyed López’s pub; who knew what she would do next. Compared to that, finding the ruby seemed almost trivial.
    Williams sighed. Long day, and it wasn’t over yet. At least, he could congratulate himself for putting López’s sister in safety. She was devastated to be sent away from her brother when he needed her most, but Williams had eventually convinced her that she couldn’t do anything for him and that it was better for her to leave New York.
    His biggest problem now was Carter. He’d admitted he wanted to stay at the police office for safety reasons. But Williams wondered if it was actually safe. Having Carter there meant potentially endangering everyone if Vaughn found a way in. That possibility was almost nonexistent however. Almost. Williams had the paranoid habit of always thinking of the worst possible scenario.
    His thoughts were interrupted by the shrill noise of his phone ringing. Williams smiled when he saw Kyle’s name on the screen.
    “Hey,” he said tenderly.
    “Officer Williams I believe?” a woman’s voice answered.
    Williams’ heart skipped a beat. Or perhaps two beats. Struck with apprehension, he remained speechless for a minute. “Who are you?” he articulated.
    “My name is Vaughn. We’ve met,” she said in a cold breath.
    “What have you done to Kyle?” Williams asked, trying to stay calm. He was pacing in front of López’s bed.
    “He’s alright—”
    “Let me talk to him,” he interrupted hastily. He heard the phone move from one hand to another.
    “Josh?” Kyle whined in a low voice.
    “Hey, baby,” Williams said. “Are you okay?”
    “I think so,” Kyle answered, still in a trembling tone. “What’s going on?”
    “Don’t worry, I’ll get you outta there.” Williams did his best to sound reassuring.
    “See, I told you he was fine,” Vaughn said. “But he won’t stay that way if you don’t do as I tell you.”
    Williams sighed. He was sweating, and as he put a hand over his face, he noticed he was slightly trembling. He had to pull himself together if he was to save Kyle. “What do you want?” he asked.
    “I want Carter, and the real Duval ruby,” Vaughn demanded.
    “What?” Williams cursed himself for showing signs of panic. “I don’t know where the ruby is.”
    “Well, find it then. You have twenty-four hours.”
    Williams hung up. A tear was running down his left cheek. He closed his eyes. He had to stay lucid, focused, and not let emotions overpower him.
    **
    Carter and Cowley both started up when Williams slammed the door open.
    “What’s going on?” Cowley asked in an astonished tone.
    “You,” Williams said pointing at Carter. “You’re gonna tell me everything you know about Vaughn, where the ruby is, and how to get it.”
    Carter looked at Williams with wide eyes and an open mouth. “I already told you—” he objected.
    “Start over,” Williams thundered. “I wanna know