"Fine, I got it wrong," Melanie said grudgingly. "I'm sorry. I made a mistake."
"Yes, you did," the man said through the headset, clearly not appeased. "So, now I need you to hand over Debbie. I'll take care of Alex myself."
"I'll send you the address where we've hidden her," Melanie agreed quietly.
**
At dusk, Alex finished looking around and walked out of the amusement park, meeting Rufus as soon as he got outside.
Although no one had been killed and Alex was not a suspect, the police had still searched him for weapons, and they had insisted he remain available to answer any questions they might have.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Rufus asked him. "Maybe you should get checked out."
Alex smiled. "I'm fine."
"You need to be more careful," Rufus said, frowning. "You tend to charge in impulsively, but if you get yourself killed, then who will save Debbie?"
When Alex had gone to rescue Debbie from the Black Orchid cult, he had nearly been killed, but he had considered it worth the risk.
He knew Rufus was worried about him, but he was confident in his abilities, and he had come a long way since his battle with members of the Black Orchid cult.
They left the park, and Alex got into the passenger side of the car and checked his phone. He had a dozen messages and missed calls, and when he checked them, he realized they were all from people who had heard about the attack and wanted to check he was okay.
"Where are you going now?" Rufus asked after they had been driving for a while. "To the Clifton house?"
"No," Alex said, yawning. "Drop me off at the Riverside hotel." He was exhausted and just wanted to crash, and he knew the hotel was closer.
Rufus made a phone call, arranging a room for him. "Get some rest," he said to Alex. "As soon as you've recovered, we'll go after Debbie."
**
The Riverside hotel was one of the most luxurious in Baltimore. As soon as a guest walked inside, they were greeted by huge sparkling chandeliers, priceless artwork, and extremely courteous staff. Everything about the place was elegant, and it clearly catered to the rich and powerful.
As Alex got out of the car, he looked around at the parking lot, noting all the luxury cars. Not one of the vehicles was cheap or old. Clearly, ordinary people didn't stay here, only the very wealthy.
But the Clifton family was one of those rich families and they were well known at the Riverside hotel, so Alex didn't even need to register at the front desk. Instead, he got into the private elevator and used the keycard Rufus had given him, making his way to the presidential suite.
Once inside, Alex went to the window and opened it, looking out at the city. He watched all the lights in various windows, wondering about the people in those other buildings.
Sighing, he went back downstairs to buy himself a snack.
When he returned, he knew something was wrong. The door to his suite would have automatically locked behind him when he had left, and he still had the key card in his pocket. And yet he could clearly hear voices coming from inside his suite, and a woman was crying.
"Mr. Turner, please don't do this," the woman said.
Alex frowned. Why is someone in my room? he wondered.
He opened the door and saw a bald, middle-aged man and a beautiful woman. After a moment, he realized he recognized the woman as Cassidy Pike, the singer whose concert he had just attended.
Cassidy was clearly flustered and on the verge of panic. Her cheeks were flushed, and tears sparkled in her eyes as she backed away from the man.
But Grayson Turner was not so easily deterred. He narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, his eyes locked on his prey.
"Don't be so naive," he said. "You've been in the entertainment industry for a long time, so you must know how this works. If you want the lead part in my TV series, then you need to keep me happy. So, stop playing around." He lunged at her, grabbing her arm and yanking her close. He leaned down, intending to kiss her, and she arched back, trying to keep her distance.
"Mr. Turner, please let me leave," she begged, tears running down her face. "You can keep your TV series. I'm not interested." She turned her head, trying to stay out of range of his lips.
But Grayson was determined, and he gripped her harder, refusing to allow her to escape him. Cassidy winced as his fingers dug into her arm. But no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free. Her panic was making her dizzy, and she didn't know what to do.
"I've been in this business for decades, and this is how things are done," Grayson said. "Just accept it, and then we can get on with things." He started dragging her toward the sofa, ignoring her attempts to stop him.
"I'm telling you now," he continued. "If you don't go along with this, I will end your career. Is that what you want?"
Cassidy cowered from him, her eyes wide with shock, but determined to resist.
"Let me go," she said. "I would rather give up my career, and I'm not going to change my mind."
"Do you know how many women would be thrilled to be in your position?" he demanded. Then he froze and turned his head, finally realizing someone was entering the suite.
Grayson was a well-respected director, and this wasn't the first time he had used his power to get what he wanted. In fact, his behavior was an open secret in the industry.
But he hadn't expected Cassidy to resist him. He had dropped several hints, but Cassidy had refused him, and Grayson wasn't used to being rejected. Finally, he had asked Cassidy out for dinner on the pretext of discussing the script, and then he had used an excuse to lure her upstairs.
But he knew he would be in trouble if he got caught, so he was worried about someone disturbing them, and he hoped no one had called the police.
But when he turned around, he was faced by a young man in his twenties, so he felt relieved, dismissing the man as no threat.