Page 51 of Echoes of Danger
Ghost presses a button on the phone and places it on his desk.
“Start again,” he orders.
“I don’t have long,” the voice on the other line whispers. “In one hour, your brother and the woman will attempt an escape. I’m going to help them as best as I can, but the female is really sick and not strong enough to walk on her own.”
“What the fuck do you mean she’s not strong enough?” I bark out.
“She caught an infection,” the man rushes. “That’s not the point. The big man may need to fight their way out, but I know he won’t leave her behind. They won’t make it without help.”
“Where are you?” King asks.
“I don’t know,” he says. “Please, just listen. They don’t know I have this phone. I had it hidden between some medical supplies. I’m just as much of a prisoner here as they are. My name is Doctor Ethan Stone, and they’re holding my granddaughter in the room next to your friends. They kidnapped her to keep me in line.”
“How can we send help if you don’t know where you’re being held?” Ghost asks. “You said our female wasn’t doing well. How is our brother?”
“He has a few bruises on his face and seems to have pain in his left side that he tries to hide, but other than that, he seems fine. I don’t know where I’m at, but you can call the police and have them trace this phone, right? I can turn the sound off but keep it powered on. Isn’t that how they do it in the movies?”
Ghost’s jaw clenches, his fingers drumming rapidly on the desk as we all absorb the doctor’s frantic words.
“We can trace it,” Taylor says, his voice sharp with determination. He grabs a laptop and pulls up the software Obsidian Security uses for situations like this. Knox’s very own software.
“Keep him talking for another minute. I just need a bit of time to lock onto the signal.”
Ghost leans forward, his tone steady despite the urgency crackling through the room. “Doctor Stone, stay calm. We’re going to help you, your granddaughter, and our people. You’ve done the right thing by calling us. Tell me, do you know how many guards are stationed near them?”
“Four, maybe five,” the doctor answers, his voice shaking. “They rotate every shift, so it’s hard to tell exactly. And they’re armed.”
“Of course they are,” King mutters, pacing the room like a caged animal. “Doc, you said our female is too weak to walk on her own. Is she stable enough to survive an escape attempt?”
The pause on the other line causes my heart to stop. When Dr. Stone speaks again, his voice is hesitant. “She’s...critical, but she’s conscious now. I’ve been giving her antibiotics and steroids to keep her strength up. I gave her a strong dose of steroids two hours ago in hopes that it will help her, but she’ll need proper medical care immediately once she’s out. And I meanimmediately. Once the steroids are out of her system, she’s going to crash. And, not in any way that can be considered good.”
“I’m going to fucking kill Paston when I get my hands on him,” I growl.
Ghost shoots me a look, silently telling me to keep my emotions in check. “Doc,” he says, “are you armed? Can you defend yourself and your granddaughter when it’s time to move?”
“No,” he says. “I had a small pistol that I always kept in my medical bag, but I shoved it under the female’s body during my last visit, hoping that it would help them escape.”
Ghost exchanges a glance with Taylor, who nods. “Got it,” Taylor says, typing furiously. “I’ve locked onto the signal. It’s bouncing between towers, but we should have a location in five minutes.”
“Stone,” Ghost says, his tone like steel, “stay near that phone. We’ll handle the rest. Do you have any way to alert our people when we’re close?”
“No,” he whispers. “But I’ll tell the guard that I need to check the female’s vitals. They trust me enough not to frisk me every time I enter their room. I could give your people my phone. Would that help?”
“When?” I ask frantically.
“It’s been a couple of hours, so I’ll go now. Don’t hang up. I’m going to tuck my phone into my bag.”
Ghost leans forward, his grip tightening on the edge of the desk. “Good thinking, Doc. Keep this line open. Don’t say anything unless it’s absolutely necessary. We’ll guide you as best as we can.”
Taylor nods, keeping his eyes locked on the screen. “I’m almost there. Just stay calm, Doctor Stone. We’re going to get you all out of this.”
The line goes quiet, but the faint sound of rustling tells us the doctor is moving. My heart pounds as I imagine him sneaking the phone into his bag. If anyone catches him, the consequences will be deadly for him, his granddaughter, Steel, and Delphi.
King’s voice cuts through the tense silence. “We don’t know how much time we have. Once we get the location, we move. No delays.”
“I’m not waiting a second longer than necessary,” I snap. My fists clench at the thought of Delphi lying there, vulnerable and in pain.
Through the open line, we hear muffled voices, guards, maybe, and then the doctor speaks, his tone carefully neutral. “She’s still running a fever. I need to make sure she hasn’t relapsed.”