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“No clue. I just know I was kidnapped.”

“I wanted to talk…face to face,” Elder said. “I didn’t want to drug you or have you bound.”

“Yet, here I am with shit running through my veins, and my wrist and ankles bound.”

“That’s your fault. You almost broke one of my guy’s jaw. Of course I had to restrain you.”

“You’re telling me that if two people you didn’t know held you at gunpoint, threatening to shoot folks, and then tried to get you to go somewhere with them, you wouldn’t have tried to get away?”

Elder shrugged. “Fair point, but you didn’t give us a chance to explain what this was all about.”

“Cut the shit and this duct tape, then you can explain all you want,” Parker snapped.

His patience was shot, and the moment he was able to get free, he was killing everyone involved.

That thought made him think of Chelsey. Since he was still with Elder and his goons, it was safe to say she hadn’t called the cops. Then again, maybe a plan was being drafted to get him out of there. Because once Mason and the guys realized he was missing, they’d come for him.

“When my nephew Sean sent me a photo of you, claiming you looked like a friend of mine. I laughed it off, because there was no way you could be who you looked like.”

Oh, shit. That was the connection. The guy at the fundraiser, Sean, must have snapped a picture of him.

“Does the name Maverick or Wolf sound familiar to you?” Elder asked, watching him closely as if thinking that if he stared Parker down, he’d crack.

“No. Should it?” Parker asked, his words slurring a bit, but at least he could keep his head straight. He stared right back at his father’s longtime friend.

It was paramount that he didn’t show fear and didn’t break eye contact. For this guy to find him, he must know a lot about him. Or at least a lot about the persona that had been created for Parker Wilcox. If he said the wrong thing or made a wrong move, Parker could get himself killed.

No, actually, Elder wouldn’t kill him. He’d take him, or try to take him, to Wolf, because there’s no way Wolf wouldn’t want the pleasure of killing him…again.

Elder folded his arms across his chest. “Either you’re a hell of an actor, or you suffered some type of brain injury and don’t realize you’re Maverick Farron Jr.”

Stay cool, Parker told himself. He had to keep this charade going as long as possible.

Parker frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, butclearlyyou have the wrong person. Just let me go.”

“Not yet. You’re going to be my guest here for at least another couple of hours.”

“For God’s sake, you kidnapped the wrong person! I’m not who you think I am!”

“Yeah, and if you’re not, then I’ll apologize. For right now, sit tight. It’s going to be a while.”

The moment Elder walked out of the room with his cell phone plastered to his ear, Parker tugged on the restraints. They were tight, but if he pulled on them enough, they’d eventually get loose.

They had to. His life depended on it.

Impatience clawed through Chelsey as she rubbed her hands together while staring out the window. She’d been hiding outside of the abandoned warehouse in her car forever, but she couldn’t leave. Not when they still had Parker. She was afraid to go in search of a phone or for help. Afraid she’d leave and return to find the thugs and Parker gone.

The industrial area was in the middle of nowhere, and it was scary dark where she was hiding. When she had first arrived, she hadn’t been able to follow close behind in her car, but she’d been able to see what building they entered.

She was currently across the parking lot, partially shielded by another warehouse. Ideally, she’d prefer to be closer, but at least she had eyes on the SUV. Every few minutes, she left her vehicle and ran across the lot to peek through a window.

Parker was alive. From what she could see, they had him bound to a chair on the far side of the building. All she had to do was slip in, get him out of the restraints, and get them the hell out of here.

Shouldn’t be hard at all, she thought sarcastically.

Slipping back into the black hoodie that she’d had in her trunk, she made sure her gun was on her, then climbed out of the car. It was time to get closer to the building. Maybe she’d get an opportunity to slip inside.

When she was out there,she’d been alternating between the front and the back of the building, watching and hoping for a break. The SUV was parked on the side near one of the entrances, and so far, all three men were still inside.