Chapter 610 - List with names

JoAnna and Jeff were in the back of the car, approaching a property in the outskirts of Los Angeles. Driveway is very long, and the building is not visible from the street. Only when they took a turn, JoAnna could see a well-lit colonial style mansion.

"Safe house?", JoAnna guessed.

"Yes."

Men dressed in black suits greeted them at the door and led them to the basement.

JoAnna and Jeff entered a room without windows. Walls are gray and bare. In the middle of the room is a metal table with four chairs around it. One chair is occupied by Enrique Nanez. He is chained to the metal table in front of him.

Enrique saw Jeff and JoAnna enter and he smiled smugly. At first, when those bodyguards brought him here, he was afraid. But as the time passed, he saw that they are not going to hurt him. No matter what he said, they just stood there without responding. That gave him confidence that they will not hurt him. They must fear him… or that Boss who is above him. That is why they are not hurting him. He is confident that Jeff and JoAnna came to talk and then they will let him go.

The more Enrique thought about it, the more his smile widened.

JoAnna stood few steps away from the metal table opposite Enrique and started going through her bag.

POW!

Jeff punched Enrique in the face.

Enrique groaned and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He wanted to wipe it, but he was tied to the chair and his hands were chained to the table, so he couldn't reach.

JoAnna looked at Jeff with a blank expression on her face. "That was not necessary."

"It was. I'm waiting all day to do that." He was thinking if he should punch Enrique one more time or not.

"Oh… OK." JoAnna realized that Jeff was letting out some steam.

JoAnna got a capsule of her truth serum and injected it into Enrique.

Enrique stared at her in horror. "What is that?"

"Two minutes." JoAnna told Jeff, ignoring Enrique.

Few minutes later, Enrique was talking. JoAnna's audio recorder on the table didn't bother him at all.

He told them that few weeks ago he was approached by a man, offering him to take revenge for his bankruptcy. When Enrique said that he is interested, man left and few days later Enrique got a phone call from a man he addressed as a Boss.

Just like Blanca, Enrique never met Boss in person. They exchanged few emails, and the rest of communication was done via phone.

Since Sarah and Aiden took his phones earlier, they will be able to compare information from Enrique's phones with what Blanca provided and confirm if two of them used the same email and number.

Just as when they thought that they are not getting much more from Enrique, he mentioned a list which was provided to him by that Boss.

"He gave me a list with five or six names and told me to pick one. Some names I didn't recognize, but I recognized Jeffrey White, so I picked you. Because you are the reason I accepted his offer, so he gave me Blanca's contact information. She was expecting my call and arranged my background as a real-estate agent in her company." Enrique told Jeff.

"What offer?" Jeff asked.

"To get my revenge. He told me that JoAnna should be my target to get to you. He didn't care what I do to either of you. I thought it's a sweet deal. He will provide me with information and opportunity, and I get my revenge."

"What does he get out of that deal?" Jeff knows that the other person will not go to all this trouble without gaining something out of it.

"I don't know. And I don't care." Enrique responded.

"Back to the list… You could pick your target?" JoAnna was confused by this part. They assumed that Enrique did this on his own, to get his revenge against Jeff. But it seems that the story is not so simple.

"Yes. He knew that I have a history with Mr. White, but he offered me other targets as well. And before you ask, I don't know how he came up with that list, or who those other people on the list are."

He told them that the list is in his email.

Jeff was eager to confirm that phone and email he used are the same as the ones which Blanca provided. And also, he wanted to see names on that list. He texted Aiden and Sarah and told them to send him what they find as soon as possible.

Jeff kept his phone down and looked at Enrique. "You managed to kidnap JoAnna, yet you didn't send me any demands for ransom. Why?"

"When you took away the project from me, I watched as my company failed helplessly. My friends and my fiancée left me, and there was nothing I could do. I wanted you to experience the same feeling, being helpless while your world collapses. Of course, I don't have power to take away your business, but to take away woman you care about, that is a different story. This was not about the money; it was about making you suffer."

Jeff didn't like what Enrique said. "At what point would you let JoAnna go?"

Enrique smiled. "Maybe never? Boss said that he does not care what happens with any of you. I just needed to corner you; make you suffer… At first, I thought only to use her to make you feel desperation. But then I saw her… She is easy on the eyes, and I came up with an idea: after I finish my game with you, I would make her mine."

"Make me… yours?" JoAnna frowned and shivered from the repulsion that washed over her.

"Yes. I have my ways… you would not be able to resist my charms… and drugs. Yes. Drugs as well." Under the influence of truth serum, Enrique was not able to hide his intentions.

"Drugs?" Jeff was outraged.

Enrique nodded enthusiastically.

"Are we done?", JoAnna asked Jeff.

"With questions? Yes." Jeff was done with talking. He wanted to beat Enrique into a pulp, but it seems that JoAnna has other plans.

JoAnna turned off the audio recorder and looked at Enrique. "You say you have drugs… I can assure you that I have more."

"Can you, please, bring black suitcase from the trunk?", JoAnna asked one of the bodyguards.

Jeff took few deep breaths to calm down. Whatever JoAnna has in mind, he will let her do it. He can always beat up Enrique later. 

"Why is he not responding?" Jeff mumbled with a frown while looking at his phone. He was talking about Aiden.

JoAnna nudged him. "Do you really expect him to answer now? Didn't you see them on the dancefloor? I am confident that neither of them will be checking their phone tonight." JoAnna saw Jeff starting to dial Aiden for a phone call and she prevented it. "Let them be. It can wait until tomorrow."

Jeff reluctantly agreed and kept his phone away.

Enrique was sweating bullets as he watched JoAnna pick things from the suitcase which she opened on the table in front of him.

Inside of the suitcase was like a fancy jewelry box, with several padded layers filled with various bottles, vials, and tools such as syringes, pliers and some other sharp objects.

Every time JoAnna opened this suitcase she remembered Sarah's words: 'mad scientist'. Part of her liked that.

After her experience with Klark sisters, and Dodson brothers, and Cox sisters… JoAnna realized that people will not leave them alone, and that her kindness is easily interpreted as a weakness. At any point there will be someone who wants something that belongs to her. Her money, position, man, life. Someone will come with intention to claim it. JoAnna decided not to let that happen. What Elanor advised her, strengthened JoAnna's resolve. She will protect what she has. No one can take away things that belong to her. If the situation asks for it, she will not shy from hurting others and make them fear her. Because that is the only way for her to protect her happiness.