Chapter 5: Playing the Long Game

Back home, I used my ability to see the details of Trent’s kidnapping plan. Two days later, Savannah would invite me and my husband to a family gathering, drug me at the party, and knock me out. When I woke up, I’d be on a helicopter, with my husband beside me. Clearly, they were going all out—using a helicopter and everything.

I saw flashes of the plan—Savannah’s smirk, Trent’s nervous pacing, the roar of helicopter blades. My fate was sealed, unless I did something fast.

Knowing their plan, I considered calling the police. But after thinking it over, I decided to tell my husband’s grandfather’s butler instead. His family had deep ties to the Chicago underworld—when it came to things like this, they were far more effective than the police.

The butler answered on the first ring, his voice calm as ever. He didn’t even sound surprised.

I brought the surveillance footage to the butler. He watched it, surprisingly calm.

He didn’t flinch, just nodded and took notes. I could tell he’d seen worse. He looked at me, waiting.

"So, Mrs. Harlan, what would you like me to do?"

He folded his hands, waiting for my answer. The weight of his gaze was heavy, but I didn’t back down.

I smiled. "Let’s wait. Let her kidnap us. Once we’re at their hideout, round up everyone involved in one go. Consider it doing a service for the city."

I wanted them to feel the sting of failure, right when they thought they’d won. Call it poetic justice.

That’s how people are—if you fail at the start, you just get angry. But if you prepare everything and fail at the last second, you’ll be angry and tormented, wondering what went wrong. That’s so much more maddening. A lesson straight from Aunt Brenda’s playbook.

"But this way, there’s no guarantee for your and Mr. Harlan’s safety. If something happens during the kidnapping, it could be too late to fix."

His concern was real, but I shook my head. I trusted my visions more than any security detail.

He had a point. But I could see the future—they wouldn’t dare kill us during the grab.

I smiled, trying to put him at ease. "I’ll be fine. Trust me."

"If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility."

My tone left no room for doubt.

He nodded, recognizing the stubbornness in my eyes. He’d seen it before.

"Should we let Mr. Harlan know?"

He raised an eyebrow, waiting for my answer.

I shook my head. "He won’t object."

We’d always had an unspoken understanding. He trusted me, even when things got weird.

After making all the arrangements, I gave my parents some money and sent them off on vacation to San Diego, far away from all this. Over the next two days, relatives kept calling to check in, but I brushed them off.

I booked them a beachfront suite, told them to order room service, and not to answer any calls from Aunt Brenda. Let them have some peace.

Two days later, right on schedule, Savannah messaged me. This time, she didn’t use my full name—she called me Autumn, all friendly: "Autumn, you have to come to our annual family gathering. I’ve booked the hotel."

She added a smiley face, as if we were best friends. I almost laughed. She really thought I’d fall for it.

She sent the hotel’s location. I didn’t refuse—just replied, "Okay."

I waited a beat before hitting send, just to let her sweat a little. Let her wonder if I’d show.