MARRYING MR. RIGHT (The Brides of Hilton Head Island Book 3) (30 page)

Chapter Thirty-Four

                           
“I
tell you, man, Zavier’s a soldier. Got his strength from Taylor and me. Got his good looks, though, from his mother.” On the phone with Richmond, Zeke steered the Porsche into the driveway of his beach home and parked.

                           
Richmond laughed. “I’m glad you said Zavier got his good looks from his mother, because the last time I checked, you weren’t that good looking, man,” Richmond teased.

                            Zeke chortled. “My wife would beg to differ with you, man.”

                            “Nah, I’m just teasing. Kayla had a field day shopping for Evan today. Man, she’s super excited for you and Taylor. And so am I. We can’t wait to meet Zavier and Jaheem.”

                            “Feel free to stop by the hospital anytime to see Zavier. He’ll love that. Let me know when you go by, and I’ll try to make sure Jaheem is there so you can meet him, too.” Zeke inserted the key in the front door, pushed it open, then closed the door behind him.

                            “Are you sure it’s okay if I stop by the hospital?” Richmond asked tersely.

                            Tired, Zeke headed toward the kitchen. “Yeah, man, I’m sure. You and Kayla are like family. Hey, I’m home now. Tell Kayla I said hi.”

                            “Will do, my brother.”

                            The two men hung up with each other. Looking forward to spending time with Taylor, Zeke was glad Veronica had come to the hospital to sit with Zavier.

                            Hungry beyond measure for sex and food, Zeke pulled open the refrigerator. “Taylor!” Dropping his keys on the kitchen counter, his stomach growled.                            Imagining Taylor’s hot sex sliding down on his hard rod, the head of his shaft rounded into a bulging knot. His shaft grew. Inched down his thigh.
I can’t even think about Taylor without getting horny as hell.

                           
Walking around with a hard on
,
Zeke opened the
SugarKanes
box on the counter to find a nicely decorated cake inside. He read the cake:
Welcome Home Zavier.
“Nice gesture, Sandella. Zavier is going to love this. Taylor! I’m home, baby!”

                            Ready to eat his wife’s pussy, Zeke’s testosterone kicked up a notch. Wondering where in the heck Taylor was, he left the kitchen and headed for the staircase. As soon as Zeke lifted his foot to ascend the staircase, he noticed Taylor’s purse along with dark blood on the step.
Blood.
He stooped, swirled his finger in the slick substance, then held the slippery fluid up to his nose.
Jesus Christ!
It was blood, all right.

                            “Taylor!” Heart drumming against his ribs, Zeke cantered up the staircase. Searching in and out of every room, his heart thudded harshly inside his chest. Unable to locate Taylor, he darted inside Zavier’s room. Shattered glass was on the floor. A dirty red rag was in the sink.

                            “Something’s wrong.” He bustled downstairs, ran through the kitchen, and yanked open the back door. Taylor’s car was still there, but she wasn’t anywhere to be found.

                            Panic-stricken, Zeke whipped out his cell and dialed his wife. He was sent straight to Taylor’s voicemail. Zeke ran back to the staircase, pulled open Taylor’s purse. Searching for her cell, his hands floundered around the many items inside her purse.

                            Just as Zeke got ready to call Chief Shelton Wallace, his cell buzzed in his sweating palm. “Hello?”

                            “Hello, Zeke. This is Dr. Sauer. Taylor’s OBGYN. Is Taylor with you? Do you know where she is?” Panic was in her voice.

                            “No. And I can’t find her anywhere.”

                            “Dear Lord. I called Taylor several minutes ago and told her that the lab discovered high levels of arsenic in her blood. And it looked like someone was trying to poison her. While on the phone with her, she screamed for me to call the police, then I heard a man shout to come back to him. Suddenly, the line went dead.”

                            Holding the phone to his ear, bile rose to the surface of Zeke’s stomach. “Ohmygod. Jesus. Did you call the police?”

“Yes. I gave the police the address Taylor has on record with our office. If it’s correct, the police should be at your home any minute now.”

                            Police sirens blasted through the night air. Zeke flung open the front door of his home. Red and blue flashing lights emanated from a swarm of police cars as they sped up in his driveway. “They’re here. Did Taylor tell you who was with her? Did she scream a name?” The officers jumped out of their cars. Standing behind the doors of their police vehicles, they drew their weapons and pointed them at Zeke.

                            Dr. Sauer said, “No. She didn’t have time. The line went dead all of a sudden.”

                            Zeke glared at the weapons aiming at his head.
Please don’t let them shoot me.
“If you think of anything else, please call me.” Holding his hands up in the air, Zeke’s cell slipped from his grip. He dropped to his knees and sobbed. Surrendering to the police like he was a criminal, he lolled his head back and bellowed. “Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God! My wife. Who has my wife?!”              

             
HEAD THROBBING
, Taylor forced her eyes open to find herself immersed in darkness. Thoughts swooning, vision blurry, she touched her paining head to find it slick with something wet.
Blood? Where am I?
Dizzy, her aching body bumped and rolled inside a cramped space.

                           
Rocking and bouncing, horrid thoughts ran inside Taylor’s head, terrifying her.
                           
Oh, God. Antonio. Antonio took me.
Remembering the branded
SM
initials on Antonio’s chest and Dr. Sauer saying someone had poisoned her with arsenic, Taylor smartly put two and two together.

                           
Antonio had had her kidnapped all those years ago, and Katherine probably had orchestrated the whole thing.
Katherine poisoned me
. She’d just had lunch with Katherine the other day, right before she’d gone to Dr. Sauer’s office to have an exam and some extensive blood work done on her. Katherine must’ve put some poison in her food when she’d gotten up and gone to the bathroom. No wonder she felt sick every time she ate Delbert’s cooking; Katherine had been poisoning her.

                           
“Let me go! Help! Help!” Taylor banged her fists on the roof of the trunk. The car rocked and shimmied over what felt like hard gravel. Suddenly, the car slowed. The engine halted.
Slam!
The door shut. He’s coming.
Oh, God. Help me.

                           
The trunk popped open, revealing Antonio’s hateful glare. Pointing a big black gun at her face, he spat, “Get out of the car!”

                            “Why are you doing this, Antonio?” Her voice trembled.

                            “I don’t owe you an explanation.” He put the cool metal of the barrel to her cheek, yanked on her arm, almost tore it off. “Last warning. Get your ass out now.”

                            Taylor climbed out of the trunk. Checking out her surroundings, she realized she must be at Antonio’s home. Big oaks, dirt road, tiny brown house with a small porch, Zeke had told her Antonio lived somewhere off one of the main road in the woods, in a home that used to belong to Katherine’s parents.                            

                            Antonio put a hand to Taylor’s shoulder and spun her around so she’d be facing his wooden brown house. “Move it.” Afraid, Taylor walked slowly toward the dark, secluded house shielded by dense forestry. Antonio put the gun to the lower part of her spine, gave her a hard shove, and she stumbled. Almost fell on her face. 

                            Right when Taylor lifted her leg to mount the steps of his home, Antonio fisted the back of her shirt, shoved her sideways. Stumbling, she fell to the ground on her knees. “You’re not welcome in my home. Go to the garage.” Her eyes wandered over to the unattached garage several feet away from the home. Stalling, Taylor slowly stood.

                            Horrified, Taylor took slow strides toward the garage located to the side of the old, worn home. Eyes darting back and forth, trembles shook her to the core as she looked for something to strike Antonio with. Looking for a way to escape, she spotted a wire fence behind the garage. A
BEWARE OF DOG
sign hung on the silver gate.

                            Antonio gripped the rusty handle on the old garage and lifted it. The rusty chains churned as the door rolled backwards. A strong gasoline odor attacked Taylor’s nostrils upon entering the junky area. Inside, the garage tools hung on the walls on either side. In the corner sat a lawn mower. A raggedy blue Honda with a missing rear bumper and shattered back window sat parked in the center. 

                            Evil glazed over Antonio’s eyes. “When you got pregnant with Zeke’s baby, you signed your own death certificate.”

                           
Screw you, Antonio!
“I love my son. We’ve never done anything to you or Katherine.”

                            Antonio let loose a nasty chuckle. “You’re no different than Zeke’s mother, Bridget. Bridget tried to take everything from my mother.” Antonio pressed the barrel of the gun to Taylor’s chest.

                            Petrified, she flinched. “No! Please, Antonio! Please don’t shoot me. I’m sorry, okay?”

                            Head tilting, Antonio put the tip of the weapon to Taylor’s forehead and trailed the cool metal down the side of her face, let the black Glock rest at the base of her throat. “Bridget had a bastard child, just like you. She tried to take everything from Katherine. Bridget wanted my mother’s husband. Her life. Her wealth.” Laughing, Antonio slapped his forehead with his free hand. “But the bitch got nothing but murdered. Katherine killed Bridget.” Taylor shuddered. Nausea burned at the base of her throat, right where the hole of the gun still pressed. “Now, I’m going to kill you.” Antonio’s voice was thick and unsteady.

                            Taylor felt like spitting in Antonio’s face.
He’s a psychopath.
“Zeke is going to find me, and when he does, you’re going to rot in jail for the rest of your life.”

                            Keeping the gun trained on her face, Antonio stooped. He gripped the latch by his sneaker and lifted, revealing a deep cave in the ground. “Get in,” he ordered.

                            Taylor’s eyes lowered from Antonio’s evil glare to the big dark hole in the ground. Shaking like a leaf, she lifted her gaze back to his hard-lined face. Pulse rate up, she took off running out of the garage.

                            “Come back here, bitch!” Antonio fired his weapon. The hot bullet grazed her arm, shot past the tree. Taylor kept running. If Antonio wanted her, he was going to have to catch her. She wasn’t going down without a fight. She had two sons and a husband who loved her to fight for. To live for.
Run, Taylor, run!
her mind screamed.

                            Antonio fired his weapon three more times. Scurrying around a tree, bullets flew past Taylor’s head. Fast on his feet, Antonio caught up with Taylor. He fisted her hair and pulled. “Ahhh!” she bellowed. Falling backwards, she landed hard on the ground.

                            As Antonio dragged Taylor back toward the garage by the shirt, her body twisted along the cold dirt and her right tennis shoe slipped from her foot. Scraping her nails into the skin on his arms, her feet kicked wildly.

                            “You’re one tough bitch,” Antonio said, lulling her body back into the garage. With her back on the ground, a shivering Taylor looked up at Antonio. He raised his foot over her heaving chest, then crashed it to her breasts.
Crack!

                            “I said get in!”

                            Taylor hollered. Pain submerged her ribs; they felt shattered. Gripping her aching chest, she cried. “You’re going to pay for—”

                            As Taylor lay on the ground helpless, Antonio crouched down beside her. “Shut up. I’m tired of your threats.” Putting his hands to her injured side, Antonio tossed Taylor into the deep cave. Legs flailing, scratching the air, Taylor landed hard on her back with a resounding thump. Air momentarily left her body, and she couldn’t breathe.

                           
I can’t breathe. Can’t breathe.
Lying on her back, glaring upward at Antonio’s contorted face, struggling for air, she inhaled deeply. Air rushed into her lungs, and she started breathing again. Her bones ached.

                           
Antonio stood at the top of the cave inside the garage, peering down at her. His lips spread into a wicked smile. “Next I’m going to take care of Zeke, then your son Zavier. No one’s getting my father’s money except for me. Rot in hell, Taylor. Rot in fucking hell!”