Sinful Suspense Box Set (87 page)

Chapter
19

After an early dusk excursion to the miserable restroom and a repeat dinner of bananas, cheese, and crackers that were now getting soggy from the moist sea air, the three of us leaned up against the wall of our cell and watched the light fade. David looked frailer with each passing moment, and I knew Nick was worried about his brother’s physical state.

David and I had made only minimal progress on the ropes around our feet, but Nick had taken a good chunk out of his. Fortunately, our captors hadn’t noticed that something was amiss with the bindings on his feet. One thing was certain, even brandishing large guns and even with Nick’s hands bound in steel cuffs, they were nervous and jumpy around their massive prisoner. Our most vile captor, Francesca, had not made an appearance since I’d puked on her.

I had my head on Nick’s lap, and I was being lulled to sleep by the motion of an empty water bottle rolling back and forth across the floor when a loud rumbling sound startled me. I sat up. The small cargo hold creaked with vibrations. I scooted closer to Nick.

“They’ve started the engine. I guess we’re moving,” Nick said.

David pushed to sitting and it seemed to take every ounce of strength he had. “I’ve been thinking that they might be using Mom’s Hawaiian realty office as a middle man for their scheme.”

“You might be right,” Nick said. “I can only assume they haven’t made any demands yet since we’ve been floating out here in the middle of nowhere. Hopefully Mom doesn’t freak out too much.”

“Mom?” David laughed and it immediately made him cough. “She’ll probably have a dozen feds at her Oahu house before the ink is even dry on the ransom note.”

Listening to them talk about their mother sent a wave of terror through me. “Oh my gosh, do you think Pierre would have called my mom about this?”

“Probably,” Nick said. “Even if he doesn’t have all the details, he’d probably let her know that you’ve disappeared.”

“Holy shit. I mean I know it is stupid, but I guess I was hoping we could get out of this predicament without her ever knowing.” I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them. “Oh my God. My poor mom.”

“We will get out of this, Jayden. Try not to worry about her too much. It will be a few days of torment, but you’ll be back with her soon,” Nick said.

I wiped a tear from my face with the back of my hands. Having both hands bound together with rope was beginning to take a toll on me mentally. I moved my hands back and forth wildly and the rope burned the skin around my wrists. “I can’t stand being tied like this,” I cried. “It’s almost like claustrophobia.” My fingers tingled and I sobbed. “And now I’m going to have a damn panic attack.” I sucked in a long hard breath as if the oxygen had been vacuumed from my lungs.

“Jayden, breathe,” Nick’s voice was soothing but not enough to calm the agitation that had taken hold of me.

“I can’t breathe. There can’t possibly be enough air in this tiny room for the three of us.” I pulled in another exaggerated breath.

“Can you climb up into my lap?” Nick asked. “Sit with your back facing me and I’ll give you a neck rub.”

Awkwardly, I managed to climb up and sit in the circle he made with his thighs. I could feel the cold chain of his cuffs rub against my back as his large, strong fingers massaged my neck. He leaned forward and his deep voice caressed my ear. “Relax, Sweetie, everything is going to be fine.” His lips pressed against my ear, and after several minutes I felt the tension and waves of panic flow from my body.

We sat in silence as the last slivers of daylight disappeared from the porthole.

“Nights in the Amazon were black like this. The canopy of trees blocked starlight and moonlight,” David said. “I have to admit that it took me a few weeks to get used to the darkness and the silence of being in such a remote place. The first few nights, I would lie awake on my cot, beneath my mosquito net, and listen to the tiny footsteps of the jungle critters crawling around my tent.” He chuckled softly. “One night I was sure there was a giant bat flying around my tent flapping its rubbery wings against the side of the canvas. I woke in the morning and discovered it was a friggin’ mosquito.”

“Jeez,” I said “a mosquito that size could drink you dry with one bite.”

“After that, I doubled my net and slept with the edges of the net tucked beneath me. I figured a mosquito like that could just lift the ends off the floor and fly beneath it.”

“Why would it bother? A mosquito like that could just walk under your cot, lift it up, and carry you and your bed out the door,” Nick said.

I smiled and rested my head against Nick’s arm.

David sighed and even a sigh seemed to take a chunk of energy. “It wasn’t all bad out there though. The villagers were always kind and grateful. There was this little guy who’d lost half of his foot to a snake bite. He was about eight years old, and he would follow me wherever I went. His parents and older siblings were too busy to pay attention to him. I couldn’t pronounce his name so I called him Pip because he walked around with this old, waterlogged copy of Great Expectations under his arm. No idea where he got it, and of course he couldn’t read it, but it was his prized possession. Sometimes he’d come to my tent at night and I’d read it to him. And he would listen raptly as if he understood every word.” David paused and it seemed he’d drifted back to his time in the jungle. “That kid was so smart. When I started getting sick, he stuck really close to me, and he kept putting his little hand on my arm, his big black eyes round with concern. I’d spent all day with doctors and no one had noticed that I was sick, but Pip knew right away.” David stretched out on the canvas. “He knew me so well, he knew something wasn’t right.” His voice drifted off and he rolled onto his side to sleep.

“We’ve got to get him out of here,” Nick said grimly. “I don’t know how much longer I can sit here and watch him deteriorate.” The muscle in his hard arm tightened, and his voice was strained. “And these fucking handcuffs are making me nuts too.”

We scooted down and I had almost managed to sleep again when the door opened. Nick lifted up onto one elbow. Boone’s massive silhouette filled the doorway. “I told Frankie I was unchaining you so you could sleep.”

“And how’d she take that suggestion?” Nick asked tersely. “David is sick. We need to get him out of here. What the hell are you going to do?”

Boone glanced back out to the moonlit deck and closed the door some behind him. He walked over and stared down at David.

“Look, Boone, David and I will see that you get off easy if you give it up now and help us out of this.”

Boone scrubbed his face with his hands. He was wound so tightly it seemed that the slightest breezed might cause him to jump. “You make sure I get off easy and then what? I hit the streets of L.A. with my cardboard box and bag of wine. I’ve got nothing to lose at this point.”

“Except your sense of humanity and any shred of decency you have.” Nick stretched out his legs. “We’re getting out of this one way or another, Boone. Do the right thing.”

Boone stood there and even in the dark I could see how tightly his fists were clenched. Tension radiated off of his massive shoulders in waves. I held my breath wondering if this was it, if this was the turning point. Then he spun around and walked out the door. Nick and I sank down to the canvas and laid there until sleep finally provided temporary relief from our nightmare.

Chapter
20

Nick and I rolled into each other and our heads smacked together. We sat up rubbing our foreheads. It didn’t take long to realize that the boat was lurching violently from side to side.

“Must be a storm.” Nick crawled over to David who was still asleep. He touched his forehead. “David’s burning up with fever.” He tried to stand but was thrown against the wall.

I scurried around on my knees and grabbed the flashlight. I turned it on and aimed it at David. He covered his eyes with his arm to block the light. “It’s a bacterial infection.” His voice was scratchy and weak. “I need to get to a hospital.”

Nick kneeled down next to him. “How long?”

The question was short and to the point and it made my stomach tighten.

“Three days max before my organs start to shut down,” David answered calmly.

Shouting and yelling on deck took our attention away from the horrid tragedy unfolding in front of us. Nick jumped to his feet and stood behind the door. It opened and two of the armed men burst inside. Rain and wind swept inside behind them. Nick jumped out of the shadows and threw the chain of his cuffs around the neck of one man. Instantly, the third man appeared in the tiny room. He pressed his gun against Nick’s head, but Nick didn’t release the man he held.

Then the first man through the door lunged for me. I half-crawled away but he grabbed my foot and yanked it hard, pulling me onto my stomach. I screamed as he threw me up onto his shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing?” Nick yelled.

The man carried me out of the cargo hold. I pounded his back with my fist.

“Throw her over.” Francesca’s sharp voice cut through the drumming of the rain on the metal deck. Before I could take in one more breath, he swung me over the side of the boat, and I landed in the black, churning waves. The frigid water caused me to suck in my breath and salt water came in with it. Keeping my head above water while bound and coughing was impossible. Twice I slipped beneath the waves but pure terror gave me the strength to surface again. Kicking my legs like a mermaid, I managed to push up above the fierce current. The ropes cut into my wrists and ankles as I struggled to tread water, but the storm enraged ocean was too much for me. A wall of water smacked me in the face, and I gulped in another mouthful of the sea. I was losing the battle to keep my head above the surface. I squirmed violently against the menacing onslaught of waves, but my energy was slipping away quickly. I was going to drown in the middle of a stormy sea, and I would never be seen again.

The water near me reverberated as if something heavy had landed next to me. As I sank underwater, two hands grabbed hold of my arm and my face was lifted above the water. I gasped for air while trying desperately to avoid sucking in more water. I knew even in the darkness that Nick was the one holding me. While his strength made it easier for him to tread water, it was not an easy task keeping the both of us afloat. The bow of the boat loomed over us like a giant metal sea monster. If the water had been calmer, I would have grabbed Nick and swum away from it as fast as I could. But David was still on board in desperate need of medical attention, and the raging surf made the idea of escape ludicrous.

Yells and shouts from deck ricocheted off the surrounding black sky. “Over here, Nick,” Boone called down from above. A light swung over the railing of the boat and the rope ladder dropped down.

Nick pulled me slowly along to the boat. The cold was starting to take its toll, and my chin trembled uncontrollably. My fingers tingled both from cold and from the weight of the soaked ropes around my wrists. Suddenly it seemed that we were moving faster through the water.

“The rope around my ankles just broke,” Nick said to me over the din of the wind and rain. Within seconds I was clutching the bottom of the rope ladder.

This time I didn’t wait to be lifted on board. My body shook with cold and my feet and hands were numb, but adrenaline and a good shove from Nick pushed me up the ladder quickly.

I collapsed into a shivering puddle of sobs on deck. Nick pulled himself up over the railing and Boone shielded the both of us as we regained our composure.

“Without them there is really no point in asking for a ransom,” Boone yelled to the others.

“I told you to keep him chained up,” Francesca’s voice cut through the rain and mist like a knife. “He wasn’t supposed to jump in after her.”

“So now we’re murderers? Nick was right, Frankie. You’re fucking nuts.”

I squinted past Boone. Francesca stood on deck in an absurdly puffy parka. A hood concealed part of her face, but the vicious sneer that seemed to be a permanent part of her natural expression was still visible.

Nick stood next to Boone. I wondered just how this would end. Her three armed minion stood at the ready, it seemed, to shoot on command. I was sure that order would come but instead she looked over at the man who seemed to be the leader of the three and nodded at him. Then she turned her glacial glare back to Boone. “Chain him up again. And put the drowned rat back in the hold too.”

Boone was silent and avoided eye contact as he led us back to our damp prison cell. He ignored Francesca’s orders to chain Nick up and swung the door shut behind us.

Nick stared at the door for a moment. “I don’t think they were trying to kill you.”

“No? Because I’m pretty certain that if you hadn’t have jumped in, I’d be floating at the bottom right now.”

He reached up and tucked the wet hair behind my ear. “I think that was a loyalty test for Boone.” Nick lifted his wet shirt off over his head. “And he just failed it.”

Nick and I stripped down to our underwear and lay tucked against each other on the canvas listening to the angry weather outside and David’s strained breathing. Being wrapped in his arms soon settled the trembling in my body. Hopelessness seemed to permeate the dark, dank atmosphere of the room. I pressed my face into Nick’s chest and cried.

Chapter
21

Loud music woke us from our somber, restless sleep. The lack of movement signaled to us that the storm had passed over. Nick pushed up onto his elbow. “Do you know what that is?”

“AC/DC, Highway to Hell.” David’s words were a blur, and he sounded drunk with fever.

“Yeah, that,” Nick said. “But it’s a radio station which means, unless this tugboat has satellite radio, we must be close to Hawaii.”

I scooted over to the first aid kit and grabbed out some of the gauze. I found a half-filled bottle of water, drenched the gauze, and wrung it out. I crawled over to David. Perspiration dripped down his temples. I placed the cloth over his forehead.

It took all his effort to open his eyes. They were glassy with fever. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help last night.”

“You didn’t truly want to steal your brother’s thunder, did you?” I forced a smiled but truthfully I wanted to break into sobs.

He closed his eyes again. Even his long lashes were clumped with sweat. “You’re right. I forgot that he’s an egomaniac.”

Nick came and crouched down next to him. “Hold on, David, your egomaniac brother is working on a plan to get us out of this shithole.”

“It’s about time, Bro, I was starting to lose faith in you.” He coughed and groaned weakly. “This is good for my career. Every doctor should have to suffer being this sick. It helps us know how our patients are feeling. Sometimes you forget that they are people and not just patients.” He sighed. “If I’d known this was going to end so soon, I would have skipped college and med school and moved to Vegas for nonstop parties and girls. God should really let us know ahead of time if things are going to be cut short.”

“Shut up, David. I’m going to get you to a hospital. Besides, Mom will have my head if I let anything happen to you.” They’d reverted to their usual dry brand of humor, but the strain in Nick’s voice was heartbreakingly evident.

It always seemed that just as we’d been soothed into a trance by the quiet and the rhythmic motion of the boat, something would happen to jolt us from our thoughts again. The door flew open. The pink sky of dusk filled the view outside. Boone stumbled in and threw a set of keys at Nick. He hovered over us for a moment, his massive chest heaving with breaths and his eyes round and wild. “I’m so sorry, Nick.” With that he raced out.

Nick lunged at the door but it swung shut with a solid thud. He pressed his forehead against it and stared down at the ground. “Sonavabitch.”

Gunshots rang out and it felt as if my heart had jumped into my throat. A horrible, long stream of shots followed and then silence.

Nick turned around. His eyes were closed as he leaned against the door and slid down to his bottom. He rested his arms across the tops of his knees and dropped his head. “Damnit, Boone, you fool,” he said quietly.

“Do you think—” It hadn’t occurred to me at first why the shots had been fired.

“That stupid bastard. I could have helped him.”

I lifted the keys Boone had thrown at us. There was a Swiss army knife hanging from the ring next to the keys. I started sawing at the ropes on my feet. Nick stood and sat down next to me. He grabbed the small blade and made quick work of my ropes. Then he handed the keys to me. It took me several tries to find the one that matched his handcuffs. They dropped off with a clang, and we spent a moment relishing the feel of freedom. David hardly stirred as we cut the ropes from his hands and feet.

“Jayden, when we here footsteps, you crouch down in that far corner, understand? They still have us outnumbered and definitely outgunned.” Nick lifted the small blade in front of his face. “I think I could do plenty of damage with this little toothpick. Just stay out of the way.”

I nodded. Obviously things were coming to a head, and I was more nervous about the possibility of this all ending than I had been when we were first kidnapped. While I felt incredibly secure with Nick at the helm of our escape, there was no real way of knowing how this would turn out. The captors definitely had the advantage.

The wait seemed interminably long. My clothes felt stiff and damp as I slid my shorts and t-shirt back on. My sandals had been stretched by the salt water, and I had to shuffle to keep them on my feet. My stomach burned with hunger as I crouched next to David and pressed the compress against his head. It was the one small thing I could do to keep him a bit more comfortable. But he looked worse with each passing moment, and he was no longer talking. Nick’s rage intensified as he watched his brother’s life drift away. I almost pitied the next person to walk through that door. Secretly, I hoped it would be Francesca.

A key jangled in the door, and Nick motioned for me to duck in the corner. The man who had first held a gun to my head stepped inside. With lightning fast movements Nick snatched the man’s gun from his hand and hit his scalp with the butt of his weapon. Blood spurted from the man’s head and he dropped to the floor in a heap. After my near death experience the night before, I had somehow managed to harden or even detach myself from the reality of what was unfolding. A second man stepped in and stared open-mouthed at his fallen comrade. Nick was able to grab him before the shock of it wore off. He yanked the guy in front of him like a shield and held the gun to his head as he dragged him out of the cargo hold.

I could still see Nick’s large figure in front of the door when I heard him shouting to the third man. “I will blow his head off right now if you don’t drop your gun.”

Silence followed and it seemed the third man was weighing his options, his partner or his weapon. He chose the latter. Gunfire split the air and I crouched down in a ball and covered my ears. An eerie silence followed and I lifted my head and looked outside, terrified of what I might see.

Nick stood fifteen feet from the open door. He tossed aside his limp human shield, and I caught a glimpse of the other man lying in a pool of blood on deck. I crawled over to David to make sure he’d not been hit by any stray bullets. He was safe, but the pallor of his face and lips made me bite back a cry.

The motor of the small boat fired up below. My gaze shot toward the doorway. Nick’s massive physique filled the opening. “Francesca’s leaving. She won’t get far.” Nick glanced around at the damage he’d wrought but he did not look proud or pleased. It was a look of pain.

“Are they dead?” I asked hesitantly.

He shook his head. “I don’t think so, but they will be if we don’t get them help soon.

I steeled myself against the grizzly scene and walked to Nick. Boone was lying bloodied and motionless next to the rusted lobster traps.

Nick shook his head. “Stupid, stupid Boone.”

I reached for Nick’s hand but he pulled me into his arms and held me until I was sure he would squeeze the breath out of me. A small noise came from David’s direction and Nick released me.

“Go back inside and tell David what’s happened. I don’t know how much he’ll hear but tell him to hang on. Help is on the way. I’m going to check pockets for keys to this boat.”

I knelt over David. His breathing was shallow and the skin on his chest was a blotchy red. I pressed my hand to his cheek and his lashes fluttered for a second. “Hey, your bother saved the day. The ordeal is over. We’re getting you help right away. Hang on.”

There was no response at first but I was certain I saw his mouth quiver. Then his lips opened. They were dry and chapped. “He’s such an attention hog,” he said on a frail wisp of breath.

Moments later, Nick returned. “How is he?”

I looked back at Nick over my shoulder. “He’s weak but alive. Did you find the keys?”

“No, Frankie must have had them, but I reached the coast guard on the two way radio. They’re on their way. Apparently they were already on alert. They already knew about the kidnapping. My mom’s in Oahu.”

“That was fast,” I said.

“Private jet.”

“I guess those can really come in handy.”

Nick walked over and looked down at David. “I let them know that David needed emergency care. I hope they hurry. I also told them to be on the lookout for a woman with a snarling frown who looks dressed for a New York runway.”

I smiled. “I believe her fashion sense is going to take a hit with those unflattering prison stripes. I hope they’re orange, super wide, and very horizontal.”

***

Twenty minutes later, we had David and the injured kidnappers on the coast guard boat receiving what little first aide they could provide. David’s vitals weren’t great but with any luck he’d be in a hospital bed soon. Our captors were even worse off.

Nick and I stood on deck. They threw foil blankets over our shoulders and gave us stale cheese sandwiches that tasted like a five star dinner. We stood at the bow and watched as the crowded Oahu marina came into view. The water was a turquoise blue and the breeze was balmy and fragrant and we were all alive.

Nick put his arm around my shoulders and held me close. “I’m sorry you had to go through all this, Jayden. I guess it’s not exactly what you signed on for when you took the job.”

“Hey, in this competitive world, job experience is everything.”

One of the coast guard crew came up behind us. “Mr. Regent, I thought you’d like to know that they have arrested the woman. At first we thought you were kidding about the runway model clothing. I guess she put up quite a fight.” The man stopped and he seemed to be assessing Nick. “What has us really perplexed though, is how the armed kidnappers ended up near death and you two don’t have a scratch on you.”

Nick shrugged as if anyone could have gotten out of the predicament the way he had. “I guess luck was just on our side.”

The man smiled and nodded. “You should think about joining the SEALS. They can use men like you.”

“Yeah, I might think about that,” Nick answered and there was definitely disappointment behind his words. The man walked away. “I only wish I’d been able to fulfill my dream of throwing Francesca to the sharks. You live with your decisions but I doubt I’ll ever live down the regret of dating that woman.”

“The sharks would have been too quick. I think years in jail is a more fitting punishment,” I said. “She’ll have to grow old without Botox or hair dye.”

Nick reached over and pulled me against him, and I stayed happily in his arms until we reached the dock . . . and my mom.