Total pages in book: 21
Estimated words: 19525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 19525 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 98(@200wpm)___ 78(@250wpm)___ 65(@300wpm)
“I suggest you drop the act, son, unless you want some serious consequences coming your way.”
“Oh, is that right?” the man laughs. “Serious consequences like what? You gonna come beat me up? Bigtime CEO gonna get his hands dirty?”
What the hell is this? It’s nothing new for me to have guys come by my sites getting in the way, but usually they’re thieves or clearly from other crews trying to throw off our schedule by sabotage, and those guys show up at night, not in the middle of the day putting on a show like high school drama students. This is something new and different, and new and different when it comes to business, especially when it’s unexpected, always makes me nervous.
“Listen, pal, I don’t know who hired you to pull this little stunt of yours, but I don’t have to come down there personally. I’ve got a whole crew of guys down there working for me, and they’re all very loyal. Understand?”
There’s a pause on the other end of the line, almost as though this guy is speaking to someone else. Then he laughs.
“Okay, boss. I was just having a little fun, no need to get all Godfather on me. I’ll leave.”
“You’ll leave? Just like that?” Something about this isn’t right.
“Just like that,” he replies. “I’m gonna give the phone back to Pauly now. You and your new girl have a good one!”
“Me and my what!?” A surge of adrenaline shoots through me as I shout into the phone, but it’s too late. Paul is back and saying things into my ear that don’t even register. All I can hear are the unknown man’s last words.
“You and your new girl…”
How does he know about Mari? The only people who should know about her are my house staff, and he’s definitely not one of them. They’re all paid extremely well and have been with me for years. I trust all of them not to run their mouths too.
“Hold that man, Paul!” I shout into the phone as I spin and rush back to the picnic table, my heart pounding in my chest.
I’m no more than ten seconds away at a full sprint, and when I reach the table, a flood of panic hits me like a shotgun blast to the chest.
“No…” I gasp, whirling around, my eyes searching the immediate area. “Mari…Mari!”
I scream her name and run and run until my lungs are fire and my breath comes in short, painful gasps and I sink onto my knees, overcome with exhaustion.
Mari is gone.
9
Mari
Blackness.
I feel like I’m suffocating. The rag stuffed into my mouth and the black hood over my head have my adrenaline flowing and my heart rate jacked. I’ve never been more terrified in my life.
“Don’t go too far,” I told him. And he didn’t. He only went up to the parking lot. And I promised him I wouldn’t go far either. I took a sip of my lemonade and looked out at the waves, and the next thing I knew there was a gag being stuffed into my mouth, a hood being pulled down over my head, and a set of strong arms was wrapped around me and lifting me into the air.
For a brief, brief second, I thought maybe Daddy was introducing me to some kind of roleplay, but then I smelled the stranger’s unfamiliar scent and was immediately paralyzed by fear. I was tossed into some kind of car and thrown back into my seat as the driver floored it and sped off.
Kidnapped. I’ve been kidnapped…
Those are the thoughts that have been racing through my mind ever since.
But why? Is Cane into anything illegal? His construction company is completely legitimate, isn’t it? Why would anyone want to kidnap me? Am I just being held for ransom because Cane’s a wealthy man? Is this like something out of the movies?
The car takes several fast turns, hits a very hard bump, and then comes to a stop. I hear the sound of some kind of heavy door, like that of a warehouse, opening, and the car pulls slowly forward. Then the door closes behind with a loud metallic slam. The car stops and someone opens the door to my left and pulls me roughly out.
I try to scream through the gag in my mouth, but it’s useless. The only sounds I make are muffled by the soaked cloth.
Strong hands force me down into a rickety chair and bind my wrists behind my back. I’m on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. How can this be happening? It just doesn’t seem possible.
I hear the sound of footsteps coming closer. It sounds like heels clipping against concrete.
A woman?
The steps grow closer…and then I smell it.
A perfume scent that I would recognize anywhere. How could I not? I smelled it day in and day out for almost two years.