Tough Enough (Tough Love Book 3)

by Trixie More

  “Good to meet you,” Jesse said. “I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for Liz. She’s told me all about you.”

  Doug hesitated.

  He didn’t know a single thing about this man. Not even how long he’d been in Liz’s life.

  “Thanks but um, Liz, um, she’s earned everything she has,” he muttered, the words feeling like a lie even as he said them. He would hate to have lived like Liz, on someone else’s dollar.

  “Don’t be stupid, Doug,” she said. “If it wasn’t for you agreeing to pay for my degree, I wouldn’t have anything.”

  With that mysterious statement, Liz went around to the passenger side and climbed in. “You’re riding in the back.”

  Jesse got in and slammed the door, Doug went around to the other side and found himself in a leather captain’s chair, looking at a mini-fridge and cabinets. The van appeared to have a kitchen and bath.

  “What are we going to do?” Liz looked at him with wide eyes.

  “Liz said you need to go the Coast Guard base in Fort Myers.” Jesse looked grave. “If Alice’s out at sea, how the hell are they going to find her?”

  “I know where she is.”

  “You do?” Excitement and curiosity rose in Liz’s voice. “How?”

  “Geotracker on the boat. Unless the kidnappers found it and it’s floating on the sea, they should know where she is—as long as she’s on her own boat.”

  “So, you don’t know if they found her?”

  Doug shook his head. “No.”

  “Holy shit,” Jesse said. Doug couldn’t agree more.

  “Right. So I’m going to call Coast Guard right now. Can you start heading there?” Doug didn’t wait for an answer.

  “Can you tell me any more about it?” Liz asked.

  Doug looked at the phone in his hands. He couldn’t believe he wasn’t shaking. “No, Liz.” Doug punched the number. “They are expecting me to meet them down here and give them two hundred grand tonight.” He paused, listening to the options. “Dispatch,” he told the phone. To Liz, he said, “after we talk to the Coast Guard, if they didn’t find her on her boat, then I’m going to have to go to the bank and take out enough to pay them. I can’t risk losing Alice, not for anything.”

  “Coast Guard, what’s your emergency?” A man’s voice came over the phone.

  “My sister has been hijacked. I reported this about five hours ago. I’ve been in transit from New York to Florida. Can you tell me what’s happening?”

  He was patched through to a sergeant. “Mr. Lloyd?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “We’ve located the boat. We have units responding, and they are in the process of investigating.”

  “Is my sister on the boat?”

  “The rescue, if she’s there, is in progress, I don’t have the details back from the team yet,” he said.

  “How much longer?”

  “I can’t say, but if she is there, they will fly her directly to the hospital in Naples.”

  “I’m on my way to Fort Myers, to the Guard unit there.”

  “Sir, I would advise you to be at home and wait for our call.”

  “I just landed from Newark. I’ll go straight to the hospital and hope for the best,” he said.

  Jesse glanced at Doug in the rearview and moved the van to the slow lane, the signal on for the next exit.

  After getting the list of hospitals and the most likely one to be used, Doug hung up.

  “They don’t have her, do they?” Liz said.

  “Not yet, but they’re at the boat now.”

  Liz was silent for a minute, her face tense in the moonlight. She shifted in her seat, and Jesse reached over, taking her hand briefly, then letting go to turn the van left, hit the overpass, and turn left again to get back on the highway heading north. Doug clung to the door and prayed the vehicle didn’t tip over.

  After that, they all fell silent for a few minutes.

  “And your court case? Aren’t you out on bail?” Liz asked.

  Jesse glanced at Doug in the rearview again. Doug guessed Liz hadn’t told him everything.

  “Pre-trial bail,” Doug said.

  “Is it cool that you’ve left the state?” Jesse asked.

  “No,” Doug said. “It’s not cool.” On his knees, his fingers twitched. “As long as I’m not needed in court, and no one looks for me, it’ll be okay. I’m not going to miss any court dates.”

  “What happens if the guys at the Coast Guard decide to look you up?”

  “I’m sure they’ve done that already,” Doug said.

  “Oh God, I hope they already have her. I hope she’s all right. What those bastards might have done to her.” Liz looked furious and scared. “I can’t even think about...”

  Doug’s cell phone rang, and he had it in hand and answered in a shot. “Hello.”

  “Mr. Lloyd?” The voice sounded direct and professional.

  “Yes. I’m him. Is this...”

  “This is Lieutenant Johnson, we’ve got your sister. She’s...”

  “Alive?” Doug gripped the phone.

  “Yes.”

  His eyes squeezed shut, and his head tipped back. It was a moment before he could speak. “She’s alive,” he repeated for Liz’s sake. “How is she?”

  “She’s dehydrated and banged up some, frightened. We’ve taken her to Baker Hospital. She asked us to call you.”

  “Baker Hospital,” Doug said to Jesse and Liz. Jesse nodded and put his foot down on the gas. Nothing like having a biker for a chauffeur.

  “Can she talk? Are you with her?”

  “Yes, she can. I’m not with her, though. If she has family in the area, you’ll probably want to send them over.”

  He could see Liz on her cell.

  “Yes, yes. I’m here in Florida. We’re heading there now. Does my sister have her cell phone with her?”

  “I don’t believe so.”

  “Where did you find her?”

  “She was on her boat.”

  “And?”

  “And she was restrained but alone.”

  “Alone?”

  “Correct.” Lieutenant Johnson hesitated. “We’re towing the boat in now, and we’ll be checking it for evidence.”

  “Thank you. I can’t thank you enough.”

  “I’m glad things worked out. I’ll be in touch with your sister as things progress.”

  “Of course. Bye.”

  “Goodbye.”

  Doug slumped in his seat. “She doesn’t have her phone, Liz.”

  “What happened? How is she?”

  Doug repeated what he’d learned. “How far is it to the hospital?”

  “We’re about twenty miles out. Should be there in a half hour,” Jesse said.

  They rode the rest of the way, alternately admitting their worst fears and trying to guess who might have kidnapped Alice.

  “It has to have something to do with you, Doug,” Liz said.

  “Do you think they’ll go after Liz or Mary?” Jesse asked. “I think you should stay with me until this is over, Liz. I mean it.” He spoke like a man used to having his ideas bypassed, and Doug liked him better. Better and better, to tell the truth.

  “I think I will,” Liz said.

  “I’m glad,” Doug said. “I’m sorry that this is happening, but I’m happy you have Jesse.”

  Liz smiled at him a little. “I’m thinking that Mary and Mom might have to come with me, Jess. Maybe they can use the den room?”

  “Sure. Whatever. We’ll make it work,” Jesse said. “What about Alice? Any ideas why this is happening, Doug?”

  “I’m not sure. I just know it’s bigger than I understand.” He recapped all that had happened. “This all has to tie together somehow, but I can’t see it. I just don’t see how.”

  By the time they got to the hospital and found Alice’s room, the sunrise was glinting on the horizon. Doug had called Tommy and left a message with him, but it had gone to voice mail. He hadn’
t heard back from Sophia yet, and now that Alice was safe, he found himself worrying. Doug sent his fifth text to her.

  Call me. It’s urgent.

  Alice was asleep, her face bruised, her upper lip cracked and puffy. She was hooked up to an IV. The pale hand that lay on top of her blankets had fingernails that were split and broken. His sister had fought hard.

  There had to be an end to this. Getting the money back wasn’t worth it. Everything indicated that this had something to do with Camisa and the millions that Tommy had lost to him. If getting that money back was going to cost him his sisters, it wasn’t worth it. He should just drop it and find a way to let Camisa know he’d won. Doug could make more money. Finding people who loved him was way harder.

  In her bed, Alice shifted, her eyes fluttering open, her gaze going from Liz to Jesse and finally landing on Doug. She smiled.

  “I’m safe,” she said.

  “You are,” said Doug. Moving to sit on her bed, and letting himself run his hand over her sweaty hair, Doug laid his palm on her cheek. “You are.”

  “What happened?” Liz said. “Are you...did they?”

  The word rape hung unspoken in the room, making Doug’s abdominals contract, and his chest feel tight. He prayed that Alice hadn’t been raped, hadn’t been violated in that way. Chest tight, struggling for control, Doug also understood he’d been the cause of this same pain. For Walker, for Ed’s family.

  I can never be forgiven, Doug thought.

  Alice laid her hand over his, pressing it to her cheek.

  “You don’t have to speak,” he said.

  “I can’t believe I’m safe.” His sister’s face, bruised. Sophia’s face had been bruised too. This all had to end.

  “The Coast Guard, oh, Doug, the Coast Guard...” Alice started to cry, and he looked helplessly at Liz. His sister brought tissues out of her purse, passing them to him so he could dab at Alice’s face.

  His phone rang. He flicked his finger and answered the call, touching the speaker symbol, so he didn’t have to lift the phone. “Tommy,” he said.

  “Doug?” Beside Doug, Alice stiffened, her eyes round. Doug frowned.

  “Yeah,” he said, his attention on Alice. She was pressing herself away from him, her hand with its damaged fingernails over her mouth.

  “What’s going on? You called me?” Tommy’s voice came over the speaker.

  “Yeah,” Doug stared at Alice. “I wanted to tell you Alice is okay.”

  Alice started shaking her head no, vigorously, and waving her hands as if she wanted the phone away from her. What was going on? Alice pushed herself back, trying to become as small as possible. She kicked at the phone and pulled her legs up, knees rising under the blanket. Doug caught the phone and shut the speaker off. He got off the bed, putting the phone to his ear.

  “She is?” Tommy sounded astounded. “Already?”

  Already? How many details had he told Tommy? That word, with Alice’s reaction, set Doug on alert. He put his finger to his lips to silence them all.

  “No, I’m sorry, Tommy, I didn’t finish. I wanted to tell you Alice was okay, I was so sure that I was going to find her at her apartment, I dialed you as soon as I got here. But Tommy, she’s not here.” Doug prayed he sounded devastated. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, Tommy. I’m going to have to take the money out of the business account, there’s no other choice.”

  “We’ll barely have enough,” Tommy said. “There’s the bail bond you put up, and then if you take this, I don’t know what we’ll run the business on for the next few months until you go to court.”

  Doug walked out into the hall, running toward an exit, any exit before a hospital page, or some other noise tipped off Tommy.

  “When I get back, I’ll have William get the trial moved up. I mean, they can’t find me guilty of killing that mechanic, I didn’t know him!”

  “I don’t know, Doug,” Tommy said.

  “This is my sister, Tommy.” The lies poured easily from Doug’s mouth. “If there’s two hundred grand in there when the bank opens up, I’m taking it.”

  “Okay, okay, I don’t know how much is in there. Hopefully, there’s enough. I took some out yesterday.”

  Doug’s stomach turned to ice. He’d checked the account before he left. Tommy was lying to him. Flat out lying. “Oh. How much?” What the hell was going on?

  “I forget. Look, if you need more, let me know. I’ll try to help, Doug, you know that. Anything for Alice.”

  “Right, right. Look, Tommy, I gotta go. I’ll call you when I know more, okay?”

  “Sure, Doug. Call me as soon as you know. She’s going to be fine, Doug. I’m sure of it.”

  “Thanks, man.” Doug hung up, turned around, and went back to Alice.

  Liz met him at the door.

  “We just got her calmed down. Let’s talk out here.” Liz pushed him into the hall.

  “What happened, Liz?”

  “She says she recognized the voice. He was on the phone with one of the kidnappers while they were on her boat.”

  “Tommy?”

  “Yeah. If that was Tommy, then he knows who did this.”

  “Jesus.” The idea was like waking up and finding that the markets had tumbled while he slept. He’d have to restructure everything in his reality. “It can’t be.”

  “Doug. Who are these people you’re involved with?”

  He couldn’t stand the look of betrayal on Liz’s face, couldn’t stand the thought that Alice had gone through this nightmare because of something he did. His blood chilled. Because of something, Tommy did. No, that wasn’t right. Anything Tommy had done had to be because Doug got his ass thrown in jail. It all came back to him.

  “Liz, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of it.”

  From inside the room, he heard Alice muttering. Jesse came to the door.

  “She wants to talk to you, Doug. She wants to tell you fuck something.”

  Despite the dread and worry, he smiled. “My sister wants to tell me fuckity fuck,” he said as he walked toward Alice. She was sitting normally and looking at him with a weak smile. “Don’t you, Alice?”

  “It’s not your fault, Doug,” Alice said. “You hear me? I don’t care why they did this, what they thought they could get from you or get you to do by scaring me. You hear me? This is not your fault.”

  “I’m afraid it is, sweetheart.” He stood beside her, looking at her face, so dear to him. What would his world have been like without Alice?

  “Doug, there were two of them.”

  “Liz said, you heard Tommy talking to them.”

  “After they…” She shivered, and Doug pulled her blanket up. “After I was tied up, down below deck, they told someone that they’d found a woman with a boat called the Border Jumper, but these idiots didn’t know for sure if they had the right person. Can you imagine? They took a picture of me. And then I heard the voice on the phone telling them they had the right person. You have to believe me. That was the voice I heard.”

  He didn’t doubt it, based on her reaction, but he was having such a hard time believing Tommy, of all people, had done this. “You’re sure it was Tommy?”

  “I don’t know who it was, Doug. I hate to think it was him, but it was the person you were just talking to.”

  He saw the minute the thought crossed her mind.

  “No, I wasn’t part of this Alice, believe me. Please, please believe me. I would never do this to you.”

  She patted his hand, tears standing in her eyes. She didn’t try to deny it. “I hate that it made me wonder that.”

  “I hate it too,” he said. Somehow, he had to make it all stop.

  “Tell me what happened next,” he said.

  “Okay, their boat came up beside me and boarded. The Border Jumper was under sail, but it didn’t stop them. One of the bastards got on the bow of their motorboat. Border Jumper was heeled over to starboard, was leaning way over. I had seen them behind me, coming straight at me and I was try
ing to get out of their way. I thought they were drunk.”

  “I could hear everything in the cabin slamming and sliding, and I had the lifelines at nine o’clock almost to the water. The wind and the chop, oh, my boat was just slicing through. I tried. I tried so hard, but it happened so fast. I was turning on the engine, I wasn’t even sure the prop was in the water anymore when their boat drew up close on the low side, and one of them grabbed onto my stanchion with a boat hook. The bastard. He had one foot on the deck, outside the lines, and I threw the wheel over hard. The sails were flopping back and forth like mad. The deck came up level, and the boat slowed down. The boom flew across, and I crouched down low as it passed. She got her nose through the wind. I was turning the winch like a madwoman, tightening the lines, trying to get the foresail over to the other side, and I could feel her start to tack. I heard everything below-deck sliding again. She was starting to heel to port. I was so close. The engine turned over, and I thought, if that man would only fall overboard when the boat tipped the other way, he’d fall under and hit the propeller. I’d make it. I was tying off sail when he grabbed me. I didn’t even know he got over the lifelines.” She started to cry again. “Their boat, it had shot ahead when Border Jumper turned, but they just, they just, they circled around so easily.” Alice gestured at her throat, her eyes wide, unable to speak for a moment.

  “Doug, he had me by the neck, but I didn’t give up.” Alice was holding onto his arm with both hands, looking up at him, her blue eyes red-rimmed, her face white, her mouth trembling. “I didn’t give up. I fought, Doug. I was so scared, but I bit, I kicked, I did anything I could.”

  Doug bent over the bed, using his free hand to smooth her hair back. “You were so brave,” he said. He wanted to find the people who did this, scare the living shit out of them and then kill them dead. Gentle. With Alice, he was gentle. He kissed her forehead. “You did everything you could.”

  “I did, Doug, I did,” she said. “I kicked out, I had my feet on the side of the cockpit, he had his arm around my neck, and I was grabbing onto it and pushing with my legs, I tried to knock him backward, but he yanked me around. He cut the engine, and the boat’s nose went into the wind. Only the mainsail was taking wind, and the boom kept cutting across, she was rocking like crazy. Then he dragged me down the gangway into the cabin. I was screeching, kicking, everything. I tried to get my feet around the mast pole, but he pulled back so hard I thought my leg was out of its socket. I got a good bite out of his arm though, I spit it across the cabin. The Coast Guard, I told them they can find a piece of that bastard right there.”