by Theresa Papa
Mike and I became fast friends two years ago when he came to work for me from a competitor that I have a great deal of respect for. He’s intelligent and has proven to be a loyal friend. He stands about six feet two with a solid frame probably due to his fondness for good food. He’s also from a big Italian family like I am.
“What’s going on, Tony? You’ve been preoccupied with something the past few days.” He relaxes, resting his ankle over his knee, and extends his arm over the back of the chair adjacent to him.
“My preoccupation has to do with a personal nature. It’s about the woman who has been virtually unattainable for nine years. Her name is Elizabeth Pope, and she’s in trouble right now, so I’m worried about her.” I press my lips together and wait to see his reaction.
His eyebrows meet his hairline in disbelief as he asks, “You have been pursuing a woman for nine years and never succeeded? Tony, your ugly mug isn’t that bad.” He shakes his head in mock disbelief.
I chuckle as I rise from my chair to pace the room.
“Let me tell you the whole story. For some reason, the cards have been stacked against me from the beginning when it came to Liz. We met when she was only sixteen, and I was twenty. Her father wouldn’t let her date at all, so the only time we saw each other was when she could sneak away. And then I went back to Stanford during the school year. We talked and kept in touch, but it was difficult. Right before we both graduated, she pulled away from me. I was devastated at the timing because it was when I came back here to Chicago to stay and work at my dad’s company. I had hoped to finally be together. She told me she was going through something very traumatic, and she needed time to sort things out before she could be with me. I honored her wishes and gave her space without questions. Months went by without a word from her, but I’m close with her cousins Nico and Jaxson, so I’d ask them how she was. One day, they told me she was not in a good place, so I went to see her. At this point, it was around her twentieth birthday, so I figured if her father had something to say to me, I could come back with the fact that she’s an adult. The state she was in literally made me want to cry. Where a once lovely, healthy, and vibrant girl stood, the opposite answered the door. Her eyes were vacant, her cheeks hollow, and her skin pale. The clothes she wore hung off her body. She let me in, and we sat down to talk, but she never looked me in the eyes. She told me there was no chance of us ever being together and that I should move on and find someone else. Elizabeth had no emotion or even any warmth … she was a shell. I told her that I would always care about her, and if she ever needed me, I would be there for her.”
Mike interrupts with an observation of his own.
“I remember about three years ago an Elizabeth Pope went to trial for her father’s murder. Is she the same woman?”
“Yes, that was about a year and a half after I went to see her. I was torn because I already had been in a relationship with Susan Blake for a year. Do you remember how jealous Susan was of anyone who would even look my way?” He nods enthusiastically. “I couldn’t show Liz any kind of attention with Susan around, but I would talk to Nico and communicate through him. After her exoneration, Nico told me she was getting her life back together. He said she was bitchy about insisting he leave her alone. She found out he had a bodyguard on her, and she freaked.”
“Why would she need a bodyguard? Did someone still blame her for the death?” Mike wonders out loud.
“No, that’s the part of the story that might have come back to haunt us now. In return for access to his best friend’s daughter, Elizabeth’s father let Richard, his best friend, sexually abuse her as a child.”
“Sick bastards traded daughters for sex?” Mike asks.
“Yes, Bradford Pope sexually abused Amanda Harrington while Richard Harrington did the same to my Liz. He then became obsessed with her and may now have created a devious way to have her in his possession again. Apparently, someone has devised an online game where the person who finds Liz and brings her to him gets a million dollars. I’m waiting for confirmation that it is this pervert Harrington. Every asshole has crawled out of the woodwork to chase after her. She managed to escape one predator the day before yesterday. I was a day late in rescuing her from him.” Back in my chair, I hang my head and shake it. “Jaxson told me that after the trial, Liz took her life back by learning self-defense, getting into incredible physical shape, and seeing a therapist again for her mental health. I hope that all of this doesn’t make her slide backward into that depression.”
“Wow, that’s some story! I feel like you’re describing a movie instead of real life. Where is she now? How is she evading all these would-be kidnappers?” Mike’s eyebrows rise to his hairline.
“She sent me an email. Evidently, she saw I would be there to rescue her, but she took an opportunity she had to escape so I wouldn’t risk danger. She says that no one will find her because she is moving around too quickly. But I have Charlie looking into a lead, and I anticipate a call from him soon. If he gets close, I will go myself so that she won’t bolt if she sees me. I’ll need you to hold down the fort here while I’m gone.”
Mike stands, then holds out his hand, and we shake.
“Don’t worry about anything here. I will take care of work for as long as you need me to.”
“Thanks Mike, I knew I could count on you. If you need me, I’m on my cell at a moment’s notice. The new app is doing well, and all our numbers are in line with the predictions. My father has been updated, and I will keep him abreast of the situation as it unfolds. He and my mom are at the lake house to enjoy the last days of summer there.”
Mike’s lips thin in a worried smile. “Good luck with Elizabeth, I hope you two end up happy together. It sounds like no other girl will do for you.”
I nod with a solemn smile, sure that his statement has more truth than he realizes.
“Charles Owens is here to see you. You said to interrupt if he showed up, sir,” my assistant announces through the speaker on my phone. I press the button to answer her.
“Thank you, Patricia. Send him in, please.”
My attention is back on Mike as I get up to walk toward the door to greet Charlie.
“Mike, stay and listen to what he has to say. I value your input.”
“Sure, Tone, I want to help in any way I can.”
I open the door to greet Charlie with a handshake. Charlie is my personal investigator and computer wizard. His genius has helped with many projects, and now my hope is that it can help me rescue Liz. He and Mike say hello, and he sits while I do the same behind my desk.
“Not all the gamers are accepted into the real-life version of the competition; the King handpicks each one,” Charlie says.
“Are we any closer to confirmation on the identity of the King? And how many are after her now?” I inquire somberly.
“No identity confirmation yet, but I would bet on Harrington if I were a betting man. There are four kidnappers, but that’s including us, though. Our character’s name is Gordon. It’s an anagram for dragon, and it means dignified. It’s clever without giving us away.” He smirks then continues, “Our competitors are Black Crow, Shadow Walker, and Dunstan. The other new development that disturbs me is that he has a way to track her now, and he put it on the site for the chosen players. We need to get to her, find out how he’s tracking her, and disable it.”
He turns his phone so I can see the map with four colored dots that represent the players and one larger red dot depicting Elizabeth. I take my phone from my pocket and hand it to him on my way to the changing room and bath connected to my office.
“Okay, Charlie, here’s my phone. Set it up so I’m Gordon now. I have to leave immediately to get to her before she’s abducted again.” He nods and gets to work.
I change out of my suit into jeans and a T-shirt and grab my light leather jacket to hide my sidearm.
“Tony, I have three small tracking devices in this envelope in case you need to find
her again after you disable the existing tracker. I figure she won’t be cooperative since she hasn’t accepted your help so far for whatever reason. They are coded to the app on your phone,” Charlie informs me as he hands me my phone and the envelope.
“Thanks for all your help, guys. I’ll be in touch.” I wave as I walk out the door.
After a quick text, the ball quickly starts rolling. My helicopter pilot is ready and waiting on the roof when I emerge from the elevator. A short ride later, we land at a municipal airport just outside Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. We use this as a hub when we don’t have time to drive to our house on the lake. The tracker last shows Liz somewhere right on the lake. There’s a black Range Rover on the tarmac with the keys in it as I instructed.
Time is wasting, and I need to get on the road. Some of the ride frustrates me with two lane roads that are difficult to pass on when the speed limit is only thirty-five. My fists grip the steering wheel tighter. Normally, I’m not bothered by it when I’m here on vacation. As the road climbs a hill, the lake comes into view. It’s always a striking sight when the sun reflects off the water on a warm day like today. The GPS directs me to a road going toward the lake now, so this must be it.
I park the car on the side street and walk down the rest of the way. The house is one of the older ones on the opposite side of the lake from where my parents’ house lies. It looks as if there are renovations that have not been completed yet. I can see that the roof has been replaced in some spots as well as the cedar siding, but not all of it has been finished. The landscaping looks to have been neglected for a few months. The painters, it seems, only used their brushes in the visible spots.
Lake Geneva has a walking trail around it that anyone can use even though it crosses over the properties of the landowners. Since I’m not sure under what circumstances Liz arrived at this destination, I decide to first take the trail and check out the back. The blue skies reflect off the water when I reach the trail. There are two lots between where I enter and the destination. The mud on the path is cracked and dry under my boots as I dodge some low-hanging tree limbs. As most lake homes are, many windows and French doors face the water. A set of doors wide open on the porch makes me smile. The yard is not very deep, so I can see directly into the kitchen through them. Unfortunately, I don’t see any activity, so I’m going to have to move in closer. I decide to have a look at the game app to see the locations of all the players in case one now has Liz. The interesting detail is that the app showed only three of the players when I checked it at the airport. At that time, Shadow Walker was missing. Now it shows him right here along with Liz and me. If he has my Liz, I have to stop him before he leaves with her.
Adrenaline makes me move quickly up the hill toward the black and white cedar house. I unsnap my shoulder holster and draw my gun. Rapidly, I climb the stone steps to the porch. I’m just a few feet away from the threshold of the open French doors. The kitchen is quiet, so I move to the next set of doors that lead into the family room and peer inside. My heart sinks to my feet. I drop my arm, my gun now at my side. An agonizing ache fills my chest. I rub it with my opposite palm and hang my head in despair.
Chapter 10
Liz Pope
My skin has goose bumps from the light breeze that blows the sheer drapes on the open doors that lead out to the porch. A nautical theme in all the accessories around the room lends a predictable effect to the navy blue and white color palette. The wood furnishings are whitewashed, and the textile pieces are large and comfortably overstuffed. The sofa sectional in the middle of the room has a chaise at one end, the base of it now pressing against my calves after Jake walks me backward while he kisses me senseless.
He gently lowers me onto the chaise, and his body nestles in alongside me. He never lets his lips part with mine. The rhythm of our tongues and the passion with which he kisses me steals my breath away. My chest rises and falls as I gasp for oxygen when his hands slide under my tank and cup my breasts. Jake rips his lips from mine, and then sucks my nipple right through my bra, and it achingly comes to attention. The sensation sends a jolt of lust between my thighs. After he pushes down the bra cups, he nibbles on both sides while his hands have a destination of their own. Jake’s hand skims down my stomach to slide his two middle fingers under the elastic waist of my running shorts. They curve between my legs to massage my mound, circle my nub, and slide inside. My hips rock in time with his strokes to intensify the ramp up to my explosion. It has been so long since I let myself be this vulnerable with anyone. I give in to it, arching my back as the shudders of pleasure encompass me fully. It seems like an eternity before I come back to reality. I can feel Jake smile at the aftershocks that course through my torso where he now lays his head.
The doorbell rings in the distant foyer at the front of the house.
“Ohhh, man! Who could that be?” Jake groans as he lifts his body off the sofa to go answer the front door.
I just laugh and sit up to straighten out my clothes when I see someone standing on the porch by the French doors. My hand flies to my mouth in a gasp.
“Shhhhh! Don’t scream! It’s me. Tony!” a tall, familiar man whispers.
“Tony, what are you doing here? How did you find me?” I ask as I run over to him and quickly lead him back out onto the porch. I can still hear Jake talking to the person at the front door, but I don’t want him to see Tony.
“I will explain everything. Make an excuse to take a walk on the trail alone,” he points at the trail the woman was on earlier. “Head to the left to meet me in thirty minutes. You’re not safe here,” he reveals with a pained look on his face.
“How long were you standing here?” A blush warms my cheeks.
“We can talk later. Meet me,” he replies, not bothering to hide his heartbroken expression.
Then he turns, runs down the stone steps, and takes the path to the left out of sight.
The look on Tony’s face says it all. He saw what Jake and I were doing on the sofa. What’s wrong with me? Why am I always hurting people I care about? Maybe I should just let Richard Harrington do what he wants with me because I don’t deserve happiness or love.
Jake comes up behind me on the porch and wraps his arms around my waist. I turn abruptly, still angry with myself, and it’s obvious in my tone.
“Jake, I’m sorry. I can’t do this right now. Things are moving too fast.”
He steps back, his hands raised in surrender. I turn my back to him again to look out at the lake and take a deep breath.
“It’s all right, Liz. I’m fine with taking things slower. Just don’t shut down on me. I’ve started to care about you in this short time we’ve spent together.”
I want to tell him to change his mind. Never to care for someone like me because my past will always be an integral part of me, a nasty stain that has seeped through all my layers and will never be eradicated. To tell him this is not an option. An explanation of my past is forbidden. I’ve let myself forget who I really am for a while. I remember now.
“Jake, I need to be alone, so I’m going to take a walk along the path by the lake for a little while,” I lie to him with the knowledge that I won’t return.
When I turn to look at him, he just nods, his eyebrows squeezed close together as if in contemplation. When I place my hand on his cheek and look into his eyes, he smiles and relaxes his shoulders. In my head, I memorize his handsome features quickly and then turn to run down the stairs to the path.
The path is wide in some places and narrow in others. The houses along the way are of all ages and sizes and the lot depths vary, which directly impacts how close they are to the lake. Mature trees surround the path embellished with colorful foliage. I can tell the large home up ahead is thickly landscaped for privacy from the public. Two muscular arms reach out and grab me. I gasp as Tony squeezes me into his chest so securely I can hardly breathe. I only come up to about chin height on him, so I put my arms around his waist and lay my head again
st his chest. We just stay that way without saying a word but communicating nonetheless.
It’s been a very long time since we’ve touched, and the impression hits me like a tidal wave … unconditional love. Yes, but unconditional is not the word to totally describe it. That usually describes a parents' love for their child, one that I never felt from my own parents. But the love I’ve always felt from Tony transcends any other kind of love in my mind. I really never could find a word good enough to encompass the enormity of it.
Tony still loves me even though he knows the truth.
Tony still loves me after I rejected him.
Tony still loves me since I ignored his calls.
Tony still loves me after he saw me with Jake.
Tony will still love me when I have to walk away from him again because I love him too much to stay in his life.
Tears involuntarily fill my eyes. Someone actually considers me worthy of love. I’m embarrassed when he finally looks down at me. He smiles with his eyes misty, too. He hugs me tightly to him again and kisses the top of my head.
“My Liz. I’ve missed you so much,” he whispers.
“Don’t call me that!” I pull away from him. “Tony I’m sorry you saw that back there with Jake. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you.”
“Are you seriously involved with that guy?” His eyes blaze at me like I committed some kind of carnal sin.
“What if I am? You have no say in the matter!” I turn and walk away, not knowing where I’m going. Tony has no right to act as if he has any hold on me. Maybe what I did with Jake was not an intelligent move on my part, but I haven’t had sex in quite a while with anyone who can actually turn me on. An actual, honest-to-goodness orgasm was great! I was so used to having to fake it.
