In emergencies always give people something to do. It makes them feel less helpless, and Jo definitely needed a lift. Poor Thorn needed immediate love too.
"I've got to go out for a while. I'll be back soon," Jamie said, pouring Thorn into Jo's arms.
Jo frowned. "You're going to meet that weasel, aren't you?"
"I'm going to get Ross back. Conrad left a note to meet him."
"Where?"
Jamie was hesitant. "I don't want Aidan putting himself in danger" she said.
"What about you?" Jo asked.
"I'll be fine. I can handle him."
Jo grabbed Jamie by the arm. "You'll end up like Lauren," she cried.
Jamie shrugged out of Jo's grasp. "I am not Lauren."
"You should tell the police, if he has Ross they should know."
"I don't know if he has Ross, but I imagine someone in the police department is on his payroll otherwise he never would have gotten away with all he has already," Jamie said.
Apparently, this had never occurred to Jo.
"I'll be fine, Jo."
"Aidan called. He's meeting up with Travis."
She turned toward the door. "Then tell him Conrad's docked at Villa Milagros. But I doubt he'll stay there long."
"You should let them handle it. Travis is a Coastguard. He knows how to-"
"I know Travis, but I know Conrad better," Jamie said. "He's psychotic. If he has Ross… I can't waste one minute. It's my fault… if I hadn't humiliated Conrad, if I had-"
"Married him? No. That man was criminal long before you met him. I'll call them," she turned to retrieve her cell phone from her purse. "And you stay here with…"
But Jamie was already gone.
Chapter Seventeen
Aidan met Travis down at the pier. He looked at Travis's boat and exhaled. He hadn't been on a boat since the day Danny had died. But Conrad was out there with his son, and he'd do anything to get him back.
"I'm going with you," Aidan said.
Ross was his main concern now. The system had let him down and now he had no choice but to ignore the law. If he wanted justice, he'd have to find it himself. He pushed aside all memories, all sadness, all the past tragedy in his life. Nothing mattered but finding his son.
He stepped in the Coastguard boat and started the engines as Travis unmoored the boat from the cleats.
"I'm ending this tonight. Ross is out there, and I intend to find him," Aidan said. He pulled away from the dock before Travis had a chance to board. "I don't want to get you fired, Buddy."
"Aidan, you're crazy! It's a federal crime to steal a military boat!" Travis yelled.
Aidan saluted him from the boat. "Sorry," he muttered under his breath. "Sometimes vigilantism is the only option."
~
Ross peered through the crack in the doorway and tried to see out. Nothing. No one. It was starting to get dark and he was scared. There was nothing in the dark to be afraid of, but even Jamie was afraid of the dark so if adults could be scared, he guessed it was okay for a kid to be too.
The door was stuck, and he couldn't get out. It was the smallest bathroom he had ever seen. It had a tiny sink and toilet, one that came in handy during the long hours he'd been stuck here. He brushed the sweat from his face, and put his head against the crack again, trying to catch a breeze from the adjoining cabin. It was hot.
He was on a boat that much he knew. And a man had brought him here. A man he didn't know and didn't like. He was sure he wasn't Daddy's friend. He wasn't friendly at all. He was mean.
He wanted to go home. He missed Daddy and Thorn. He missed Jamie too. He sat on the floor and leaned against the cracked door and quietly cried himself to sleep.
A slight rocking of the boat woke him. The small room was dark, and he stood up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Maybe there was a light. He stood atop the toilet and ran his hands along the wall. He found a switch and flipped it up. A light and a humming sound came on. He didn't like that sound. He switched it back off. At once, he heard voices.
He peered through the crack from his stance on the toilet. He could still see almost nothing. He heard a man's voice and a lady's voice. Her voice sounded familiar. They were moving above him, and he could hear their footsteps. Sounded like arguing. The lady spoke again, loudly. It was Jamie!
"Jamie! Jamie! I'm in here, Jamie!" he cried.
The loud noise of the motor churning filled the air, followed by stinky gasoline fumes. It drowned out his voice as he called to her, so he yelled harder and louder.
"Jamie, Jamie, please come get me!"
She didn't hear him over the roaring motor. The boat lunged suddenly, moving now and as Ross fell from the toilet top, one of his feet crashed into the toilet. He climbed out, now feeling sick as the boat sped bumpily over the waters. He slipped to the floor and curled up, content. Jamie was here, and he knew she would take care of him.
He was safe.
~
Jamie surveyed the boat as they sped over the turbulent waters. She heard the boom of thunder and surveyed the gray horizon. A storm was either ahead of them or behind them. She wasn't sure which.
Conrad's cruiser was big, sleek and expensive. Several coolers lined the deck, an oddity since she'd never known Conrad to have any interest in fishing or sport of any kind. He was all about luxury and show.
She wanted to get inside the cabin and see if Ross was hidden somewhere on the boat. Even if Conrad was capable, and she was beginning to think he was, why would he risk his career, imprisonment and public shame by kidnapping a child? He couldn't be that crazy.
The boat came to a slow and steady pace as they neared shallow waters. Conrad cut the engine. They drifted up and down, rocking in a steady rhythm with the waves. The seas were getting rough as the tide came in. It was good thing she never got seasick. He let the anchor out over board. She watched Conrad as he turned to her with an eerie smile.
"Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" She leaned against the cabin door and cracked it open with her fingers.
"In time my dear," his voice was smooth and careless.
"Jamie!" a small voice cried out.
A jolt of happiness shook Jamie as she heard Ross's voice. He's alive! She lunged towards the door, trying to fully open the cabin, but Conrad's cold hands reached out like a claw and snatched her away.
"Jamie, Jamie! Come and get me, I'm here!"
"I'm coming, sweetie," she called out to Ross.
She glared at Conrad, "Are you mad? Kidnapping is a federal crime, not to mention cruel to an innocent child! You will lose your law license and go to jail to boot." She shoved at him with all her might. "They'll lock you up for a long time for this, Conrad. Maybe forever."
"I am the law," Conrad snarled, shoving her against the seat.
Jamie sprang back. "Get out of my way, or I swear to you I will throw you overboard and leave you to the sharks."
He laughed. "Sorry darling, I'm afraid that will be your fate today."
He pushed her down into the cabin and threw the door shut. She heard a lock click in place as she fell down the steps to the floor of the cabin. The stark blackness of the cabin paralyzed her. She gasped for breath, trying to slow the rapid beating of her heart, trying to calm the sick nausea that struck her gut like a lightning rod.
"Jamie!"
She shook off her fear of the dark. Ross needed her. She scrambled across the floor in the shadows of the small cabin. "Ross? Where are you sweetheart?" she whispered.
A light switched on, casting a sliver of light across the room. "Here Jamie! I'm here!"
She scrambled toward the door through which Ross's tiny fingers desperately wiggled. She untied a mass of cords that kept the door from opening. She loosened it enough to open the door so that Ross could fit through it. He jumped up into her arms so forcefully she lost her balance. They fell to the floor laughing and crying and hugging each other as if they would never let go.
Jamie kissed the top of his head
and cried. "Thank heaven, you're safe," she said as tears rolled down her cheeks.
But an uneasy feeling swept over her, despite her joy. Jo was right, she thought as she looked to the door that had locked them inside this cavernous cave.
She should have told the police.
~
Conrad was not a man accustomed to physical labor. But in life there were sometimes exception. Today was such a day. He was expecting company, and he didn't want to disappoint them.
He dragged the coolers to the back of the boat slowly, careful not to spill out any of its gruesome contents. He had wanted chum, but chum would have linked him to the murders, and he couldn't afford to be linked to anything remotely unsavory.
Instead, he'd ordered a few hundred pounds of raw meat under the pretense of giving a party and had let them soak out their blood in coolers half full of water. The Kobe beef had cost him much more than chum, but it would be well worth it in the long run.
He couldn't wait to hear Jamie's terrified screams as she came face to face with a hungry bull shark or two. Aidan would stand by and watch helplessly as he once again outlived his true love. He would watch as his son was whisked away to be raised by his mortal enemy. And Aidan Brice would die knowing it.
Conrad smiled at that thought.
He uncovered the first cooler and winced as the smell of rotting meat and blood caught in his nostrils. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and brought it to his nose, taking in a deep breath as he did. He dumped the contents of the cooler into the water and did the same with the remaining coolers until they were all empty of the putrid contents.
He washed his hands with the hose, sat down and lit a cigar. He knew the Calvary would be here soon. He had made sure of it. It would all be finished today. Conrad leaned back in the teak deck chair and inhaled the ocean air, watching the tide roll in and the sandbar slowly shrink in size. Soon it would be completely under water. He took another puff from his cigar and waited for the first dorsal fin to arrive.
~
Aidan stood at the helm, his gaze darting across the white caps, searching for some shred of evidence regarding his son and Jamie. He fiddled with Travis's fancy GPS system. Coastguard boats were state of the art. The computer navigating system could find anything from the fish thirty feet below the surface to all boats in the surrounding area. He used the radio to identify as many as the boats on radar as possible. Only one did not answer the call. He had a strong hunch that boat belonged to Conrad Malcolm.
The tide was coming in and rough seas were in the forecast, so there were not many brave enough, or perhaps dumb enough to venture out. A thunderstorm was due to hit sometime this evening. It was exactly like the night Danny had died.
He studied the layout on the computer screen. Malcolm was anchored at the sandbar. Aidan cursed. He's waiting for high tide to come in. That can't bode well for Ross and Jamie. He kicked the boat to high gear. Its bow rose high in the air as it banged against the high waves. White noise rose above the winds as the radio went off. Aidan picked it up.
"Where are you headed?" Travis's voice cut through the high static.
"Sandbar, near the Cut."
"There's no way to disguise your arrival. I'll call for backup," Travis said.
"No. Malcolm might freak out and do something desperate. He's got my son, Trav. And he's got Jamie too. We have to play this calm, smart."
"I don't like it."
"I don't want the Guard near that boat," Aidan muttered.
"You know they'll throw the book at you for this…" Travis swore. "Stealing a Coastguard vessel? Even I can't get you off this time."
Aidan merely grunted. "As long as Ross and Jamie are safe, I'll do the time."
Travis was quiet. "Yeah, I know buddy," he finally said.
Aidan put the radio back in its cradle. No time for regrets anymore.
~
Ross clung to Jamie as they stood on the deck of the cruiser. Conrad Malcolm's vile gaze fell over them from his relaxed stance on his recliner. He'd let them out of the cabin and Jamie knew that action did not bode well for them.
"It's going to be alright," Jamie whispered. "I'm sure your father will find us. Try not to cry, sweetie."
"I'll be brave," Ross said, his voice quivering.
Jamie glanced at the ocean surrounding them. The waters surrounding them were growing deeper in color, the waves thrashing higher against the hull of the cruiser. The tide was coming in and soon the sand bar that rose like a small island in an endless sea would disappear under the rising water. A sickening feeling hit her gut. Warily, she stared at Conrad.
"Do you really think I'll agree to marry you now?"
Conrad's laugh was chilling. "I have no intention of marrying you. I've already tried to kill you once. Yes, I cut that beam in your poor excuse of a house. Left a bit of a bump, didn't it?"
"You tried to kill me? I thought you wanted to get married?"
"Don't worry that little head of yours about your wedding night because you're never going to have one."
Jamie tensed. Not good. "Take your anger out on me and leave the child out of it. He's done nothing to you."
"He will be of great use to me. An orphaned boy taken in by the rich, doting Conrad Malcolm. My senator's seat is practically guaranteed."
Jamie's stomach churned. She drew her arms tighter around Ross. His small fingers clung to her with silent fear.
Ross raised his face up to look at her. "What does he mean, orphaned?"
Jamie leaned down to Ross's height. "Don't listen to anything he says," she whispered. "Stay quiet until your father gets here." She closed her eyes for a single moment. Please get here soon, Aidan. She looked over at the sandbar. Waves had started to brush up against the exposed sand. The wind had picked up, blowing in multiple directions. A sickening odor assaulted her making her nauseous. Ross covered his nose and coughed.
"What is that smell?" She covered her nose, nearly gagging.
"That is 300 pounds of prime, Kobe beef, soaked in water. Wasted, I'm afraid, on the sharks. Not enough to satiate their appetites. Just enough to serve as the appetizer."
Jamie peered over the side of the boat at the surrounding ocean. Two dorsal fins sliced through the water. A chill settled over her.
Conrad stood up from his chair languidly and stood at the side of the boat as the sharks thrashed against each other, fighting over the meat. "So primitive," he said, flicking his cigar butt into the ocean. He turned sharply to face them. "Reminds me of your new boyfriend."
Jamie heard the low hum of a distant boat motor. She clutched Ross tightly to her body and looked out to sea. A blur of a boat sped directly toward them.
Aidan.
~
At once she felt Conrad's sudden grip on her hand as he ripped Ross from her arms. She fought, scratching at his face, his arms. Ross scuttled away and crouched beneath the captain's chair.
Conrad restrained her with a strangling grip around her wrists. "You filthy witch!"Jamie glared at him. A fleeting feeling of satisfaction flickered through her as she viewed the scratch marks she had left on his face. The sound of an approaching boat whirled through the air. Jamie looked up to see Aidan approaching in a Coastguard boat all alone.
"Daddy!" Ross yelled.
Aidan cut the engine and glided head on toward the Cruiser. He quickly moored his vessel to the cruiser, effectively preventing Conrad from make a quick escape.
Conrad grabbed her and dragged her back to the of the back of the boat. Ross crawled out from under the captain's chair and bolted toward the bow. But Conrad grabbed him before he made it past him. The coward dragged Ross in front of him like a shield, holding Jamie behind him.
Aidan boarded Conrad's boat, clearing the railing easily in one fell swoop, a dangerous expression on his face.
"If it isn't my old nemesis, Aidan Brice," Conrad said snidely.
Aidan fought to control his rage as he gripped the side rails and climbed toward them. Blood pumpe
d through his veins; his adrenaline surged as he watched Conrad with his arms roughly around his son. Tonight, someone was going to die.
The two people he loved most in the world were in the hands of a sadistic psycho. There was nothing in this world that could keep him calm. The glint of a gun shone in the fading light. Aidan's blood turned to ice.
"I'm feeling generous tonight," Conrad said cheerfully. "I'll let you choose." He glanced at Jamie and then at Ross with an affable smile. "Which one stays for dinner and which one..." he nodded to the surrounding water swirling with dorsal fins." Which one becomes dinner?" He shook his head with mock sympathy. "Decisions, decisions."
Aidan watched Malcolm with quiet rage. With the downwind, he'd smelled the rotting meat before he'd even boarded the cruiser. He glanced covertly at the water surrounding the boat and spotted at least three dorsal fins. This guy was one sick excuse of a human being.
"Patience isn't my thing," Conrad said. "Either you decide in the next thirty seconds or I'll shoot one of them before throwing them over board."
"You're pathetic, Malcolm. Picking on women and children? Why don't you and I settle this like men?" Aidan asked with deceptive calm.
"I don't think civilized gentlemen partake in backstreet brawling," he sneered.
"No? Would you prefer a duel?"
A brittle smile broke out across Conrad's face for a moment. "Choose Brice! Now!" He cocked his gun and raised it in the air.
Jamie looked at Aidan. The anguish on his face was too much for her. She couldn't put him in this position, couldn't allow him to feel any more guilt for whatever Conrad had done, or was about to do. Conrad had loosened his grip on her; he was overly confidant due to the gun he held. She wrenched herself from his grip and pushed Ross away from Conrad.
Then, she plunged overboard.
Jamie shrieked as the shock of the cold water drenched her. She fought her way to the surface, fear pouring through her. She took in huge gulps of air, searching for the dorsal fins she'd seen from the boat. Luckily, they'd drifted a little with the tide and the sharks were several feet away. Though not far enough for comfort.
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