Fake Boyfriend

by Miley Maine

  “Go.”

  That’s one thing I could appreciate about him. He didn’t need his ass kissed, and he didn’t need to make small talk. He could just get down to business. “Douglas Copeland. I need everything you can find on him. Debts, unsavory habits, vices, whatever.”

  “You got it,” he said, and then he hung up.

  I never made it back to the reception. As soon as I put my phone in my pocket, a sharp pain shot through my neck. My hand came up to grab the spot, and found a small dart sticking out of my skin.

  I yanked it out, but it was too late.

  I stayed upright for a second, but my vision tunneled. My mouth went dry. My heartbeat thundered.

  Fuck.

  Someone had just drugged me. I fell forward. Everything went dark.

  Chapter Twenty

  Loren

  I woke up slowly. My skin was kind of cold, in the outdoorsy way it had been the nights Jackson and I had camped. I smiled. Those had been really nice nights. I tried to push myself up,

  Goosebumps rose on my arms as I realized I couldn’t move.

  I looked down. My heart sped up.

  I’d never been kidnapped before. There’d been a few attempts when I was young, but they’d never succeeded. And they’d all been employees of my dad’s who were looking to make some money with very little effort.

  But my bodyguards had always prevented them from getting too far, and then they’d been investigated and found to have a half-baked plan to take me, and demand ransom money.

  When I was twelve years old, I’d even laughed about it.

  I wasn’t laughing now.

  Did this have something to do with Douglas? Had Jackson been right?

  Oh God, Jackson. I’d been really shitty to him. And no matter what happened to me, he’d beat himself up over it. He’d appointed himself my protector, and he took the role very seriously. Never mind that I made it impossible for him to actually watch out for me.

  Outside, the sky was dark. Without my watch, I had no idea what time it was. For all I knew, Jackson would have been driving his Jeep to his grandfather’s cabin. I had kicked him out after all.

  I blinked and tried to clear my head. I was in some kind of shed or barn type building. It was pretty big, and had high windows. It smelled more like motor oil and gasoline than hay, like maybe cars or motorcycles had been stored there instead of it being used for living animals.

  I’d been tied to a chair, at my wrists and ankles with rope.

  Damn, Jackson had gone over this with me… what to do if you’re tied up with a rope. I just had to get my head to quit pounding long enough to remember what I was supposed to do.

  While I was twisting my wrists, and wracking my brain to try and remember what I was supposed to do, a man came stomping into the room, followed closely by another man.

  I couldn’t remember ever seeing either of them before. Neither of them introduced themselves. “Who’s the guy you were with all night?” one of them asked.

  They hadn’t done their homework? It wouldn’t take a genius to find out who Jackson was. Hell, I was hardly a super sleuth and I’d noticed that he was a soldier just from looking at his ID in the security line at the airport.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because he’s been sticking his nose in where it doesn’t belong. We just wanna make sure he’s not gonna create any problems for you that we won’t be able to fix.”

  Oh no. What had Jackson done? Whatever was going on, I was sure it had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with my family. I did not want to drag him into any of our mess. I knew he’d jump in headfirst, and I didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

  Especially because we’d parted ways so badly. I couldn't believe I’d threatened to have security drag him away from the wedding. I’d sounded like my cousin Marie at that moment.

  “Answer us, girl. Is he your new bodyguard?”

  “No. He’s not. I don’t have a bodyguard,” I said.

  They roared with laughter. “We heard that little song and dance about him being in the Army. But we didn’t think it was true, based on us being able to sneak up and get you.”

  The other man actually slapped his knee. “Yeah. When we needed to grab you, he was nowhere to be found.”

  “He’s really a construction worker,” I said, hoping desperately I could keep Jackson off their radar. It was bad enough that I’d kicked him out of the wedding.

  “That sounds more like it,” one of them said.

  “How did I get here?” I asked. The last thing I remembered was looking for Douglas, but not being able to find him. I’d found the groomsmen, and moved on to get a few shots of them with Marie.

  “You were looking down at that camera. Must be pretty expensive huh? We’ll be taking it too.”

  “Did you drug me?” I asked.

  The first guy nodded. “We shot you with a dart. The drugs will wear off within twelve hours or so.”

  If they were talking about the drugs wearing off, then maybe they weren’t planning to kill me. So that was a good sign. “What do you want from me?”

  “Money.”

  “I can do that,” I said. Money was one thing that I did have. And lots of it.

  “We figured you could.”

  “Can you tell me who needs the money, and what it’s for?”

  “Nope.” He looked at his phone. “But we are going to talk to the boss. Our job was to get you here. Now we need to see how he wants to do this.” One of them pointed at me. “You sit tight.”

  I didn’t think I’d be doing anything but sitting. At least until I could remember how to get out of my ties. I let my head fall back. So far, the haziness of the drugs had kept any real panic away, but I was sure the panic would crash down on me soon enough.

  I took long, deep breaths, hoping the oxygen would improve brain function and I could get the hell out of here.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jackson

  Fucking hell. I ought to have my Ranger certification pulled. I’d trained many new recruits over the years, and if one of them ended up kidnapped and tied up after already being on high alert about a situation, then I’d slap him right up side the head.

  Not really, but I’d probably recommend that he not be deployed.

  I’d really fucked up by letting my guard down. I just had to hope that they hadn’t gotten to Loren yet. If I worked fast, I might be able to get free and warn her before they had a chance to get her.

  Or did they already have her? My muddled thoughts swam together. I traced my memories back to the last thing I remembered -- not being able to find Loren, being in the woods, and then the dart in my neck.

  Shit. They’d drugged me hard because I had almost no memory of anything after I felt the dart. I sat still, breathing deeply until my vision focused enough for me to look down.

  God, were they stupid? They’d used actual rope instead of zip ties or handcuffs to secure my wrists, and they hadn’t done a very good job of it. If they knew I was a Ranger, either they were fucking with me, or they were complete amatuers.

  I began to rotate my wrists. While I did that, I looked around to try and assess where I was.

  I was inside a shed of sorts. It seemed to function as a shed, but was built with a barn-like feel to it. In the distance, I could hear voices, but I couldn’t make out the words.

  I stilled as a man walked into the room. If they didn’t know I was a Ranger, then I sure as hell didn’t want to give that away. I was going to have to act like any normal person would behave, whatever that meant.

  “Did you tell anyone you were going out into the woods?” he asked.

  “No,” I answered.

  “You sure about that?”

  “Absolutely sure.”

  “Because we’ve got your phone, and someone keeps calling it. Which makes us think someone wants to know where you are,” the guy said.

  “Must be a coincidence,” I said. I licked my lips.

 
; Fuck. Was it Loren? Or was it my buddy, the one I’d called for a background check on Douglas?

  The rope, already loose when this goon walked in, slipped. I froze for a second and then grabbed the edges with my fingertips.

  The guy didn’t notice. Nor did he think to check the knots.

  “I gotta go talk to my boss and find out what to do with you,” he said. “You just sit tight.” Then he laughed like he’d said something really clever.

  I was going to stay put; I wasn’t going to make a move yet. I was still sluggish, and until I could think clearly, I was going to let him walk away thinking that he was still the one in control here.

  Then as soon as I could, I’d slip out. My priority was finding Loren.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Loren

  On our camping trip, Jackson had taught me how to escape from several different methods of restraints. I’d lucked out with this kidnapping, because rope was one of the easiest types to get out of.

  I was kind of surprised the men hadn’t returned. I could hear raised voices in the distance, so I closed my eyes and turned my wrists in the ways that Jackson had shown me.

  I really wished Jackson was with me. But even though he wasn’t here, I was going to use the skills he’d taught me. And hopefully, once all this was over, I’d be able to tell him what happened.

  If he was willing to listen. I wasn't sure he’d be willing to speak to me again after how I’d acted the last time we’d spoken.

  After a lot of twisting and rotating of my wrists, they were almost free. The skin was bloody and raw, but I didn’t give a shit.

  Oh Lord. I could add this to the growing list of things that had happened to me the second I stopped having a bodyguard. My mother was going to go insane. My father would probably hire one to follow me around, without my permission.

  The ropes fell away and I stood up, holding onto the back of the chair to stay steady. Jackson would also tell me to get down low to the ground. I crouched down and crawled to the wall, shredding my dress as I went. On my hands and knees, I crept forward listening to everything that was going on around me. I wasn’t going to be caught unaware again.

  I reached the door to the barn and paused, listening closely. I couldn’t hear any voices directly outside the building, so my best bet was probably to get outside, and then run. As long as I was inside, then I was trapped, but if I could get to the woods, or the mountains, then I’d have a chance of getting away and finding help.

  Jackson had taught me enough about finding water and shelter overnight in Alaska that I figured I could survive a few days if we were far away from the hotel.

  I kept going, inching my way forward until I was at the door. I stood up slowly, and peeked outside. Nothing. The coast was clear, and I was getting the hell out of this musty barn. I put one foot on the ground.

  No one showed up. Keeping my body flat against the tin wall, I edged my way to the side. I couldn’t see much in just the moonlight, but in front of me was a patch of solid blackness, which was probably woods. That’s where I’d go. I’d just have to hope I didn’t find a bear or a snake while I was in there without even a flashlight.

  Why the fuck had I been so mean to Jackson?

  No. I couldn’t think about that now. Whatever they’d drugged me with had affected my emotions, because I wanted to sit down and bawl my eyes out. But that could wait. Once I was back at the hotel, I could have a total meltdown. I could scream and cry and I could call Jackson and apologize.

  A honey bee buzzed by and I froze. I definitely did not want to get stung right now. If I’d been outside at home, there’d have been a symphony of crickets, chirping at top volume. I rubbed my eyes.

  Stay focused. You can reminisce about the crickets in Georgia once you’re away from this place.

  I took one step forward and was met with strong arms and a solid chest.

  Before I could scream, Jackson’s scent filled my nose, and his hand came up to my mouth. “Don’t scream,” he said. “It’s me.”

  “Oh thank God. I was just about to make a run for it, and I was really dreading going into those woods.”

  He kissed the side of my head. “You may still have to. We’re not in the clear yet.”

  “In that case, let’s --” I never got to finish my sentence.

  One of the men from the barn was behind us. “Freeze,” he said.

  He had a handgun pointed at the back of Jackson’s head.

  I froze, barely even breathing.

  Jackson seemed to draw in a deep breath, and then he did a swift, complicated move that I couldn’t explain, turning and grabbing the man’s gun from him. He pointed it in his direction.

  “I’m giving you a chance to go,” Jackson said calmly. “Run away. You’re not the boss here, I can tell.”

  The guy didn’t run. He pulled a knife and lunged at Jackson, slicing down his shirt.

  “I don’t want to kill you,” Jackson said. “Just go. Get the fuck out of here.”

  Just then several others came running, clattering through the barn.

  “Loren, go. Run,” he whispered. But I couldn’t seem to make my body move. Then the men who were running toward us opened fire, and the man in front of Jackson jumped at him again. They both hit the ground.

  Shots rang out and Jackson rolled, using the man as a shield. Jackson pointed the gun at the men running toward us and fired one, two, three, four times.

  And then five, to the man that was on top of him, trying to stab him in the throat.

  Then everything was silent.

  He shoved the man off and got to his feet. He grabbed my arms. “Are you okay? Were you hit?”

  I stood there with my mouth open. Just minutes ago, seconds even, five men were alive. Now they were dead. Jackson had killed them all, in rapid succession. His aim had been perfect. It would have been impressive if it wasn’t so horrifying.

  And he’d tried to give the first one a way out. Not once, but twice. Why hadn’t the guy taken it?

  And I knew Rangers were elite soldiers in the military world, but I didn’t realize he could dispatch five people all by himself, so quickly. “I’m fine,” I said. “Jackson --”

  “Save whatever you’re going to say. We don’t know how many of them there are. So we need to clear out of here. But first I want to see if they have my phone.” He grabbed me by the wrist, stopping when his hand touched the sticky blood.

  “I might have panicked when I was trying to get out of the rope,” I said. “Just a little.”

  He moved his hand to my elbow. “You’re tough. You did good.” He tugged me forward, dragging me back inside the shed.

  We went past the area where I’d been tied up. Apparently Jackson had been tied up in a storage room on the other side of the big shed.

  “Is this someone’s property? What happens when they see all these dead people?” I asked.

  “Let me worry about it.”

  “Should I call my dad? He might be able to get ahead of this.”

  “No. Do not contact them.” He faced me. “You don’t have your phone, right?”

  I patted my pockets. I hadn’t thought of my phone. I shook my head. “I don’t even remember anything,” I said.

  Jackson brushed a wild strand of hair away from my face. “It’s going to be okay,” he said.

  “I’m sorry.” The words poured out of my mouth. I knew this wasn’t the best time or place, but I wasn’t willing to wait any longer, in case another crazed kidnapper burst out of the closet. “I shouldn’t have dismissed your suspicions. Obviously something was going on at that wedding, and you knew it. But I didn’t listen,” I said.

  He tipped his forehead to rest against mine. “Thank you. But it’s fine. I probably wasn’t as diplomatic as I could have been either.”

  I sagged like all the bones had gone out of my body. At least he wasn’t going to hate me forever. Now that I had that thought out of my system, I could move forward.

  Chapter Twenty-Thre
e

  Jackson

  Loren wasn’t acting like herself, and I was afraid she was headed for a meltdown. It would be understandable. She’d just seen me shoot and kill five men. That was something many soldiers didn’t see up close, even in combat.

  She was going to have to deal with that, but it couldn’t happen now.

  Hell, I was going to have to deal with it too. I’d never killed anyone outside of sanctioned missions, given to me by the United States Military.

  I wasn’t sure how the Rangers would handle this. I was confident I wouldn’t end up charged with a crime, but my only witness was Loren, who was my twenty-two year old pretend girlfriend. I didn’t think my supervisor would be too impressed with my actions.

  But I didn’t have time to freak out right now, and neither did she. We had to keep going.

  I pulled on her arm, and we finally reached the other end of the shed. Out in the open there was a desk and a storage cabinet. I yanked the desk drawer open. “Wasn’t even locked,” I muttered. Inside were our cell phones. I stuck both in my pockets. Was that controlling? Yes it was. But I did not care. I was not going to tempt Loren by handing her a cell phone right now when I knew she wanted to call her family and tell them she was okay.

  My gun was in here too, so I grabbed that, along with keeping the one I’d taken from the first guy.

  Now we just had to find a way out of here. I could hotwire most cars if I had to, but I would prefer to just get going. “Ah, car keys.” I picked those up too, and grabbed Loren’s hand again, careful not to touch her wrist where the skin was missing.

  I hated that she’d cut herself up so much, but patching that up would have to wait. The keys went with a Jeep not unlike the one I’d rented. I helped Loren in her seat and made sure she was buckled in. If she wasn’t in shock yet, she would be soon. In fact, she was already shaking.

  I turned the heat on in the Jeep and blasted it right toward her face. “Just hold on,” I said. “We’re going to my grandfather’s cabin.”