by Shady Grace
As she dabbled some perfume under her ears—a flowery vanilla scent Wanda said Terry loved—the buzzer rang.
When she answered the door, Sal stood there with a warm and highly contagious smile. “Hello again, Mary. Did you find what you were looking for this morning?”
Mary’s lip twitched as she smiled. “Yes. Thank you.”
“Oh, good. I tried calling but you didn’t answer.”
“Sorry, I didn’t hear the phone ring.”
The charming woman smiled. “No worries. Your ride is waiting downstairs, and you look lovely, by the way. I’ll escort you down. I know it must be frustrating being watched at all times like this, but it’s important.”
“I know.” She tried to hide her excitement over this special lunch with Terry, and to share her news with him, but failed miserably. If Sal noticed her perma-grin, she didn’t say anything. “Let me get my purse.”
As the elevator descended toward the main floor, Mary checked her watch. It wasn’t quite noon yet, but she was excited to get out of the apartment and spend some alone time with Terry. How would she tell him of the news? Just come out with it, or dance around the subject? Wait until she had a bump or she outweighed him?
Considering the chaos these past few weeks, they sorely needed privacy to have a really good heart-to-heart.
She glanced at Sal under the cover of her eyelashes. She was a beautiful girl, voluptuous, the stark red of her hair a perfect match with such bright green eyes. Mary felt envious, and maybe a little jealous of the beautiful woman. She would give away her best chainsaw to have more than a handful on her chest and such a curvy frame. The men must fall hard and fast for Sal.
She wondered if Terry looked at Sal as a potential bedmate or just an employee.
Why do I have so many doubts all the time?
The elevator opened and Mary made her way through the grand lobby to the huge double doors. Sal returned to her post at the front desk as Mary approached the black limo waiting outside.
The driver opened the rear door and Mary stared in puzzled disappointment at the person waiting for her.
“Hello, darling,” Wanda purred. “I’m sorry Terry couldn’t make it, but I have a special surprise for our lunch today. Come in now.” She patted the seat next to her.
Mary glanced back at the hotel doors, wondering if she should speak with Sal first, but decided not to be a bother. It was only lunch with Wanda after all. Maybe Terry would be able to join them later on. She offered a smile and stepped in, taking the seat beside Terry’s beautiful stepmother.
“Have some champagne.”
Mary shook her head, still feeling ill. “No thank you, I don’t think—”
“Nonsense. A little champagne never hurt anyone.”
Mary reluctantly accepted the glass. Would one glass hurt the baby?
“We have cause to celebrate, darling. Terry has made a wonderful deal.”
He has no idea what he’s made.
Despite her disappointment that Terry couldn’t make it, and the fact that she didn’t feel comfortable drinking, Mary learned after several outings with Wanda, the woman always had good champagne within reach. Saying no would raise questions she didn’t want to answer until she’d had her talk with Terry. He should be the first to know—not his father’s second wife.
The limo pulled out of the parking lot and headed downtown. As she’d done before, Mary stared out the window at the beautiful architecture of the city. She sipped the champagne slowly, careful not to overdo it, barely listening to Wanda’s endless chatter as they passed numerous buildings and shops.
After a while she didn’t feel normal. Didn’t seem like the car was driving straight. She blinked and stared out the window, realizing the buildings were blending in with each other. Elongated shapes and bright colors filled her hazy vision.
She cleared her throat. “Um—I’m—”
“Yes, darling?” Wanda’s voice didn’t sound right.
Her face felt clammy and pale. “I don’t think—the champagne. . . .”
“Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine. I’ll take good care of you.”
And the world around her suddenly vanished.
* * * *
Mary opened her eyes and groaned. Her head throbbed and her throat felt so parched she couldn’t swallow properly. She moved to rub her eyes and realized with a start that she couldn’t move. She pulled hard, but her hands were tied behind her back, secured to something cemented in the floor.
Fully awake now, she looked around, blinking rapidly to see through the dim room. “Hello?”
She was trapped in a dingy basement or cellar of some sort. Only a small window ten feet off the floor allowed a sliver of light into the room.
She tried her hardest to remain calm, to breathe and keep her head on. What happened? The last thing she remembered was sitting in the limo with Terry’s stepmother. Was Wanda trapped in here, too?
“Wanda?”
“Ah, you’re awake, darling. That’s good.”
That’s good? Mary turned her head toward the voice, confused why Wanda sounded calm. A chair scraped on the cement floor somewhere behind her. She glanced up and swallowed as Wanda stepped into the shaft of light and looked down at her. This was not a good situation at all. In fact, seeing Wanda look so cool felt very, very wrong.
“How do you feel?”
Mary pulled at her restraints. “I don’t understand. What’s going on? Why am I tied up?”
Wanda’s smile was pure evil, but she sounded calm. “Because I need you.”
Mary’s heart slammed in her chest and she desperately yanked at her restraints. No. “For what? What did I ever do to you?”
Wanda chuckled before she nodded to someone in the shadows. A man appeared with a chair and set it down in front of Mary. She tried to make out his face but it was too dark to see him.
Wanda smoothed her skirt, took a seat, and crossed one leg over the other. She appeared calm and completely in control. So she really was a bitch after all.
“Are you thirsty, sweetheart?” Wanda took the offered glass of water from the shadowed man and attempted to press it to Mary’s lips. But she turned away, refusing the water, especially after what the champagne did to her.
“Suit yourself.” Wanda handed the glass back to the man, who returned to the shadows.
She was in a whole heap of trouble and she couldn’t do anything about it.
“What do you know about this business, Mary? Has Terry ever explained it to you?”
Mary felt sick to her stomach as she tried unsuccessfully to free her hands. Tears filled her eyes as the realization sunk in that this may be the end for her, and for the baby. “No. I don’t know anything.” Her voice sounded weak, hollow.
“I see why. You’re a scared little thing, aren’t you?”
She trembled with fear, but something else boiled in her blood. Anger and resentment. Pure rage. After everything she’d already suffered through in life. Now she had to be kidnapped. She lifted her chin in defiance, ignoring Wanda’s snarky laugh. “What the fuck do you want from me?”
“I want you to sit there and look pretty. Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to you as long as Terry comes to your rescue.” Wanda leaned forward and eyed Mary from legs to eyes. “Oh, he’ll come for you, I’m sure. He likes your type. Small and vulnerable.”
Mary spit in Wanda’s face. “Fuck you.”
Wanda laughed hard.
For a few tense moments, silence filled the air, before Wanda wound her arm back and struck Mary hard across the cheek. As she whirled from the hard slap, Wanda pushed up off the chair and wiped the spit from her cheek. With all the calm of a woman in charge she walked around the room, hands clasped behind her back.
Mary was seriously beginning to think that Wanda was very messed up. How can I get out of this? How can I make her let me go? She looked around the room, but there was only one way out. Even if she could convince them to untie her, she’d never mak
e it to that door.
“Did Terry ever tell you about his mother?” When Mary refused to answer, Wanda continued, undaunted. “She was beautiful. Sweet. Naïve. I wanted what she had. More money. A beautiful home. A husband who loved her more than the world. And there I was, raised in a land where women had only what the men chose to give them. Eliza took me into her world, exactly as I had planned.” Wanda stared up at the tiny window. “She had no idea what her precious husband did when she wasn’t looking. But I did.” She turned around, her eyes wide and crazy. “I just wanted her to see what the pigs could do. How was I to know she’d die of a heart attack? I only hoped she’d leave him, then I could take her place. She made it quite easy for me.”
Mary’s stomach turned in disgust and her heart ached for Terry and his mother. She couldn’t help but imagine a dark and dreary day with the sound of bone crunching in the pigpen. Bile slithered up her throat. She had to swallow hard not to puke. “You’re crazy.”
“Crazy? Do you know what crazy is? Do you know what I’ve gone through? Do you know what they did to my brother?!” she shouted. “He was trying to bring them down. Trying to make things better for our family. And your sweet little Terry cut off his finger and dumped his body into the ocean.”
Mary cringed at the ugly image. She didn’t want to know what they did. She didn’t want any part of this, and now she was trapped in a basement with a mad woman who was going to kill her. If she could lure Terry’s unsuspecting mother to her death and laugh about it, then she was truly sick.
“When Terry showed me my darling Adolfo’s finger with our family ring, I knew what I had to do. It was time to do what he couldn’t after all these years.”
Mary glared at Wanda, wishing she could get out of her restraints and strangle the woman herself. Not only for herself, but for Terry’s mother. “You killed Terry’s father didn’t you?”
Wanda tipped her head back and laughed. “If you knew what kind of man he was, you’d understand why. Adolfo is gone because of Colton.”
“Are you going to kill Sam, too?”
The laughter died in Wanda’s eyes. She glared at Mary, her mouth a tight line. “What are you talking about?”
Mary fixed her with a deadly glare. “I saw you with him. You were kissing him in a parking lot.”
“Ooh. I remember that.” Her expression immediately switched from anger to wonder. “What a beautiful afternoon we shared.” She looked thoughtful for a moment, before she fixed a curious, maybe even nervous glance at Mary. “Who did you tell?”
Mary shrugged, hoping it gave her an edge, although inside she trembled. She had nothing to bargain with.
“Terry doesn’t deserve this.”
“They all deserve this you stupid bitch! They’re all the same!”
An image of Tom flashed before Mary’s eyes. If Colton was anything like Tom, then yes, she could understand why Wanda would want to kill her husband. But it didn’t make Wanda any less insane, or give her the right to take someone’s life.
“Did Terry tell you what he did, Mary? Do you know what he did to you?”
Mary frowned, confused by this crazy woman. She wasn’t making any sense. “What are you talking about? Terry didn’t do anything to me.” Wanda couldn’t possibly know about the pregnancy.
“Oh, yes he did.” Her laugh grew loud and irritating. Then she looked Mary square in the eyes. “He killed your husband. He was the one who pushed him into the river. I overheard him and Gabriel talking about it.”
The world stopped turning. An image of Tom flashed before her eyes. No. Mary’s jaw dropped as instant, hot tears filled her eyes. No, it can’t be. Terry wouldn’t do that to me.
She lifted her chin in defiance, although inside she was falling apart. She wanted to scream at them all and disappear. But she wouldn’t give Wanda that much pleasure. “If you think your lies are going to make me turn against him, you can go fuck yourself.”
“Ha!”
“Terry’s going to make you pay for this.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for, darling. When he finds out where you are, he’s going to fall right into my hands. Don’t worry. Soon the Montesano’s will have no competition at all.” She pointed to Mary. “Tape her mouth shut. He’ll be here soon.”
A single, sharp knock banged on the door. Mary tensed and looked up.
Wanda stood, her smile beaming, and answered the door. “There you are, my love. See my surprise?”
Mary’s eyes widened as Sammy Hayes strolled into the room. Her heart sank. Tears pricked her eyes as Sammy’s betrayal struck her with brute force. There it was right before her. Sam wasn’t an unaware lover. He was Wanda’s accomplice all along.
When he looked down at her, he seemed surprised at first glance, before he leaned over and kissed Wanda’s cheek.
Mary hated him. Wanda was a madwoman and Sam was a traitor.
“You’ve outdone yourself, my sweet. What is your plan?”
Mary’s shoulders slumped while her mouth was taped shut by the other man. She dropped her chin. Staring at the floor, she hoped to God Terry would know what to do before it was too late.
Chapter 12
As soon as Terry arrived back in town he made a mad dash for the hotel. He needed to make sure Mary was safe. He bounded up the front steps to the hotel, eager to see her beautiful, smiling face and hold her in his arms. Once he was sure of that, he had a wonderful date planned for them out on the yacht. Steak and lobster roasted to perfection by his most trusted chef. The best champagne money could buy, and a bed covered in the richest silk sheets. A day in the sun and a night under the stars on the open ocean.
Nothing gets better than that.
Maybe we could discuss the future. Decide how to run the hotel, together. Sell the estate and keep her house as a quiet vacation home in the mountains. He had all kinds of ideas.
He whistled a snappy tune as he headed for the elevator, paying no mind to the guests milling about. Gabe was looking into Montesano’s older daughter, and would soon discover a connection. He was sure of it. Right now he needed time alone with Mary.
“Excuse me, Mr. McCoy!”
He paused and glanced over to Sal standing behind the front desk. “What’s up, Sal?”
“An envelope came in for you—”
“Can it wait until later? I’m picking Mary up for lunch.”
Sal looked confused. “But your limo already picked her up, sir.”
“What?” Every muscle in his body tensed. His worst fears came to fruition.
Sal’s face paled and her big green eyes seemed to double in size. “Did I do something wrong? I was just following orders. I’m so sorry, Mr. McCoy.”
He blew out a frustrated breath and opened the envelope. There, in bold letters on a tiny piece of paper, was something no man ever wanted to read: If you want your woman back, come alone, or I’ll kill her slowly.
He slammed his hand down on the front desk. His curse echoed like metal on metal through the lobby. The small crowd grew silent. Whispers filled the air.
With blinding tears, Terry stared at the address beneath those frightening words, knowing the place as an abandoned industrial lot they’d used in the past, and crumpled the paper in his hand. “Fuck.” He looked around the room. Maybe somebody was watching from the shadows. Maybe he was being set up, but he couldn’t ignore the note, and cursed himself for getting Mary into trouble. She came after him. After he left her like a scared little boy, she had come after him. And now she could be suffering at the hands of some asshole who wanted revenge against his family.
Now he knew why his father shut himself off from his emotions. Perhaps that’s why he’d cheated on Wanda. Maybe he didn’t really love her. Maybe he couldn’t. She was a body to turn to when the one he truly loved was dead.
He tried hard to be smart, to not let his emotions get the best of him. But with Mary they did. She had become the only peace in his fucked-up life. But he wouldn’t—couldn’t—shut himself off from
her. And now he had to get his woman back.
Only a few people could use his limo. A very select few.
This was his burden to bear—not Mary’s.
He forced a reassuring smile for Sally. “You did nothing wrong, Sal, don’t worry. But please, don’t ever assume I’m around until you see me with your own eyes, especially at a time like this.”
She nodded quickly. “Of course, Mr. McCoy. Will Mary be all right?”
“You’re damn right she will be. Remember what I told you over the phone?”
Sal nodded immediately.
“Good.”
Without another word he ran out of the lobby and whipped out his cell phone. He punched in the number Gabe used while in the city and breathed a huge sigh of relief when his best friend answered on the first ring.
“Somebody took Mary.”
It took a moment for Gabe to answer. “What? I thought Montesano agreed to your deal?”
“He did, but apparently he can’t control his daughter.”
There was a short silence before Gabe spoke again. “What do you want to do?”
“The only thing I can do. I’ve been instructed to go there alone. I really need you to go to the house and check on Wanda. They may come for her next.”
“I’ll head there right now. Are you sure you don’t want backup?”
“I can’t fuck this up, Gabe. I don’t want to lose her.” He hung up the phone and shoved it back into his pocket. He knew what Gabe would do once he was sure of Wanda’s safety. It didn’t take much to retrieve his location through the cell phone with a little help from their friends. But that wasn’t important right now. He needed to get to that address and get Mary back no matter what it took.
He got into his Camaro and made one more call before he smoked the tires and sped out of the parking lot.
Ten minutes later, Terry pulled into the abandoned industrial lot, past the old tractor-trailer yard where rows of trailers and cargo bins, rusted from years of neglect, spanned across the massive yard. Everything was covered with graffiti. Remnants of squatters littered every building corner and alleyway.
