by JoAnn Durgin
“Pull over.” Caleb started to open the door but stopped when Eliot put a hand on his arm.
“Stay in the Hummer for now. You’re not going anywhere. Not yet. Give me the cross streets.”
After Caleb read them to him, Eliot slowed the Hummer and pulled to a halt beside a curb. He took the phone and studied it. “No call yet?”
“No. It’s a private number, and I don’t give it out freely.”
“Is this the same phone you got some of the messages on?”
“Yes,” Caleb said.
“Then it’s not as private as you think. Technology is invented every day to outsmart what was created the day before.”
“That’s real encouraging.”
“Give me Lauren’s cell phone number. I’ll put a trace on it.”
Caleb leaned back against the seat and recited the numbers by heart.
“They’ll be calling you soon. What they don’t know is that we’re nearby.” Eliot pulled out his cell phone. “As soon as we find out their demands, I’ll call Lieutenant Taylor. You can trust him. Be prepared to hand over some financial information unless you want to leave and go get the money yourself.”
“Good to know. No bank is open right now. If you think I’m going to be this close to where my girls are and leave them, then you’re nuts.”
“That’s what I knew you’d say.” Eliot shot him a look. “I’d feel the same way. They don’t want cash, Caleb. They’re going to ask you to wire the funds to an offshore account. Do you have any idea how much money you have access to?”
“Depends on what they ask for.”
“This isn’t a time to negotiate, Caleb.”
“I know that. I can get them whatever they want. My funds are available at the touch of a fingertip, as frightening as that really is.”
Eliot looked over at him again. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to give them what they want, but you’ll get it back. I’ve dealt with this kind of situation before.”
“Not that I doubt you, but how can you be sure, Eliot?”
“You have to trust me. I have connections everywhere. I’ll arrange it so it looks like the funds are in their account, but they’ll be funneled into another fund. Once we get them in custody, it’ll be rerouted back to you.”
“Glad you know these things.” Caleb glanced out the window. “Where are we, anyway?”
“Somewhere along the 25-mile stretch of the Port of Houston.” Eliot had been studying the phone map.
Dear God, please give Lauren and Caty safe. Keep them strong. Thank you for Eliot.
Caleb’s cell phone rang.
Chapter 51
“Ow ow ow.”
Caty’s eyes fluttered open. Who said that? Where was she?
She was lying on a hard concrete floor. Propping up on her elbows, she surveyed her surroundings. Seemed to be a large but empty boat storage facility. She heard the keow and ha-ha-ha-ha sounds from the seagulls. Hopefully, she was still in Houston somewhere.
Hearing a soft moaning sound, she blinked hard and sat up straighter. Lauren! Everything started to come back to her.
“Caty?”
“Sweetie, I’m here. We’re going to be fine.” Glancing around, Caty saw no one. Heard nothing.
“I know that, but where’s Dad?”
“I’m sure he’s doing everything he can to find us. Eliot’s beside him.” That had to be true. She prayed they’d found the boots and her cell phone with the tracking device. “Do you have your cell phone?”
Lauren rubbed her head. “No. That’d be too easy. That mean kid took it from me. He’s probably texting all my friends now and sending them perverted messages.”
“Let’s hope not.”
“Well, look who’s decided to join the party.”
Caty turned. “Suma?”
“In the flesh. Guess your little plan to convert me didn’t work, Caty. Sorry.” She shrugged and gave her a withering look. In her stylish designer jeans and silk blouse, Suma looked more ready to hit the Houston night scene than carry out a kidnapping and extortion attempt.
That’s all it will be. An attempt.
“What do you want?” Caty stared at the other woman, holding her gaze steady. She was fighting for Lauren and her future with Caleb. She didn’t think they intended any harm to come to her or Lauren, but she couldn’t take chances.
“What do most people want?”
Caty gasped as Martin Hillyard strolled into view. He’d been dressed in jeans and a polo at the picnic. Now he wore shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals.
“You couldn’t let it alone could you, Caty? You had to stick your nose where it didn’t belong. Then, to top it off, you had to start sleeping with the boss.”
“She’s not—”
“Shut up, you little…” Caty cringed as Martin spewed a profanity. She shot a look at Lauren, silently warning her not to provoke these people. Lauren gave her a slight nod. Good.
Was Steve lurking somewhere nearby, too? Caty glanced around the warehouse.
“If you’re looking for Steve, he’s not part of this.”
Caty stared at Suma. “Thanks for the info.”
Suma snorted. “He’s a pathetic old weasel who sends jewelry to women in interoffice mail because his wife won’t…” Caty tuned out the last part of her words. She darted a glance at Lauren and saw the girl with her hands over her ears.
A sense of relief flooded her that Steve wasn’t involved. He might be pathetic in some respects, and he might be ready to go on forced early retirement, but he hadn’t betrayed Caleb. For that, she could be grateful.
“We’re waiting for Reid to wire the money, and then we’re out of here. But first we’ll make sure you’re tied up nice and tight,” Martin said.
Suma strolled forward, her high heels clacking on the concrete floor. “An abandoned warehouse like this? It could be days, weeks even, before anyone discovers your dead bodies.”
“Cut the dramatics, Suma.”
“Shut up, you little do-gooder!”
Caty jutted her chin. “You know what? No matter what you say, no matter what you do to me, I’ll still pray for you. Christ is in me, and I know where I’m spending eternity.”
“Go Team Caty!” Lauren ducked her head when Suma shot her a glare.
Martin strolled closer. “She asked you to be quiet. I’d suggest you do it. In case you haven’t noticed, Suma’s not a very nice person.”
Suma’s dark eyes flashed, and she spouted a vile, derogatory name at Martin.
“Well, that’s quite a filthy sailor mouth you have,” Martin shot back.
“You two are a comedy of errors.” Caty rolled her eyes. She deserved an award for her performance. If she survived the evening.
I’m trusting in you, Lord. Please let them find the boots and not some homeless person, as awful as that sounds. That thought hadn’t occurred to her until now.
“Spill it. As long as you intend to leave us here to rot and die, what’s the plan? Might as well share it with us.” Caty looked from Suma to Martin and back, wondering which one would squeal on the other first. They were already clearly at odds. No doubt all this waiting around and masterminding business was exhausting.
“As soon as Daddy Reid puts the money in our account, we’re out of here.” Suma scraped a metal chair along the floor and sat on it, crossing her legs, swinging one foot back and forth. Martin followed suit. Why did they have to scrape those chairs instead of picking them up? The sound was obnoxious and grating.
“How do you know he’ll do it?” Caty challenged.
Suma laughed. “You must be stupid. He’ll do it because we’ve got what he wants most in life right here.” She nodded to Lauren. “His little princess.” She moved her slow, angry gaze to Caty. “And his—”
“Don’t you call Caty another word or I swear I’ll deck you!” Lauren scrambled to her feet and then swayed. She put a hand on her forehead. “Whoa. I’m a little dizzy. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Thanks for defending me, sweetie.” She squeezed Lauren’s hand and held on tight. “Love you.”
“You, too.” Caty didn’t know Lauren was crying until a warm tear landed on her hand. “Shhh.” She rocked her gently. Thank the Lord these two weren’t monsters. If they were, they’d probably hurt them physically in some way. “We’re going to be fine.”
“So, what’s your plan?” Caty asked next. “Are you jetting off in a private plane somewhere that can be shot down by a police helicopter? Are you going to make a dramatic exit by speedboat that someone could have booby trapped?”
“Yeah. It could explode and blast you into tiny little scraps of humanity that no one will ever trace.” Lauren shook her head and clucked her tongue. “What a pity. Reduced to fish food.”
“You don’t know when to shut up, do you?” Suma rose to her feet.
“Shut up, Suma.” Martin scowled. “In spite of the fact she’s severely annoying, this kid is entertaining me, which is more than I can say for you.”
Caty laughed at the absurdity of it all. She couldn’t help it. Best kidnapping she’d ever attended.
Martin’s cell phone buzzed. He retrieved it from the pocket of his shorts and stared at it. “The money’s there. We need to move,” he told Suma. “You get the rope and tie them up, and I’ll get everything else ready.”
“Let Lauren go. Keep me here,” Caty said. “Kill me if you need to, but she’s a defenseless, twelve-year-old child.”
Lauren raised her hands. “Why does everyone keep harping on that? Kids have feelings, too. And we’re not exactly stupid, you know.”
“Quiet, Lauren.” Caty kept her voice firm that time.
“No deal,” Martin said after first looking at Suma for confirmation. “We’re sticking to the original plan, and there’ll be no screw-ups.”
Suma looked at him for a long moment. She hiked her sleeve and glanced at her watch. “We have forty minutes to get to the plane. We’ve only got clearance for another ten minutes after that or we’re stuck here in Houston until tomorrow.”
“Seriously?” Caty balked. “You’re going to South America or somewhere?” She shook her head. “You couldn’t be more original than that?” She looked at Martin. “You look like you’re ready for Club Med.”
These two didn’t scare her. They were playing into every ridiculous C-movie action flick she’d ever had the misfortune to watch. She blamed that on Carson although Will sometimes liked them, too. She put one hand on her forehead. Maybe Lauren wasn’t the only one feeling light-headed. Could be the effects of whatever drug they’d injected in both of them.
“You know the saddest thing of all?” Lauren scooted away, and Caty rose to her feet. A little shaky, but she could do this. “The fact that you…” She stopped and looked at Lauren. She wouldn’t say anything about Caleb. They’d made him doubt himself, made him go nearly mad with worry, but for what? To steal from him? The entire thing made her sick to her stomach. To think what they’d put the poor man through for years. What they’d subjected Lauren to as a result?
“Did you hear that?” Suma looked over at Martin. “What’s the plan now, big man?”
Caty listened, and so did Lauren. There it was again.
Please, Lord, let it be Caleb and Eliot. Sam. Lieutenant Taylor. Anyone. Someone.
Chapter 52
Eliot burst into the building in a blaze of glory, and Caleb was right behind him.
Martin pulled out a pistol. “Stop right now.” Moving over to Lauren, he put his arm around her neck.
“Stop bluffing, Hillyard.” Caleb walked forward slowly, hands in the air. “Let her go, and let’s end this madness right here. Right now.”
“I swear I’ll shoot her brains out. Or would you rather I splatter Caty all over this floor right in front of you? Try living with that the rest of your days, rich man.”
The hurt in Caleb’s eyes was almost unbearable, and Caty’s heart reached out to him. Sure, she didn’t want her brains splattered all over the concrete floor of an abandoned Houston storage facility. That’d be a pretty pathetic way to die, but still, Caleb was the best man she’d ever known. Where was that gun when she was mouthing off?
She moved her gaze heavenward. Thank you.
“Who are you talking to now?” Martin demanded.
Suma laughed. “Who do you think? Jesus, you fool. Might as well kill her now and put us all out of misery.” Caty’s eyes widened when Suma took the gun from Martin. He kept his forearm wrapped around Lauren’s neck. Thankfully, Lauren remained immobile. Seemed she finally understood it was time to be quiet and not say a word. Not move a muscle. All those clichés that people always say in movies. Things like they’re going to blow someone’s brains out.
A lone shot rang out, and Caty jumped. Suma yelped and started cursing worse than she’d ever heard from anyone. Suma glared at Eliot. “You actually shot me? Seriously?”
He shrugged. “Sorry about the designer shoe.”
“Look out!” Lauren yelled. “Incoming!” She put her hands over her ears and cringed, prepared for the next expected onslaught of profane words.
Martin grabbed the gun from where it had fallen at Suma’s feet. The woman had removed her shoe. Good shot, Eliot! Great aim to the big toe on her left foot. That bullet tore clean through that fancy shoe. Caty started toward Suma.
Suma put one hand in front of her. “Don’t even come near me, Jesus girl.”
“You need help. Let me do that for you.”
“I’ll wrap it up and limp out of here.”
Martin started waving the gun around like a crazy man. When he raised it and aimed the gun at Lauren, Caty took a flying leap as another shot rang out. She landed on the floor, on top of Lauren. They both groaned. Caty moved her hands over her body. She seemed intact. Lauren was fine, too.
Caleb! Within seconds, he was on the ground beside them, hugging and holding them close.
Martin was writhing on the floor. Grimacing in pain, he grabbed at his right knee as he stretched and reached for the small pistol.
Eliot moved forward and straddled the man. “I’ve never killed a man yet. I don’t think you want to break my record.”
“Great line, Eliot!” Lauren applauded. “You should sell that one to Clint Eastwood.”
Eliot made quick work of getting Suma and Martin cuffed. Within another minute, police officers swarmed the building.
“Whoa. Those are SWAT guys.” Lauren’s blue eyes grew wide.
After giving the police their statements, Lauren and Caty were allowed to leave.
“Do you need to go to the hospital to get checked out?” Caleb said to Caty as he walked outside with her.
“I think we’re both fine. As crazy as it sounds, it was probably the most anti-climactic ending for a kidnapping and extortion attempt in the history of the world.”
“Thank the Lord,” Caleb said, drawing her close with one arm and Lauren with the other.
“It’s okay to cry if you want, Dad.”
“Caty, if you hadn’t left those boots and somehow managed to toss your cell phone in there, I’m not sure what we would have done.”
“Eliot would have figured out something. He’s like James Bond,” Caty said. “Do you have my boots, by the way?”
“They’re in the Hummer.”
“I think I’m going to donate a bunch of pairs to the missions. Every girl in Texas needs a pair of red cowgirl boots.”
As they climbed into the vehicle, Lauren sat up front with Eliot and Caty curled up in the warmth and security of Caleb’s arms. “They did give us some kind of drug.”
“Eliot, let’s make a stop at the nearest ER,” Caleb said, kissing Caty’s forehead. “I can’t take a chance.”
“Then you’d better call Sam first. He’
s been ringing my cell phone like crazy the past hour.”
“I’m probably already in the doghouse with your brother,” Caleb told her.
“What’s that mean?” Lauren asked.
Caty gaped. She knew a lot of things but hadn’t heard that old cliché?
“It means Sam’s ticked off at me. I can’t blame him.”
“He won’t care,” Caty said. “All he wants to know is that we’re safe.”
Caleb nodded. “That I can do. And that’s what I intend to do the rest of my life.” He took his phone in hand and called her brother. Then handed her the phone.
“We’re fine, Sam. Just tired. We’ll talk tomorrow. If you don’t mind, don’t say anything to Mom and Dad. Caleb and I will share everything with them.” She darted a glance at Caleb, and he nodded. “Now that we can.”
A tear slipped down Caty’s cheek. In spite of the weirdness of the evening, things could have turned out so much worse. Blessings abounded. She leaned into Caleb, clinging to his shirt, loving the feel of him, the scent of him. “I can’t believe all they put you through for all these years,” she whispered.
Caleb’s chest rose and fell with the force of his heavy sigh. “Like you said, the only thing that matters is that you and Lauren are safe. In a strange way, the events of the past few years have forced me to stare down my fears and acknowledge that God is the One in control.” He shifted and held her closer, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Always.”
“When you think about it, if those accounting discrepancies hadn’t happened, it might have taken a lot longer for us to meet,” Caty said.
“Oh, I think that would have happened anyway.” They were quiet as Eliot started up the Hummer
“Wait, can you get your money back?”
“Not a problem.” Caleb dropped a light kiss on her lips.
Lauren twisted around in the seat. “Yeah. How much are we worth, Dad?”
Laughing, he settled back into the seat, keeping his hold on Caty. “Every last cent I have. And then some. Besides, it all belongs to the Lord, anyway.”
“What’s going to happen to Suma and Martin now?” Lauren asked Eliot.
