“The problem now, though, is the block of voting stock,” Carter looked from Vianne to Zee.
“Me? Why am I a problem?” Zee asked, his gaze shifting to watch Erika face him.
“Because the right to vote the stock is yours,” she said shakily. “Because now, they won’t be after me so much as you. I should have realized…”
“Her grandmother’s will states that once Erika marries, the stock is then voted by her husband. I don’t know why she did it that way,” Carter added quickly. “She wasn’t my client. It will them be split between any children you may have once they come of age. It cannot be sold outside the family.”
Zee pushed a long puff of air between his teeth. “Okay. That makes me a little less concerned.” He winced at the piercing glare from Erika. “Not that I’m any less vulnerable that you are, my sweet wife.”
“Nice try,” Tanner chuckled, his focus on Carter. “Do you think it would do any good to talk to all three of them in the same room? Get it all aired out and….hell, I don’t know, threaten them with exposure if they don’t just get on with life and leave all of us out of it?”
“Have they been in touch with you?” Erika asked anxiously, staring at her friend.
“We’ve been followed and I’m making a guess that it’s because of them,” Tanner said carefully, aware of Vianne avoiding looking at him. “Because Vianne isn’t working on any other stories. She’s closing out her office with the station.”
“I didn’t tell you because there’s nothing you could have done,” Vianne said before Erika could say anything.
“Your parents requested a conference with you, Erika. They want to try and resolve the charges we filed against your mother,” Carter leaned back, his hands tented on his lap.
“And your recommendation?” Zee asked, just a little on the tense side.
“I have a personal opinion, but my recommendation would be to try and get it over with, for all your sakes.” Carter answered honestly.
“I don’t think I can ever go back to what…what I thought we had before,” Erika stood up and turned from the room to stare out onto the rain as it fell on the stretch of beach exposed by low tide. “Would you set it up for the end of the week, Carter? With all of them, though. Including Vianne and Tanner, if you wouldn’t mind coming,” she inhaled slowly and faced her friends.
“You know I’ll be here,” Vianne told her without hesitating. “Are you clear for the day? Let’s go to lunch and shopping,” she looked quickly at Zee and Tanner. “Girls day out,” she quickly kissed Tanner and grabbed her case. “Just set the time, Carter, and I’ll clear my schedule. And thank you for your help with this.”
Erika hooked a small bag on her shoulder and kissed Zee. “I’ll be back later. Love you.”
“It’ll work out, Erika,” Zee promised, waiting with Tanner for them to leave and sinking into the chair. “Tell me it’ll work out without me maiming anyone, Carter.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“Do you think they’ll just leave us alone?” Erika asked, slurping on the bright cherry icy in the big plastic cup as they walked along the sidewalk of the outdoor mall.
“I wish I knew,” Vianne shrugged, glad she’d changed into jeans and a T-shirt, the comfort of simple sneakers making her feet happy. She pulled a piece of the chewy pretzel off and popped it into her mouth. “I was talking to Tanner about it when I…discovered that your dad had been to the club and…” she laughed, her head shaking. “None of it fits into the college kid memories I have of coming home with you. So the whole thing is kind of skewed in my head.”
Erika pulled in a long swallow of her slurpie. “I can’t stop being curious,” she said with a half crooked smile. “Spill. What does he do there? And I really want to know what you were doing there and don’t you even try and tell me it was a story, Vi,” Erika’s voice was a low, laughing growl. A sharp gasp broke free next when she saw the color flood her friend’s cheeks. “Oh, my god! I haven’t seen you blush in forever Vianne Summers! Give!”
“Now I remember why you’re annoying,” Vianne scowled back at her. She shoved the last bit of pretzel into her mouth and then both hands into the pockets of her jeans. Her fingertips brushed her phone as they walked.
“And you have never been embarrassed like this before,” Erika tossed her cup into a trash bin as they walked. “A BDSM club…you and Tanner?”
“Don’t knock it until you try it,” Vianne warned over the giggles. “Does Zee get a little dominant during foreplay or sex?” She glanced over to see the answer on Erika’s face. “Okay…this is the same thing. It’s…really, wildly arousing like you’d never imagine,” Vianne let the words rush out, watching the silent interest on Erika’s face. “Instead of at home, some things are public, which, trust me, really messes with your head…but, god, is it a really good thing.”
“Well,” Erika cleared her throat, thinking of sex with Zee and how he was dominant and how it did make her squirm with arousal. “Well.”
“You’d have to go to the club Independence and just…kind of observe,” Vianne said quietly. “You’d be the one to know if Zee was receptive to the game or not. He might look at you a bit odd…”
“It’s not about pain? About…hurting the other person?”
“Not if that’s not what you want,” Vianne answered honestly. “Play spanking is a lot different than the people who really get off on the pain aspect. It’s really different than I imagined, let’s put it that way. I…it kind of gets your back up to be told what to do, though…that takes some serious mental adjustment. God, it’s warm out here…” she fanned her palm in front of her face, laughing with Erika. “It’s opened my eyes to a whole new world, let me tell you. And it’s not a bad place to play with the guy you’re crazy about. And given that Zee has been friends with Tanner for a while, I’m guessing he knows about his preferences.”
“How did you learn about the club?”
Vianne was still considering that answer when a strong arm wrapped around her middle, the other hand on her upper arm and holding her firmly. She could feel the firm outline of a male behind her, but the biting pain in her arm told her it wasn’t a good place to be.
“No words. No noise,” the owner of the voice paused.
Vianne felt him look toward Erika and she glanced to the side as well.
Erika was holding her breath, walking stiffly and too close to another man holding her in place.
“What do you want?” Vianne pushed the words from her mouth, her fingers tight around her phone. Long practiced, she slid it open and tapped a button she knew would place a call to the last person she spoke with.
And that was her husband. Moving very slowly, she pulled her hand from the pocket of her jeans and quickly dropped the open mic phone into the front of her jeans. An old trick. Sometimes it worked, other times, not so much. But when she felt the hand patting her down, she knew this time it would be alright.
“No questions, Miss Summers. We’re going for a nice, long ride,” he said quietly, guiding her to a large waiting van.
“Got her phone,” said a voice behind Vianne that she couldn’t see. “Sending a text to Moore now. He’ll think they’re just out shopping.”
Vianne wasn’t sure what had happened to Erika but when the van opened, her friend moved like she was groggy. She watched a strange man lift her into the back of the waiting van.
“What’d you do to Erika?” She demanded. “Where are you taking us?” She kept her voice loud even when she felt the hand tighten on her arm.
“Shut up. In a few minutes, you won’t care,” the voice said next to her ear.
“What are you…owww…what was that…you drugged us? Oh, god…Tanner…”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
It had been a peaceful lunch.
Zee and Tanner had been catching up, talking about the old and the new when the phone chimed.
Tanner glanced down at the ID and opened the phone with a smile that quickly faded as he
tapped the speaker button, his fingers clenched around the edges of the slim device.
Tanner and Zee listened with mounting tension. Zee had his own phone out, a number tapped in quickly.
“Jake, are you still with Erika?” He listened intently. “Follow them and for god’s sake, don’t lose them!”
Tanner kept the line on his phone open as he tossed some money to the table and stood up, almost in unison with his friend. He looked expectantly at Zee when his phone sounded.
“A text,” Zee ground flatly. “Claiming they’re shopping longer than they thought,” he slammed the phone closed and shoved it into his pocket.
“Any idea where they’d take them?” Tanner knew the tension and fury were in his voice but he saw that and more on Zee’s face.
“Hell if I know,” Zee shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his cargo pants to avoid hitting something, anything in his frustration. “She just wants to have a fuckin’ normal life!”
Tanner made some taps on his phone, glad Vianne had somehow managed to keep her phone with her and on. He read off the direction they were taking, watching Zee frown.
“Her parents’ house on Mercer Island,” Zee reached into his pocket and brought his phone out, tapping over the keys. “Morgan, tell me you’re still watching the house?” He listened to the quick, clipped answer. “Stay there. We think they grabbed Erika and Vianne Summers a few minutes ago,” he stopped when they reached his SUV, tapping the speaker button.
“There’s a yacht pulled up a little over an hour ago, Zee. People…maybe half a dozen…are loading things pretty steady.”
“Keep your eyes open. Not sure what they might be driving…”
“Probably the white van that left out of here at the same time,” Morgan Halstead suggested quietly, he pulled the silencer he had for the gun and attached it. “I’ll stop the van at the gates. That’ll give you time.”
“Have you seen the people on the list?”
Tanner opened the doors and climbed behind the wheel, listening as he quickly belted in and started the SUV.
“Wayne showed up a little after nine, carrying a suitcase,” Morgan listened to the sharp curse. “Yeah, that was my thought, especially when the candidate showed up an hour later. But no wife or kids in tow. The parents have been onsite all day. Only vehicle that left the grounds was the white van. I’ve seen it come and go and watched them unload food yesterday after noon.”
“I’ll keep the line open. We’re headed to the marina. The boat will get us there cleaner,” Zee said before snapping the phone closed. “So much for looking for a peaceful solution.”
“The police?”
And what happens while they wait on a warrant?” Zee asked bitterly, his fingers tapping over the phone. “I sent a note to Carter. He now knows we’re headed to the Vincent estate.”
“Why the yacht?” Tanner set his phone on the dash, busily trying to think as he drove along the road toward the marina.
“No clue. I’m sorry about this, Tanner,” Zee shook his head.
“Why not you? You’re the obstacle…” Tanner continued to stare, all the information zinging around in his head. “Unless they dissolve your marriage and force a marriage to Wayne. But how the hell could they hold it together? Keep Erika captive someplace? And what the hell are they going to do with Vianne? They have to know she talked to people about her information, hell, they don’t even know what all information she has.”
“You’re coming up with more fucking questions than we have answers for, Tanner,” Zee growled, his palm slapping against the very sturdy dash.
“There’s nothing coming from Vianne’s phone. But the directional app is still functioning,” he stared at the little arrow on the map displayed on his phone. “They’re crossing the floating bridge.”
Zee tapped the phone. “They’re definitely headed your way, Morgan.”
“Ready for them. Are police going to be involved?”
“I don’t know. We’ve been in touch with the attorney handling things for Erika. I know we aren’t going to wait for them,” Zee said flatly. “After you manage to disable the van and slow them down, see about doing something about the yacht and the staff involved. Try and disable, not kill.”
“Always the best option,” Morgan agreed tonelessly, ending the call and moving around the huge trees to find a good vantage point to wait.
“You’ve had Erika watched?” Tanner asked tensely, following the pointing finger Zee offered and finding a parking slot.
“Since her mother hijacked her,” Zee answered tersely. “And no, she doesn’t know about it. I got some friends in the investigation business in town and employed them. I don’t trust them and evidently, it’s justified,” he slammed the door behind him, keys out and in his hand to unlock the security gate.
“Let me grab my gym bag,” Tanner quickly pulled his suit coat and tie free, tossing them into the back seat before grabbing up the canvas bag. He set the alarms and took off at a light jog to join Zee, both men striding quickly down the wide planking that floated between the collection of anchored and sheltered boats.
Tanner quickly replaced his shoes with a pair of sneakers, hastily pulling his shirt over his head and stuffing it into the bag before pulling a plain black sweatshirt on. He left the bag in the corner of the boat and began the process of removing ropes and getting it ready. Within minutes, they were headed north down the center of the Sound to Lake Washington.
“Take the wheel,” Zee said without preamble, quickly going to a compartment at the far front of the boat and dropping to his knees. “Just aim towards the indicator.”
“I still have my memory,” Tanner responded flatly. “It’s my patience that’s shot to hell at the moment.”
“I know the feeling,” he said carefully lifting a box from the interior of the built-in safe compartment. He carried it to the small wheelhouse before opening it and checking the contents. He had both guns loaded and ready by the time they approached the locks that would put them in the canal leading to Lake Washington. “Your memory extend to this?”
“Perfectly,” Tanner answered, surrendering the wheel and taking the berretta. He checked it over, mentally adjusting his hand to the fit and slid it carefully into the hollow of his back. He never realized how deep a fury could run until the minute he’d heard her voice on the phone, weak and saying his name before fading.
Neither of them spoke as they cruised slowly into the lock, and waited. Once the boat was secured, Zee brought out a couple bottles of water and handed one to Tanner before opening his phone and checking for texts.
“Anything on Vianne’s phone?” Zee asked, his voice clipped as he dropped the phone into his pocket.
“No sounds. I don’t know where she’d put it that they wouldn’t find it, but I can guess,” Tanner replied tersely, fingers deftly upping the volume and listening. “If I’m not hearing the kidnappers, I’m guessing they’re in separate sections of this van, or there’s some kind of divider…”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Vianne really truly hated waking up with a headache. She sighed thickly, hated the drool on the side of her cheek and really hated whoever had thrown them into the back of this truck or van.
She let her eyes open very slowly. Experiences in places that she wasn’t supposed to be, came quietly but quickly back to her. Granted, it had been a few years since she was off without escorts in less than savory places, but that kind of preparation was something she doubted would ever leave her.
No light filtered into the compartment they were in. She could feel Erika behind her, curled as she had been, on her side and quietly unconscious.
Vianne pushed herself to sit up real slow since her head was spinning just a little. She had no idea what they had used on them and it really didn’t matter. She sighed. Did people notice them being forced into the back of a van? She’d caught sight of the white panels just before it went completely black.
Okay, sitting upright now, she told he
rself, blinking and blinking some more. Water would sure taste good about now, she thought with a sigh. Outlines of things had slowly come into focus. It helped after she rubbed her eyes and she knew it would definitely not be a pretty sight. She almost laughed but knew it was more out of nerves than humor.
“What kind of van is this?” She squinted but still didn’t force movement. Her head was pounding. “Supplies,” she murmured, tipping herself back and sliding her hand down the front of her jeans. She pulled the phone out carefully, keeping her voice low when she spoke. “Tanner? Please be there…”
“Vianne?” Tanner jumped on the weak, low voice like a lifeline, his gaze shooting to Zee who quickly came from the side of the boat. They were almost clear of the lock and would be heading through the short canal and Lake Union before getting into the large open waters of Lake Washington and Mercer Island.
“I don’t know where I am and I hope you can hear me. I don’t know where the people are who took us,” she dragged in a breath, wishing for a more steady sound. She knew she fell far short. She blamed the drugs. “Someone is driving us. We’re in the back of a white van, I saw the side of it before…they shot us with something and my head is pounding. Erika is with me but still out…”
“Not out,” Came the gruff, groggy voice. “Same headache, though,” Erika responded with a sigh.
“Okay, she’s awake and so far, we’re okay.” Why did she suddenly feel like curling against him and crying? She’d never had someone who would protect her, shield her before Tanner. Well, he’s not here, her inner self told her firmly. It wasn’t so much for herself, but Erika wasn’t used to this kind of crap happening to her.
“We’re coming for you, baby,” Tanner said softly. “We know they’re taking you to her parent’s house. We have a couple guys there and we’re in Zee’s boat on the way to the island. Just…”
WindSwept Narrows: #22 Erika & Vianne Page 36
