“Uh-oh…” Vianne quickly slid the phone back in her hiding spot when the popping sound struck and the van did a wild swerve over concrete.
“What happened?” Erika grit her teeth and pushed herself to sit up.
“I think someone shot out a tire,” Vianne said softly, her eyes a little wider when the pop was repeated. “And another tire,” she went forward on her hands and knees, one hand rising to try the chrome handle. “Locked, of course…” she stayed near the door. “Anything you can grab, Erika…get it, hold it and prepare to throw it. And keep throwing anything in grabbing distance. If we get the chance, make a run for it and head to the main gate. Tanner said there are a couple guys here on our side…” Vianne grabbed up a coil of thick rope.
“This is the supply van for the house,” Erika said thoughtfully, pulling a box from the side and opening the flap to find half a dozen of cans of oil. She hefted one in her palm and nodded. “Weapons. Got it.”
“Give me a couple of those,” Vianne told her, taking a wide can in each hand and waiting.
“They don’t sound happy,” Erika said, trying to keep her voice from shaking.
“Then we should make them more unhappy,” Vianne slid forward and went to rest on her behind. “Let’s make some noise.”
She brought her feet up and started kicking with both of them against the hollow sounding door. She nodded when Erika joined her.
“I think I need this right now,” Erika mumbled, throwing all her muscle behind each kick. Muscle and anger struck harder and louder with each kick.
“We might just get a break here…” Vianne felt the metal give beneath their kicks. “If we do, just you run for the gates, Erika! Do you hear me?”
“I’m not leaving you with these…”
“Just run! I’ll be right…damn…right behind you,” She promised, one hand up to shield her eyes from all the light coming at them suddenly. She reached back and grabbed Erika’s hand. “Come on!”
****
Morgan kept his gun aimed on the two men that came sprinting from the van. He could take them out. But doing that would open up his spot and take away his usefulness. Then he heard the thumping begin. The men who had come running toward him suddenly turned and sprinted back toward the van. They made it just before the doors were bounced off the sides.
He swore just beneath his breath. Still undecided because two men were coming from the gatehouse and the two from the van were closing on it just as two women jumped from inside. They were shaky…their hands up on the sides of the van and eyes squinting against the light they’d abruptly thrust themselves into. He watched Jake park the truck and come running along the fence line, he was quickly over the wrought iron and heading toward Morgan.
“Should we take them out?” Came the breathless question.
“We should go to the yacht and disable it and as many of them as we can,” Morgan decided, quickly shoving his gun into the holster and grabbing up the pack at his feet. “Let’s go.”
****
Erika and Vianne didn’t make it far.
Vianne blamed the drugs still clouding her head and the pounding inside it. They ran straight into a couple of Neil Vincent’s men coming up the driveway. She pushed Erika off to the side and barreled right into them with a shout at Erika to run.
Erika didn’t care for the solution and threw the one can of oil she still held in her hand, striking one of the men hard on his shoulder.
“Run, damn it!” Vianne yelled out, using anything and everything to tangle up at least two of the men.
“Fucking bitch bit me!”
“Just grab her already!” Ordered one of them that had come running from the gate. “Stop now, or I’ll shoot your friend!”
Vianne swore and groaned when the backhand caught the side of her face, sending her to her knees. Seconds later an arm circled her throat and held her there, gasping. She clawed at the arm with both hands but it wouldn’t give.
“No! Erika…” Vianne yelped, the arm tightened and pulled her against his thighs.
“Shut up, bitch, or I’ll choke you right here,” came the thick, raspy growl next to her ear.
“Your choice, Miss Vincent,” said the guard from the gate. “Dead or alive.”
Erika turned slowly, her eyes on Vianne’s with a small smile. Her mouth moved to the words she spoke even though they weren’t out loud. “I can’t leave you.”
Vianne slumped against the man holding her, her gasp for breath loud and hungry when she was released. Her palms went to the grass, her head hanging between her arms as she gulped in air that burned all the way to her lungs.
“Why are you doing this?” Erika asked, her feet moving slowly back toward Vianne and her eyes on the gun that followed her movements. “You’ll only end up in prison.”
“You’ll be on your way to the Dominican Republic in the next hour for a quickie divorce and a hasty wedding,” the man standing by Vianne.
“Zee won’t agree to a divorce,” Erika dragged her tongue around her lips and bent to help Vianne to her feet. “Sorry. I couldn’t let them give you another bullet hole.”
“Oh, but there you’re wrong,” the man laughed. “I have all the necessary ID to claim that me and my bride just aren’t compatible,” he said in mock seriousness. “Then you’ll be married to the young vice-president. Your father already has reservations for both of you in a nice, secluded institution off the coast of France. A private place for those recovering from traumatic events, especially designed for difficult patients with serious delusions.”
A shudder ran through Vianne. She knew of places like that. Catering to difficult relatives of the rich and sadistic.
“And you believe it’s really that simple?” Erika asked curiously, linking her arm with Vianne’s and letting them prod her along the driveway to the house. “All of this is for control of the stocks…”
“You should have talked to the old boyfriend,” the man chatted and chuckled. “They have plans for some serious connections with countries and leaders that are less than acceptable.”
“He can’t keep his government contracts if he does business with banned countries,” Erika recited from memory.
“You’re naïve,” was his only answer, nodding to the man on the other side, both of them closing behind the women and pushing them forward a little faster. “Let’s go, ladies. Got things to do before we set sail.”
Vianne kept her eyes up, scanning and taking in all the things around them. She closed her eyes against the thudding inside her head and listened to Tanner’s words.
“We’re coming for you.”
She had to hold those words; cling to that thought.
“He won’t stop, you know,” Erika said with a light tone. She looked from one to the other and smiled. “And when he finds us, he’ll kick your ass into next month. And I’ll cheer him on.”
Vianne had to grin, especially since she knew their guys were listening on the other end of her muffled phone. Though she seriously doubted they were feeling the least bit amused at the moment.
Erika stayed close to Vianne. She didn’t like the dark bruise forming on her friend’s forehead so just in case she was feeling woosey, she’d be there to hold her up. They stepped into the foyer of a house she used to love. She wasn’t sure what to expect or who would be there. It was almost a relief when the halls were empty.
“Where are my parents?”
“They’ll come for you when they want you,” the unnamed man answered flatly, prodding them up the stairs. “To your room. The windows have been barred and locked, so just settle in for a while and I’ll come for you when they’ve got the boat ready to go. They left food for you, eat and be quiet.”
“Gee, thanks,” Erika tossed back flippantly.
“Don’t antagonize the hired help,” Vianne suggested with a sigh. “Although, I’ll be cheering, too. I hope the boat sinks.”
“Get inside and shut up,” he shoved her forward and pulled the door closed. “
Stay here and don’t let them out. I’m going to check on progress.”
Vianne went straight to one of the nicely cushioned wing chairs and sunk down, her head in the corner and eyes closed for a long minute. She stretched out her legs, straightening her body. She didn’t see the look on Erika’s face when Vianne slid her hand down the front of her jeans and came up with the slim phone.
“Oh…” Erika went to the bed and sat cross legged on the edge. “You’ve had that the whole time? Down there?”
“Guys check pockets for phones…not crotches,” Vianne said with a strained chuckle. “You got anything for a headache here?”
“Yeah…and water…oh, and they left us juice.”
“Don’t eat or drink any of it,” Vianne said strongly, meeting her friend’s gaze. “Tanner?”
“Right here, babe…are you alright?”
She could hear the emotions in his voice. Strain, tension, controlled fury were only a few she’d name right now. There was a nice reassurance just hearing his low, rough voice.
“We’re good…locked up in Erika’s old bedroom,” she sighed and took the small glass of water and pills from Erika. “Thanks. Bit of a headache. Not sure what they shot us with before dumping us in the van. They have the window and patio door blocked with two-by-fours, I think. I don’t know how many of them there are, Tanner. We saw four.”
“We’re almost at the shore,” Tanner said quietly. “Stay in the bedroom, Vianne. We’ll find you.”
“Alright. We can lock ourselves in the bathroom and block these doors,” Vianne stood up and stretched. “I’m setting the phone on the bureau. Tanner…please be careful…you and Zee…please…”
“Can you put Erika on for him, Vianne?”
“Done,” she said with a smile, handing the phone over to Erika and shooing her to the far corner to talk to Zee. She began pushing and pulling things toward the bedroom door.
“I’m alright, I promise. Angry…yes, I’m angry,” Erika said with a slightly sullen tone. “No, I will not do anything regrettable…although maybe you should define regrettable,” she winced at the sharp, firm voice that came through the line. “No, we won’t. We’re blocking the door now. I love you…alright…please, be careful…”
“Yeah…” Vianne waited while Erika set the open phone down before coming to help her shove another bureau in front of the doors. “Put the phone on the counter in the bathroom, Erika. We’ll have this blocked and go in there and wait.”
“I’m not good with waiting,” Erika whispered, angry at herself. “I have another way out,” she told Vianne with a twitch of her head to the side. “I made it when I was little.”
Vianne took the phone and closed it, sliding it to vibrate instead of ring chimes. She dropped it into her pocket and winced. She had a feeling there was shouting going on wherever Tanner and Zee were at the moment. She rubbed her palms down the sides of her jeans and followed Erika into the walk in closet.
“An escape hatch,” Vianne whispered in admiration, her head bobbing slightly. “Nice work, friend.”
Together they moved the small bureau beneath the large square in the corner.
“It’s probably a little dusty…” Erika took a deep breath and climbed on the bench and then onto the top of the bureau. She lifted the piece of wood and slid it to the side before rising up off her knees and peering around the interior of the attic. “This will take us up to my grandmother’s room. We can get down the side steps that way and to the woods between us and the neighbors.”
Vianne followed behind Erika, just enough room for her to slide the panel back in place. It wouldn’t hide them, she knew that, it would maybe slow down the people chasing them a little.
“You have a whole set of…hidey holes up here,” Vianne whispered, crawling along on her hands and knees, hoping Erika knew where she was going.
“I used to get grounded a lot,” Erika murmured back. “I haven’t been up here since I was about fourteen. But I always kept it stocked, just in case.”
Vianne came to a stop when the dusty bottle of water was handed back to her, the seal still unbroken. Following Erika’s actions, they both sat, legs curled beneath them in the very dim light.
“Where are we?”
“Just above the west bedrooms. It used to be my grandmother’s suite,” Erika answered softly. “I don’t hear anything. Once I lift the panel, we can drop down and replace the panel. They can probably find us…if they have flashlights, they can follow our dust trail.” She sighed and drained half the bottle of water. “It seemed like a good idea.”
“If we can get outside, we can make a run for the neighbor’s house.” Vianne suggested after a long drink of the cool water.
“No one lives in that house. But we have your phone. Call the police,” Erika said quickly. “Even if we get disconnected, we’ll have placed the call. We’ve been kidnapped!”
Vianne knew it was the best answer and squirmed in the cramped space, stretching her leg out and digging the slim phone from inside her pocket. She managed to tap in 9-1-1 when the crashing began. She thrust the phone at Erika.
“Give them the address!” Vianne turned and blocked Erika with her body, looking around the space and coming up empty as far as possible weapons were concerned. “Let’s get out of here!” She hissed after listening to the address and hastily whispered call for help.
“This way! We’ll go up on the roof!” Erika whispered hurriedly, crawling along another passage until she found the opening she wanted. “This takes us up into the peak on the side of the house.”
Vianne shielded her eyes when the panel was slipped to the side. She followed Erika through the passage and was glad it was open space without dust and unseen creatures. She quickly pulled herself onto the wide flat roof, hands hastily brushing and dusting at all the fine silt that they’d crawled through. Ten fingers scraped through her hair and she stepped back to let Erika put the covering back in place.
“And all this time I thought you were mildly compliant,” Vianne scowled at her friend, blinking and looking around. “Now what?”
“Please…it’s been a while, but the things I left are still here,” Erika moved cautiously over the flat edge. She pulled another panel free from one of the gables and brought out a thick coiled section of rope, the end already securely attached to the beam inside.
“Seriously? I look like Jane of the jungle to you? Maybe we can just wait here…” Vianne looked in the direction of the main gate. “Police should be wailing up the drive any time now…”
“I can see Zee’s boat,” Erika hissed, her hand up and pointing toward the neighbor’s house to the west of them. “They’re out there somewhere…looking for us. We can’t stay here.”
“I hate this,” Vianne mumbled, puffing up her cheeks and watching as Erika tossed the coiled rope over the side. She took a few very careful steps toward the edge and peered down. Oh, god! Three floors.
“Hold on…use your T-shirt and wrap your hands in it and hold onto the rope. That’s why I got this really, really thick rope. It’s easy to hold onto. Use the house to hold your feet in place,” Erika outlined very quietly. “We can run for the boat and hide there.”
“Once we’re safe, you call and tell them,” Vianne watched Erika back toward the edge. “You took climbing lessons,” she remembered out loud.
“Yep. And this was why,” Erika said with a broad grin.
“God, it’s been ages since I’ve done this,” Vianne mumbled, wrapping her T-shirt around her hands and gripping the rope. She followed Erika’s actions, bracing herself and refusing to look behind her. It felt like she was walking backward down the side of the building and she was glad it had been awhile since she ate.
“You’re doing fine,” Erika encouraged, carefully looking over her shoulder and around the shadowed edges. “No one’s here. They’re probably tearing up the inside of the house.”
Vianne kept her thoughts on that to herself, chancing a look to the left and then right as
she eased lower toward the ground. They’d been careful and very quiet, almost tiptoeing down the side of the house but damned if she wasn’t really glad when the ground got closer.
“I don’t ever want to do that again,” Vianne shook her hands out, her fingers had gotten just a little tense on the way down, tense and cramped. “Let’s get out of here.”
“The police…” Erika glanced toward the sounds, her body jerking when Vianne grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind the thick shrubs.
“Shh…” Vianne put her palm over her own mouth, the sounds of running and shouting ripping through the grounds. She was glad the grass and dirt were dry and hard and hoped no one would notice the rope hanging against the house.
“I don’t know where the fuck they went!” Snarled one voice.
“The ship is tilting…something’s wrong,” said another voice, both moving swiftly past where the women hid.
“Stop! Police!”
Vianne shook her head. That just never works. She listened to the pounding footsteps and ducked her head between her knees when the popping sounds of guns started. She peeked up at Erika to see her friend sitting like she was, knees drawn up tightly and arms around them.
“What the hell did you do with them?”
Erika’s head popped up at the familiar snarl. Her eyes widened at the crunching, crashing sounds of a fist fight that had them both snapping to attention. She barely glanced at Vianne before both of them crawled from the shrubs and slowly peered around the side.
Two uniformed officers were pulling Zee off one of the men who had been driving the van. Just before he launched himself again, Tanner gripped his arm and pulled, hard.
Ready to bite his head off, Zee glared at him only to bring himself up short and follow his gaze to the ground next to the house and about twenty-five feet away.
Both men stared for a long minute at the two blondes on their knees next to the shrubs, dust and cobwebs decorating their hair and tear streaked make-up beneath their eyes.
“I take it that’s the missing women?” One of the police officers said quietly as he cuffed the man Zee had been fighting with.
WindSwept Narrows: #22 Erika & Vianne Page 37
