Ax
My world has tightened to a single pulsing point, and it is about to be overwhelmed by my rage. I held onto my anger through the sleepless night, but no longer.
It’s time to confront my piece of shit brother and bring down a world of hurt.
It’s time to ruin his life for ruining mine. Revenge plot be damned. I don’t have the luxury of waiting to finish my white collar financial conspiracy. It’s time to get my hands dirty.
I head downtown and straight for Craven Industries main office. My brother will be there, and we can finally get to the culmination of this whole sordid affair.
Time to take down my brother, and in the process, the empire my father built. The billions are collateral damage. Losing Sabrina is the only thing that matters to me. And Brent will pay.
Before I can reach the office, I see a lone figure in the distance. She rushes out into the street, waving her arms over her head. She looks vaguely familiar, like many of the other residents of Craven Cove. A face out of the past.
Her frantic motions force my attention off my task, and I pull Delilah over as she runs towards me. “Ax,” she says, out of breath. Then I hear the words that make my blood turn cold. “Something’s happened to Sabrina. She needs your help.”
I step off the bike and grab her. “Who are you? And what do you know about Sabrina?”
“I’m—I’m Tonya,” she says. “Me and Sabrina have been friends for years. My family used to live next door to her uncle’s family before they moved south. We went to school together too, but everyone in town goes to school together, so—”
My impatience causes me to shake her, not too violently, but enough to get her back on track. “Tell me about Sabrina!”
“My—my cousin Tommy is on the force. He got a call from Sabrina. A 9-1-1 call. He thinks it was some kind of prank, but I don’t. She said something about a car pulled across the road, and that something bad was about to happen. Then Tommy said something happened, and all he could hear was some muffled yelling. He figured she was joking with him.”
My heart is ice in my chest, and I can barely breathe. “It’s no joke. When did this happen and where?”
“Old Cove Road. The call came in about forty-five minutes ago. Tommy had just hung up the phone when I walked in. He asked me to bring him over some waffles from Mabel’s. He was laughing, and I asked him what was so funny, and he told me about the call. I tried to convince him to take it seriously, but Tommy’s not so smart, you see, and—”
I pull away, ready to race toward Old Cove Road. Tonya is still talking when I start up the bike and speed away, but I have all the information I need.
Sabrina was right to try and leave town, but she wasn’t fast enough. And I failed to protect her. I’d been home sulking about her leaving me, certain my brother’s bark was worse than his bite.
How wrong I’ve been. About everything.
But not anymore.
I’m out on Old Cove Road in minutes, Delilah roaring along at a breakneck speed. It doesn’t take long for me to find the tire tracks into the woods along the old highway. I park the bike and follow the tracks. They pushed the car off the road, but the vegetation is too thick for it to go far. I yank open the door to find what I already know. The car is empty.
I find Sabrina’s phone on the floorboard. The screen is cracked, but it is otherwise intact. Shoving it into my back pocket, I look over the rest of the car before abandoning it. She’s not here.
I need to find her, her and our daughter. But the trail goes cold after I locate the car. I take Old Cove until it hits the modern-day highway, but there is no sign of the black SUV. They’re gone, and I don’t know how to find them.
Except to get the information from my brother.
I head back into town, back to Craven Industries, but it gets me nowhere. Security won’t let me past the front door, despite my last name. But it turns out I’m not the only one trying to get face time with Brent.
As security escorts me back out onto the street, I’m surprised to see a news van screech to a halt in front of the office building, followed by two more in short order. My brow furrows. Cape Craven isn’t big enough to merit one news van, let alone three. This means they’ve come down from Williamsburg. Something big is afoot.
I move back to watch reporters get their cameras set up and then rush the door, each trying to scoop the other. Security repels them as easily as they did me, but the reporters continue to shout questions until a man in a suit comes out to quiet them.
I recognize him. The man with salt and pepper hair and a tailored suit is a member of my father’s board. He informs the group that Craven Industries will be releasing a statement in the near future and asks them all to move along.
One of the reporters ignores him, shouting a question. “Is it true that the board overthrew Brent Craven’s leadership today?”
My eyes widen. When it rains, it pours.
Another reporter points her microphone at the board member. “Do you think this change will stop your share price from tanking?”
“No comment,” the board member says, pushing past security and back into the building. I shake off this distraction and start Delilah. If Brent isn’t here, he’s got to be somewhere else. First stop, the family estate.
I’m surprised to find a security detail parked in front of the door. I calmly inform them who I am, but they don’t move aside. The larger one says that the family isn’t accepting visitors.
“I am family,” I reply. “Step aside.”
The two men in cheap suits and identical sunglasses decide I don’t fit the qualifications necessary to be a Craven, and things swiftly escalate. I step back, giving myself room to swing my fists. At this point, I don’t care that I’d be arrested for assault and battery. Things have come to a head, and I’m done fucking around.
The first one is down, and I’ve got the second in a chokehold when I hear the applause. Leigh stalks forward, her ridiculously high heels clicking on the marble floor. “Well done, Ax,” she says, adding a giggle that sounds forced.
“Where’s Brent?” I grunt out while I tighten my arm muscles around the security dope’s throat. He finally loses consciousness, and I drop his limp body.
“Your brother’s not here.”
“Then what’s with the security detail?”
She arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “They were hired to protect us, your father and I, despite the shitty job they did. I’m definitely going to write a nasty review online.”
“Why would you need protection if Brent isn’t here?” I’m rattled by everything that’s happened today, and my thoughts aren’t connecting.
Leigh looks at me with genuine confusion on her face. “You haven’t seen the news?”
“Look,” I say, pushing my way into the house and rounding on her. “I don’t have time for this. Tell me what the fuck is going on.”
Her eyes widen, and she moves back against the wall, clutching at her diamond necklace. “The board ousted your brother. Stock prices are in the toilet, and there’s talk of a takeover. The board thought it wise to hire security for the office and the estate, in case any angry shareholders decide to descend. People have lost a lot of money these past weeks while Brent drove the company into the ground.”
I take a deep breath, then shake my head. All of this is a distraction. Sabrina and Lex are the only things that matter.
“Where’s Brent?”
Leigh shakes her head. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re all swollen with rage. Not that it’s not a good look on you, honey, but have you heard a word I’ve said?”
I get closer, staring down at her. “Sabrina and her daughter are missing, and I know my piece of shit brother has something to do with it.”
“Don’t you mean, your daughter?”
My eyes narrow. “Yes. Alexa is my daughter. And if I don’t find her unharmed, anyone who had anything to do with their abduction will pay.”
She affects innocenc
e. “Maybe she couldn’t handle you,” she purrs. “Maybe she split because you couldn’t get the message that things were over between you.” Leigh runs her hands up my chest. “Maybe you deserve better.”
“And maybe you’re full of shit.” I slap her hand away. “I know about my father’s prescriptions. I know someone’s keeping him doped up. I thought it was Brent who was responsible, but now I’ve got to wonder if he’s had a little help.”
“You’re being ridiculous. Your father needs his medication. And—and I think you need help.”
Her eyes are wide, and in their reflection I see a shadow appear. Whirling around, I land a knockout punch on Chuck’s chin. He falls like a ragdoll, dropping the handgun he was holding. Leigh lets out a scream.
I hear footsteps running toward us. Around the corner comes a young man, her driver, I realize, and he swings a crowbar at me. I dodge but feel a burst of pain as it makes contact with my elbow. I shove the boy into the wall, knock the tool from his hand, and put my hands around his throat.
The kid’s eyes are bulging, his face turning red. “I know you think you’re doing your job, but you’re fucking up big time right now. I’m going to let you go, and I want you to run out that door and keep running. Don’t come back. If you don’t do as I say, I will take you out. Understand?”
The kid tries to nod, and I release him. He gulps in air, lets out a heavy cough that leaves a string of drool on his chin, and then rushes out the door and down the steps past the unconscious security detail. He’s out of sight in less than a minute.
I bend down to retrieve Chuck’s gun and shove it in my waistband. “Where’s Brent?”
“He left town,” Leigh croaks, sliding down the wall and hugging her knees. “I swear it. He’s not here.”
“He left?”
She nods. “He was gone before the board removed him. I heard him making flight arrangements in your dad’s office.”
“If you’re lying, I’ll—”
“I’m not lying. Do you think I give a fuck about your brother? He’s an asshole. I thought maybe you and I could be friends, but I’m currently re-evaluating that option.”
I take a deep breath, debating my options. I can waste time searching the house, but someone is bound to call the cops, and the bodies littered around me won’t be unconscious forever.
“I’ll be back. And we’re going to talk about what’s going on with my father.”
Leigh blinks, her features tightening. Then she extends a manicured middle finger.
I stalk back to Delilah, feeling adrift. Where the fuck is my brother? Could he have really left town?
I consider calling the police. If Brent isn’t around, he can’t put the kibosh on the search for Sabrina and Lex. Then again, the Cape Craven PD isn’t exactly known for their smarts. They’d arrested me on the thinnest of evidence, and Tommy didn’t even realize that Sabrina was in real danger.
Fuck it. It’s up to me to save my family, and I won’t give up until I do.
42
Sabrina
My daughter is crying, and my heart feels like it’s being slowly ripped apart. I try to roll closer to her, but the SUV hits a bump so I’m thrown backward, hitting my head against the rear door.
There are two of them. Two kidnappers. One has a shock of red hair with a beard to match. The other has darker skin and black hair. Their backs are to us, the redhead driving, the other riding shotgun.
Lex and I are in the rear compartment, behind the back row of seating. They’ve tied our hands together behind our backs, and our ankles, then pulled the rope up to connect the two, forcing our legs to remain bent. We both have gags in our mouth, as we roll around in the back while the vehicle flies over a dirt road.
We’ve been driving for close to an hour, I think. It’s hard to tell. Long enough for me to play every possible terrible scenario over in mind. I’ve also had plenty of time to berate myself for not leaving last night.
It’s like they were waiting for us this morning. Like they knew we were coming. But how?
I’ve given up trying to figure out what’s going on anymore. All I can do is react. I have to protect my daughter, have to try and get her away. We’re stuck in a battle between two stubborn brothers, and if we aren’t careful, we could end up collateral damage.
I won’t let that happen, I vow. My daughter is my priority. I will do whatever I have to in order to keep her safe.
The car finally stops, a cloud of dust rising around us. I roll on my back, grunting at the pain in my legs, but all I can see out the window is tall trees. We’re clearly out in the middle of nowhere. And there is plenty of nowhere in the old forests of North Carolina.
The rear door opens, and hands grab me, pulling me up and putting me over a broad shoulder. I see freckled skin. The redhead has me. I hear Lex whining behind her gag, and the sound is heartbreaking.
The man carrying me pauses, and I hear keys rattling. Then he’s walking through a door. I twist and catch sight of the dark-haired one behind me, carrying Lex over his shoulder. He shuts the door behind him.
They lug us down a hallway and toss us on a bed. “Don’t get off this bed,” the redhead says, his voice stern. Then they exit and shut the door behind them. I hear the sound of the lock clicking.
I start to squirm around so I can face my daughter. Then I press my face against the bed and drag it upward repeatedly until I’m able to dislodge the cloth gag. Leaning into Lex’s face close enough to feel the wetness on her cheek, I use my teeth to pull her gag down.
“Hi baby,” I whisper, and she starts to sob. “Shhh,” I say, trying to quiet her down. No need to attract the attention of our kidnappers. “Baby you have to stop crying. We’re going to be all right.”
It takes her a minute, but she quiets, fat tears still rolling down her cheeks. “What’s happening, Mommy?”
How do I even begin to answer that question? I decide to downplay the danger. I don’t want my baby to worry. “These men are just going to hold onto us while they get some things sorted out.”
“This is why Ax couldn’t see me? Because of these guys?” My child could never be accused of stupidity, but sometimes I wish she didn’t catch on so quickly.
I sigh. “It’s complicated, honey. But if we stay calm and quiet, we should be okay.” I hope.
“Mom, I’m so sorry,” she says, and I have to bite my lip not to start crying. “I should have stayed quiet, just like you did for so long.”
“No, sweetie, don’t be silly.”
“This is my fault for talking about Dad—about Ax. You shouldn’t have told me.”
I wish my hands were untied so I could hold her close. “Lex, none of this is your fault.”
“Yes, it is. As soon as I told people, this happened. You said you didn’t tell me who my father was to keep me safe.”
“Shh,” I whisper as her voice starts to rise. “No one could have expected this, not even your father. I just meant I didn’t want people to blame you for my own mistakes. This is not your fault.”
The door opens, and the huge red-haired man stands in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. “Making yourselves comfortable?”
“Let her go,” I say, the words spilling out of me automatically. “You don’t need her if you have me. Release my daughter, and I’ll cooperate with whatever you want.”
Our captor looks unmoved. Without responding, he takes a few steps into the room. His companion comes in behind him.
“Let her go,” I repeat with more force.
“No one’s going anywhere,” the redhead says, then leans forward, reaching toward Lex.
“Don’t touch her,” I hiss, worming my way forward.
“Get her,” he grumbles, and I feel the other one grab the rope connecting my wrists to my ankles.
I struggle harder. “Leave her alone!”
The big guy shakes his head. He’s doing something behind Lex’s back, something I can’t see. I jerk against the hold on my bonds, but I’m y
anked backward.
Then I see that Lex’s hands are free. She’s rubbing her wrist, watching the big guy warily. I freeze, and in a moment, my hands are free.
The redheaded one finishes untying Lex, then seats himself in the armchair in the corner. He looks like a giant in a child’s chair. “Time to lay down some ground rules. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, so if you think you’re going to escape out a window and make it away on foot, you’re lying to yourself. These woods will gobble you up before you find your way out of them.”
My ankles are free, and I stretch, grimacing at my protesting muscles. Pinning my eyes on the giant, I listen carefully.
“Besides, the windows are nailed shut.” He points toward the open door that leads into a small attached bathroom. “No windows in there, either. There’s only one door out of this cabin, and you won’t make it past us. So don’t try. If you’re quiet, good little girls, we can all wait this thing out peacefully.”
I feel the other one lean close to me, and I stiffen. “Bad little girls get punished,” he whispers in my ear, and a chill runs over me.
“When will you let us go?” I ask, scooting forward, away from the monster at my back.
“Soon enough.”
He stands, then flexes and makes a fist. “Don’t give us any trouble, and we’ll all come out of this fine.” Jerking his head at his companion, he turns and leaves the room. The dark haired one follows, turning back to give me a wink before walking out and closing the door. The lock clicks behind them.
Fuck.
“Will they hurt us?”
Her voice sounds so little, so frightened, it hurts my chest. “We’ll do as they say. Wait here patiently, and they’ll let us go.”
I pull her into my lap, holding her tight. She’s getting so big, she’s outgrown this kind of hug, but I don’t care, and right now, neither does she. “I’m scared.”
“I know,” I say, stroking her hair. “Me too.”
I rock my baby back and forth for what feels like forever. Then I notice she’s fallen asleep. I’m not surprised. The adrenaline rush is exhausting.
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