“That’s not going to happen,” John said dryly. “Obviously.”
“It’s starting to swell. We need to at least get an ice-pack on it.”
“I want to go home,” moaned Jake.
“You want to go home? Well, forget it. That’s not going to happen. You’ve been a lot of trouble,” said John, the heartless bastard. “You tried escaping earlier and you tried it again just now. Do you know what happens to little boys who don’t do what they’re told?”
“John, leave him alone. He’s frightened,” I said, glaring at him.
John grunted. “Mia, see… this is why I never wanted to have kids with you. You’re too soft.”
I wanted to scream at him that he shouldn’t have kids because he was a psychotic freak, but bit my tongue. “Maybe I am, but he needs something for the swelling. Can you go and gather an ice-pack from the freezer?”
“How about you do it and I’ll carry him to the car?” said John.
“Okay,” I replied. “Just be careful of his ankle.”
“Just go and get that ice-pack,” said John, sounding irritated. He bent down and picked up Jake, who I could tell wanted to be anywhere but in his arms.
“I’ll be back,” I said, running toward the house. I went inside and rushed over to the refrigerator. It was then that I noticed someone had left a cell phone on the counter. I picked it up and swiped my finger across the screen. It showed a missed call from someone with the contact name of “Asshole.”
The person had left a message, but there wasn’t time to listen, so I started looking through the text messages. I sucked in my breath when I realized the phone belonged to Marissa and that “Asshole” was actually Damian.
The front door opened, startling me, and John stepped inside. I quickly hid the phone in the back of my pants, covering it with my shirt.
“How is he?” I asked, opening up the freezer.
“The same,” he replied. “At least he’s in too much pain to try and run this time.”
“I reckon so. What do you know – there is ice,” I said, pulling out a small bag of it. I set it on the counter next to a bottle of rum.
He stepped into the kitchen. “Of course there is. It’s always cocktail hour for Marissa Stryker. Or rather,” he smirked. “It was.”
“So, rum was her thing? I’m not much of a rum drinker myself,” I said. “I don’t know if it’s the taste or the fact that it can really knock you on your butt. I love cooking with it, though.” I knew I was babbling but couldn’t help it. I was anxious about him finding the phone.
“I remember,” he said, watching me closely. I began to wonder if he knew that I was hiding something.
“So, um, are you still a scotch drinker?” I asked, grabbing the hand towel. I laid it flat and began filling it with pieces of ice.
“I don’t know why you’re even bothering,” he said.
I looked at him. “What do you mean?”
“You know he’s not going to be around too much longer,” he said, opening up the refrigerator. “Man, I’m parched. Doesn’t anyone drink bottled water anymore?”
I stared at him in horror. “You are not really going to murder that little boy, are you?”
“Like I’ve been telling you – no witnesses,” he said, reaching into the refrigerator. He grabbed a can of soda and opened it.
“But, he’s just a child.”
John took a sip of soda. “A child who has seen my face and knows that you’re alive. You know we can’t have that.”
“John, you can’t kill him. I’ll do anything you want. Just, please don’t murder that child,” I begged.
“If we had any other choice, I’d consider it. But, we don’t,” he replied as calmly as one would discuss the weather. “Now, hurry up. I want to get the other body out of here so we can clean up and head out.”
“Where are we going?” I asked, knowing that I needed to act before Damian paid the money.
“To Tallahassee,” he answered.
“I have an apartment set up there. We’re going to need a place to stay while we set up your fake passport. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take too long.”
“Oh. Okay.”
He nodded toward the ice pack. “Get that out to the boy and then get back in here. We may as well make him feel more comfortable so he stops whining. Damian and Ransom have until six to make their payment, so we might be stuck with him until then. Which reminds, me, I should call for an update.”
“Good idea.”
I hurried out to John’s car, where Jake was sprawled out in the backseat, crying softly to himself.
“Here, honey,” I said, kneeling down. “You need to try and hold this against your ankle.”
His hands shook as he took it from me.
“Listen,” I whispered. “I’m friends with your dad. I’m going to get you out of here.”
He stopped crying. “You are?”
“Yes, but first we have to get away from the guy in the house. He’s a very bad man.”
Jake nodded. “I know. He killed my mother.”
“I know. I’m sorry. We’ll get you to your daddy, though.”
He looked past me, toward the house. “Can’t we just drive away?”
“I wish it was that easy. He has the keys.”
“Do you have a gun? Maybe you could shoot him?”
Spoken from the mouth of a babe, I thought. The poor kid was already getting numb to the idea of killing other people.
“Mia!” hollered John, standing on the stoop. “Get in here!”
“Hold on!” I yelled back.
I turned back to Jake. “You’re going to have to be strong, okay? Let me worry about John. You just keep this on your leg.”
“It’s too cold,” he said.
“I know but it’s the best thing for your ankle. It will help the swelling go down.”
“Mia!”
Sighing, I stood up and straightened my shirt. It was then I realized that I still had the small can of pepper spray in my front pocket.
31
Damian
The Coast Guard arrived, and after assessing the situation, contacted the FBI.
“They’re going to be meeting you at port, along with the local police,” said the commander of the Coast Guard’s ship. “In the meantime, we’ll accompany you back to shore.”
“Thank you. What about my son? He’s still missing. I know that my ex-wife is involved,” I replied and then went over the entire story of how he’d been kidnapped. “She knows where he is. I’m sure of it. Someone has to try and locate her.”
The only surviving clown, who apparently was Chuckle’s little brother, had claimed he didn’t know where Jake was, had never met Marissa, and barely knew John.
“I was recruited through my brother and last night was the first time we’d met,” he’d told us. “I didn’t even know that there was a kid involved until we got on the ship.”
Although it was possible that he’d been lying, I could tell he was young and knew that John wouldn’t have trusted him with too much information.
“The FBI will assist you with that, Mr. Stryker. Since, he’s still missing and the situation is complex, I would work directly with them to get your son back,” he replied.
“Okay,” I answered, running a hand over my face.
“We’re also searching for the Carver you described,” he said. “We’ll let you know if we come up with anything.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Staring down at his notes, he turned and walked away.
“Would you like some coffee?” asked Ransom, walking over with two steaming cups.
I smiled. “Yes. Thank you.”
I was exhausted and could barely think straight. We’d made it through a very deadly ordeal and although I should have felt relieved that the rest of the passengers and crew were safe, I felt empty inside. My son was still missing and a woman had lost her life because of me. If I wouldn’t have tried making John jealous, he might not h
ave taken her off of the ship. If I wouldn’t have insisted on getting full custody of Jake, maybe Marissa wouldn’t have tried blackmailing me like this. These things went through my mind and it all came down to the fact that my selfishness and arrogance had cost people their lives.
“Are you okay?” asked Ransom.
“I’m just thinking about Mia and Jake,” I said.
“I’m really sorry about what happened to her,” he answered. “She seemed like a really nice girl.”
“To be honest, we’d only known each other for a couple of days. But, for the short time we were together, I found her… fascinating.”
He put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure there will be a lot of people grieving for her. I know Ridley is taking it hard. They must have been best friends.”
I looked over to where Ridley was sitting between Reed and Thane. She was smiling sadly and her eyes were red-rimmed. I could tell they were trying to comfort her.
“Yes. They had big plans together,” I said, fighting my own tears. I thought back to the night we’d had dinner with Michael. Listening to them talk about buying an island and opening up a hotel had been amusing to me, but they’d seemed very serious about it. I decided that when all of this was over, I’d do whatever I could to help Ridley fulfill her dream. Even if Mia wasn’t around to enjoy it with her, I owed it to them both. Just because one of them had died, didn’t mean their dream had to.
Marshall walked over to us. “I bet you can’t wait to get back to the mainland and start searching for Jake,” he said to me.
My cousin knew me all too well. Even with the FBI getting involved, I wouldn’t be able to sleep until he was found. I needed to get involved.
“Did they tell you they’ve contacted the FBI?” I asked.
“Yes,” he answered. “Hopefully they’ll find Marissa quickly and this nightmare will be over soon.”
Marshall looked at Ransom. “Did you get ahold of your fiancée?”
Ransom had called Tiffany right after we’d taken back the ship. To say that she was upset was an understatement. It took him a long time to calm her down.
“She said that she had something to tell me,” said Ransom. “It sounds like some pretty big news because she refused to get into it over the phone.”
“Good news or bad?” I asked.
“It sounded good,” said Ransom.
“Maybe she’s pregnant?” said Marshall, smiling in amusement.
“Pregnant?” he repeated and then smiled. “It’s funny that you should say that. She has been rather emotional lately.”
“I bet she’s got a bun in the oven,” I replied, remembering when Marissa was pregnant. She’d been emotional too but fortunately, had refrained from drinking during her pregnancy.
Ransom’s grin widened. “Wouldn’t that be something. I hope she is. After this experience, I want a child in our life. That way if something ever happened to me, she’d always have a part of me.”
“For me, it’s the opposite,” said Marshall. “I’d hate to leave my child or have one taken from me.”
“You two are cousins, aren’t you?” asked Ransom.
“Yes,” said Marshall.
“You look like you could be brothers,” he said.
Marshall and I looked at each other. People had always said that about us, although I didn’t see it.
“Our mothers were sisters,” I explained.
“Although, some people think I look like your old man,” said Marshall, with a smirk.
“I hope not,” I replied, chuckling. “I heard he’d been quite the ladies’ man. At least before he met my mother.”
“Were your mothers twins? Maybe your old man got confused one night,” joked Ransom.
“That’s twisted,” I said, smiling and shaking my head. “And no. They weren’t twins.”
Ransom chuckled. “Sorry. I’m a sick individual at times. Anyway, back to Jake. I’m tagging along with you guys,” said Ransom. “And don’t try arguing with me. I want to help you get him back. I feel totally vested in this now.”
“You’re a good friend,” I replied.
“So are you,” he said.
“One who almost got you killed. By the way, I’m so sorry about Simon. I truly am,” I said.
Ransom sighed. “Me, too. He was an asshole at times.” He chuckled. “Okay, many times. But, he had some good moments, too. I’m going to miss him.”
I sighed. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“I’m sorry for yours, too,” he said somberly, speaking of Mia.
“As horrible as it was, we’re alive and have to be thankful. You know if it would have turned out the way John wanted it to, none of us would see another sunset,” said Marshall.
“That’s true. Speaking of which, has John tried calling any of the phones yet?” I asked.
“No. I hate to say this but if the ship really is bugged, he probably knows what’s happening,” said Marshall.
“What if he takes it out on my son?” I said, horrified at the thought. “What if he kills him?”
“Let’s assume he knows what’s going on now. Realizes that the FBI is going to get involved. He still has Jake. He’s not going to kill him. He needs him now more than ever,” said Marshall. “And remember, Marissa won’t let John hurt him.”
I wanted to believe that, but after the last few hours, I wasn’t even sure about anything anymore.
32
Mia
I walked back into the house, my pulse racing. I knew that before I sprayed John with the pepper spray, I would need to get the car keys from him.
“He’s getting very warm in the car,” I said. “I think we should put the air-conditioner on for him.”
“He’ll be fine. Did you leave the back door open?” he asked, bending down next to the last body.
“Yes, but it’s getting hot outside, too,” I replied. It had to be almost ninety degrees already.
He looked up at me with scorn in his eyes. “Don’t worry about him. Let’s get this body into the trunk and do what we have to do.”
Sighing, I walked over to the other end of the corpse and we picked it up. Just like the last one, it was awkward and heavy.
“There,” he said, slamming the trunk shut after we managed to get it inside. “Now we just need to clean up and then you can follow me with this car to the well to dump the bodies. Then we’ll head out to Tallahassee.”
I looked over at his car. “That’s fine but we need to put the air conditioner on for Jake while we clean. I don’t want him having a heat stroke.”
He scowled. “You’re being way too overprotective of that kid. Is it because he’s Stryker’s?”
“No,” I replied angrily. “It’s because he’s an innocent little boy who has been through enough in the last few hours. You know, I don’t know exactly what you plan on doing with him after you get his father’s money, but at least show me that you have some decency in you, John.”
Rolling his eyes, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the car keys. “Fine, I thought that sparing your life showed you just how much decency I had, but apparently not.”
I wanted to say something sarcastic but held my tongue. Since he’d never freely give me the keys, especially with Jake in the backseat, I needed him to start the engine.
“I do appreciate that,” I said warmly. “I just hate to see anyone suffer.”
He let out a ragged sigh. “I know you do, which is the only reason I’m going to put the air conditioner on for him.”
I relaxed. “Okay. Thank you.”
He smiled darkly and winked. “Oh, you can thank me later when we get some alone time.”
The thought of him touching me was repulsive.
“Of course,” I said, forcing a smile to my face. “Gladly.”
Still smiling, he leaned forward, kissed me quickly on the lips, and then walked over to the CTS. I watched as he shut the back door, got into the front, and started the engine. Reaching into my front pocket, I gr
abbed the can of pepper spray and took it out, hiding it behind my back so that he wouldn’t see it.
John got out of the car. “There you go,” he said, shutting the door. “He should be cooled down in a few seconds.”
“Thank you,” I said again.
He walked over to me. “Are you happy now?”
“Extremely,” I said, bringing the pepper spray up to his face and spraying it.
John screamed angrily and closed his eyes as they began to burn. I quickly ran around him and tried opening the front door, but it was locked.
“You bitch!” hollered John, stumbling toward me blindly. “I knew you were up to something. I knew it!”
I quickly moved out of his reach and ran to the other side of the vehicle. The doors were locked there as well.
“Jake, open the door!” I yelled as he stared at me inside, wide-eyed and frightened.
As he leaned over to unlock it, John felt his way around the car, his pain overshadowed by rage.
I got into the backseat just as John reached my door. Unfortunately, my strength was no match for his. As I tried pulling the door shut, he flung it open. I backed away from him, toward Jake.
“Leave her alone!” Jake screamed at him.
John grabbed my ankle to try and pull me out.
Gasping, I leaned forward and sprayed him again with the pepper spray. This time, even my eyes began to burn from the mist.
John howled and released me.
Using all of my strength, I raised my foot and kicked him in the chest so hard that he fell backward.
Shaking, I pulled the door shut and locked it. “Don’t worry,” I told Jake, who was crying. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“Okay.”
I crawled into the front seat, my eyes still stinging, but thankfully, I wasn’t totally blinded.
John got up and this time, he was holding his gun. He pointed it at the car. “Get out of the car or I’ll shoot!”
Ignoring him, I threw the vehicle into drive and we tore off, the tires kicking up rocks in our wake. I could hear the sound of his gun going off followed by a bullet hitting the trunk.
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