Loving Me for Me

by Naleighna Kai

  Chapter 43

  “Ms. Maharaj, I’m sorry to inform you that Leena was taken off the school grounds a few minutes ago.”

  Reign sat up on the lounger and ran those words from Ms. Addison, the director of the twin’s school, back in her mind. She still couldn’t process them quite right. Leena was taken off the school grounds. As in kidnapped?

  “What?!” Reign shrieked, causing Devesh to leave his studio and came to her side. “Wait a minute.”

  She put the phone on speaker, trying to stay upright though her knees were ready to give out.

  “A man and a woman shot three of our teachers, two security guards, and a teacher’s aide before they snatched Leena and took off. Kamran fought that man off. But he had no choice but to stop when the man put the gun to Leena’s head.”

  “Sweet Jesus,” Reign cried.

  Devesh caught her before she slipped to the carpet.

  “The police are here,” Ms. Addison confirmed.

  “We’re on the way,” Devesh said, keeping a tight hold on his wife.

  Uniformed and officers in plainclothes from Newport Coast Police, and a sprinkling of FBI agents were scattered over the school grounds. Traffic slowed to a crawl as drivers craned their heads around to check out all the commotion. Several detectives were surveying the scene and questioning the rest of the teary-eyed staff who were concerned for the others who had been wheeled off in a series of ambulances. One was dead at the scene; the other five were in critical condition.

  “Ma’am do you know anyone who would do such a thing?” the lanky officer asked Reign.

  “I have restraining orders against my sister-in-law and my ex,” she admitted. “But I don’t think he would stoop to such measures. He has a wife; he has children. He has a life.”

  “And some woman,” Devesh added, looking to the office for answers. “They said there was some blonde who helped the kidnapper.”

  “My ex isn’t into White women.” She glanced at Devesh. “Maybe Tiya hired someone? She’s still in contact with Amy. Both of them have hated me from day one.”

  “I personally put Tiya and Hiran on that plane to Nebraska,” Devesh explained. “Kidnapping Leena? My sister wouldn’t stoop that low.”

  “She went low enough to have us all recorded,” she shot back. “And to have someone ready to sell it all over the world.”

  Devesh clamped down on his response.

  The officer flipped open a notepad. “We checked into Dr. Newsome once the principal told us about the restraining order you had out on him. He doesn’t have so much of that life anymore.”

  “What do you mean?” Devesh asked, placing his arm around Reign’s shoulder

  “His wife left him, took the kids and filed for divorce. He lost his tenured position at the university, and his speaking tour ended when sponsors pulled out after a televised confrontation with”—the officer looked up—“Devesh Maharaj.”

  “There’s also the fact that you all helped take down a major child sex trafficking network,” another officer said coming to stand next to the older one. “Those people are well connected and don’t take too kindly to someone poking a hole in their beehive. Several high-profile men are on their way to prison behind that investigation. But they’re not all behind bars just yet. One of them could have taken her as revenge.”

  Chapter 44

  “Oh, my God,” Reign said, burying her face in Devesh’s chest. “Those criminals have my baby.”

  Devesh embraced her as the sobs wracked her body. “Did you have to tell her that?” he growled at the officer, rocking with Reign in his arms, trying to give some comfort for the blow that statement had rendered.

  “I’m just making you aware of all possibilities,” officer Richards said, meeting Devesh’s glowering look head-on.

  “Richards, go back inside to the scene,” one of the veteran officers commanded. “I’ll keep the parents up to speed.”

  Richard shrugged and stalked off in the direction of his fellow officers milling about near the beginning of the taped off crime scene.

  Jay pulled up in a silver Buick LaCrosse, tires screeching in protest. He barely parked it at the curb before scrambling from behind the driver’s seat. Jay took off running, making his way past the throngs of people to where the detectives were speaking with Reign and Devesh. He was stopped by a set of officers who were camped out by the yellow tape. The Latino detective nearest Devesh gestured that it was alright to let Jay through.

  “What happened?” Jay asked, placing his arms about his mother’s shoulder.

  Devesh filled him in because Reign was too choked up to speak.

  “But one of the teachers gave a description, and our sketch artist should be here in a few hours,” said a red-cheeked officer. “She’ll get right on it.”

  “Give me a minute,” Jay said and sprinted back to his car. When he returned, Jay flicked on his iPad Pro and said, “Let me take a stab at it.”

  The vet looked over to his slimmer partner who said, “I don’t see why not. We can either wait a couple of hours for Latisha Dewalt to arrive or use what he has and get moving.”

  Jay took ten minutes to absorb the description the school secretary gave him. The elements that came as the woman gave details that were all too familiar caused Reign to barrel into Devesh’s chest, trying to let the warmth of him sweep out the chill that had settled in her soul. By the end of the composite sketch, the image was clear.

  “He has a daughter,” Reign whispered. “Why? Why would he take my baby?”

  “He wants money,” Jay replied.

  Devesh said, “We’ll give him whatever he wants,”

  “Sir, you’ll have to work with us and the FBI,” the detective warned.

  “If it comes down to handling this on our own, we will,” Jay said in a resolute tone, and Devesh nodded. “I know y’all want him. But what we want is my sister—alive.”

  The Maharaj home had a vibe of solemnity as all of the family sat in silent support while Devesh and Reign waited for the call. Tonight’s dinner was still intact as though no one, not even the children, had an appetite. Kamran was practically inconsolable. He immediately went to the Puja the minute they made it into the house. Tiya’s children were by his side. A stark change from when they had first come to live with Reign and Devesh. The first time Tiya’s children got into some major mischief, Kamran was the one to give his older cousins the new pecking order. He told them, “Mama said when she was growing up, that if any of her brothers or her sister got in trouble, they were all in trouble.” Kamran put a steely focus on his cousins. “That’s not happening here. Get with the program or it’s not going to be happy times around this camp.”

  Leena folded her little arms over her chest and nodded her simple, And that’s that.

  Devesh’s stunned expression as he watched from the threshold of their den, was MasterCard priceless. Then his concern immediately transformed into laughter so hard he had tears streaming down his face.

  Reign had given her children a subtle head nod, and they both returned it in kind. To say that the cousins quickly realized there was a new sheriff and deputy in town, was putting it mildly. Having to care for Tiya’s children did not become the burden that Reign believed it would be. More or less because the children actually took to boundaries and also enjoyed the rewards that came with doing things right.

  Reign situated herself next to Kamran on the floor as he went on and on about what he should’ve done differently, then Leena wouldn’t be gone. Reign rocked him as he cried, and the normally less verbal of the twins, talked himself straight into the point he passed out. Devesh took him from her arms and settled him with Mumma and Aunt Kavya so Reign could listen in on the plans the officers and agents, spread out over their living and dining rooms, had come up with.

  Up until the police and FBI arrived an hour ago, the men of the family, and even a few women, had held bats and knives and looked more like gang lords ready to go in search of Leena than a normal,
loving family. The scene of support would’ve been laughable if the moment weren’t so serious.

  The FBI had set up camp and tons of devices in the dining room. Devesh and Reign had placed their phones on the chargers so that they were fully ready whenever Shawn made contact. Both because there was a greater possibility that he would reach out to Devesh since Reign had him blocked on all fronts.

  Five hours after they’d made it to the house, Devesh’s cell rang and everyone tensed.

  The robust FBI agent at the dining room table nodded, but reminded him, “Put the phone on speaker on my count.”

  “Try to keep them on the line as long as possible,” a pretty brunette agent reminded them.

  The agent with salt-and-pepper hair at the table in front of the laptop flashed his fingers for a count of 1-2-3-4.

  “Where is my daughter?” Devesh demanded.

  “You don’t call the shots here,” Shawn said, trying to mask his voice. “Put Reign on the phone. Right now.”

  Reign closed her eyes, trying to stem the tide of tears as she asked, “Shawn, why are you doing this?”

  The officer grimaced at her mention of Shawn’s name. Several of them groaned.

  Reign flinched, realizing that she’d made a mistake she couldn’t afford to make so early on.

  Shawn paused for so long, Reign thought he had disconnected the call. Then he asked in his normal voice, “How did you know it was me?”

  “Everyone saw you, Shawn. You shot six people. How did you think you were going to get away with it?” she asked. “What do you want from me?”

  “All I want to do is talk.”

  “Then why take my daughter?”

  A tall agent with sandy brown hair nodded toward the one sitting at the computer who shook his head. Not enough time had passed to get a lead on his location.

  “Because you’ll come for her.”

  Reign’s shoulders slumped behind that admission. “How do I know she’s alright?”

  “You don’t,” he taunted. “And that’s not my problem.”

  Reign righted herself quickly, a determined, calculating look in her eyes. “That means she’s already dead,” she whispered a choked cry. “Then there’s no reason for me to come. Goodbye, Shawn. I’m hanging up now.”

  Agent Bateman’s head snapped up. The brunette shook her head. Devesh gripped the edge of the dining room table, angling to send a frantic message to Reign. She held up a hand to ward him off.

  “Wait,” Shawn said, and a few seconds later, they heard, “Mama.”

  Reign exhaled a relieved breath, but several agents gestured for her to remain calm. “Hey, baby girl.” She chanced a look at Devesh, who closed his eyes and whispered a prayer of thanks before opening them again.

  “He hurt Kamran,” she said, her voice clear and not whiny as though she was afraid.

  Of course, that would be Leena’s first concern. “Kamran’s alright, sweetie.”

  “He gave me some peanut butter and jelly, but I wouldn’t eat it. Mama, I don’t like him. When are you coming for me?”

  “Soon baby, real soon.”

  Papa pulled Mumma close to him. Tears were streaming down her face. Anaya laid her head on Pranav’s chest whose expression was feral. Aunt Kavya, carrying Kamran, wound her way through the throng of family members and settled in the Puja.

  Then Shawn was on the line again and gave an address. “Bring your passport and that smart ass Swami dude. I want to show him a thing or two.” Then he paused before adding, “If I see the police, I will hurt her. Think I’m playing?”

  He disconnected the call.

  “The San Francisco Naval shipyards. The perfect hiding grounds,” Agent Harper said, putting his focus on the rest of the team. “Part of it has been developed into condominiums.”

  “But most of it is closed by the EPA,” Officer Mitchell said. “The site’s been part of a superfund cleanup effort to remediate the leftovers of decades of industrial and radiological use.”

  The lead detective peered at the images of the area on the laptop. “We need to call the EPA to see if we need to be in Hazmat suits to go in that place.”

  “And it’s still a ship yard, which means he’s set up some way to get out of the country,” Devesh said.

  Jay frowned, pointing out, “He didn’t ask for money.”

  “He wants something more valuable than money,” Devesh mused. “He wants my wife.”

  A grey-eyed agent came forward with a pendant on a silver chain. We need you to wear this,” he said, draping it around Reign’s neck. “That way, we can hear everything and keep up with where you are.”

  “He asked you to bring your passport,” Jay said, looking over his notes on the iPad. “So he plans on taking you out of the country and into another one somehow.”

  “He didn’t ask me to bring hers,” Reign mused, tightening her hold on Devesh’s hand.

  “Let’s hope he plans on allowing Leena to go with her father,” Agent Sturnham said. “You’re his real target.”

  “No way in hell I’m letting him take my wife,” Devesh said in a voice that was barely a growl.

  Pranav retrieved a small gun that was strapped to his lower leg and slid it into the back Devesh’s waistband, then untucked his shirt to cover it.

  Reign turned to her husband and said, “If it comes down to her life or mine, you let me go. I can survive him. She cannot.”

  Chapter 45

  “You know you won’t make it out of the country,” Reign warned, cautiously maneuvering over the cold ground in the darkest part of the shipyard in Hunter’s Point. They arrived at this spot twenty minutes ago, only to find that the Feds were right. The area was still closed off because the company contracted to handle the cleanup of massive radiation had falsified test results for the Navy to transfer the land to real estate developers. The EPA shut it down and the decontamination efforts were ongoing. This was definitely not a safe place for anyone to be right now.

  “The police are aware of any place you might think about going,” she said, and her voice echoed off the remaining shipping containers that were stacked five high. The air was cooler coming off the ocean and the chill was causing her to shiver. “Who is that blonde you had helping you?”

  “Nobody you need to concern yourself with,” he said, stepping out of the shadows with Leena right behind him.

  “Mama!”

  “Yes, baby girl,” Reign said in the calmest tone she could manage, but her heart was hammering in her chest. “I’m here.”

  Shawn angled so he could look behind her. “Where’s the Swami?”

  “Don’t call him that.”

  “I’ll call him whatever I want,” Shawn said, grinning with a gleam in his eyes that frightened Reign. “Where is he?”

  “I’m the one you want,” she replied, glancing at the gun he aimed toward her. “Powerful man now that you have a gun in your hand.”

  “A little firepower can get my point across.” Shawn looked down at Leena whose expression was pure stone. “You wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t used it.”

  “So let’s trade,” she offered, inching forward a little. “Me for my daughter.”

  “Nah, we’ll wait for muscle man to show up.”

  Disappointment flooded her soul. “Why?”

  “I want him to see what I’m going to do to you.”

  “In front of my daughter?”

  “Oh, please,” he said, dismissing her with a wave of his gun. “He’ll pass her off to someone out there who you think is going to save you. They won’t get to you in time. I paid a lot of money for this kind of transport. The police can’t stop us. We won’t be in their jurisdiction.”

  Devesh appeared from behind Reign, where he’d been waiting until the agents were in place. “Give me my daughter.”

  “Give me your wife,” Shawn countered, and the predatory glint in his eyes caused Reign’s breath to hitch.

  “I’m not giving you a damn thing. Earn her love and trust the
same way I did.” Then he snapped his fingers. “Oh, wait, you can’t do that—which is why you’re doing this.”

  “Devesh, please don’t irritate the man,” Reign warned.

  “Yes Swami, don’t irritate Shawn,” he taunted, eyes glazing over with hatred. “Say my name, Reign. It’s not the man or that man. You know my name. Say it.”

  She didn’t respond.

  He cocked the hammer.

  “Shawn,” she whispered.

  “That’s more like it,” he said with a cocky tone, then stared at Devesh. “So we’re supposed to do some type of exchange, right? Your daughter for your wife?”

  “Send her over,” Devesh commanded, his hands balled into tight fists.

  “Now, now. Don’t be so impatient,” Shawn teased.

  “Mama. Papa,” Leena said, “Where are the police?”

  “Don’t worry about the police,” Shawn said, with an evil grin. “We have plenty of time to get to where we’re going. They won’t be able to interfere. Reign, come here.”

  Devesh tensed, took a step forward the moment Leena started to shiver from the cool air.

  “Devesh,” Reign warned, and he froze, before putting his focus on his daughter who was glaring up at Shawn.

  “Yeah, that’s a good, good doggie.”

  A vein throbbed an angry pulse at Devesh’s temple. She could tell it took everything within him to remain still.

  “Let her go, and I’ll come to you,” Reign implored, trying to hold her gaze steady so she wouldn’t give away the fact that shadows flickered behind him; a sure sign that more agents were moving closer.

  “Come with me,” he said, giving her a lustful once over. “I can’t wait until you’re screaming my name.” Then his expression filled with disdain. “Letting some foreigner between your legs.”

  “I thought you said all you want to do is talk.”

  “Gonna be hard to do with your mouth full,” he said, glancing at Leena, who glared openly at him, trying to tug her hand out of his. “Can’t say more than that. We have little ones around.”

  Reign inched forward, saying, “Let her go.”