Split Decisions: A Southern Romantic-Suspense Novel - Charlotte - Book Two

by Carmen DeSousa

  He’d be so angry when he found out what she’d done. Would he ever forgive her? Would he understand her motive was not to be away from him, but because of Caycee? There was no rational reason for the guilt she’d felt under Caycee’s pleadings, but she felt guilty just the same.

  She’d made her decision and Caycee had made hers and look where it’d gotten her. Some psycho wife wanted to murder her. Caycee was lonely and unhappy. All of the money and fame had done nothing for her. She’d run away from her family, fled a potential love, one whom she couldn’t have known would turn out to be incredible. That would do anything for her.

  An irrational thought pierced her again, what if no one ever knew she was missing? What if Caycee slid into both roles, explained herself to Jordan as if she’d carried on both careers. Jordan would be angry, but he’d forgive her. Would he ever know that she wasn’t Jaynee? Would she be able to keep up the farce permanently? Certainly, Jordan would discover her duplicity when she couldn’t remember simple things like friends’ names, teachers, and doctors. There hadn’t been enough time to give her the entire lowdown; she’d only received a crash course in the life of Jaynee Monroe.

  It was ridiculous, Caycee wouldn’t do this to her. As soon as she found out, she’d tell Jordan, and they’d find her together.

  “Oh!” Jaynee whipped her eyes around in astonishment. It was as if Jordan was in the room with her. “Oh, dear God.” Tears brimmed over, sliding silently down her cheek.

  Ben moved beside her; he’d fallen asleep as well. Evidently, he’d been up most of the night, struggling to get free, until she came back and drugged him again. “What is it? What did you hear? Is she back?”

  “No. Shh.” Jaynee wanted to revel in the feelings that washed over her. She felt Jordan’s touch. It was as if he was with her. Warmth traveled through her body. He loved her; he wasn’t upset with her. He would find her. And then it was gone. As quickly as it had come, it was gone, and she felt nothing but hunger and isolation.

  “What is it Cay—Jaynee?”

  “I think…I think they’re looking for us. You know how twins get a feeling for each other. There are documented cases where even twins who’ve never met, who were separated at birth, married the same type of men, held the same careers, and even named their kids the same names.”

  Ben nodded, but his expression was blank as if to say, What does this have to do with anything?

  “I feel her. She’s with my husband, and it felt as though he were actually talking to me.”

  Ben scoffed at the idea, his eyes tightening slightly in disbelief. He blew out a gust of air through his nose. “We need to come up with a plan.” He’d completely rejected the idea that anyone would come for them.

  “I was planning to attack her this morning. I had her switch me to this side of the bed so when she unlocked me to go to the bathroom, I could charge her, but I guess she drugged me last night. She couldn’t have taken a chance of strapping you to the bed while you were under if I hadn’t been too. She’s a smart woman, even if she’s psychotic.”

  Ben flinched, but then nodded. How could he deny it? Any person who’d threaten their child had to be crazy. “Sheila’s a doctor. She’d been working in the ER when I met her. She’s smart and knows a lot about drugs. She knows how much to give to knock you out without killing you. I don’t think you would be able to catch her off guard either. She goes to the gym every morning and studies martial arts; she’s very athletic. Not as soft as you.” He reached his hand out to her arm.

  Jaynee flinched. “I’m not Caycee, Ben! Please don’t do that.” She wished she could have controlled her automatic reaction, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t stand any man other than Jordan to touch her; she’d even shied away from friendly hugs by male friends. It just made her skin crawl after the terrible things that men had done to her in the past. But her life was partly in this man’s hands. She cleared her throat and attempted to control her voice. “So, other than attacking her, do you have any other idea?”

  “I don’t know how much time we have. She said I had twenty-four hours.”

  Jaynee didn’t have to ask. “But…she wants Caycee dead, not me, right? Not that I would allow that to happen, but maybe it will buy us some time.”

  Ben gazed at her, a slight tilt to his head as if something confused him. “I’m really sorry about all this, but I have to admit you’re taking it rather well.”

  Jaynee sighed. “You can’t imagine what I’ve been through in my life. I’ve had a pretty calm thirteen years, though. I was due for something bad to happen.” She chuckled at how ridiculous it sounded even to her.

  “But someone wants to murder you. That’s not normal; that has to be messing with your head. I know I’m reeling right now. If you weren’t here with me, I’d be crying like a baby, I’m sure.”

  She offered him a slight smile, not certain if it was the right thing to do, but he seemed to be okay with admitting his weakness for some reason. Maybe he was trying to throw her off in the event he really would try to kill her. She wondered for a second if she could overpower this man if they were both strapped to the bed. She doubted it. Even though he wasn’t near Jordan’s height and weight, he was still taller than she was, and he was still a man.

  She decided to share a little more of herself…again, as she’d tried to do when Sheila was in the room…to make him realize she was human. “Actually, someone has tried to murder me. I was shot and in a coma for more than three days. I guess being able to face my attacker is easier than just being attacked.”

  “So, if you don’t mind my asking…” Ben paused, staring at her with a deep question in his eyes. “Why is Caycee with your husband if you love him so much?”

  Jaynee hadn’t expected that line of questioning. She did have an answer that made sense. She certainly couldn’t explain that they were one in the same. Without knowing them as Jordan did, how could she ever prove such a thing? She decided to go with something similar to the truth and probably a lot easier to understand.

  “When we met Jordan eighteen years ago, we both fell for him. He didn’t know we were twins; we’d met him on different occasions. Only Caycee didn’t tell him that…she acted as though she and I were the same person. We fought over what we wanted. But in the end, I wanted Jordan; she wanted Hollywood. We hadn’t talked since, but she found me on Facebook a few weeks ago, and we reconnected. She said she’d made a mistake…that she’d always loved Jordan and wanted a family. She begged me to live just five days in my shoes, to see what it was like, to see if it is what she wanted.”

  “But she loves your husband? Weren’t you afraid that maybe—”

  “NO!” Jaynee shook her head wildly. “We worked out that part…she wouldn’t dare.”

  Ben chewed on his bottom lip, then nodded. “Caycee’s always been looking for someone. What does your husband look like, what does he do for a living?”

  “He was in the military, then he was a cop, and now he owns his own construction company. He’s six-foot tall, a well-built 215 pounds of solid muscle with dark hair, strong chin, a thin beard, piercing steel-blue eyes, and a smile that melts my heart.” Jaynee sighed as tears filled her eyes again. She missed him and wondered if she’d ever see him again.

  Ben sighed too. “It certainly explains some things. The men Caycee would meet, she tended to go for military-looking men, men who looked like cops and strong muscular builds as though they worked hard for a living.” He lowered his head in defeat. “Nothing like me.”

  Jaynee’s heart went out to the man. Though she didn’t condone what he was doing, she still felt sorry for him. He was leaving his wife and child, and the woman he loved was with another man, a man she wanted, her husband.

  “Do you think the reason she wanted to experience married life is because she was thinking about my offer? Do you think she might want to be with me?”

  “Hmm…” Jaynee muttered as if in thought. Honestly, she didn’t think that. Caycee had made it clear she wasn�
��t interested in Ben, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings or discourage him from wanting to get out of here. “I’m not sure, Ben. I was only with her a couple of days.”

  “Oh, of course,” Ben said, heaving out a defeated breath and closing his eyes.

  He looked as if he would go back to sleep. What else was there to do; it was passing the hours anyway. Maybe if she tried to sleep some more she’d have dreams about Jordan rescuing her. They hadn’t come up with a plan, but then again, what was there to do but to wait for someone to save them? Ben had made it clear they couldn’t attack Sheila, and now he’d decided to go back to sleep. He was clearly upset, so Jaynee didn’t think now was the time to discuss taking on his wife. She needed to stay on his side. Sheila wanted him to kill her, after all. She didn’t need him to feel so discouraged that he decided killing her was the best option.

  She closed her eyes as well, but fresh tears seeped through her lids. She missed Jordan, and she wondered about the connection. Had it been her imagination? Had she only thought she felt Jordan? She hoped that she could feel him again; it would help her endure this ordeal, knowing that he would forgive her in the end. It didn’t take long, she felt herself slip into unconsciousness.

  ***

  A loud bang crashed her out of her dream, or at least she thought she’d heard something. Her dream had been a mishmash of events this time. This time when she’d tried to stop her father, he’d turned the gun on her. She’d heard the crack, seen the bullet leave the muzzle, and then stared at the pool of blood covering her bare feet.

  Swallowing the horrible thoughts, she glanced around the room. The shadows had changed; it was late afternoon. She’d slept all day, a clear sign of dehydration. She turned to wake Ben and found an empty bed. A low thud this time crashed against the wall.

  “Ben?” she shouted, nervous that Sheila had decided time was up and had brought their son.

  “Jaynee!” His frantic cry came from behind the wall. “I’ve been trying to wake you; she came in while we were sleeping. She put something over my face and drugged me. I woke up in this room tied up. I was hoping I was on the other side of the wall from you. She just left, after injecting me with something. I’m…”

  “Ben! What can I do…when she comes back… What do I do?” But there was no answer. She heard a dull sound; maybe his foot…it sounded like it was against the door…he was right outside the door. Why would she separate them? Maybe she knew he wouldn’t kill her. Or that she wasn’t Caycee. Maybe she’d been worried they would overpower her somehow.

  Ben could be out for hours, which suddenly made her feel utterly alone. She didn’t have to go to the bathroom, which was another discouraging sign. She was definitely dehydrated. Would Sheila come back tonight and bring food and water? She doubted it; perhaps she would just let them die now.

  “Please hurry, Jordan. Please, God…let them find me, let me see my children again.” She’d been praying more in the last few days than she’d prayed in a long time. She’d been disheartened because she was bored, because she wanted meaning in her life. Now she realized she’d had everything she’d needed. Everything but Caycee. Caycee had been the missing piece of her soul. But she’d gone about piecing their lives back together the wrong way. She should have trusted Jordan.

  Why did it take a catastrophe to call on God? Why hadn’t she spoken with Him more to thank Him for all the magnificent things she had? He had brought her out of a terrible life and had given her a great love and a great family and she’d become complacent.

  “Never again, Lord…I promise. I’ll never be ungrateful again.” She thought of the adage, There are no atheists in foxholes. Could she keep the promise? She wanted to be honest with God, but she also wanted to be honest with herself. “I promise I will never be ungrateful again.”

  Jaynee had been praying audibly when the door opened, startling her. It was Sheila, still concealed in her mask and long coat. Had she assumed Ben wouldn’t reveal her identity?

  Since she was still concealing her face, there was at least a possibility that she wouldn’t kill her. But maybe she was just counting on Ben to do her dirty work. If Ben weren’t willing to do the job, though, would she let her starve to death? The possibility sent a shiver down her spine; she’d rather someone shoot or strangle her versus dying of thirst or starvation.

  The shadow that was Sheila, she now had a name for her captor—though she preferred not to think of her as a person—tossed her the key. Though she didn’t have to go to the bathroom, she leaped at the thought of being free, if only for a few minutes. She instantly thought of her previous plan of accosting the woman, but held off because of Ben’s warnings. Ben was positive that she wouldn’t be able to overpower his wife.

  She was strong, though. Jordan had always commented on how freakishly strong she was for such a small woman, but she’d explained that she’d spent years defending herself against her cruel step-siblings and stepmother. She wasn’t proud to admit that she’d been in more fights than most men had ever experienced, but relieved to be able to admit that all encounters were in defense of herself or others. Never once had she instigated a tussle.

  Now free, she scurried into the small restroom. She forced herself to go to the bathroom, then vigorously scrubbed her face, drinking as much untainted water as she could in the process. Her hair fell in disarray around her shoulders, oily and tangled in knots. If she didn’t get them out, she’d end up with dreadlocks and have to cut off all her hair, something she hadn’t done since the surgery after her shooting. She worked to get the snarls out the best she could until she heard the familiar rap on the wall.

  After exiting the bathroom, she headed back to the same side of the bed, the one closest to the object of her attack if she needed to take action. She stopped dead in her tracks, though.

  Sheila waved her away with her gun and whispered, “Other side.”

  Reluctantly, she obeyed. Hadn’t she said that she wanted to swap off to protect her wrists? She found the latch and angrily closed it over her wrist, then tossed the key back. Sheila rewarded her with a new pack of crackers and another bottle of water.

  “Is this water poisoned too? Is it not enough that you have me confined like an animal? You have to drug me as well?” It was the first time she’d lashed out, and she felt as if she weren’t even close to finishing. “What do you want from me? I don’t want your husband!”

  Her wails emptied into a slamming door. Evidently, Sheila didn’t like confrontation. She didn’t care that she wasn’t interested in her husband, only that Ben wanted Caycee, and Sheila’s goal was to force Ben to remove Caycee from their lives.

  She prayed that she wasn’t going to get Ben’s son now. How would he choose if they were both set out before him, if his wife forced him, how could he not choose his son? What mother could offer up her son like that…use him as a pawn in her sick game?

  Sadly, she knew the truth; she understood instinctively that Sheila believed Ben would never choose to harm his son over Caycee. And she knew this especially, since Ben knew the truth… She wasn’t even Caycee. If the time came, would she exonerate herself? Which would only mean that Sheila would hunt down the real Caycee and perhaps Jordan and her family as well?

  No, she wouldn’t. If Sheila determined to kill her; she would accept it before she endangered her family. Death was easy; it was the waiting part that was painful.

  Caycee would carry on with a life with Jordan, and Jordan wouldn’t feel the sting of his loss. Although that thought comforted her, it pained her to think that he would never think of her again. He would have his bride, his love, and the children would have their mother. Surely, Caycee would abandon her life for hers. She would have to take comfort in the fact that at least her family would be happy.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  (Caycee)

  Caycee sat quietly next to Jordan inside the rented Explorer.

  He’d backed into the darkest parking spot he could find. About a half an hour befo
re Caycee normally arrived, the familiar Mercedes pulled inside the parking garage designated for the restaurant.

  She nudged Jordan, pointing to the convertible that mirrored hers with the exception of Sheila’s choice of color being bright red, and she’d chosen the mystic white.

  Dressed in black pants, showing off her long and lean legs and a pale-pink gauzy top that did little to conceal her, Sheila exited her vehicle in all her glory, seemingly oblivious to their surveillance.

  With her platinum-blond hair held back in a black silk bow, she walked seductively into the restaurant, as if she were meeting a gentleman, not a woman. As tall as she was, she wore stilettos, something Caycee had never seen her do before since Ben and she were nearly the same height.

  Jordan threw up his chin, a grunt escaping his mouth. “That’s her? She’s a twig. I could break her in half… Jaynee could break her in half. How could she have ever taken Jaynee by surprise?” He shook his head in disbelief, anger brewing in his eyes, as if he wanted to break her in half.

  “She’s very athletic and is proficient in martial arts. According to Ben, she trains with a private instructor daily.” Caycee pondered Jordan’s comment. He was right, though; Jaynee never would have let anyone take her without a fight. They’d both made that commitment when they were seventeen. “But I’m sure she had a gun or something similar to take Jaynee.”

  Jordan shrugged, shaking his head again. “Well, she certainly doesn’t look as if she plans to abduct you. Maybe she just wants to discuss options. Should I come in?”

  “No. She doesn’t know you’re here, so let’s keep that to ourselves in case she has something up her sleeves…as frail as those sleeves are. I doubt it too, but I’d rather not take a chance. Just keep an eye on the car and make sure she doesn’t disappear.”