Looking at the speedometer, I pushed the SUV as hard as I could around the snaky bends, onward to the scene I wasn’t sure I wanted to see.
“Please God, let them both be okay,” I prayed again. I knew that for the moment, Emmery was alive. How long she would be in that condition, I wasn’t certain. Right now, I needed to get to Jane. I hung up the phone and called Drew.
“Drew,” I shouted frantically. “They took her. They took Em.”
“What the hell? Who took her?”
“I don’t fucking know. I was on the phone with them, and there was a black SUV that was bumping into them, and I’m almost to them but it sounded like they crashed. Then I heard two men talking, one was speaking Spanish. They said she was alive and they took her but left the other one. It could only mean they took Em and left Jane. I’m about a mile or so away. I’m coming up on the straightaway.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m on Bears Bluff Road, off Maybank. Out on Wadmalaw,” I answered.
Drew was silent for a minute then started talking to someone else. “Yeah, they are on Bears Bluff, roll EMS and a crime scene unit.”
“B, are you there yet?” Drew questioned.
“I can see the wreck. I’m pulling up now. Jesus, Jane’s SUV is upside down. There is glass and debris for a good fifty feet or so. I’m hanging up now. I have to get Jane out.”
“Brody, don’t move—”
Before Drew could finish his order, I hung up, slammed the vehicle into park and kicked open the door. I didn’t even turn the car off before I sprinted, pushing my legs beyond my known limits, to the driver’s side. The car lay on its hood diagonally across the single-lane road. Glass, car parts and pieces of rubber were strewn about the wreckage. The large SUV had plumes of smoke coming from the engine. It looked like it had been hit by a tank. No glass remained intact, each and every window was shattered. The SUV looked like it had exploded.
I could smell gasoline and burnt rubber as I ran around the car. I hoped and prayed Jane was still alive. I reached the front door and dropped to my stomach, lying on the shards of tempered glass. I pulled the half-deflated airbag out of the way and stuck my arm in to feel for Jane’s pulse.
“Oh, thank God.” I sighed in deep relief. “Jane. Can you hear me?”
She groaned but didn’t open her eyes. “Jane, I’m here. I’m going to get you out, but I need you to hang in there, okay? I have to wait until the paramedics get here, in case you hurt your neck.”
Jane was lying there unconscious, suspended from her seatbelt with her arms dangling. I wanted so badly to take her out and make sure she was okay, but I knew I could be doing more harm than good, so I waited.
It seemed like an eternity before I heard the sirens but they finally arrived. Sherriff’s deputies first followed by two fire trucks and an ambulance. I told the deputies as much as I could about the other vehicle. I should have pressed Emmery for more information. The only thing the police had to go on was that the abductors drove a large black SUV. I couldn’t give them a make or model. I only knew they were headed in the same direction I was when I came upon the carnage because no one passed by me along the way.
Medics and firefighters pushed me to the side to get Jane out safely.
Officers ran to the two cars that were coming from the opposite direction.
“They passed by a black Cadillac SUV about seven or eight minutes ago,” the first responding officer hollered from the second car and trotted back to us at the back of the paramedics’ rig. “Radio dispatch and have them put a BOLO out on a black Cadillac Escalade within a ten-mile radius of our location. Do not approach. They should be considered armed and extremely dangerous. Also alert TSA and train stations.”
I sat there, helplessly watching as the firefighters used the Jaws of Life to cut the door from its twisted, crumpled frame. The paramedics were ready and waiting with a thick, plastic, orange backboard and a neck collar as the firefighters gave the thumbs-up to remove Jane.
Carefully they cut her out of the seatbelt after they placed her neck in the collar. Slowly, several firefighters and officers placed her on the backboard they had halfway in the car. Once secured, they whisked her toward me and into the ambulance.
“How is she?” I asked as I heard Drew’s voice shouting my name.
“Are you related?” the firefighter asked.
“Yes, she’s my aunt,” I lied.
“She’s still unconscious,” a tall female paramedic informed me. “She has a head laceration, possibly broken arm and possibly internal bleeding. She’s got a lot of bruising on her stomach and chest.”
Drew trotted over. “Is she okay?”
“Right now, she seems to be. They are taking her to the hospital. What do you know about Emmery? Have they found her? Have they found the SUV yet?” I quizzed anxiously.
“Take a breath, man. All I know, right this minute, is they have not found her or the abductors. I did share the Venezuelan angle and about the guys from Connecticut.”
“Do you have any leads? Anything to go on other than that?” I felt my insides unraveling.
“You’d know if I did, B. Right now, there’s nothing. Why don’t you follow the ambulance to the hospital and stay with Jane? I’ll stay here and call you the minute I have any news,” Drew offered. “Also, I called Lei on the way here. She’s going to meet you at the hospital. Jax has Lilly at home.”
“Okay, thanks, man. Call me the second you have anything. I don’t care what it is, just call me,” I told him as the firefighter closed the doors to the rig and beat on the back, signaling them they were good to go.
I ran back toward my SUV and was about to climb into the driver’s seat when the deputy stopped me. “Sir, you can’t leave. I need to get your statement.”
“It’ll have to wait, officer. I’m following that ambulance to the hospital. My aunt is in the back and in pretty rough shape. Besides, I didn’t see anything happen. I was only on the phone when it happened.” I gave him my number and I did my best not to squeal wheels or spit rocks when I turned around and hauled ass toward downtown Charleston’s Medical University ER.
Again.
As I went over the Stono River bridge, I happened to look to my right and saw a small private jet flying rather low, indicating to me that it had just taken off.
“Son of a bitch.” I punched the steering wheel. “The airport.”
There was a private airstrip on Johns Island that was used for smaller private planes. If they were trying to get her out of the country, they’d take her there.
Quickly, I pressed the Bluetooth button on the steering wheel and told it to call Drew. He picked up on the second ring. “Hey, B, what’s up?”
“The private air strip, did you warn them?” I yelled like he couldn’t hear me.
“They sent a BOLO out on the car and we’ve flagged Emmery’s name on all TSA and train stations. I didn’t think about the airstrip because it’s all smaller Cessnas and stuff. I’ll send a unit right now,” he assured me then hung up.
I looked back to the sky and prayed that she was still here.
And that she was okay.
Chapter Eighteen
~Emmery~
Everything was dark when I tried to open my eyes. My whole body ached from head to toe and I felt a constant vibration and dips in my equilibrium. My leg was hurting more now than before and my ribs and chest were killing me. It felt like I had on a blindfold or something around my head and I was pretty sure my hands were bound with some sort of rope or cable. There was something over my ears. Earmuffs?
My breathing was painful if I took anything other than short, shallow breaths. My body was tight with anxiety and fear. I had no idea where I was. The last thing I remembered was being with Jane in the SUV.
Oh, God, Jane.
Was she okay?
Where was I?
As I reached up to pull the scratchy material from my face, the restraints that tied my wrists together were somehow ancho
red to my left foot. Each time I tugged upward, I felt the pull and the burn of the rope. Working in tandem, I was finally able to bend my head far enough at the same time I brought my foot up, creating enough slack for me to pull the blindfold down just a tad. I knew I had been kidnapped, and I didn’t know where I was, so I didn’t want them to know I was awake just yet.
We were on a small private plane. Two seats up front with two seats behind the cockpit. I was in the small back compartment area and luckily, it was dark. They wouldn’t be able to see my movements. However, with a broken ankle and leg and possible broken ribs, it would be impossible to try to escape. I was stuck here.
We hit a large pocket of air and the plane dipped hard then quickly regained altitude, causing my entire body to leave the floor just to be slammed viciously back down. I yelped at the impact. While I thought I was quiet, I must have been wrong because the two guys sitting in the second row looked back in my direction. Quickly, I closed my eyes and pretended to still be unconscious.
Neither the large Hispanic male, whom I’d dubbed Gigantosaurus, nor the smaller, younger white guy left their seats. They just both kept their watchful eyes trained on me until one of the pilots turned and tapped him on the shoulder. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but the younger guy just shrugged and waved him off.
Again, we hit an air pocket. This time when I came back down I hit my head and everything started to get fuzzy again.
Chapter Nineteen
~Brody~
It took a good twenty minutes to make it to the hospital and another ten to find a damned parking spot in that Godforsaken garage.
I raced through the front door and came face to face with the nurse who helped Emmery yesterday, Jordan. He was sitting at the registration desk with another tech who looked familiar but I couldn’t place her name.
“I’m looking for Jane Lennox. She would have come in by ambulance. She was in a car accident,” I blurted without so much as taking a breath.
“Whoa, slow down. Tell me the patient’s name again,” the young lady said, holding up one hand.
“Jane Lennox. L-E-N-N-O-X,” I spelled out slowly.
“She’s in trauma three, but sir, you’ll need to wait out here for now. They are working on her,” she informed me.
“Like hell I will,” I snapped.
“Hang on, Lesley, let me call back and talk to the desk and see what they’re doin’,” Jordan told her with a mindful tone.
“Thank you for calling about Jane.” I forced myself to smile.
“Sure thing,” he said before turning his attention back to the phone receiver in his hand. “Hey, can you please look and see what they’re doin’ with Lennox. She’s in trauma three. She has family out here. I’m sending him back. Okay, Mr. Davis, I’ll walk you to her room.”
“Thank you, Jordan. I appreciate all of your help.”
“And how is the other Miss Lennox?”
Well, that was a loaded question.
“Long story,” I grunted. I didn’t want to be rude, but I needed to check on Jane and then get back to finding Emmery. That was what Jane would want me to do.
“All right, well, here we are. Please let me know if I can help you further.”
“Will do. Thanks, Jordan,” I said, extending my hand.
He shook my proffered hand with a smile. “You’re quite welcome, sir.”
Pushing the door open, I found Jane on a stretcher awake but surrounded by nurses and doctors. “Oh, thank God you’re here. How is Emmery? No one would tell me anything.”
“Ms. Lennox, you need to stay calm,” a nurse in blue scrubs told her sweetly.
“Jane, you need to listen to them, okay? I promise, I am going to take care of this,” I assured her.
“No,” she shook her head and began to cry. “They took her, didn’t they?”
“Jane,” I started but didn’t get far.
“Tell me, damn it. They have her don’t they? Just tell me,” she pleaded through her tears.
“I’m going to find her. I promise. I had to come here and make sure you were going to be okay. I swear, if it’s the last thing I do I will find her. Please just stay calm. I’ll call you with any updates.”
“How? I don’t have my phone.”
“We’ll be admitting you, dear,” the nurse calmly reassured Jane. “Your room will have a phone. All he has to do is call the main line and ask for you. Okay?”
“See, problem solved,” Brody said. He turned to the nurse. “Before I go, can you tell me how she’s doing?”
The nurse looked to Jane for approval, who gave a nod. “She’s got a mild concussion, a broken wrist and lots of bruises. She was lucky. The seatbelt and airbags saved her from the brunt of the impact. Without those, I’m not sure she would be sitting here with us,” she speculated while looking at Jane.
“You know that means Emmery is probably fine too,” I said, trying to alleviate Jane’s fears.
“Find her, my boy. I don’t want you to come back here without her. You understand? Find her and don’t worry about me. She’s our focus now,” Jane begged.
“I will,” I vowed.
***
After leaving the hospital and walking toward the car in the parking garage from hell, my phone rang. Drew.
“Talk to me,” I answered.
“You were right,” he said. “They took her out in a little Cessna four-twenty-one. They booked a flight plan to Charallave airport in Venezuela. It’s about an hour by car to Caracas then a short boat ride to Isla de Margarita. They took off almost an hour ago.”
“How long of a flight is it?”
“About five and half to six hours depending on the plane. They’re in a smaller, slower plane, so I’d guess about six hours,” Drew informed me.
“Why didn’t they fly into Simón Bolívar? It would have been a hell of a lot closer,” I asked, remembering that was where those two guys flew out of.
“It’s a smaller airport. They probably have more control over that than Simón Bolívar,” Drew informed me.
“Okay. Round up everyone you can and meet me at the jet in thirty minutes,” I ordered then hung up, slipping the phone back in my pants pocket. As I walked down the uneven cobblestone walkway in front of the garage, I couldn’t help but notice the sun slowly disappearing behind the ominous darkening clouds. It looked like there was a storm heading this way.
Just as I reached the parking structure, it began to sprinkle. By the time I paid and made my exit, it was pouring. I hated flying in the rain. It always made me think of my parents and their deaths. They had been on their way to our beach house in Parrot Cay in the Caribbean when there was a mechanical malfunction that caused them to crash.
I needed to go to my house and grab clothes, cash, my passport and some artillery, just in case. Emmery would need a change of clothes as well. Driving like a mad man, I made it to the house in twelve minutes, collected everything I needed along with a few extras then I was back on the road. This time I jumped in the Venom and let her loose on the highway, topping out at ninety-five miles per hour. I could’ve gone faster, but I needed to get there in one piece.
Forty minutes after I ended my call with Drew, I arrived at the private hangar by Charleston International airport. I drove onto the tarmac, right up to my crew. Drew, Jaxon, Kai, Ridge, Bear, Jace, Joselyn, Rosa, Kaci, Damon, Sean and even Jaxon’s friend Barrett were all standing waiting.
“What’s the plan?” I asked Drew and Jaxon, who exchanged glances. “What?”
“B, man, you know I love you like a brother, but—” Drew started.
“No buts, Drew. Take your ‘but’ and shove it up your ass. I’m not hanging back or sitting out. This is my girl. You hear me? Mine,” I growled, getting in their faces.
“Okay, man, chill the fuck out,” Jaxon said, throwing his hands up and taking a step back. “You bring a gun?”
“A few,” I replied then tipped my head to the Hennessey. We walked around the back to the passenge
r side and I grabbed the large duffel I’d thrown the guns into. “I brought two twelve-gauges, a Ruger nine millimeter, a Walther PPX forty, and a Izhmash AK one-oh-three. I also have a box of ammo for each, except the AK—I have three boxes for that one.”
“Why in the fuck do you have an automatic rifle?” Jaxon asked, eyebrows raised.
“I like to shoot things and I collect guns. I’ve been shooting for the better part of two decades. I got this one for the hell of it when they talked about banning automatic weapons. Any more questions?”
“No,” he deadpanned.
“We can talk in the air; let’s load up,” Drew commanded then whistled for the rest of the crew. “Let’s go. We’re wastin’ daylight, folks.”
An hour into the flight, after I had called to check in on Jane for the second time since leaving, we all huddled around the large oak conference table and came up with a game plan.
Kai had called his contact, Marco, in Venezuela and had him go to the small airport in the mountains. He was waiting for the plane to land then he would follow them. Hopefully, he’d do a better job than the pricks who took Emmery.
Once we landed, two large SUVs were supposed to be waiting for us at the airstrip. From there we would have to get a boat over to the island where there would be two more vehicles waiting.
“How do you suggest we get the arsenal of guns through customs?” Rosa, the ex-Black Hawk pilot challenged. It seemed we all had the same idea—everyone else came prepared for the next apocalypse.
“Easy. Money,” Kai, the massive Samoan, told her. “Marco’s making arrangements with the customs officer now. Lucky for us everyone there hates the Varela crew but is too scared to step up themselves. They see us as an ally and they’re willing to back us… Well, to a certain point. They won’t be getting involved, just turning a blind eye.”
“How much? I only brought a hundred thousand in cash and we owe Marco thirty of that already,” I told Kai, who was sitting across from me.
“I think we can buy our way in for ten Gs. Maybe a little more, but not much,” Kai speculated. “If we get in a bind, we can wire money to Marco. He knows I’m good for it.”
His Redemption Page 17
