by North,Leslie
After getting her gear together, she packed a bag and slung it in the car.
The first place she checked was his apartment, but he wasn’t there. Jordan wasn’t much of an early riser, but it was possible that he never went home after grabbing Gabe. Even though Gabe was hurt, Jordan wouldn’t have been able to pull it off alone. In fact, she wasn’t even sure he did it at all. It was possible that he was handling everything behind the scenes. After checking a few of his favorite coffee shops, she finally found him at the park a few blocks from his apartment.
Dogwood Park was not nearly as picturesque as it sounded. It had, at one time, been the dream of some of the residents on millionaire row. They’d wanted a huge private park for their kids to play in, but like many ideas of the rich and famous, it had been abandoned. They sold it back to the city, and it was one of the open spaces now inhabited by those on low incomes, and the homeless. Normally there were some kids hanging around on bikes and skateboards, but this early in the morning there were only a few people wrapped up in sleeping bags.
And Jordan.
He leaned against the fence and drank from his coffee cup as Daisy approached. She could see the exhaustion in his eyes. Jordan was past his prime partying days, and the late nights were catching up to him.
“A little early for a walk in the woods, isn’t it?” she called out to him.
His eyes slowly raked over her body, and he shrugged. “Our conversation kept me up. I couldn’t sleep.”
She bit her bottom lip and reached up to tug on her braid. It was a subconscious move, but his gaze followed her movement, so she let her hands linger. Daisy had never been a great liar, but she tried to do her best now. “As a matter of fact, I couldn’t sleep either. That’s why I’m here.”
“You’re not here because of your lover boy?”
“He’s not my lover boy. And no. While I’m pissed that you went to the extreme, it’s opened my eyes.” Holding up her phone, she pulled up the article that someone had sent her. “And so did this. I feel like such an idiot. I want to believe that this is in the past, but what if Duncan Enterprises is emulating Greenman’s. What if everything Gabe said to me is a lie, a cover-up? Maybe they are just using us to legitimize their activities.”
He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head. It was obvious that he didn’t believe that she wasn’t here to find out what happened to Gabe, but she tried to keep the truth from showing in her face. If he knew for sure, she’d never get anything out of him, and that could cost Gabe dearly.
“A few hours ago, I accused you of going soft. I expected that you’d be here to slap me,” he said slowly.
“Last night, I also told you that violence was wrong. I don’t think slapping you would help my cause,” she said. She sighed and leaned against the fence next to him. “What happened to me, Jordan? A few years ago, I was ready to change the world. Now, I can’t even find a way to put Duncan Enterprises in their place.”
“I was afraid that Nathan would cloud your judgment. I had no idea you’d move on to the next brother. You know that the oldest one is married, right?”
Daisy felt a surge of anger, and she almost did slap him. “It’s not Gabe,” she snapped. “It’s not Nathan either. I want to show that we can get what we want without going to such extreme measures. But if this report is true, then I guess my way isn’t working. The only thing I can do now is talk to Gabe and squeeze the truth out of him.”
“You want to talk to Gabe?”
Daisy twirled her braid about her finger. “Well, if you’re right and he is infatuated with me, I could probably get him to tell me the truth. Nathan is barely talking to me, and Duncan and Angie will protect their company no matter what. Gabe might be my only way of getting to the truth.”
Jordan chuckled. “So you’re willing to use Gabe now? I saw the eyes that you were giving him in the picture.”
“Those eyes got me into a party where I got to talk to some high profile people. Something that would never have happened if I had gone by myself. I needed him to get me into that party,” she said as she gave him a sly smile. “The most important thing is whether he was giving me those eyes back. You know men, Jordan. Do you think I can use this to my advantage?” She resisted the urge to stick out her hips, but it didn’t matter. Jordan was already hooked.
He turned and put his arms around her. “That’s my girl.”
There were some things she couldn’t do. She slapped her hands on his chest and stepped back out of his reach. “Easy there, tiger. Don’t get too excited. This is only a plan. I still have to go through with it. I need to go check on him anyway. The whole nurse thing might work for me, but don’t go thinking this lets you off for what you did. Next time you want to pull a stunt like this, you talk to me first. I’m still the head of this section, and I don’t like you pulling your weight like that.”
“So it doesn’t turn you on when a man takes charge?”
“No, it doesn’t,” she said as she folded her arms “But it has provided me with a great opportunity, so thanks. Time to go play nursemaid.” She pushed herself off the fence. Inside she was screaming for him to tell the truth.
He gave in. “You won’t find Gabe at his apartment.”
Suppressing her urge to do a victory dance, she turned her head. “What do you mean?”
“I may have done something else that you aren’t going to be too happy with. But it doesn’t mean that your plan won’t work. In fact, it might work even better now. If you played the nurse last night, you could probably play the hero now.”
“Hero? Why would I need to play the hero?” she asked quietly.
“Gabe isn’t at his apartment, Daisy. I told you last night to wait and see. I’ve upped my game.”
“To…?” she asked slowly. Jordan was taking his sweet time admitting that he’d broken the law again. She gave him a slow smile. Adding a little teasing giggle to her voice, she said, “Jordan! What did you do?”
“Gabe is in one of the cabins in the woods behind the park so we’d have some place more private to talk to him.”
Jordan shrugged like it was no big deal, and Daisy inhaled sharply. At least she didn’t have to pretend anymore.
“You kidnapped Gabe Maxfield.” Putting her hands on her hips, she blew out her breath while she tried to figure out what to do next. “Okay, I guess I will play the hero. How long were you planning on keeping him?”
“Until he agrees to play ball.”
Christ. Jordan wasn’t even going to release him today. This was bad. “What makes you think they aren’t going to call the cops when they realize that he’s gone? Jordan, you’re in way over your head here.”
“They aren’t going to call the police because I’m going to let them know that if they do, I’m going to release the photo of them hanging out with Greenman’s and much more. The media will destroy them.”
“Much more? What are you talking about Jordan? I only just showed you the email.”
Shrugging his shoulders, he gave her a sly grin. “The information we provide to the media doesn’t have to be entirely accurate. Duncan Enterprises will be massacred by public opinion while they scramble to prove their innocence. Either way, we win.”
Shit. Nathan and Angie would have to choose between Duncan Enterprises and Gabe’s safety. In the end, they would probably choose Gabe, and Jordan will have won. Truth be told, it probably wouldn’t even matter. No matter what they did, no matter what promises he made, Jordan would still give up the information. There was no way he could be trusted to keep his word.
“Interesting plan. How about you let me talk to him so we can move this along and not get arrested,” she growled.
“We’ll go together.”
She’d never be able to break Gabe out if Jordan was there. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to work. How am I supposed to flirt with him if you’re hovering over me? You think I’ve lost my edge. Let me prove to you that I’ve still got what it takes to get shit done.”
/> Jordan smiled. “I’ll be waiting here for you when you return. You have an hour, Daisy. And then I’m coming for you.”
He shifted, and Daisy’s eyes widened as she saw the gleam from his waistband. Since when did Jordan carry a gun?
“Thirty minutes,” she said as she gave him what she hoped was a winning smile. “Any more than that and I’ll know for sure that he isn’t interested in me at all.”
Thirty minutes. She could smuggle Gabe out to safety in thirty minutes, right?
16
The woods behind the park were less picturesque and more dense and overgrown. There were three cabins erected out there, but they weren’t easy to get to. It had been years since Daisy had been out here and from the looks of it; the paths haven’t been maintained at all.
She followed the narrow dirt path and soon passed the first two cabins. Vandals had gotten to them and busted out the windows. Her stomach twisted as she imagined Gabe lying hurt in one of these vermin-infested structures.
“He’ll probably get rabies,” she muttered. “This is ridiculous. Who the fuck kidnaps people these days? What’s wrong with simply threatening them on the Internet and calling it a day?”
Swearing, she realized that she chose the wrong path and ended up crashing through the brush. Brushing dirt and leaves off her jeans, she looked up to see two of her men sitting in front of the third cabin. Actually, she realized, they probably weren’t her men any more. They were Jordan’s. Had she ever had any kind of control over her section?
She called out to them as soon as they saw her. “Morning, guys. I’m here to have a little talk with Gabe. Jordan said ya’ll have been out here all morning, so I brought you some breakfast.” She pulled out the two thermos cans and some snack bars.
The men looked at her suspiciously “You know about Gabe?”
“I didn’t until Jordan called me. I’m not in love with the idea, but what’s done is done, and we need to use this to our advantage.” She waved the snack bars at them, and they grabbed them eagerly. She waited until they were drinking deeply from the thermoses before giving them a smile and going inside.
Gabe was sitting on the bench leaning against the wall. She was relieved to see that at least he wasn’t tied up. “Gabe. Are you okay?” she asked softly as she knelt by him.
Chuckling, he raised his head and stared at her. “Really? I’m imprisoned in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. What part of that makes you think that I’m okay?”
“Of course you’d make a big deal about this,” she snapped.
“A big deal?” he bit off and shook his head. “What are you doing here, Daisy? Are you here to demand that I change my company or die? I’m curious about what happens if I choose death. Is Nathan next? Then Stephen? How about Duncan or Angie since they actually have controlling interest in the company? Why me instead of them?”
“Keep your voice down,” she hissed as she peered out the window. The guys outside were shifting around uncomfortably. She estimated that it would only take a few more minutes before they started running to find a place to relieve themselves. The herb mixture she’d included in their drinks was designed to give them instant diarrhea including a tremendous amount of painful cramping. She’d only wished that Jordan were one of the recipients instead of those two.
“Why? Your men outside there seem to think that it’s about time you acted like you belonged to Restore Eden.”
“No,” she growled. “I’m telling you to shut the fuck up so I can bust you out.”
Gabe snorted. “Oh good. So you’re going to play the hero so I’ll do whatever you want. Is this a gender swap thing? Isn’t it usually the men who rescue the damsel in distress and sweep them off their feet?”
“I don’t think the women usually give the men this much trouble,” Daisy grumbled. The guards out front stopped fidgeting and began running for the hills.
“That’s what you think,” Gabe said.
“For once in your life will you do as I ask? Jordan is crazy, and I can’t guarantee your safety unless we get the hell out. We can’t go back to the park because he’s waiting there, so we’re going through the woods.”
Gabe stood unsteadily, and she reached over to grab him. He swayed and looked down at her. “This isn’t a trick? You didn’t have anything to do with this?”
“I wanted to change the world, but I hadn’t planned on doing it illegally. I can’t do much of anything from behind bars.” She helped him out the door.
“What did you do with the guards?”
“Gave them the runs. It should keep them occupied for a while, but we probably only have about a twenty-minute start before Jordan comes looking for us. He still doesn’t trust me.”
The dirt path narrowed then ran out completely after a few yards, and they stumbled into dense woodland. After walking for about an hour, she finally sat down. “Okay. Nathan is supposed to track us down with my phone.”
“Nathan, huh?” Gabe grunted.
She gave him an annoyed look. “He’s the one who realized that you were missing.” Reaching inside her pocket, she found nothing but another snack bar. “Shit.”
“What?”
Dread washed over her. “I left my phone in the bag, which is in the cabin.” Looking around the woods, she started when she heard the sound of twigs snapping. In a hushed voice she added, “Jordan will already be out looking for us. We can’t go back.”
“Then we keep moving. You’re an environmentalist. Tell me that you know these woods like the back of your hands.”
“We’re right by the city. As long as we keep walking in a straight line, we’ll hit the edge of the woods eventually. It’s not like we’re in a national forest that goes on for miles.”
Gabe stood, and she was pleased to see that he was steady on his feet. “How are you feeling?”
“My ribs hurt, but other than that, I’m fine. I’d like to kill your friends, but I guess that can come later. Kidnapping is a crime, Daisy. I am calling the police on them.”
She knew that he was right, but she couldn’t help but feel despair wash over her. Everything that she had achieved recently would be ruined. When the news hit that Restore Eden was back to its old ways, nothing she did would matter anymore. All the good would be completely overshadowed by the fact that the organization she belonged to was run by a bunch of extremist idiots. But Gabe could have been seriously hurt. He had been seriously hurt, and if they didn’t get to safety soon, there was no telling what Jordan would do next.
“I know,” she said softly. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “Gabe, I’m so sorry about this. You have to understand that I didn’t intend for any of this to happen. I really thought that my section wanted the same as me, and that I could use Restore Eden’s resources for good. If I had known…” she trailed off.
He looked at her strangely. “It’s okay, Daisy. It’s not your fault. You see the good in people.”
For a moment, she stared at him. Despite everything, he was still trying to make her feel good. Her lips parted, and all she wanted to do was lean into him so he could wrap his strong arms around her.
“We should get going,” she said abruptly. There was no point in fantasizing about things that would never happen. “Jordan is probably too stoned to track us, but the more distance that we put between us and him the better. Let me know when your ribs start to hurt, and you need a break.”
“I’ll be fine,” he said. They walked in silence. Daisy did her best to keep them in a straight line, but the more she tried to visualize how the park looked on a map, the more she realized she had no idea how big the woods were. The park and camping facilities were only situated along the outskirts, and as the woods got denser and denser, she worried that they could end up wandering for days.
“I need a rest,” she said finally as the sun started to set. She leaned against a tree and slid slowly to the ground. The bark bit into her back, but she didn’t care. Her legs and feet were sore, and she was exhausted. Gabe looked like
he could still go for another few miles.
He sighed and looked around. “Are we lost?”
“We were lost the moment we left the cabin. I thought if we walked in a straight line that eventually we would hit the city, but I don’t have any idea how big these woods are. I’m sorry, Gabe. I don’t think we’re going to find anything before nightfall.
She shivered, and he sat down next to her and put his arms around her. “Cold?” he whispered in her ear. She was dressed for the sunny Californian days, but the nights could be chilly. “We can rest for a bit, but we really need to find some place to take shelter for the night. I imagine there are plenty of mountain lions and bobcats in these woods.”
Mountain lions? She didn’t even think about that. She was going to get them both killed. If she had the energy, she would have cried.
His stomach grumbled, and she reached into her pocket and pulled out the stale granola bar. “Last meal?” she said jokingly as she handed it to him.
He ripped the foil off and broke the bar in half. Shaking her head, she pushed it away. “I’m too anxious to eat.”
“You say that now, but in a few hours you’re going to be hungry and cranky. Believe me; I do not want to be stuck in these woods with you when you’re cranky.”
She laughed hollowly and took her half. Biting into it, she winced. The damn thing was stale and crumbly and tasted like cardboard.
“Nathan probably told you, but as environmentalists go, I didn’t actually spend all that much time outside as a kid. My parents were all about the comfort of the indoors. It wasn’t until a fishing trip with a friend when I saw how littered the waters were that I wanted to get involved. I felt sorry for the fish.”
“Sorry for the fish? I can see that. Before my mother died and Duncan threw his heart and soul into the company, he took us camping. Stephen tried to be the bold and brash one. He wanted to go hunting and fishing, but we didn’t really need to do any of that, we always had plenty of food packed with us. And Nathan used to get so upset when Stephen would talk about killing animals. I guess that’s where his passion for saving the environment grew from. I guess you two have quite a bit in common.”
