by Kenya Wright
A tear left Dawn’s eye. “And I felt so bad for Emily and him. I became so obsessed with her. Sometimes I looked in the mirror and saw Emily’s face, not mine. So, I searched for more information on her. I asked him more questions. The only problem was, after a while, none of the details fit. After a while, I found the artist of that painting on my own and behind his back. After a while, I discovered. . .”
Freddy gripped the edge of the table. “You discovered what?”
“That there was no Emily or ex-girlfriend that shot herself. It was all a lie. The story was a lie. He just found the painting at a garage sale one day. Loved the look of the woman and had someone do face recognition on public photos.” She glared at me. “He found my picture from some stupid article I did for my online college’s magazine. The whole thing had been a game. There was no Emily or ex-girlfriend.”
“Jesus.” Freddy raked his fingers through his hair. “This isn’t true. It’s so ridiculous.”
“The most ridiculous things in our world are true. Like I said,” I cleared my throat. “Dawn kept getting too close. I had to keep her busy.”
“And he did.” Dawn spit the words out. “He continued with more and more games as I tried to leave him. He was my little puppeteer, controlling my every move. Sadly, no one ever thinks about the puppet that’s dangling from the strings. Everyone just enjoys the entertainment.”
My phone rung, disrupting the conversation. I checked the screen. My stomach opened up and threatened to push all its contents out of it.
Why is he calling me now?
It was a phone call I couldn’t ignore.
I rose from my chair. “I’ll be right back.”
“No worries.” Dawn gestured to the armed men around the table. “Clearly, we’re not going anywhere.”
I rushed out of the room and placed the phone next to me. “Yes?”
A dark voice came. “Hundun?”
Cold fear stabbed at my heart. “Yes.”
“My son called and said his friend Frederick was on the island. Something about a girl.”
Freddy knows his son.
My heart hammered in my chest. Freddy definitely had connections in high places. I knew their families may have run in the same circles, but I had no indication that Freddy was that close to the bank cartel families.
Off balance, I blurted out, “I was notified of someone on the island. He’s gone now.”
“Is Frederick gone?”
“Yes.”
“And what of the girl?”
I forced myself not to curse. “There was no girl. At least not one I’ve seen.”
“Hmmm.” The sound didn’t come off comforting. If anything, it scared the shit out of me. And not many things put me on edge. “This is a problem.”
“How, sir?”
“You say there is not a girl, yet I have a good source that says there is a girl. In fact, this source says you grabbed the girl from Miami, took her to DC, and now the island.”
I had nothing to say. Clearly, this source was one of my men.
Who? Now I’ll have to kill them all.
“So, let me say this again, Hundun, where is the girl?”
Sweat trickled down the side of my face. I wasn’t used to being shoved to the edge. So much had already happened. I’d already lost Dawn. It was clear from this dinner that her plan would be to get away from me as soon as possible. Whether she ran off with Freddy or someone else didn’t matter. I’d lost her.
None of that mattered in this moment. They knew that she was here. They knew that Dawn had been saved by me from the Miami attack. They knew that Freddy had followed us to get her.
They knew too much and the more they connected the dots, the more the families would realize that Dawn and I had to go.
I’m glad I already started a game.
Freddy had nothing to worry about. His blood flowed with too much money and cultured roots. They wouldn’t touch him. Freddy was the oldest and heir to his family’s money. It was best to be nice. If someone messed with him or who he loved, he had the type of connections to destroy them.
Freddy just doesn’t know it yet.
That cold voice ran over the line. “Hundun, where’s the girl?”
“She’s gone.”
“Hmmmm.” The sound chilled me. “My source says that she is still with you, however, Fredrick’s location is not known.”
I sighed. “She’s here, but he is not.”
“When will you get rid of her?” Shock hit me.
I was more surprised he didn’t yell or go off. Something was wrong. What was I missing?
“I’ll get rid of her as soon as possible.”
“Hmmmm. Goodbye, Hundun.”
And on schedule, an explosion came from the left side of the house. Boom! The foundation rocked under my feet. I fell back against the wall. Another explosion sounded from the right. Too close to the dining area but not there.
“Run!” I struggled to get up as more parts of the house ripped away into fire and booming sounds. “Run!”
Acrid smoke filled the air blocking my path. Dark clouds of it swarmed through the hallway. People screamed inside—men and women. I recognized some of the staff, bumping into me and racing away.
“Get out of here!” I raced back to the dining area. Fanning smoke away and covering my mouth. Glass shattered off in the distance. The foundation rocked again. Soon the fire and explosions wouldn’t be enough. Soon the whole place would crumble down and destroy us all. I went too far. Rage boomed inside of me.
Fuck! This is too much!
Three of my men lay on the floor. The table had been sprawled on its side. Heat rose around us. I raced toward the dining area. Flames roared up the walls. The ceiling was ablaze. We didn’t have minutes. We had seconds to get the fuck out before all of us died.
Too far!
“Dawn?!” Bumping into broken chairs, I stumbled forward.
“She’s over here.” Freddy rose from the other side of the table and pushed at the table. “She’s stuck over here. Help!”
In here, the heat sweltered to high temperatures. If we didn’t die from smoke inhalation, we’d burn alive. Panic ripped at my gut.
Fuck. I guess this is game on. Shit.
Chapter 31
Freddy
As if today hadn’t brought enough mental angst, bombs fucking detonated around Caden’s house. Either it was bombs or somebody shooting rocket launchers around his property. I had no idea what was going on, but that we were the target and had to get the fuck out immediately.
When the first explosion rocked the property, one of Caden’s armed men had fallen into me. He must’ve lost his balance, but he’d knocked me out of the chair and we’d fallen to the floor. Gray smoke filled the room. It took forever to roll his body off. Another couple of seconds to figure out what the hell happened in the room’s commotion. Everyone had scurried around in this foggy space. Things were being bumped and knocked around as if people were rearranging furniture. Meanwhile, the table had jailed her. She made no noise.
Please, be okay! Fuck! I can’t lose her!
“Dawn?” I hurried to her and used all my strength to push away the table. “Dawn?”
Caden appeared in the doorway. For several seconds, Caden stood there in utter confusion. I didn’t have time to figure out his problem. Dawn was my only worry. I rushed to her and picked her up. She lay unconscious in my arms. Her body limp. A line of blood dripped down the side of her face. She’d probably passed out. I hoped to God it wasn’t something else.
Caden rushed to my side with his arms out. “Give her to me.”
Not trusting him, I said, “No. Show us the way out.”
Another boom rocked through the other side of the house. He grimaced and gestured to the other side of the dining area. “Let’s get the fuck out of here!”
“Everyone’s going that way.” I gestured behind him.
His words came out hurried. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Why should I go with you?”
“Damn it,” Caden roared. “People are trying to kill Dawn and me. Just let me get you both to safety.”
Scared shitless, I looked around, making sure no one came in or out. “And how do I know that this isn’t part of the plan, some game?”
“Because I’m not that good.”
“You are.”
“Because. . .” Caden showed me his shaking hands. “Because I’m a good liar and I’m really good at games. But trust me, I am not this good at acting. I’m scared.” He pointed to his eyes. “Look at me. I’m fucking scared. And I want to save Dawn and get you both out of here, but if you fight me on this, I will knock you out, take Dawn, and you’ll die here.”
Shards of glass sprayed against the wall. We ducked. No one got hurt but that didn’t mean we were safe. The foundation would be crushing into itself soon.
Motherfucker!
Caden sped off. “Let’s go!”
“This better not be a fucking game.” I tightened my grip on Dawn and followed.
“Trust me. It’s not.”
I can’t trust you. I’ll never trust you.
We charged off in the other direction. My adrenaline was pumped up to highest capacity.
Smoke furled from the cracks in the wall, burning my eyes and choking the shit out of me. Priceless paintings hanging on the walls bubbled and blackened around us. Dawn coughed in my arms but hadn’t opened her eyes or said anything. We should’ve been crawling, but one never crawls from monsters that are trying to kill them.
It took minutes to get to the back door on the first level. When Caden touched the knob, he jumped back. The heat from the metal must’ve come close to searing his flesh. He put the end of his shirt into his hands and turned the knob.
“How is she?” he called over his shoulder.
“Still out.”
“Fuck.” The back door wouldn’t open even when he turned the knob. Caden slammed into it. The door remained there, but the hinges rattled and loosed from their place. “Don’t worry. We’re almost safe.”
Anger dotted my words. “Will we be?”
He slammed into the door again. “We will.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“Well, then now I know how the boy that cried wolf felt.” He kicked the back-door open.
The battered wood fell to the ground. Not caring about Caden, I pushed past him and rushed outside with Dawn first. It felt good to finally breathe in some fresh air.
“Run toward those trees.” He rushed ahead of me, guiding us forward. “I’ve planned for something like this.”
Planned for this?
Pain ripped at my arms. I kept his pace behind me and held onto Dawn with all my strength.
“This leads to a hidden dock. I have a boat full of supplies.” Caden checked my hold on Dawn. “I can carry her—”
“Don’t even think about it.” I gritted my teeth.
Sirens roared off in the distance.
Still carrying Dawn, I checked behind me right before we entered the grove of trees. Everyone had been in front of the house. No one was out in the back. That fact didn’t calm me. Someone could still be watching us from the trees or even a satellite.
If this wasn’t Caden, then it was another enemy.
In minutes, we made it to the boat.
A song of fear filled my ears. My heart thundered. My nerves drummed. My soul cried out to anyone that would listen. The sirens—drawing closer—added to the rhythm of terror.
“Get rid of your phone and hers if she has it on her.” Caden pulled out his own phone and threw it into the water. “We need a head start and then I have to get Dawn and you away from me.”
“We’ll see.”
“Where’s your phone?” He held out his hand.
“I fucking lost it in your damn house!”
“Calm down.”
“Calm down? I don’t trust you.”
“You sure you don’t have your phone?”
“Of course.”
There was no time to argue anymore with Dawn passed out in my arms and an exploding house behind me. I followed Caden some more, happy that I’d lied to him. I had my phone right in the back of my pants and as soon as we got to safety, I would call any and everybody to step in.
Did he plan this? Just in case, I have to be one step ahead of him.
Through the trees hiding his getaway spot, I glanced over my shoulder and looked at his house one more time.
Could he have planned something this destructive?
Fire twisted around it, consuming the whole place. Devouring something that must’ve been his dream home. Chomping on all of Dawn and his memories. Hungry and deadly flames bit and gnawed and gnashed. Dark pulses of smoke roared above the house. Everything was destroyed. Even the mango trees near the right wing were up in flames. A fiery, sugary scent filled the air. Something you would smell at a candy factory if the whole place had been set on fire.
No. He can’t be that crazy. There’s no way he would burn down his own house and risk all of us dying in an explosion. For what?
Still, doubt sat in my gut and I didn’t plan on squashing it until Dawn and I were back in the States and far away from Caden.
“Come on. We can’t hang around here.” Caden got to my side and stared at the house with me. “They’d tried to take the good things about my life away from me—this house and my Dawn. They’d ruined the house but didn’t get Dawn.”
“Who are they?” I asked.
“That’s my problem. You don’t need to know who they are. Either way, Dawn might not be mine anymore, but she will be alive. I promise for the rest of my life, she will be safe and alive.” He walked off toward the yacht that had been hidden behind the canopy of trees. “We have to go.”
“Where?” I stayed near the trees.
“Right now, my enemies will be searching for Dawn’s and my face in the crowd of fleeing servants, as well as the emergency techs and firefighters. We need to take our head start while they’re distracted. It’s all about distraction. The more the enemy is distracted, the more you have a chance to win.”
True, but who’s distracting who?
Against all logic, I carried Dawn toward the yacht. It was a fifty/fifty chance Caden told the truth.
Get us out of here and then pick every detail apart. That’s what I’ll have to do.
Once we got on the boat, Caden checked her vitals. I didn’t know if he knew about health stuff, but the man damn sure knew how to deal with a raging fire. Perhaps he’d been around tons of dying people before. He sure seemed to attract it. But Dawn was alive and well, breathing normal and responsive to his touch. Once he announced she was fine, he led me to one of the yacht’s bedrooms and I laid her down on the bed.
Dawn’s safe. That’s all I need to worry about.
I let that calming reality fill me and lift my spirits. The past week had been a rollercoaster ride that I’d been hoping to get off. When would the ride stop? When would the games end? When would Dawn and I finally get our time to shine and bloom?
Caden left me alone with Dawn as she slept. I could’ve stayed in that room the whole time, but I had too many questions. Someone had blown up his home and he’d mentioned that the people wanted Dawn and him dead.
The yacht’s engine roared to life. A minute later the boat swayed and headed off.
Where are we going? And who the hell tried to kill Caden and Dawn?
I had to focus. Although Caden helped us, he was definitely not a friend and I couldn’t trust anything he said. But I still had so many questions and for the time being, he was the only one that could answer them.
Being on his boat made me miss my yacht. In comparison to his, mine was completely different. He’d kept speed in mind when buying it. I could feel the loud purr of the engine as I walked around the decent sized space. His wasn’t as big as mine either. He wanted to hide it. I craved huge and eye-catching machines. My yacht provided the ability to wake to br
eathtaking sunrises over the enormous deck. Apparently, his was used to escape from emergency house bombings.
I climbed up the stairs leading to the captain’s area and entered. Caden remained at the helm, looking over maps. Every few seconds he looked forward out into the ocean as if a sea monster would appear and swallow us up.
“Did she wake up?” Caden asked.
“For a few seconds and then turned to her side.”
“She didn’t sleep last night.” He returned to the map. “Everything’s exhausted her. She’ll be fine.”
“No, you exhausted her.”
Caden rubbed his mouth with his hand and placed the map on the table. “I assume you want to talk.”
“You’re damn right I do. What the fuck is going on?”
“It’s complicated.”
I stomped his way ready to knock his ass out.
We’d almost died.
Game time was over.
Caden extended his hand in front of him. “Stop. You don’t want to fuck with me and I’ve already pissed off Dawn. I could kill you. I could do it and then throw you over the boat. Dawn’s asleep. I doubt she remembers that you carried her out of my house. I could kill you and no one would know. So, step back.”
I didn’t, but I had to admit that his words gave me pause. Still, I remained where I was. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Whoever helped you onto the island is—”
“Perry.”
“Yes, that’s the son of my boss. Or one of my many bosses. Powerful families that do bad things.”
I shut my mouth. For once, Caden sounded like he was telling the truth. I didn’t know a lot about what Perry’s family did but I knew none of it was good. My father kept a distance from them and worked on a few business deals to not insinuate disrespect. But they were bad people.
My chest filled with dread. “Perry’s dad was the one that blew up the house?”
“Yes. I don’t know how he did it. If it was me, I would’ve planted the bombs into the foundation years ago, just in case there was one day I had to get rid of the person living there really fast. I’d even keep the remote control to the bomb far away. Countries away, if possible.” Caden shrugged. “But I don’t know how he did it. Which is fucking me up. I don’t know if they’re watching us now or think we’re dead. All I know is that we need to run and figure out a way to keep Dawn safe.”
