Chantal, Jillian - Surfer Bride (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Jillian Chantal

  She called down for a salad from room service and after she ate it, she put on the dress she’d chosen before she knew she was marrying a psycho. The dress, a deep mauve, had looked sexy and exciting in the store, but now that she knew what a crazy man she was engaged to, it didn’t seem like such a good choice. It was slashed to the waist and she’d thought it was very chic in the boutique when she’d tried it on.

  She ran her hands over the fabric where it exposed way too much of her breasts. There was no way she wanted to wear this in front of Percy. There was no other choice, though. When she decided not to marry him, she didn’t pack much in the way of clothes. This was all she had except for the wedding dress itself and the dress she’d worn the night before. It really would set him off if I wore that again. Two nights in a row. She shrugged. There was nothing to do but wear it and brave his ogling.

  There was a rap on the door. She tilted her head. Sounds like the way Finn knocked earlier. Why would he come back? Who cares? I need the courage he gives me. Her heart leapt at the thought of seeing him again.

  She slid on her backless mauve satin mules and walked over to the door. The rapping started again. “I’m coming, I’m coming. Hold on.”

  She opened the door to the man she’d seen earlier in the parking lot. The one she knew worked for Percy. She tried to shove the door shut in his face, but he was too strong. He pushed his way in, and she opened her mouth to scream.

  He pointed a gun at her chest and said, “I wouldn’t do that, Signorina. I’m supposed to bring you in alive, but if you set off an alarm, I’ll have to tell my boss there was a tragic accident.”

  “What do you want? I don’t have much money.” She walked backward toward the bed.

  He waved the gun at her. “Don’t play stupid with me. You know who I am and who I work for. Just shut up and come with me. And I won’t have to hurt you.”

  Shaken, she sat down on the bed.

  He waved the gun again. “I’m not playing with you. Get up and come on. You walk in front of me and, just so you know, if you signal anyone in the lobby, I will put a bullet in your back. Trust me on that.”

  He had a slight Italian accent, but it wasn’t enough to make her misunderstand him. She could tell he was serious. She decided to do what he said, stood, and grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table.

  When she got next to him, he snatched the phone out of her hand and threw it across the room where it shattered against the wall. “You won’t be needing that. And don’t think I don’t know there’s a GPS on it. I’m not stupid, Signorina.”

  She was even more scared now. Her thought was that she could turn the phone on and her location could be traced. Hopefully, Finn was outside and ready to follow them. He’ll save me. He said he’d tail me. She took a deep breath and felt better already. “Okay. Let’s go. I need to talk to Percy anyway.”

  The man laughed. “I don’t think it’s talking you’ll be doing.”

  “What do you think I’ll be doing, then?”

  “Dying.” He laughed a hideous laugh. “After he gets done with you.”

  She shuddered at the thought of what lay ahead. Please let Finn see us. Let him be downstairs like he said he’d be.

  The man waved the gun toward the door. “Let’s go.”

  She walked in front of him. He was very close behind her. So close she could smell his sweat. He reeked. His scent mixed with onions on his breath from what she thought was his lunch. She gagged.

  The man poked her in the back with the gun. “Keep walking. To the elevator, then off in the lobby and out the back door to the parking lot. Don’t say a word if you want to live. For a little while, anyway.”

  She did as instructed. She walked slowly so Finn could notice them and either rescue her now or follow them and rescue her later.

  They made it to the car Quincy had seen the man get out of before, and she was disappointed that Finn didn’t intervene. The man opened the car door and shoved her in. She gagged again. God this car smells worse than him. Must be a week’s worth of empty fast food bags in here. With the cigarette smell, it’s utterly disgusting. I think I’m gonna puke. Ugh.

  The man said, “I’m walking around the car now. Don’t make the mistake of trying to run. I can still shoot you. And I will.” He shut her door and walked around the front of the car, never taking his eyes off her. He got in the driver’s side and cranked the car.

  She looked at him. “Where are you taking me?”

  “It’s a surprise.” He just grinned.

  His grin was scarier than his laugh. The grin showed his two gold teeth surrounded by his others that were nicotine stained.

  She shuddered, and he reached over and caressed her cheek. “I’m hoping the boss will let me have some before he kills you.” He ran his hand down the center of her dress where it was slashed to show her breasts. He reached into one side and squeezed one. Hard. “I could stand sloppy seconds with you.”

  She pulled away from him. “I’m sure Percy will be upset when I tell him how you manhandled me.”

  The man laughed again. “I don’t think you understand the position you’re in.”

  “I’m his fiancée.”

  The man shook his head and stared at her as if she were insane. “So sad, you know. So sad that you have no idea what your betrayal has cost you. You’ll hear it from my boss soon enough, but you’re no longer his fiancée.”

  “What are you talking about? Tomorrow’s our wedding day.”

  “Nope. It’s not going to happen. But I’ll save the details for the boss to tell you.” He backed up the car and drove out of the parking lot and down the road toward the south part of town.

  “Can you tell me where Percy is?”

  “I’m taking you to him. To where you wanted to go. I’m taking you without a blindfold because you’re never leaving. Alive that is.”

  “What do you mean, where I wanted to go?”

  He just looked at her and winked.

  Quincy tried to pay attention to where she was being taken, but it seemed like they were almost going in circles. She saw several places at least twice. She also tried to figure out if they were being followed. Where is Finn? What’s he waiting for? Dear God, he better be following us.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “The prince of darkness is a gentleman”

  From King Lear, William Shakespeare, English Dramatist (1564-1616)

  The smelly man finally turned the car to the left and off the road. He drove off the street between two sets of buildings. Quincy got more frightened. Where was he going? Would Finn ever find her? The man steered the vehicle around to the back of one of the buildings and into a grassy area with trash, soda bottles, and even a rat or two. The man stopped the car in the alley, and Quincy recognized the warehouse where she and Avery had gone the night before. She peered out the window, confused. Why here? There was nothing in the place but old furniture. Why bring me here?

  The man got out of the car and came around to open her door. He jerked it open. He reached in and yanked on her arm. “C’mon, let’s go. You wanted to tell your fiancé what I did. How I felt you up. Manhandled you, I think you said, right? So, whatcha waitin’ for? Now’s your chance.” He pulled on her arm again.

  “Give me a second. I’m getting out. You don’t have to be such a jerk.” She jerked her arm away from his grasp.

  “Move it, Signorina. Move it.”

  Quincy climbed out of the car, and when she did, he grabbed her arm again and this time, he twisted it. Hard. He dragged her toward the back door of the warehouse. She tried to keep her footing as he pulled on her, but she tripped on an empty beer bottle and sprawled across the dirty lot, scraped her knees and calves and got a mouthful of grass and dirt.

  The man reached down and jerked her up by one arm. “If you can’t walk, take off the shoes.”

  She spat at him but came nowhere near to hitting him. She shook her head to get out some of the dirt and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“If you’d let me walk and quit tugging me along, I could stay on my feet.”

  He slapped her across the face so hard, her neck snapped back. “Don’t spit at me, puttana.”

  She opened her mouth to spit at him again, and the back door opened. There was Percy Hicks. He was dressed in a suit, of course, a three piece pinstriped suit hand tailored by his Savile Row tailor. “Guido, please refrain from calling my fiancée a whore.” He winked at the smelly man. “Not yet, anyway. It’s a bit too soon for that.”

  He turned to Quincy and bowed slightly. “How nice of you to come visit, darling.”

  She looked at him, aghast at his words. Whore? Not yet? What did he mean by that?

  “Do you have nothing to say, my dear? You’re usually quite the talkative bitch, aren’t you? Did Guido cut out your tongue?” He turned back to Guido. “Not that it wouldn’t be fine with me, but I really wanted to hear her scream.”

  Guido laughed until his cigarette damaged lungs made him wheeze. “No, boss, I didn’t cut out her tongue, much as I would’ve been glad to, I didn’t.” He wheezed again. “I do have a question, though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Can I have a go at her before you kill her? After you, of course. She’s mighty pretty, boss. Mouthy, but fine looking.”

  Percy walked over to Quincy and pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He turned her face toward him, leaned in really close and said, “Don’t you want some of that over there?” He tilted his head in Guido’s direction. “He more your type than me?”

  She spat at him. She was a better shot this time. Her spittle landed on his cheek.

  Enraged, he reached up and scratched her face with three of his fingers. The scratches were deep. “You’re going to regret that, darling.” He pulled out a linen handkerchief and wiped his face. Then he wiped her spit into the three gashes on her face. He rubbed the handkerchief hard on her cheek.

  Quincy winced in pain as she felt the blood trickle down her face. She put her hand to her face and could already feel the swelling, either from the slap or the fingernails. There was no way to tell which hurt worse, her face or her scraped legs.

  “Good thing you won’t be posing for bridal pictures tomorrow, darling. You’d look a bit ghastly like that.” He turned back to Guido. “Help me get her inside.”

  Once inside, Percy and Guido tied her to a chair that sat near the middle of the room. Quincy noticed that some of the furniture that was piled all over the room the day before had been moved to make an open space for the chair where she sat. It was a slat back chair that looked like it had been around since the middle ages. It was solid and sturdy, made of some kind of heavy black wood.

  The men tied Quincy’s legs to the massive chair, with the rope lashed around both feet and knotted at the side. They put her hands together behind the back of the chair, pulled the ropes through on either side the middle slat and tied them.

  Percy said to Guido, “Make sure you knot her hands especially tight. I don’t want her to work herself free and untie her legs. It wouldn’t do for her to get away before I can get back.”

  The two men worked silently for a couple of minutes while Quincy prayed for Finn to appear.

  Once she was secured to the chair, Percy said, “Guido. You can go now. I want some private time with my former fiancée.”

  “Yes, sir. Let me know when you need me again. I’ll be waiting for my chance at this beauty.” He leaned over and squeezed her breast again.

  “Keep your hands off for now, Guido.” Percy swatted Guido’s hand. “Go on now, and I’ll call when I need you. You know I have to make an appearance at my wedding rehearsal, and then I’ll be back to finish her off. I’ll need you then.”

  Guido grinned that creepy smile that showed off his nasty teeth, and Quincy shivered in dread. He left but not before sending a leer in Quincy’s direction.

  As soon as they were alone, Percy knelt in front of Quincy. He ran his hand through her hair. “I wish this could have turned out differently, darling, but you got too nosy. I couldn’t let you bring me down.”

  “What are you talking about, Percy? I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m confused. Why are you tying me up and threatening me? What have I done?”

  He smacked her. “Yes, you do know. Quit acting like you have no idea what’s going on. You’re not that good of an actress, my dear. We both know you’re spying on me. You were snooping around my business.” He stood and stared down at her.

  She had to look up as he loomed over her. “Why do you think that?” No way he knows what I’m doing. No way.

  “Ah. I don’t just think it, my dear, I know it.”

  “Know it how?”

  “So, you admit it?” He sneered. “Gotcha.”

  “Of course not. I’m not admitting anything. I just want to know what you’re talking about.”

  “First, I know because you couldn’t resist saying something to me about my plane and guns at lunch when we talked about the honeymoon. That made me suspicious of you. I know you think you and your friend, Avery, got away with snooping around here, but you didn’t. Second, I have proof you were here.”

  “How would you?”

  “You think I don’t because there’s no security alarm? Is that it?”

  She shrugged as best she could with her arms tied behind her. Numb.

  “I can tell you this. A person like me doesn’t have to hire a security company. We don’t like law enforcement. I have my own security detail. And I have my own lab technician. A tech who took your prints off the screen you removed to get in here. Don’t know what you were looking for, but you didn’t find it here. Obviously. Or I guess I would’ve already been visited by Interpol, right?”

  She just shrugged again. He slapped her a second time.

  “Answer me, bitch. I want answers. What the hell are you looking to pin on me? Are you working with Interpol?”

  “No. I’m not working with Interpol.” She shook her head. It hurt like a son of a gun. She idly wondered if a person could get whiplash from being smacked too hard, too many times. She suppressed a hysterical laugh.

  Percy paced around the room and came back. He knelt and got right in her face. “Then who? Who are you working for, Quincy?”

  “Just me. I’m working for myself.”

  He shook his head, confused. “What do you mean? For yourself?”

  “Percy, I was incarcerated in a foreign country for a crime I didn’t commit. I wanted to see if there were guns here. Someone owned those guns on your plane.”

  “I told you it wasn’t me.” He stood up again.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  He practically screeched. “You don’t believe me? That’s rich.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He looked down his nose at her. “It means I’m head and shoulders above you in society and you have the nerve to question me. That’s ironic.”

  She glared at him. “If I’m so beneath you, why did you ask me to marry you in the first place? Did you even love me?” She couldn’t believe her voice cracked at the question, nor the solitary tear that traveled down her cheek.

  He walked around to the back of her chair and put his hands on her shoulders. He ran his hands up and down her upper arms and then squeezed her shoulders. “I met you in Miami, and you were very appealing. Seemed like a nice girl. The best thing was that you traveled for your career. Be sure I could have married any one of a dozen blue blooded Brits, but I decided a girl like you who travels the globe would make more sense. I could get my merchandise in and out of the countries you traveled to with little problem.” He leaned over her back and slid his hands down her chest and inside her dress. He stopped when he got to her breasts and squeezed them. “And that athlete’s body was just a bonus. I could see myself enjoying my life sentence for a long time to come. It wouldn’t be a hardship to have you in my bed. And I guess that was love. I don’t know.”

  She shuddered at his
touch.

  When he realized she was disgusted by his hands on her, he twisted her breasts and hissed in her ear, “Be sure you’ll be in even more pain before this night is over. I can’t tolerate your behavior any longer, and you will be punished. You and I could have had a nice life together, and I would’ve even given you those kids you said you wanted. But you blew it, darling. You couldn’t just be the quiet, obedient wife, could you?” He squeezed her breasts again and held them for a moment.

  He finally let go of her breasts and walked back around to the front of the chair. He had a knife in his hand. He ran the edge back and forth across his palm. She recoiled as he said, “Scared, darling?”

  “Will you quit calling me darling, asshole?”

  “You talk big for someone who’s tied up and at the mercy of an irate former fiancé.” He looked at his Rolex watch. “Speaking of fiancé, I better get to my wedding rehearsal. I have to play the part of jilted bridegroom. It’s gonna be so tragic. My love has left me, and I don’t know where she is.” He looked at her with a mournful stare. “How’s this for the grieving bridegroom look?”

  She stared at him, appalled, as he leaned over and put the knife to her throat. She tried to back away, but couldn’t.

  Percy laughed and sliced downward, cutting her dress but not her skin. He leaned in and licked her nipple that he’d exposed with his cut and bit her lightly. “Be back in a little while, darling. Think about all the fun we’re going to have. And don’t forget Guido gets a turn before it’s over.” At that, he turned and walked away.

  As soon as he was out of the building and the door slammed behind him, she took a deep breath and tested her ropes. There was no time to panic. She had to plan. She had to get free. Finn obviously wasn’t coming.

  Her hands were numb and the ropes tied to them were really tight. She could barely move them. Her legs, on the other hand, had been tied much looser. They seemed to be tied together almost carelessly. She grinned. This wasn’t over. Not yet, anyway.

  * * * *

  Finn left his post outside and dashed into the lobby of The Thyme Hotel when he saw Avery and the two men pull into the parking lot. As soon as the trio came in the entrance next to the lot, Finn walked over to Avery. “Can you check the room for Quincy? I’ve been calling, and there’s no answer.”