by K. T. Tomb
“I really hope so, John. I really hope so.”
Chapter Nine
Alpharetta, Georgia
“Good morning, Steve,” John greeted, as he stepped out of the elevator into the reception area of Thorn & Lexington. “Are Emmitt and Anita with you this morning?”
“Good morning, Thorn,” Steve replied; he had taken to addressing John formally after his speech on Thursday night. “They should be along shortly. They’re putting the rest of their things together. We leave Atlanta by mid-afternoon today, I would think. Just as soon as we cash this check.”
John wanted to say, “Good riddance!” but instead he replied, “I hope your visit to our great city was enjoyable at the very least. I know you didn’t get the outcome you’d hoped for, but it sure beats ending up in jail, doesn’t it?”
Steve gritted his teeth at the comment, then said, “Undoubtedly so, but I wonder if it’s too late to add a personal request to the agreement.”
John signaled to Kathy, the receptionist, to excuse them and she stepped away from the desk and walked briskly toward the break room. There was a short pause in her receding footsteps, but John soon heard the door open and then close behind her.
“And what would that be, Steve?” John said, looking directly at him.
“I was wondering about your wife, Rae. She’s Atlanta sorority, right?” he asked.
“A rather venerated alumni of one, yes.”
“I’ve heard a lot about the devotion of such women to their husbands and the lengths they would go to in order to ensure they got the things that they want. I would like to make an offer for the purchase of her company for one night,” he finally admitted.
John was flabbergasted. He stood leaning against the desk, stunned but not allowing his stare to fall from Steve Moore’s face. He thought he heard a soft gasp come from around the corner, but ignored it. Finally, John gave a nervous laugh in an attempt to calm the anger that was bubbling just below the surface. He was gripping the edge of the desk so tightly his knuckles were white.
“I would consider hearing your offer,” he said tentatively, “but I doubt you could ever afford to offer enough. She is my wife and she is not for rent or sale. As you should have already figured by now, Mr. Moore, Rae is a woman who is greatly respected by many people in our community. The fact that you have no regard for her as a woman or a human being shows that you are not a part of us here in Atlanta. But curiosity is killing me. I know what a moment in my wife’s presence is worth to me. What is a night with her worth to you?”
Steve chuckled, as if he considered John’s speech an emotional rant.
“She is just a woman, Thorn, a foot or so above a servant. It’s sickening to see men all over this country putting them on pedestals and treating them as equals. Don’t pretend to idolize her in hopes of fetching a higher price.” He held John’s gaze defiantly for a moment, then continued, “I will pay you a hundred thousand for a night with her and that is much more than she is worth in my opinion.”
Silence filled the room as John held Steve’s defiant stare. Through the dead air, there came a distinct sound of shuffling. It seemed to be coming from around the same corner, but John ignored it.
“You got mice in your walls, Thorn?” Steve asked mockingly.
“Certainly not, you asshole,” John shouted. “You’ve got some cheek on you!”
There was a silence again, but the sound was gone.
“Your answer, sir?” Steve pressed.
“Rae is not for sale. You misogynistic pig. You better get out of my office before I beat the living shit out of you and call the police.”
John drew back suddenly, and took a defensive stance in case Steve decided to sucker punch him.
“I have to warn you that both Mr. Arlington and Mr. Stevens, two of your former investors, have lodged formal reports about you and Emmitt with the Sheriff’s Department,” John said as Steve turned to leave. “In that light, I expect to hear from the bank manager that you’re there to cash that check within the hour,” he continued. “If I don’t or if I lay eyes on you or those other two after noon today, I will be calling the police.”
***
Rae couldn’t believe her ears. She pressed up against the wall so she wouldn’t be seen from around the corner and strained to hear more of what was being said.
How could he even consider this? she thought as the silence from the reception area drove her half crazy. A hundred thousand dollars? To sleep with me? Is my husband really listening to this fool placing bids on me like livestock? Does he actually expect John to hold a negotiation with him?
She shook her head. She must have misheard what had been said or taken it completely out of context. If she hadn’t, why did it seem that John was actually contemplating Steve’s offer?
That damn man!
She’d known something was wrong about him from the start. He was nothing but a common criminal. She suddenly realized that she had not been mistaken about the look of lust in his eyes that night after dinner, not to mention the disgusting wink.
Her heart was thumping as she strained to hear John’s response to Steve’s proposal and when she heard the argument that ensued, Rae smiled to herself and turned away. She hadn’t doubted for a second that John would put the man in his place. The threat to call the authorities unless he and his little crew left town immediately was icing on the cake.
She made her way down the corridor back to her office and went straight into her little bathroom. As she pushed the door open, her eyes went to the little covered bin that sat right next to the toilet with a small stack of little brown bags on top of it. Her face fell. She calculated quickly in her mind and suddenly realized that she had not had her monthly period as yet and she was about two weeks late.
Shit! What perfect timing! she thought sarcastically.
A strange feeling came over her and Rae dropped heavily onto the seat of the toilet, burying her face in her hands. Both she and John wanted kids, but they’d also agreed that it wasn’t the right time. They’d married right out of college and knew they weren’t ready for that so they’d spent most of their time building their practice. Recently, they’d realized the time to start a family was near but they’d seen the value of getting Thorn Industries up and running first. Rae had thought her doctor had been extremely careful with his advice and tips on how to conceive after birth control use. He’d advised it might take a few months before a conception; but she had clearly stopped taking the pills too soon. A feeling of hesitation settled over her as she realized what a baby would mean for them at that moment, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel happy about being pregnant finally. And she knew John would be happy too. Thorn was already up on its knees and bound to be at a full run in a month or so. She wasn’t sure what to do next, except to go see her doctor. So Rae stood up, took a deep breath and went to sit at her desk. Then she lifted the telephone receiver and made the most important telephone call that she had made in weeks.
That evening after dinner as she slowly made her way up the stairs to their bedroom, Rae still had no idea what to do or what to think. More importantly, she didn’t know what to tell John. She wouldn’t have any certain answers about her condition until she’d seen her doctor in the morning so she refused to stir up a hornet’s nest when she had already had everything planned out. Rae had managed to get an appointment with Dr. Jackson before opening hours. That way she’d make it in to the office before John realized she’d even been missing. She told John that she’d be leaving ahead of him in the morning to receive the first truckloads of assets from the Augusta steel works. He’d believe the story well enough that she felt secure as she asked Bowman to arrange for the car to take her into Atlanta at 7 a.m., then to the office in Alpharetta when she was done.
Smiling to herself, she mounted the last stair and stood alone on the landing in her work clothes and bare feet, proud of her quick and clever plan. As she closed the bedroom door behind her, though, the feeling o
f delight melted away. What was she doing? She’d never kept a secret from her husband, never. Not since the day they had met at that stupid rally in the park. Rae kept her eyes fixed on his sleeping figure as she slowly undressed and slipped a cotton chemise over her head and body. She lifted the blankets cautiously trying not to wake him and slid in between the sheets. But John moved to her immediately and wrapped his arms around her.
“You’re late coming up to bed, Mrs. Thorn,” he whispered, “Where have you been?”
“I was making sure everything would be ready for you when you got up tomorrow,” she lied. “Remember, I’ll be gone just about the time you wake.”
“I don’t like waking up without you beside me, Rae.”
Rae mmm-hmm’d her response, trying to stop herself from telling him everything. She wouldn’t say a word. She’d promised herself. It was going to be enough of a roller coaster ride for them if there was a baby. She had no way of knowing how John would react if she told him she was pregnant and it turned out that she wasn’t. She couldn’t put him through that. She tried to lay still even when he snuggled up to her and started kissing the nape of her neck. But his touch was too thrilling for her to resist. She had grown accustomed. Her body tingled as every nerve in her body yearned to be ignited by his hands and lips.
He slid his arms around her hips and pulled her closer to him as he lifted the soft chemise she wore up over her thighs, sliding his hands down over her bottom and hips and then up over the warm valley of her sex. He smelled of the wine that had been served at dinner as well as cigar tobacco. As he traced his tongue along her neck from her shoulder to her earlobe, her mind began to wander. What if they hurt the baby? What if there is no baby? Rae pushed the raging thoughts from her mind and succumbed to the complete absence of cohesive thought. She didn’t object when his tongue continued down the arch of her throat and into the valley between her breasts.
***
He woke from his sleep with a start.
John looked around the bedroom and then toward the window before he realized that it was still very dark outside. He reached over and felt for Rae. She was sleeping peacefully at his side. What the hell kind of a dream was that he’d had? He listened silently for any sounds around him, but there was nothing and slowly he eased himself back onto the pillows. They were soaked with sweat from his nightmare. As he settled back down, John vividly remembered the dream that had woken him from his sleep.
He was standing in a chapel at the altar next to his brother and a crazed-looking clergyman. He glanced out at the congregation seated in the church, but he only recognized a few of the faces; the rest seemed blurred. His parents were seated in the front row. His father looked angry and ready to hit someone with a long gardening tool he had with him and his mother hung her head evidently to conceal her red eyes. He saw Bowman with a very grave expression on his face; his lips were set in a thin line of disapproval. Mrs. Newland and the maids stood at the back, shaking their heads and humming funeral dirges. Next to the governor of Georgia, whose face was a blank slate, sat Benita Jean-Picard, Rae’s best friend and sorority sister. She wore a veil of the darkest black Spanish lace as if she were attending a movie star’s funeral. At the sight of her, John looked around the chapel to make sure what was going on. He looked down to find that he was dressed in the same expensive Italian tuxedo that he’d worn to his wedding to Rae eight years ago and his brother was dressed the same, so he was obviously the bridegroom.
The chapel doors opened and everyone stood and John was confused as a bride made her way down the aisle. He looked frantically at Benita, but she never raised her head to look at him. As the woman drew closer, John could see the telltale wisps of ridiculously red hair trailing from beneath the veil. Anita Moore! He wanted to scream, but no sound would rise from his throat. He tried to run, but found that he was rooted to the spot. When he looked at Benita Jean-Picard again, pleading for help, he finally noticed the woman who held on to her for support.
Rae bowed her auburn head and wiped the tears from her cheeks with a white handkerchief, drying the wetness that collected on her long eyelashes. No one in the church seemed to notice that the wrong woman was walking toward him to be married and there seemed to be no help to be had from anyone present. As she came closer, laughter pealed throughout the church and when John turned toward the altar, the priest had transformed into Emmitt Farmer and where his brother had stood previously, was none other than Steve Moore, his intended brother-in-law.
Chapter Ten
Atlanta, Georgia
Rae stepped out of her doctor’s Midtown offices in a good mood.
She was five weeks pregnant and everything was looking fine. She couldn’t wait to get to the office in Alpharetta and give John the good news. She stepped out onto the street to cross over to Piedmont Park, where the car had been parked when suddenly a familiar looking black Cadillac pulled up beside her. She didn’t even have a moment to scream before Emmitt grabbed her and pulled her into the car’s back seat. He closed the door quickly and the car sped off. A rag soaked in chloroform soon stopped Rae’s kicking and screaming as Steve tore through the Atlanta streets, then headed east out of the city toward Augusta.
Richard, the Thorn’s driver, rushed to the curb just in time to see the car take off with Rae inside. He noted the license plate number and ran into the doctor’s office. After quickly explaining that Mrs. Thorn had just been taken by strangers, he used their telephone to call John at the office.
***
They scanned the letter repeatedly for clues, but there was nothing more to it than the fact that Rae had been taken hostage by Steve and Anita Moore and Emmitt Farmer.
They’d made her write the letter herself and from the smudges and stains on the paper it was obvious that she’d been crying as she wrote it. Rae left no clues on the page about where they were going or what they were planning on doing to her. Not even a hint. Already the whole incident had changed John’s life forever. Since he had to confide in Raleigh and Bowman, John let his emotions flow freely in their presence. The two maintained a façade of consummate professionalism, keeping his distress from the prying eyes of their associates in the office. It had always been as plain as day that he adored Rae, but then everyone did. Her striking eyes were always full of kindness and sincerity. Her perfect mouth never uttered an unkind word to a soul.
The local Sheriff’s office had advised Raleigh that the Cadillac had been spotted heading toward Augusta and that the Augusta Police had been advised to be on the lookout. In the meantime, the police had advised that they stay put and keep a low profile in case the kidnappers tried to make contact to post their demand or in the event that they let Mrs. Thorn go.
John was consumed with the fear that he might never see Rae again. He drove from one end of town to the other in the hopes that someone had seen something or that she would turn up right there in Atlanta having been left behind by the trio. It was unlikely, considering the demands they had made her write down in the letter. They’d left it with a checkout clerk at a 7-Eleven near Covington and gave the man ten dollars to place the call to the office. When John got to the convenience store, the police were already there asking questions. He couldn’t sit still and wait for the various reports to be put together so he stayed with the police officer as he questioned the store employees. The descriptions he gave matched the car, Steve, Anita and Rae. Apparently another man was with them, but he’d stayed behind the wheel and the clerk never got a good look at him, but what he’d seen was sufficient. According to the timing, They were about an hour ahead of them down the road heading for Augusta.
“Come on, Raleigh,” John said as he got back into the car. “If it’s a fight he wants, I’ll give that bastard a fight. We’re going to Augusta.”
***
It wasn’t long before Rae started to feel the rigors of the drive. She’d made them stop several times already so that she could throw up on the side of the road and by noon, she was showing signs of deh
ydration. Emmitt pleaded with Steve for them to stop and get her something to drink, maybe to eat as well.
“You can get the chance to leave that letter for Thorn too,” he rationalized. At that point, even though her stomach had been long since emptied, Rae still leaned back into the seat of the car retching and coughing.
“When is John Thorn going to come for you, Rae?” Anita teased.
“He’ll come for me. The minute he knows where I am, he’ll be here and he’s going to kill every one of you for what you’ve done to me.”
“Why are you hiding the news about the baby from him?” she asked. “Isn’t he happy to become a father?”
“I’d just left the doctor’s office when you snatched me up, you idiot. When was I supposed to tell him?”
“I guess that means you’ll do just about anything we say then. Huh, Rae?”
“I’m not afraid of any of you. You’re just a bunch of con artists that are as afraid of doing hard time as you are of working for a living.”
“Whatever you say, toots. But I’ll tell you one thing for sure. Steve won’t hesitate to open you up from stem to stern and leave you out on the side of the road for the buzzards. He’s got nothing to lose.”
Rae hung her head, not sure what to think of what Anita had said. She looked at Steve’s profile in the front seat and shook her head.
“You talk too much, bitch. Your brother’s a damn coward; kidnapping pregnant ladies for ransom. Ha! Real hotshot criminals, the three of you.”
This was not something she could have planned for. There was nothing in the junior league handbook that advised what to do in the instance that you were kidnapped and held for ransom. All she knew was that she had to start leaving some clues for her husband and the police, which shouldn’t be that hard since Anita couldn’t keep her mouth shut if Emmitt paid her to. They were on their way to Augusta. They planned to gather their stash of money and jewelry and then head for Columbia, South Carolina, where they would board a train headed north. Somehow she had to get that information to John.
