A Beautiful Kind of Hope (A Beautiful Kind of Series Book 1)

by Cathy Johns

  Me: Anything for you baby. Remember you're my world and want the very best for you.

  Me: oh... and good luck with getting June out of the car.

  I see the bubbles indicating she's typing something.

  Hope: I'll need that. Call me when you're free. I miss you, Mr. Smith.

  Damn it. She knows what she does to me when she calls me that and she knows I'm in a meeting. The maddening woman I've got in my life and I'm so wrapped around her pretty fingers.

  Me: You'll pay for that.

  Before I can go back to what is being discussed in this meeting a meeting I'm half listening to I get another message.

  Hope: you don't want to threaten me especially when I know you're in a meeting.

  I need to ignore her. Last time I was in a meeting she really did rile me up and I had to finish the meeting with a serious boner in my pants. Not happening today.

  Me: I love you.

  I know she's laughing at me pretty hard from where she is. I never give up on a challenge but when a challenge involves her talking dirty to me and I'm in a meeting, I give up. I let her believe she has won but will have my way with her later where my name is the only word that gets to come out of her mouth and today it's no different. She's been working herself up and complaining of being tired all the time and I do understand but if I don't have her tonight, I believe my blue balls will be a view for everyone to see.

  I want to get done with this meeting, I have to meet the boys so we can head to the construction site and see the progress as well as the farm. After the event, we didn't waste time. We got down to business and started working on the farm as well as the construction. Things have been looking up so far and the people who surround me make my life easier and with Cecilia taking much of it from my shoulder, I'm able to concentrate on other things like the contract I have with one of the leading banks in Kenya. I’m getting their systems installed. It's not a simple job when you're working miracles in your head when it comes to software and giving your client the very best in the market.

  I finish up with my meeting and head out to meet the boys. The day goes by quickly but what I'm really looking forward to is spending the weekend with Hope and the children. I promised them a weekend getaway and I can't wait to see their faces when I finally reveal where I’ll be taking them. She said she'd be driving straight home after work. "I'll cook for us" her last word before disconnecting the phone. She's one person who takes it seriously when it comes to gadgets and driving. One of those drivers who stays out of trouble and I do respect her for that.

  I get home but she's not there. Nelly has the children in their room and she has fixed them something to eat. It's 7pm now and I'm a little bit concerned. Traffic, that's what I tell myself but when it gets to 9pm I start worrying. Her phone goes to voice mail. The children keep asking for her and I don't have an answer apart from telling them that their Mama will be home soon. They're used to having her read them a good night story but I see it not happening tonight. Instead, I tuck them in to bed priming to go to my home office to call their Mama.

  I call her best friend Molly and says she hasn't spoken to her since this morning. This is not like her to go MIA.

  I call the boys and alert them. I have a terrible feeling about all this. It takes thirty minutes to drive from Lovington to Westland on any normal day but I hardly doubt she's in traffic.

  The first one to arrive at my house is Leo. I don't know what I'd do without him. He's my support when I don't know where to turn and he's always going to be my big brother.

  "What happened?" He asks, his voice full of concern.

  "She was supposed to be here by the time I got home. She left the children's home at 5pm. I got here at 7pm and nothing from her. She's not at her place, Molly said they spoke this morning and I have no idea where she could be right now. She's not an outgoing person and I can't say she has many friends." I'm trying to hold myself together as I rake my fingers on my hair.

  God, where could she be at?

  "Where are the kids?" Leo asks concern written all over his face.

  "In bed" I puff. "They're so used to their Mama reading them a bed time story and Michael has been asking about her till he fell asleep." I don't like worrying the people I love but my children know this is not like their Mama to miss out on something that is a routine for them. Even when she's late she calls and does it over the phone which is rare except the days June is at it with her tantrums.

  Sam and Mark are next to arrive and I do really appreciate them being here but I'm going crazy not knowing where she is.

  "Was she driving the new car or her old car?" Mark asks the minute he walks into the house.

  "The new car" I answer not sure why he's asking.

  "Does it have a tracker?" Why did I not think of that?

  "Yes it does. Crap, I never thought of that." I pull out my phone and enter the code that the car dealership had sent to me that morning. I locate the location of the car and it says Nairobi West. What could she be doing in Nairobi West?

  "What the hell?" Mark takes the phone from me and looks at what I'm seeing. Someone just sent me a photo of Hope. Her legs and hands are tied as she lies on the floor with a blindfold that resembles her former butterfly mask. She has her bra and panties on. Sam and Leo get to see the photo but there's no judgment there. They now know who Hope is even though Sam knew all along.

  "Who could have taken her?" Leo asks and I see the protective brother in him.

  "This must be someone who knows about her past" I answer. My head going into overdrive trying to think who could have done this to her. Who is so heartless to have her tied up like this?

  "We need to find her Taylor" Sam says squeezing my shoulder. Everything is happening so fast that I don't realize that the girls are here. Cecilia, Tanya and Molly.

  "Who has her?" Molly asks and I don't have an answer for that.

  "I don't know but I swear to God that whoever has her will pay dearly." I already want to kill whoever that has her.

  "We need to go to the location where the car is" Mark say.

  "I'm driving" Leo says. I'm in no condition to get behind the wheel. My emotions are everywhere and I want to kill someone right now

  We all get into two different cars. Sam drives the ladies while Leo drives my car. Why would someone take her? The questions in my head are driving me crazy. I can't think of any one person I've wronged and it's not like Hope to piss someone off.

  We locate the car which is parked outside a night club. I open the doors and see her phone on the passenger seat. The phone is off. I search the rest of the car and for a moment I want to smile because the baby's car seat is at the back of the middle seat and I think of the struggle she must have gone through to get June out of the car. I'm about to tear the car inside out looking for any clue of where they could have taken her before another ping on my phone alerts me of another message.

  Unknown: I can see you've managed to find her car... I keep forgetting you're good with what you do.

  I want to kill the fucker already. Red. That's all I'm seeing right now. "I swear I'm going to kill someone tonight" I throw a punch and hit a wall outside the night club. "Wait a minute... something is not right here." I turn and look at my friends.

  "What do you mean?" Tanya asks.

  "Whoever has her knows what she used to do before and sending me that photo tells me something that has my insides tightening." I don't like where my head is going with this.

  "What do you mean?" Cecilia asks. Her voice full of concern.

  I look at Sam who seems to know what I'm talking about. Now I want to kill someone if they even try it.

  "I also want to kill someone now" Leo says looking at Cecilia before turning his gaze on me. Whatever is between these two is way beyond what I had in mind.

  "Oh God" Molly starts crying clinging to Sam. "They're going to use her old life against her. Everything she has ever hated... oh God. We need to find her." Molly says her eyes searching each on
e of us.

  "We need to find her. Now." Mark says anger in his voice. "Whoever is trying to mess with you needs to know that you mess with one of us, you have all of us to answer too. I remove the phone from my pocket and reply to the unknown number.

  Me: What do you want?

  I wait for what feels like ages before I get a response.

  Unknown: Just want to know how it feels to have a private show with your 'future wife'.

  Future wife.

  Those two words sound familiar. I'm not sure when I said them but whoever I said them to knows how to hit me where it hurts.

  Leo takes the phone from me and the lawyer in him kicks in. "'Future wife' who did you piss off brother?" He asks. I'm not the type to brag about my life but I go through every person I've interacted with since I met Hope and who could have pissed me off to have me say those words too.

  "Fuck." I yell out getting the attention of the others.

  "Who?" Leo asks and I give him the look that tells him who I'm thinking about.

  Taylor

  Where am I?

  My head feels heavy like an elephant sat on it and I can smell dust all around me. I can’t move my hands or my legs since they’re tied behind me. The sharp cold of the floor burning on my thigh and upper body tells me I’m lying on the floor. I also can't see anything because of the blindfold.

  I wait, listening to anything that could alert me of where I am. I was on my way home when a car pulled in front of mine outside the children's home. They blindfolded me and put me into another car and I was out within a minute after God knows what they made me inhale. God, I don't know where I am but I need to get out of here. I need to get home to Taylor. To my children.

  "My children" I murmur in the darkness. Taylor must be going out of his mind wondering where I am and if I'm safe. I need to get out of here.

  "Someone is awake" a woman's voice says as I hear footsteps that tells me someone is walking towards me. Strong arms pull me up to a sitting position and the woman laughs. "Been wondering what he saw in you but I never got it till I did my search and guess what I came up with?" she laughs again her laughter echoing the room. "I can say luck was on my side when I learned that you were a stripper." Her voice is full of anger now.

  Why is she angry at me? And who is this woman? What does my past got to do with her?

  "What do you want from me?" I whisper, not sure she has heard me. Part of me is shaking while the other part is trying to be strong. I need to be strong so I can survive this and get back home to my family.

  To my man.

  To my children.

  "It's not you I'm interested in Butterfly." How does she know about that name? "You thought your secret was well hidden Hope?" The way she says my name makes me sick.

  "What do you want from me?" I yell. Now I'm angry I'm not a patient person when it comes to playing games. I always say at it is.

  Her laughter echoes around the room as another deep voice joins in.

  "You did well, my dear. That son of mine needs to know that I control his life now and everything he owns is going to be mine soon." The man with the deep voice says. How can it be possible?

  So many things run through my mind. Who is this man? Could it be Taylor's father and why does he want to take everything he owns as if walking out of his life wasn't enough. I need to warn Taylor but how.

  My love, you need to find me. You need to stay away from these people who want to harm you again.

  I hear shuffling around me before warm hard caresses my face. "You would make a good plaything. Maybe I’ll get to share you so I can hit my son where it hurts the most." The man laughs but I fight not to let him see that I'm scared of him. This will be over my dead body and not to mention Taylor is yet to know why I was cooking him dinner tonight. No. I can't let these people taint what I have with Taylor. I'll play along with their stupid games but if I get a chance I'll turn the tables around. I already want to kill this man for abandoning him when he was four years old and now he wants to take what has taken him years to build like he owns his sweat.

  I can't show fear. I will put on a brave face.

  "Haven't you done enough already?" I hear myself saying. The hand that was on my face comes to a halt where it was trailing down my arms.

  "He told you about his past?" Foolish man indeed.

  "Does it matter?" I swear I want to look at his face and weigh my questions when I let him in on what I know.

  As if reading my mind, he removes the mask on my face. I flutter my eyes shut and try to adjust to the light when I open them again. I see the man who is squatting in front of me. He looks nothing like Taylor. Lucky he took after his Mama. The man in front of me has brown eyes that are void. He tries to smile at me but my face is stoic. I sure as hell want to kill him. And I'm going to kill him if he dares put his filthy hands on me again.

  "I'm trying to see what my son saw in you." He says looking me all over and I don't like one bit of it.

  "Does he know you're alive?" I divert his thoughts. Has he been keeping tabs on Taylor? If he has then he's one sick man.

  "He doesn't know about me but I know everything about him." I want to laugh.

  "What a funny way of being a father. Watching from a distance, watching his mother die and then what...? Oh wait, I remember, you now want to take everything he has worked for?" I say disgusted by him already.

  "Why keep all that money when he can share with the man who gave him life." This time I don't stop it. I just laugh so hard that my ribs hurt. Oh my god. He's a sick son of a bitch.

  "Now that you have me you think he'll transfer everything to you?" I ask fighting nausea that is threatening. I haven't eaten anything since this afternoon and all that seems to stay in my stomach are fruits.

  "He would do anything for you. Isn't it so L?" I look at the person he's calling L and I can't believe it. This is the woman who tore his heart apart five years ago, Taylor is going to flip and he better come find me because I'm about to do something crazy to these two people who have only managed to fuel my anger not to mention my empty stomach which I'm now supposed to be enjoying a wonderful meal with the man I love.

  "You're both sick." The words come out of my mouth. I can't believe this.

  "He wasn't my type honey, he was just a toy I was supposed to play with and then get what I wanted but he's no fool and decided to call it quits and then he went about calling you his future wife in front of me." Leah laughs. I should thank God for opening Taylor's eyes because I don't know what he saw in this woman.

  "Like I said, you're both sick and you need help." With that said I stay quiet and start plotting how I'm going to make them pay for hurting my world.

  "Someone is here?" A voice from the other side of the door says. They both look at each other and then at me.

  "Show time baby" The man says and I panic, fear creeping all over me when the door opens and a man enters. The man seems to be in his late forties or early fifties. The way he carries himself tells me he knows his way and his suits costs more than my rent even if I don't pay rent anymore.

  The man walks towards me, his hands in his pocket before taking them out and opening the button of his suit jacket. He squats in front of me and cups my cheek pressing me hard to a point of pain. I want to spit on his stupid face but he wakes up too fast before I have the chance but instead I spit on his shoe.

  Good.

  He looks at his shoe and then at me and before I know it, he slaps me so hard across my face I feel like half my face is on fire. I swear I'll kill him or God help me, Taylor will kill him first. "Bitch" he hisses before he lands another slap on the other side of my face.

  The pain is deafening as everything feels like a ping inside my head. I feel a copper taste in my mouth and I know I must have bit myself. I want to cry but I can't allow these people to see my weakness. I'm not giving them that. I close my eyes and pray that Taylor will find me soon.

  I don't know where I am and I don’t know what these people are
going to do to me but God, Taylor needs to find me, now.

  I hear voices outside the room and the door opens as I see two more men enter the room. I shut my eyes and pretend to be out of it after the first man hit me. I let the blood in my mouth spill out from the corner before hearing some movements in front of me but I don't dare to open my eyes.

  "What the hell happened here?" The man before me asks. His voice is full of anger as I feel him shift and walk away from me and I assume he has joined the rest. I try to look at them since my hair is covering part of my face.

  "The stupid bitch spit on my shoes." The man who slapped me says and the other one just shakes his head.

  "You think he's going to sign off his wealth with his woman all beat up?" the man asks his tone full of anger.

  "I don't fucking care." the man who slapped me says.

  "For a man your age," the third man pauses and walks towards me. "You need to think before you act not the other way around."

  Who are these people and why are they so determined to get Taylor's wealth?

  "I know he messed up your business the minute he walked out of your club with the only thing that brought you business but if you want him to pay, this is not how you make him pay by beating the hell out of his woman." the man says before squatting before me and removing a handkerchief to wipe my mouth but I don't let him since I turn my face the other way. "She’s a tough cookie but wait until we have Taylor where we want him to be." he adds.

  I don't feel so good about all this and not to mention the nausea that is slowly working up inside me. I want to save my man, I need to warm him but how do I do it. Think Hope. Think.

  I close my eyes and try to calm down. I can't let them see my fear. I'm a tough cookie, I've been through hell and back but...

  "I need to use the bathroom" I let them know. I do need to use the bathroom but I need to have my hands free so I can try what I have in mind.

  One of the men opens the door and I see a man standing on the other side. He says something to him that I can't make out before the man comes and picks me up. I feel naked, I am naked and that's enough range to have me working on my plan. I don't know where we are but I will try to get out of here. We enter the bathroom which is sticky and smells like some rat died in there and to top it all, I don't have shoes on my feet.