Victor jumped from the chair. “You’re going to regret speaking to me that way!” he shouted, and then winced in pain. “I can’t believe that you fucking stabbed me.”
“It’s too bad that I didn’t aim high enough,” she said truthfully, sending a furtive glance around the room in search of any viable weapon, and found nothing. The fear lanced through her, but still, she forced herself to look at him. “I should’ve gone straight for the jugular.”
“What’s happened to you, Vanessa? You’ve really turned into a cold bitch.”
“From you, I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said with a bored expression. “Not that your opinion of me carries any weight or merit.” Pausing, she gave him a long look. “Why are we out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“Maybe you should ask your little boyfriend that question.”
“Sebastian?” she said, studying him close. “What does he have to do with what you’re doing?”
Victor paced across the floor like a caged tiger. “The bastard has everything to do with this,” he raged, combing a hand through his blond coiff. “But, I’m going to stop him from ruining my life or anyone else’s.”
“I think you have it twisted,” she pointed out. “You and your father are responsible for ruining other people’s lives.”
“Do you know what your lover did, huh?” Victor blurted. “He made me invest in those little dummy companies and I lost everything that I have.”
She raised a brow. “So, you went bankrupt, and now you’re blaming Sebastian. Have you ever thought to contemplate that it’s all your doing. I’m curious. What does your father think about all of this?”
He stopped his repetitive pacing. “My father is dead.”
“What?” she asked, shocked.
“He left me with no choice but to do what I did.”
She held her breath. “What did you do?”
“Bang, bang, he went down.” Taking his left hand, he mimicked the sound of a firing handgun. “I shot him dead right square between the eyeballs.” He gave another maniacal laugh. “He found out that I’d been embezzling money, and he wasn’t pleased at all. It was like he went crazy---he snapped. My father has always had a way with words, and the insults that he slung were demeaning. With one single bullet, I silenced him.”
The disbelief played on her face. “You killed your own father?”
Again, he looked completely crazed. “I told you that I had no choice.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“I brought you here because I’m going to make Armani pay for all that he’s done, and then, he’s going watch you die.” His smile was cold. “Guess history is about to repeat itself. I’m going to take away the very thing he cherishes most—the woman he loves. You will never make it out of here alive.”
***
Night had fallen.
It was 10:36 pm to be exact.
Again, the Georgia summer heat swathed the night, leaving a mugginess that was nearly unbearable. Bright stars speckled the moonlit sky and white light seemed to beam from the high heavens onto the ground.
About a half mile out from the cabin on Ferry’s Road, the FBI had set up surveillance. A short trailer with computer equipment and other high-point technology rested within the small neck of trees, and FBI agents seemed to be crawling everywhere.
The line of police cars, state trooper vehicles, and federal law enforcement vans seemed to stretch for miles along the dirt road. A flurry of activity was taking place as they made decisions of where to enter and how to approach the hostile situation.
Propped up against the hood of the squad crowd, Sebastian stood close by a small group of officers and listened intently as they planned their entry point into the dense woods. He started when Marc clasped his shoulder.
“You okay, man?” Marc asked, stopping alongside him.
“I only looked away for a second. One minute she was there, and then she was gone,” he murmured, feeling the pain constrict in his chest, and as the pressure built inside of him, he clasped his head with shaky hands. “What if something bad happens?”
“The best men in the field are out here tonight. Take a look around, they’re crawling everywhere. Santini will never make it out of here alive.”
“And Vanessa?” he rasped, and it hurt to breathe. “Will she make it out of here alive?”
“I wish that I had the answer to that, bro,” Marc sighed with regret. “But, I don’t.”
“The hostage negotiator is here,” one of the officers proclaimed.
He and Marc both turned and looked back towards the road. The dust flew in the air as the brown sedan rolled down the dirt road before stopping. Pushing the door open, the hostage negotiator climbed out.
An African-American gentleman strode up the dirt road with intent, and he reached them in record time. “Whose Armani?” the man asked sternly when he’d met the crowd.
He faced the man with a tight look. “I’m Sebastian Armani.”
“Just the man that I’ve been looking for.” The man clasped his hand in a firm handshake. “Jack Gaston. I’m the hostage negotiator, and I’ve never lost anyone yet. Tonight’s not going to be the first. I will make sure that Ms. Mitchell makes it out of this situation alive. Follow me.”
A moment later, they’d entered the trailer where other agents were working. Upon entering, they strode towards the computer monitor, and everything just looked like a series of dots, he mulled, peering over the agent’s shoulders.
“Do you have a vantage point yet?” Jack frowned in concentration.
“Yes, sir, we do,” the agent rapped the words out quickly. “There’s a possible entry point at the rear of the cabin, and there’s a window on each side. We’ve been able to establish where the hostage and perpetuator are located inside.”
“Send me in,” he quipped tightly, looking from Jack to the agent. “I’m the one that the bastard wants.”
“No,” Jackson said quickly, shaking his head. “It’s too risky, and we’d have two dead people on our hands rather than one.” The man sighed. “I’m not sure what I’d do if I were standing in your position. Hell, I’d probably be like you and want to charge in head first. But, we have to keep it in sight that this is a volatile situation. Santini has already murdered his father in cold blood, so there’d be no reason in him not killing Ms. Mitchell. He has nothing to lose.”
He released a frustrated breath. “So, what am I supposed to do? Just stand here and do nothing?”
“What do you mean do nothing?” Jack asked, looking at him pointedly. “The fact that you’re here means everything. You are the first person that Vanessa needs to see when she makes it out of there. I know that it’s difficult, but you’re going to have to trust us.” The empathy placed on his face. “We will get her out of there alive.”
No longer able to speak, he just nodded.
“Simmons?” Jack called out, facing the monitor again. “Grab some coffee for Armani.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the man returned with the coffee, he sat down in the only vacant chair. But, the coffee went from hot, lukewarm, and to cold as the hours progressed. For hours, Jack had been negotiating with Victor, and his nemesis’s mood had ranged from hostile, weepy, and downright crazed at times.
And Vanessa, he mulled, struggling to hold onto his stormy emotions. What he wouldn’t give to just to hear her voice and know that she was unharmed.
“We’ve made a breakthrough,” Jack replied, whirling around in the chair, and couldn’t disguise the relief in his voice. “Santini is ready to negotiate.”
He sprang from the chair. “What happened? What does he want?”
“In exchange for Ms. Mitchell,” Jack said quickly. “$10,000,000 and a private jet plane. Unfortunately for the bastard, he’s not going to receive either one. But, he doesn’t need to know that.” He looked at him. “And I have good news, we’ve convinced him to put Vanessa on the phone so that she could talk with you. He should b
e contacting us at any minute.”
The phone shrilled on the table.
Watching him, Jack lifted the phone before responding. “Yes, he’s here. I know--- 5 minutes is all that he gets. I’ll put him on.”
His hand shook violently as he accepted the phone from the agent, but the man gave him a reassuring nod.
“Hello,” Sebastian said, barely able to breathe.
Her tearful voice met his from the other end. “Sebastian,” she cried, breathing into the phone hard. “I’m so happy to hear your voice.”
He closed his eyes against his own tears. “I’m happy to hear yours, too. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” she sniffled. “Just a little tired that’s all.”
“All of this will be over soon,” he said, staring unseeingly across the trailer. “And when it is, I’m never going to let you out of my sights again.”
She fought to hide the fear in her voice. “I’m going to hold you to that promise,” she whispered, and finally broke down. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” he rasped, and his breath caught on a hard sob. “I’m not going to lose you, do you hear me? I am not going to lose you.”
“Do you know how happy you make me? Loving you has been the greatest joy of my life,” she sobbed into the phone. “I’ll love you forever.” Her words were nearly indecipherable. “Please tell Meghan----tell her how much I love her.”
“Don’t talk to me like this is the end. You’re not leaving us. I don’t want you to give up. I want you to fight,” he said, finally finding his inner strength. “You are the strongest woman that I know, and I know that you---”
The phone went dead.
“Your five minutes are up,” Jack said with regret. “We’ll have to wait and see what Santini wants next.”
The phone shrilled again.
“Yes, Sebastian is still here,” Jack muttered, looking at him again. “I’ll put him on.”
The anger surged through him as he grabbed the phone, but then forced himself to calm. Rattling Santini’s cage would be the wrong move to make right now. “Hello,” he muttered, nearly crushing the phone in his hand.
“Look who’s in control now, you son-of-a-bitch,” Victor laughed nastily. “After all this time, you’re still being one-upped by me.”
“I suppose that I underestimated you,” he replied, forcing the words out. “That was my mistake, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was,” Victor snapped. “And now you’re going to pay up big time.”
The cold dread filled his chest. “What do you want? There’s no price that’s too high.”
“$10,000,000 from that fat bank account of yours and a private jet plane that’ll take me straight to Columbia,” Victor snapped. “That should be enough to get me started, and I will rise to power again. Believe that.”
He willed himself not to curse. “I’m sure that you will,” he quipped tightly. “Everything that you ask for, it’s yours. The $10,000,000 is safely packed in a black suit case, and they already have the jet fired up and ready for take-off.” He stared at the darkness through the trailer window. “Now, things are up to you. When do we make the exchange?”
“I want you to bring it, just so that I can see the look of terror on your face when I haul this cunt out the door,” Victor laughed maniacally. “It’s fortunate for you that I’m a bigger lover of money rather than whores. But, you, on the other hand, you’ve sold your soul for this one.”
Once more, he forced himself to keep his cool. “You’ve made your point. Now, when is the drop-off? Where do I come, and when will our exchange take place?”
“Be here in thirty minutes and not a second over. There’s a trail that leads directly to the cabin off Highway 23. Follow it. It’ll bring you straight here. Come alone. If you don’t, this bitch dies on the spot.”
The phone went dead.
“He wants me to make the drop in thirty minutes,” he quipped tightly, facing everyone in the room. “If I don’t, I’m going to lose her.”
Chapter 16
Hugging the pillow against her body, she huddled closer to the wall and fought the rising misery.
Be strong, she reminded herself, clinging to Sebastian’s earlier words. If she didn’t remain strong, they’d all lose.
“What time is it?” she asked quietly, staring at him from across the room where he slumped in the chair.
“Does it really matter?” Victor snapped, rearing up fast, and gripped the gun tighter. “Especially since you or your lover won’t grace this earth for too much longer.”
She fought to stay the tremor in her voice. “If you kill Sebastian or me, you won’t get anything. And aren’t you the one that proclaimed that you loved money more than anything?”
He stared at her in his confused dazed state. “Shut up.”
“Considering that you’re saying that I’m about to die, shouldn’t I at least be able to have some last words?” she mumbled, sitting up higher on the bed.
“If you were actually spewing anything that made sense from your lips, I’d say yes. But, since you’re not, just shut the fuck up,” Victor said as he stood, and then waved the gun at her. “Get your stinky ass up and come over here.”
She hesitated. “Why?”
Giving a crazed laugh, he began skipping around the room in a circle. “Your lover’s about to come up the lane,” Victor said, singing a little rhyme. “Too bad he’ll never see daylight again.” His mood changed in a flash, and once more, his attitude was cold as he stopped. “What are you waiting for? I said get up!”
Shoving the pillow aside, she climbed from the bed.
Suddenly growing impatient with her, Victor strode across the room before gripping her by the elbow. When they reached the room’s middle, he stopped and pressed the nuzzle of the gun against her temple.
“Yeah, now you finally see who’s in control, don’t you?” he sneered, gripping her arm tighter. “What would you do if I were to just blow your fucking brains out right now, huh? Tell me, are you willing to beg for your life.”
“Victor, think about what you’re doing,” she insisted, breathing fast. “Killing me is not going to get you what you want.”
“You know for once, you’re right,” Victor said, keeping the gun cocked, and led her to the window. He pushed the curtain back. “Well, well, looky here---look who’s skipping down the bunny trail.”
She looked out at the dark night.
With a black suitcase in hand, Sebastian strode down the trail alone. Even from this distance, she sensed his open distress, though he fought to hide it.
“Isn’t it amazing what some of these damn fools will do for love?” Victor asked with disgust, still watching as Sebastian approached. “They never realize how degrading the emotion is. I mean, look at Armani. The bastard is one of the richest men in the world. But, he’s willing to do anything to hold onto you.” He gave her a lewd glance. “You must have a snapper between those legs because he’s willing to die.”
Ignoring his nasty comments, she continued to look out the window. The closer Sebastian drew, the more anxious she became.
But, her fear only mounted as Victor forced her to the door, and she could no longer control her emotions as he kicked it opened. Her sobs left her as he led her onto the porch.
Distraught, weeping, she watched as Sebastian approached.
“Please, don’t hurt him,” she pleaded, throwing Victor a desperate look. “I’ll do anything that you ask---”
“Don’t beg, Vanessa,” Victor said dryly, and didn’t take his eyes off Sebastian. “It’s rather unbecoming of you.”
Crying softly, she fell silent, realizing that there wasn’t any reasoning with him.
As Sebastian neared the porch, she fought to breathe.
Would she actually have to stand here and watch him die?
“Stop right there,” Victor ordered, holding her firmly. “Drop the suitcase on the ground, now!”
“Take it easy, Santini,”
Sebastian murmured, but complied, keeping his eyes steady on them as he did so.
“I don’t want to take it easy, damn it,” Victor snapped unkindly. “Open the case slowly and show me what you have. One wrong move and I’ll splatter this bitch’s brains all over this place.”
Sebastian squatted down before opening the case. “It’s all here---$10,000,000,” he said, displaying the stack of green backs that’d been carefully packed in the case. His expression was unreadable as he looked at his nemesis. “And you asked for your ride out of here.”
“Tell Gaston I need a ride out of here and fast. I’m done playing with you two fools,” he spat, and then sneered. “Oh, and one more thing, I think that it’s only proper that I allow the two of you to say goodbye. Your love story is so grand, you know.”
“Santini, you have your money. Just let Vanessa go,” Sebastian said, tensing while trying to stall him. “If you want to kill me, go ahead.”
“No,” she broke in, shaking her head, and her desperation was palpable. “That can’t happen. I can’t lose you.”
“Even in the end, she doesn’t have the good sense to bargain for her own life,” Victor said with disgust, digging the gun into her temple, and then cocked the hammer back. “It’s over, Armani. Say bye bye bitch--”
Everything seemed to happen in both fast and slow motion. As the bullet hit Victor squarely in the chest, she cried out as she fell to the ground. All dressed in black and protective gear, the snipers swarmed out from their hiding places and moved in fast.
Her mind was confused and dazed as she was lifted from the ground, and by whom, she didn’t know.
“Sebastian!” she screamed, looking around, crazed, and struggled against the officer’s gentle hold. “Where’s Sebastian?”
“It’s okay, ma’am,” the officer soothed. “It’s over.”
“Please, I need to see Sebastian,” she pleaded, sobbing, and distraught. “Please take me to him.”
“Vanessa!”
Gasping, she turned towards the desperate cry, and at the sight of Sebastian bawling unashamedly as he charged towards her, was enough to do her in.
The Darkest Days (Torn Apart Book 2) Page 24
