“He’s more mobile than you are, but that’s due to the medication they are giving you. They are keeping you incapacitated until Carter gives the go-ahead. He has a plan and, unfortunately, you’re right in the middle of it all. I will try to keep you as safe as I can because I have a plan of my own.”
Anne blinked once to show him she understood everything he was telling her.
“Adam is alive as well.”
Internally, Anne gave a sigh of relief. She had indeed seen him. The tears began again. Dr. Lindsey dabbed them with a tissue. She knew he was safe and under FBI protection. Victoria wouldn’t let anything happen to him.
“I know you are worried about him but you need to worry about you right now. Once Carter executes his plan, there’s no going back. I need you to trust me. Do you trust me, Anne?”
Without hesitation, she blinked once. Dr. Lindsey nodded.
“Rest, Anne. You’re going to need all your strength for what lies ahead.”
That statement tore through her, igniting a fire deep within. She was seeking retribution and it would be hers, no matter what the cost, even if it meant losing herself in the process.
***
Nine days had passed since her initial true awakening. Carter and Dr. Lindsey hovered over her. The debilitating medicine continued to drip into her IV, paralyzing all muscle function. Carter steadied himself on crutches, locking his wicked irises with hers.
“Anneliese, don’t look so forlorn. What I have planned for you is brilliant. Consider yourself lucky that I’m even keeping you alive.”
“Carter,” Dr. Lindsey spat out.
“Shut up.” Carter shot a glare across her bed. “Since your mother was just as fucked in the head as you, this will work out perfectly.”
Tears spilled out of her at the sound of his vile words, but he continued mercilessly.
“Good ‘ole Dr. Lindsey has brought to me all your research about brain manipulation, and your study notes with the Mayo Clinic. It’s amazing how readily you can locate certain drugs and medications—for the right price of course. You are pumped with so many fucking meds. I’m amazed you’re still breathing.”
Carter moved closer to her, evil rolling off of him. She prayed he would hurry along his point.
“You will be my puppet, Anneliese. You’ll do whatever I say and your sweet Adam will be nothing to you. I’m going to suck all the oxygen from your lungs and replace it with mine. Your blood will call out to me.” He stroked her wet cheek. “You will belong to me.”
She blinked once, conceding to his insanity. She had no other choice.
“Otherwise, you’ll watch me slaughter Casey and her entire family. It’ll be your fault. I’ll slit their throats and not think twice about it.”
She was clawing from her insides out, begging for mercy or for him to just kill her. The vision of Casey, Tony and her innocent children’s lifeless bodies was her undoing. Internally, her body thrashed from his threats. It convulsed. It screamed. It begged for death. She lay still while the inner war raged, consuming her soul.
“Before I leave, I have one other little secret to share but I think I’ll wait until my Anneliese awakes.” He turned to Dr. Lindsey. “Do it.”
Carter brought his lips to her skin, brushing them over her, as though she were Snow White, like he was breaking some sinful spell that had been cast upon her. However, the opposite was happening. His kiss was poison. He nodded at Dr. Lindsey and hobbled from the grim room. He exhaled, closing his eyes.
“Are you ready, Anne?”
She blinked.
“I’m sorry I have to do this.”
She could see his remorse. Anne wanted to reach out to him and tell him she understood, tell him that she knew he didn’t have a choice. Just like she didn’t have a choice. They were Carter’s captives. Once again, she was saying a silent goodbye to Adam.
“Anne, close your eyes and listen to my voice. Let it take you away, like an ocean current…”
His hypnotic voice towed her deeper and deeper, until his soothing commands breached her subconscious.
Chapter 17
The sea of burnt oranges, golden yellows and fiery reds swept across the Riverfront District. Autumn crept into the city along with its nippy winds that tickled the vibrant leaves. The mid-afternoon sun felt welcoming on Anne’s face as she let the fresh fall air enter her lungs. She had two of her smaller windows open just enough to let the breeze freshen the stale office space.
“Anne, what the hell are you doing?”
Anne exhaled deeply, turning to look at her best friend.
“I’m packing up the rest of my office, Casey.”
“I can see that but what I want to know is—why? Why are you doing this? Your life is here, with me and with Adam.”
Anne watched her lace her fingers with her own.
Six months had passed since the “incident”, as Casey called it. Anne distanced herself after leaving the private facility, claiming amnesia. But she knew that Casey thought it was a cover-up.
“You waltz in here after being absent for months and announce that you’re moving to Georgia and that you need a fresh start, and when I ask you if you’ve seen or talked to Adam, you have the audacity to ask me who I am talking about? Are you kidding me, Anne? And now your m—“
“Stop Casey, you don’t understand so please, drop it. I have to go,” she replied sternly.
Anne pulled her hands away and began taping up the last box that remained in the now-empty office. Two bouncer-type men stood outside her door, still wearing their sunglasses. She held up two fingers and they nodded and walked to the front of the reception area. Anne pulled Casey close to her, stopping at the curve of her ear.
“I once read that the fastest way to succeed is to look as if you’re playing by someone else’s rules, while quietly playing by your own,” she whispered.
Backing away she gave Casey a wink, and then walked past her to the waiting entourage.
“Anne?”
She heard Casey call out to her but she was already out the door.
Her stilettos shocked the tile with an unbridled stride while she tightened the belt on her black trench coat. Once she reached the ground floor, Anne exited the large glass door to the streets of downtown. Ahead of her sat a black Lincoln Town Car; the back driver’s side door was open.
Before stepping in, she caught sight of an attractive man leaning against the brick wall across from her. His ruffled locks moved with the chilled breeze. And something pulled deep within her. Those familiar dark eyes held her gaze until a baker’s truck drove by. The man disappeared once the truck passed. Glancing up and down the dense movements of the street, she couldn’t find him. Shrugging, she placed herself gently on the leather seat, and the door was closed by one of the burly men.
“Are you ready, Mrs. Montgomery?” the driver asked, pulling away from the curb.
“Yes, Robert. I’m ready.” Anne said, her voice sounding like it contained razors.
“The jet is fueled and awaiting your arrival.”
Anne nodded while fidgeting with the large black diamond that rested heavily on her ring finger. Vengeance was awaiting her as well.
Here is a preview of what’s to come in Deadly Redemption (Book 2 in the Deadly Series)
Chapter 1
Minneapolis International Airport was within view. Anne’s wet palms lay flat against the leather seats. Her heart pounded in her throat with so much force she thought she may very well vomit it up right there in the car. Robert eyed her in the rearview mirror with a look of worry.
“Mrs. Montgomery, are you feeling all right?”
“Yes. I am not keen on flying.”
She knew that was a lie. Carter would be waiting for her at their new residence. That thought burned through her and not in a good way.
“Before we reach the airport, I have something for you.”
Robert reached for a small black box. Reaching back, he handed it to her. She stared at it with wi
de green eyes. The last time she had opened a mysterious package, it released a whirlwind of lies and betrayal. She bit down on her lip. With shaky fingers, she lifted the top. She released her breath with a sigh. A black phone sat on top of a folded note. Anne placed the phone gently on her lap. She unfolded the paper. It read:
I am looking forward to meeting my new sister-in-law. This phone will be your direct line to me. Tell no one, especially your husband! We will be in touch soon.
Michael Montgomery
She looked at Robert. He nodded. Quickly, Anne realized that she had an ally and she would need him to execute her plan. And she knew Robert would keep her secret. Her nerves calmed at the thought. Anne Montgomery would destroy her husband.
***
The abandoned school house sat on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia in an overgrown field of weeds and nocturnal creatures. The warped wooden structure swayed in the southern night wind. She ran her hands through the cloak of champagne that spilled over her shoulders and onto her dark silk blouse, while Robert escorted her to the white-chipped door that was guarded by a gruff looking man.
The windows were concealed with layers of dust and grime but a soft glow flickered through the years of neglect. A gust of damp wind swirled around them, knocking Anne off balance. Robert grabbed her arm. She could feel her heels sinking into the mud and the screech of an owl sent her clutching onto the middle-aged driver. He chuckled.
“It’s just an owl, Mrs. Montgomery.”
“I feel like I am in the middle of a horror film!”
He patted her arm. The man at the door instructed her to raise her arms.
“Why?”
“We don’t take chances.”
“Right, I have a rifle hidden up my skirt.”
The dark-haired man was not amused and continued his pat down. Anne pretended she was at the airport being searched by a trained security guard, not being felt up by a dirty criminal in the middle of a swampy field in Georgia.
He stepped back and opened the door. It squeaked and chips of paint blew off in to the wind. Anne turned back and looked at Robert. He motioned for her to go in, he was remaining outside. With a thick swallow, she twisted forward to view the candle-lit room. The odor of damp rotten wood and animal decay wafted by her as she breeched the threshold. The plank floor groaned beneath her.
Anne felt four sets of eyes observing her arrival in the flickering illumination. A lanky, authoritative man, wearing tailored black trousers and a crisp crimson oxford shirt approached her. The shadows of the room shaded his unruly dark locks and ethereal eyes. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheekbones. Anne graciously welcomed the affection by returning the gesture on his smooth face. She smiled at her half-brother-in-law. Anne had spoken with him a few times as she settled into her new life. He never indicated animosity toward her but she knew to keep her secrets bound to her soul. He was, after all, a ruthless Montgomery.
“Anne, it’s nice to finally meet you.” Michael Montgomery’s tone was warm.
“Michael, it’s a pleasure to meet you, as well.”
“I apologize for not attending your wedding. Last minute is hard for me these days. You understand?”
“I do. I know you have a lot going on.”
“You mean my bastard half-brother stealing Montgomery Incorporated right out from under me immediately after my father suffered a debilitating stroke? Yes, you could say I have a lot going on, Anne.”
She knew the term bastard for Michael meant more than just a derogatory term, but that in fact, Simon Montgomery had been busy having a sleazy affair with Carter’s mother, Rita Leeds, thirty-five years earlier. Surprise, it’s a boy! A boy Simon had wanted nothing to do with.
“I apologize. You know I understand your anger.”
“I know you do.”
“How is your father doing?”
Michael sighed.
“My dear brother has him tucked away in a private facility in Atlanta. The asshole won’t let me see him. Some doctor, whose name starts with an R.”
“Rasmussen.”
Anne couldn’t help the disdain she attached to each syllable.
“Yeah, Dr. Rasmussen updates me. The closest I’ve gotten to him is just inside the door of his room. This whole situation is fucked up. How could my father have been so careless with the company’s legalities? He practically handed the company over to Carter on a silver platter.”
Anne took two cautious steps toward him. She didn’t care who ran Montgomery Incorporated, as long as it wasn’t Carter. Anne needed Michael to trust her implicitly.
“Michael, you’ll get the company back. You are the true Montgomery.”
“We’ll get it back.”
“No—no, I’m not a Montgomery by blood, just marriage—if you call this forced arrangement a marriage. And you’ve just met me.”
She felt the weighted black diamond hang on her finger. It was a chain to the devil.
“You are more of a Montgomery than that piece of shit will ever be. Just because his whore mother slept with my father doesn’t make him family. It makes him an enemy. He may be the eldest son and may have successfully accomplished a hostile take-over. It’s a loophole I plan to close.”
“I am flattered by your words, thank you. What I want is to have my life back.”
Her eyes glazed over with tears. She swiped them away quickly, not wanting Michael to see her crumble—not when there was so much at stake.
“We have many things in common, Anne, and I assure you, what was stolen will be returned. I promise you that.”
She believed him. He wasn’t one of the good guys but he was her family, even if it was all a lie. Anne’s twisted family tree had long since burned to the ground and was buried beneath her feet. She needed Michael to help her protect the people she loved and to rid her of Carter, once and for all.
“He doesn’t suspect anything, does he?” Anne asked.
“No, our new-found reconciliation has satisfied him. I need to find out why he moved the company down here and away from Chicago. How is he at home?”
“Decent, and I wouldn’t call that a home. He has been away for the past few days, but I’ve kept busy.”
She winked. Anne took advantage of her Carter-free schedule. When he would phone her, he would ask, “What did you do today, my Anneliese?” She would reply, “Networking for the company.” He was pleased with her enthusiasm and pro-active demeanor. Anne resolved her feelings of guilt with the fact that it wasn’t a complete lie. Carter didn’t need to know with whom she was networking. She could see in the dim light that Michael was smiling.
“I don’t doubt that. I do have a contact of my own monitoring him very carefully.”
“May I ask who?”
“The person will be in touch with you before the business dinner next week.”
Michael glanced at his gold-banded watch, and then motioned to his entourage.
“I have to go. Midnight poker game, twenty-five grand. Want in?
“Oh no, that’s too rich for my blood.”
“Not anymore it isn’t.”
Anne said farewell to Michael and walked out of the dilapidated school house and the brusque man who smirked at her. Robert ushered her into the waiting SUV. Once secured inside, she pulled out a crisp one hundred dollar bill and reached over Robert’s shoulder.
“Thank you, Mrs. Montgomery.”
“You are most welcome, Robert. And I should be thanking you.”
Before she forgot, Anne took the secret black cell phone from her purse.
“Oh, and this.”
He took the phone from her hand and slid it inside his coat pocket. She hoped that one day Robert would forgive her for bringing him into the tangled web she was weaving. He believed every one-hundred dollar bill she slipped to him an act of graciousness. But Anne called it bribery.
Andrea makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, son and fuzzy canine son. She is a neurotic, sarcastic, OCD, and cracked (but fun)
, wife, mother, homeschool teacher, writer, daughter, friend and everything in between.
You can find her at
http://www.andreajohnsonbeck.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/andrea.j.beck
She also writes monthly articles for Homeschool Mosaics and In-Depth Genealogist
Deadly Deception (Deadly Series) Page 12
