Sisters By Choice

by Lillian Duncan

  “Every minute we aren’t on that ship, is one more minute she may be killed. That’s my concern. My only concern.”

  “I’m worried about her, too.”

  “Apparently not enough to do anything,” Carter pointed out at the bay. “We’ve got to get a boat and get out there. Now. If you can’t arrange it, I will.”

  ****

  Patti stared up at the ceiling of the stateroom. To keep from panicking, she prayed and kept her mind focused on the good things in her life. Sabrina. Tears trickled down her cheek. Poor Sabrina. She’d have no one now, except Anna. The tears came faster.

  Carter and his smile flashed in her mind’s eye. It was hard to believe she’d met him such a short time ago. He’d done his best to keep her safe, but she’d been too stubborn.

  The door opened.

  Maria Hammond walked in.

  What was she? Show and Tell?

  Raymond must have found a way to lure Maria there. In a matter of minutes, both of them would be dead and thrown into the ocean.

  She leaned down to Patti. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to help you,” She pulled the tape off Patti’s mouth.

  Patti took a gasp of fresh air, and then spoke. “We’ve got to get out of here before they come back. He’s going to kill both of us. He wants to kill—”

  Maria nodded. “I was standing at the window. I heard it all.” She had a kitchen knife in her hands and she used it to cut the tape binding Patti’s arms and legs.

  “Where’s my purse?” Patti asked as she looked around wildly. “I’ve got a gun and a cell phone. We’ve got to call for help.” Patti grabbed her purse from the corner where Raymond had thrown it and pulled the cell phone out. “Let me call for help.”

  “Not here.” Maria shook her head. “We don’t have time. We’ve got to get out of this room before they come back.”

  “We need a place to hide.”

  “I know the yacht. Let’s go.”

  They ran to the door.

  Patti’s hand reached out to grab the knob. In the same moment the door opened and one of the security guards walked in.

  Patti froze.

  The man’s mouth fell open in shock when he saw Patti and Maria. He moved towards them with his gun drawn.

  Maria grabbed a chair and hit the man with all the strength she could muster.

  He moaned but didn’t go down. Instead, he grabbed the chair and wrenched it from her grip.

  Maria stepped forward, but with an uncanny sense the man turned as she lifted a lamp to hit him.

  He moved out of the way as her arms came down.

  The swing knocked her off balance and she fell to the floor. Maria scrambled back to her feet, but the man was quicker and before either of the women could stop him, he had Maria in his grasp and a gun to her head.

  Maria looked as terrified as Patti felt.

  The security guard wiggled the gun still pressed against Maria’s head.

  All of them gasped for breath.

  “Be a good girl and I won’t kill her yet. That was a nice try,” he told Maria. “But not good enough.” He sucked in more air.

  “Don’t listen to him.” Maria screamed at her. “Run. Get out of here and go get help.”

  Patti looked into the man’s eyes and knew he would do exactly what he promised. She had one more chance. If she had the courage.

  Patti clutched her purse. Turning slightly so he couldn’t see, she slipped Jamie’s gun out of the purse. She’d never shot a gun in her life.

  The guard was looking down at Maria, who still struggled.

  Patti threw her purse as hard as she could.

  As he turned to look behind him, his hold on Maria loosened.

  She pushed at Maria, but he didn’t let go of the woman. Patti shoved the gun into his back. She pulled the trigger but nothing happened.

  The man turned back. He laughed, grabbed the gun and tossed it to the floor.

  Patti slapped at the man, but he kicked her in the stomach. She crumpled to the floor moaning.

  Grabbing Patti by the hair, he forced her to look up at him. “If you so much as move a muscle, I will shoot her. Do you understand me?”

  Patti nodded. She watched as he moved Maria to the sofa and pressed the gun to her head.

  He handed her the duct tape. “Wrap it around your feet and the sofa leg.” His gun didn’t waver from Maria’s head. His gaze never left Patti.

  She couldn’t risk moving or he’d kill Maria.

  He pulled her to the chair and hit her hard enough to make her head swim. She was duct-taped within minutes.

  “Much better. I don’t think you’ll be getting loose again.” He walked out the door.

  Maria’s body shook as she sobbed.

  Patti jerked her arms and legs, looking for a weak spot, but stopped when she realized it was useless.

  She heard a noise at the door and then it opened.

  Joseph Hamed walked over to them.

  Time to die.

  So much she’d wanted to do. She’d never marry, never have a child of her own, or even experience real love with a man. Her stomach heaved but she steeled herself, determined to die with dignity. She prayed, asking God to shelter Sabrina.

  Joseph stared down at her with an intensity that made her pulse race. “I am going to take the tape off. Do not scream.” He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Maria. “If you scream, I will shoot her, but you will still tell me what I want to know. Understand?”

  Patti nodded.

  He pulled the tape off her mouth.

  “I want information regarding this child of Jamie’s,” he demanded. “And I want the truth. If you lie to me, I will shoot you in the head and be done with you.”

  Patti would never let this man know Sabrina was his daughter. Sabrina had to be protected from him at all costs. It would probably be the last thing she did, but maybe the best.

  She nodded. “Yes, I understand.”

  “How old is she?”

  Patti wondered how long Joseph had known Jamie. “Seven years old.”

  He backhanded her.

  Patti’s head snapped back and she saw stars. Blood oozed from her lip.

  “You’re lying. I will give you one more chance and then she will die.” He placed the gun to Maria’s head.

  He would kill the woman if Patti didn’t tell him the truth.

  In her letter, Jamie had begged her not to let this man know Sabrina was his child. But Jamie wouldn’t want Patti to let this woman be killed, either.

  Forgive me, Jamie. I can’t let this woman die. Patti cast her eyes down in surrender.

  Joseph Hamed must have seen the defeat and he smiled with satisfaction. “How old is the girl?”

  Patti whispered the answer. “Four years old.”

  “When is her birthday?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t know she existed until a week ago.”

  “What does she look like?”

  She wanted to lie to him. She didn’t want this man to know he had a daughter. “She’s beautiful. She has black hair, an olive complexion, and dark eyes.”

  “Is she my daughter?”

  Long moments passed.

  He waited.

  “I don’t know for sure,” Patti finally answered. “But I assume you are most likely her father.”

  Joseph closed his eyes. An internal battle raged inside that showed on his face. When he opened them, his eyes were filled with pain, but resolution shone in them. “I will help you. You must keep my daughter safe and help her to have a happy life. You will do this.”

  “Of course,” Patti managed to answer in spite of her shock.

  “Jamie and I loved each other, no matter what you might think. We were planning a life together. Jamie made me see violence is wrong and not the answer to my country’s political problems. We were in love. It is too late for me and for Jamie, but you can keep my daughter safe. Give her a happy life.”

  Patti stared at Joseph, not sure if she could trust hi
m.

  “Now you must go and hide. When we dock, slip out with the other people and leave here. You must take her somewhere where they cannot find you. That is the only way you will be safe.”

  “I will. I will.” Patti bit back tears.

  “Take care of my daughter,” Joseph said. “Give her a good life.”

  He bent down to undo Patti’s tape from around her wrists. When Patti’s hands were free, he turned from her and pulled the tape from Maria.

  Patti quickly bent down and pulled the tape off her own ankles, and then Maria’s.

  Patti turned to thank the man, but he pushed the women toward the door. “Go, just go. Get out of here, now,” he hissed.

  “What about Layla?” Maria asked. “What about my daughter?”

  Joseph nodded as if coming to a decision. “Raymond said she was still with her little friend. That is all I know. Let me check the hall, then you must go hide.”

  Joseph opened the door. “Raymond.”

  No time to think.

  Patti grabbed Maria’s hand and pulled her into the bathroom. Patti watched the brothers through the door, waiting for a chance to escape.

  Joseph opened the front door wider. “Raymond. It is good you are here. They are gone. They have escaped.”

  “What do you mean?”Raymond asked.

  Joseph motioned backwards into the empty room. “They are gone. Mason told me he found Maria trying to help Patti escape. I came in to check on them, and this is what I found. Perhaps Patti was telling the truth. Perhaps the FBI are on board. They have to be, how else could she have escaped? Mason assured me they were secure.”

  Raymond punched the door. He pushed past Joseph and rushed into the room.

  Joseph followed.

  “I do not believe this. If the FBI had found them, we would both be under arrest right now. Someone helped them escape.”

  Raymond bent down and looked at the door lock. “This hasn’t been tampered with. That means someone who had a key helped them.” Clearly angry, Raymond stood and stared at his brother with unblinking eyes.

  Patti’s pulse raced. She was sure Raymond heard her heart pounding. She forced herself to slow down her breathing. If she had an anxiety attack now, they would both die.

  Raymond spoke slowly and deliberately. “There are only a few people with keys.”

  With a grim smile Joseph said, “Good. That will narrow our list of suspects.”

  Raymond continued to stare at Joseph, his black eyes glittering. “Yes, but I can think of one who would have a motive to help them.”

  “Who would that be?”

  Raymond lifted his gun and aimed it at Joseph. “That would be you, my brother.”

  Joseph threw his hands in the air as if shocked by the accusation. “Have you lost your mind, Rahmed? You are my brother. You know how committed I am to our cause. I have given my life for it. We have worked side by side for many years. How can you think I betrayed you, or the cause?”

  “Because you loved the American woman.” Raymond spit out the words as if they were distasteful to him. “That woman, Jamie. You were willing to betray us for her. I saw the look in your eyes when you heard there was a child.”

  When Joseph spoke, his voice was tinged with panic. “Never. Never would I betray you, Rahmed. Yes, I wanted to quit, but never would I betray you or the movement. Had I known she was FBI, I would have killed her myself. I would never betray you, my brother.”

  “I know nothing of the sort.”

  “We don’t have time for this—”

  Without warning, Raymond pushed Joseph to the floor. Raymond closed the door and turned back to Joseph. Raymond’s black eyes glittered with hatred.

  “Rahmed, please, we are…” Joseph implored his brother.

  Raymond walked towards him.

  Joseph scooted on the floor trying to get away. “Rahmed, don’t do—”

  Raymond lifted the gun and pulled the trigger.

  Patti’s hand flew to her mouth to stifle her scream.

  Maria’s nails dug into her palm.

  Raymond stood watching his brother die. Stepping over Joseph, he spat out, “traitor.” He walked out of the room.

  Patti and Maria stared at each other, but said nothing.

  After a few minutes, Patti nodded at Maria and the two women bolted through the bathroom door.

  Patti was intent on getting to the stairs and among the partygoers. Too afraid to go to the security guards or the captain, they both agreed they couldn’t trust anyone.

  Not that she would feel safe until she was off the yacht and far away from Raymond.

  Maria stopped Patti at the steps. “We can’t just go up there. We’re a mess. They’ll be sure to discover us. We’ve got to find somewhere to hide.”

  Patti saw the truth in Maria’s words. “Sometimes the best place to hide is right out in the open.” She looked at Maria and repeated the words.

  Maria nodded in agreement. “That’s it. I’ve got an idea.”

  Maria led them down another hallway and pointed at a door.

  Patti’s first impulse was to stay out of rooms where she could once again be trapped.

  Maria grabbed her arm and pulled her through. The room was empty except for clothes.

  “This is the female servers’ lounge. We can hide in here until the yacht docks. Raymond would never look for us here.”

  The servers had changed into their costumes in the room. Clothing was everywhere. In addition to their street clothes, there were extra serving costumes, wigs, and other beauty aids.

  “Sounds good.” Patti turned to Maria. “I don’t understand. Why does your husband want to kill you?”

  “I figured out he was involved in something horrible.” Her dark brown eyes filled with tears and her lips trembled. “It sounds crazy, but I think he’s a terrorist.”

  “He is.”

  “Before I could call the cops, he stole my daughter,” Maria said through tears. “He told me if I didn’t do exactly what he wanted, I would never see her again.” She took a breath and continued. “He told me I could see Layla after the party, but it was a lie. He was going to kill me – just like he was going to kill you. Why was he calling you Patti? I thought your name was Jamie.”

  Hearing Jamie’s name brought back the grief.

  “Jamie is my twin sister. I came looking for her and ended up here.” She took out her cell phone then scrolled down to find Carter Caldwell’s number. “Hurry. Hurry,” Patti whispered as the phone rang and rang. Please let him answer the phone. Please. “Pick up. Pick up.”

  “Hello.”

  At the sound of his voice, Patti almost fell apart. “Carter. Carter, is that you? It’s me Patti,” she whispered into the phone. She longed for the safety of his arms around her.

  More static.

  “Patti, is that you? I can barely hear you. Are you Ok? Where are you?”

  “I can’t hear. We’ve got a bad connection, just listen, Carter. We need help. I can’t explain all of it so listen. I’m on this yacht in San Francisco. You’ve got to get some police here to help me. He wants to kill—”

  “Patti, I know…”

  Patti couldn’t make out his words over the static. She hoped he could hear her. “You’ve got to get someone to the ship. I don’t know the name of it, but it’s the Children’s Fund benefit. I know you’re in Palm Beach, but call Marcus. He’ll know what to do.”

  Patti struggled to make out his words but the static was louder than his voice. “I can’t hear you, Carter. I can’t make out what you’re saying.”

  Silence. The static stopped along with the connection.

  “It was such a bad connection I couldn’t tell if he understood what I was saying or not. I guess we better plan on taking care of ourselves.”

  Maria looked around the room. “We could hide in here, but if they find us then we’ve got no way to escape. I say we should make ourselves presentable and try to mingle with the others. Just be sure we stay together
and away from Raymond.”

  Patti’s gaze wandered around the room filled with servers’ costumes and leis. An idea formed in her mind.

  It might just work.

  33

  The police speedboat was racing towards the yacht when the call from Patti came.

  Carter tried to reconnect but the line went dead.

  Marcus sat watching him. “What did she say?”

  “It was a bad connection, but I did hear her say something about the Children’s Fund benefit. She’s got to be on that ship, why else would she talk about it? I tried to tell her we would be boarding the ship in a few minutes, but I don’t think she could hear me. Too much static. She sounded terrified, but she’s still alive. Thank God.”

  Marcus flipped open his phone. “Hanks here.” A pause. “When? Marcus’s face paled. “How?” Marcus closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Has it been confirmed?” Marcus listened, no expression on his face, with eyes still closed.

  The grief on the man’s face was evident.

  Marcus took a deep breath. “I see. That makes sense to me, as well. We’re on our way to the yacht now. The situation should be contained soon.” He flipped the phone shut.

  Carter waited.

  After a moment Marcus looked over at him. “They found Jamie.”

  “Alive or dead?”

  “Dead. Some tourists found her body in the Glades.”

  Patti would be devastated. And the thought of cute little Sabrina growing up without her mother was the worst part of it.

  “Of course, that’s where every murderer in Florida takes the body. A positive identification was made?”

  “Not yet. Can’t get fingerprints or use dental records, but she fits Jamie’s general description. Right height, weight, and hair color.”

  “Maybe they’re wrong. Maybe it’s someone else.”

  “Yeah, what are the chances of that?” Marcus lifted his gaze from the cell phone he still held.

  “Not much of a chance, but—”

  “They were going to take a DNA sample from Sabrina but decided it would be less intrusive to get the sample from Patti, since they are twins. They’re going to wait for a final ID until she gets back to Florida.”

  “I’m sorry, Marcus. I know she was a friend—”

  Marcus held up a hand and shook his head. “Not now. Let’s stay focused on keeping Patti alive.”