by A. C. Arthur
He sounded as if the effort to choke her was causing him great emotional strain. Hailey doubted that, but she was feeling dizzy and her attempts to break free had begun to slow. He was killing her. And for what? She hadn’t given him any mixed signals. Hell, he hadn’t even tried to come on to her in a sexual way. There had been nothing between them that would have given the slightest impression of them being together on another level. She was just his translator, she thought as her eyes rolled back in her head and darkness threatened to overtake her.
“She is the money we need to get out of this mess you put us in,” the other guy added.
The words were stilted, yet the voice was familiar, dragging through her mind as Hailey felt her body going limp, her movements ceasing without any direction from her.
There was someone else here, she thought even as her eyes closed, the pain in her neck and the burn in her lungs so strong she could do nothing else but surrender.
In the distance, far across a field of dead grass, on a day as gloomy as the one when her grandparents had come to the school to pick her up and tell her that her parents were dead, Hailey tumbled and fell. She blinked and tried to focus but there was nothing, no one to see. The roses were gone, the feeling of happiness lost. And then there was a sound. It was loud and she wanted to open her eyes to see what it was or who it was making that horrendous noise. She could not.
It was over, she thought, just before hearing another sound—a gunshot.
#
“It’s over,” Jackson said the moment he walked into Jerald’s office, slamming the door behind him.
Jerald looked up to see his brother striding angrily across the floor, coming to a stop and taking a seat in one of the guest chairs across from his desk.
“Mendoza refuses to meet with us. In much less colorful language than his assistant deemed to use, he’s basically telling us and our offer to go to hell,” Jackson continued. “I think he has another buyer. One of his friends or someone that will keep him in a leadership role. A quiet one as they’re probably planning to wait until the heat from the authorities dies down. But at least he’ll still be in charge.”
“He’ll be in jail,” Jerald added. “How’s he going to be in charge if he’s going to be in jail?”
“You sure about that?” Jackson asked. “I’ve never known the Feds to take their time arresting someone when they had all their ducks in a row.”
“When they’re dealing with a global company and people connecting to an international human trafficking ring, I think they like to make sure those ducks are shined up and standing in pristine order before they go kicking in the door,” Jerald told him.
He dropped the pen he’d been holding as he was going through the customized terms of employment he was prepared to offer Hailey. She’d been on his mind first thing this morning when he’d awakened. Her and the fact that all his videos had been stolen from his home and there hadn’t been any signs of forced entry at all. He’d had a locksmith come over immediately to change all his locks and threatened to personally go down and strangle the president of the security company that had installed the bullshit system which obviously had not worked. The only reason that Mendoza had even been remotely on his radar this morning was, the man Hailey had seen last night. Jerald had been certain he was also Filipino and was probably working on behalf of Mendoza to keep an eye on Hailey. That made him all the more adamant about getting her out of there, today.
Now, it appeared, he would have something else to address with this morning.
“Whatever the case, he’s not communicating with us any longer. We’ve lost the deal.” Jackson rubbed a hand over his chin, his brow drawn as he glared at Jerald.
“We’ve lost deals before,” he told him, refusing to show the obvious agitation that his brother was.
“Not like this,” was Jackson’s quick retort. “Not in this way.”
Jerald sat back in his chair then, eyeing his brother suspiciously. “In what way is that?”
“Look,” Jackson sighed. “He’s a bastard, we both know that. And by tipping the Feds off to all the other dirt we dug up on him, we gave them everything they needed to put the nails in his coffin. We were doing our jobs and our civic duty.”
Jerald sighed because he could see where his brother was coming from. This hadn’t been an ordinary deal for them. They’d known who and what they were dealing with and they’d made the decision to win both ways with this guy. Only now, it didn’t look like that was going to happen.
“Okay, let’s just take a moment here to regroup. Let’s get the files in here and go through everything once more. I talked to that guy Bonner last night and he’s supposed to be here—” Jerald paused, twisting his wrist so he could look down at his watch. It was almost eleven in the morning. “In fact, he’d said first thing in the morning. Guess he’s allowing for the time difference. Anyway, we can go through our files, reassess our offer, and we can have Bonner contact D&D’s source with the Feds to find out when they’re going to arrest Mendoza. Then we can both go see Mendoza and make a last pitch to him. This time we’ll talk about his daughters, how he needs to think about securing something for their future.”
Jackson nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. But I don’t know how much of a priority his daughters are to him. Did you notice he didn’t even come to the hospital the day of the brick incident?”
Jerald was already picking up his phone to summon Noble into the office, when he looked over at his brother with a nod of his head. “I noticed,” he told Jackson. Then to Noble, “Bring me everything we have on Mendoza.”
“Wait a minute,” Jackson was saying as Jerald hung up the phone. “Did you say Bonner?”
Jerald had already begun stacking the papers he’d been working on, preparing to put them into a folder so he could keep them safe and private while they delved into the business at hand.
“That’s what he said his name was. I’ve been emailing D&D outside of corporation business in an attempt to find out who threw a brick at my back,” Jerald admitted.
“But we always deal with Trent Donovan. I’ve talked to his partner Sam Desdune a couple of times. Sam’s sister, Bree, and Trent’s cousin, Bailey, also work there. They’ve done some of the background checking for us.”
“I know,” Jerald said. “I see the invoices, remember?”
“Right, but I’ve never dealt with Bonner. He’s never done any work for us.”
Jerald came to a stop then, a bad feeling landing softly on his shoulders. “So what are you saying? He doesn’t work for D&D?”
Jackson shook his head. “No. He’s definitely affiliated with them. Well, with Trent, at least. He’s a freaking ex-ops Navy SEAL that goes by the name of Devlin “Death” Bonner. I hear he’s one bad ass—”
“They’re gone!” Noble interrupted as he rushed into the office.
“What’s gone?” Jerald asked more than a little agitated by the way his assistant had come into the office without knocking. The last thing he wanted was for Noble to overhear them speaking about Navy SEALS and private investigators. Or the reason why they were talking about such. Noble had been a little more in pocket since the brick incident, questioning Jerald about where he was going and when he would return. The guy had even suggested that maybe Jerald should get a bodyguard. Jerald had ignored that and accepted that his assistant was concerned for his safety. But he didn’t like breaches in protocol, not at all.
“All of the files,” the guy said.
Today he was wearing an extremely bright pink shirt with a slim turquoise and white striped tie. The vivid ensemble was in stark contrast to the dark black and gray suits Jerald and Jackson were wearing.
“When you were working on them I had them in that bin right beside my desk so that they would be easily accessible. When Jackson returned, DeMarco came down to retrieve them. I just called him and he said that Mandi came to get them the other day saying that you and Jackson requested she bring them to you,” Noble told them.
Jackson nodded as he sat up in the chair. “The day we went to the hospital. She came to your house that afternoon and we worked on the files.”
“Okay, so call Mandi and tell her to bring the files in here,” Jerald told Noble who was already shaking his head.
“She’s not here,” Noble announced, his lips upturned slightly as if he were thoroughly disgusted. “She called out yesterday and today saying she had a stomach flu or something. I didn’t think anything of it because to tell the truth that girl is a pain every second of the eight hours a day she’s here.” He straightened his glasses after giving Jerald a pointed look. “I can try calling her at home or I can just go over there and pick them up myself.”
More protocol breaches, Jerald thought as he massaged his throbbing temples. Files were only to leave the office in the hands of the executives, or by specific direction from an executive. Jerald hadn’t told Mandi to bring those files to him and truth be told, with all that had been going on, he’d just assumed that Noble had since his assistant had been like a drill sergeant ordering the intern around since the day she started.
“Yes,” Jackson said adamantly. “Go get the damn files.”
Noble looked shocked at Jackson’s stern voice and deferred to Jerald—which wasn’t a good move—for his direction. Even though Jerald was his immediate supervisor and the CFO of the company, Jackson was the CEO, nobody other than their father had more control at Carrington Enterprises.
“Now, Noble,” Jerald said as a follow up. “I want those files on my desk within the hour.”
Noble nodded and turned immediately to leave.
“Problems with your staff,” a deep, husky voice asked a moment after Noble was gone.
Jerald and Jackson hadn’t even had a chance to comment on the new developments before a guy that looked like he should be lifting cars or possibly wearing some sort of superhero costume slowly entered the office.
The Carrington brothers both immediately stood, as if their six foot two and six foot three inch heights were any comparison to this guy who was clearly towering over them.
“This is a private office,” Jerald had begun saying.
“Devlin Bonner,” Jackson interrupted his brother. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person. I’m Jackson Carrington.”
The guy had come all the way into the office by that point, stopping just a few feet from where Jackson stood. He wore all black, cargo pants tucked in steel-toed boots and a t-shirt that definitely gave him a body-builder persona. His head was bald, his skin dark and taut over his bulging muscles. The scar on the left side of his face was long and vicious looking and lent credence to the nickname Jackson had mentioned only minutes before—“Death”.
Bonner looked down at Jackson’s outstretched hand a second before taking it in a stiff shake. Then he looked to Jerald.
“And you’re Jerald,” Bonner stated. “We spoke last night.”
Jerald nodded. “We did. You’re late.”
“No,” Devlin stated. “You are. The Feds arrested Mendoza and his partner an hour ago.”
Jackson cursed and Jerald was frowning when his cell phone vibrated on his desk. Snatching it up quickly he answered without checking the caller ID.
“You gotta come quick! There’re strange men here and Hailey’s hurt or something. She’s not waking up. The ambulance is coming but there’re so many people and they’re all over the place. I don’t know what else to do!”
“I’ll be right there,” Jerald said the moment Malaya had stopped talking. The little girl was hysterical so most of her words had been a jumble of English and Filipino, but Jerald had heard one thing loud and clear. Hailey was hurt.
Chapter 10
Both Bonner and Jackson were somewhere behind Jerald. He’d shouted that something had happened at the Mendoza house as he’d been on his way out of the office, not stopping again until he was in the garage and behind the wheel of his car. He drove through midday traffic not giving a damn about the possibility of getting pulled over. Malaya had said the paramedics were there and that Hailey wouldn’t wake up. Nothing else was important to Jerald, not at this moment.
He made it to the Mendoza estate in twenty minutes. Unlike the other times he’d had occasion to be here he turned into the gates that were already open, driving straight up to the roundabout driveway where police cars, an ambulance and two black SUVs with federal license tags were already parked.
Jerald jumped out of his car the second he’d put it in park, pushing the door closed behind him as he ran to the front door. Malaya was right there waiting for him.
“She woke up!” the little girl said happily. “She’s upstairs but she woke up!”
Jerald pulled Malaya to him in a tight hug. “Are you okay?” he asked. “What happened?”
Malaya was shaking her head when she pulled away from Jerald, a long dark haired ponytail swishing behind her.
“We were asleep and then there was all this yelling. And then shots and people were everywhere,” she told him all in one breath.
Dried tears streaked her face and after she’d pulled her arms from around him, she’d twisted her hands in front of her, nervously. “I’m glad you’re safe, Malaya. Now I have to go and see about Hailey.”
“She’s awake!” Malaya yelled again. “She is!”
He stood then looking towards the stairs. “Is she up there?”
Malaya nodded.
“Where’s your sister?”
Malaya shrugged.
Jackson and Bonner had come through the door at that moment and Jerald immediately nudged Malaya over in his direction. “Here keep her with you,” he told his brother. “I’m going up to find Hailey.”
Jackson looked perplexed but Jerald didn’t care, he headed for the stairs, only to hear footsteps behind him. He didn’t look back until he’d reached the top of the landing, not bothering to frown as Bonner stepped up behind him.
Jerald had no idea where Hailey was, so he followed the sound of voices down a winding hallway. He didn’t see her at first, when he attempted to push his way through the room. The two black suit wearing guys that had been at the door immediately grabbed his arms to stop his progress.
“Get off me!” he yelled at them. “I want to see her!”
“Who the hell are you?” one of the men asked. “This is a crime scene now, sir.”
“He’s with me,” Jerald heard Bonner tell one of the guys.
The guy looked to Bonner who had appeared in the doorway—his bulky frame taking up a good portion of the space to be exact.
“Bonner,” the guy said. “What brings your ugly face out of hiding?”
Bonner’s reply held no warmth or humor, in comparison to the other guy that had actually seemed happy to see him.
“He’s my client,” was all Bonner had said before the other guy nodded and released his hold on Jerald’s arm.
Giving a look to his partner, the other black suit released Jerald as well. Not really caring at the moment what had just transpired between those three, Jerald turned immediately. He rushed across the room to where paramedics surrounded the bed. When one turned to reach for something in one of their many bags, Jerald slipped into their spot and gasped as he looked down at Hailey.
She looked so frail, her face pale, hair wild around her head. They had an oxygen mask covering her nose and mouth and a woman on the other side had just capped a tube of blood and pulled a rubber wrap from Hailey’s arm.
“She’s stable,” one of the paramedics looked up to tell him.
Jerald didn’t bother to acknowledge the words because stable didn’t mean a damned thing when he could see the violent purple bruise around her neck. His fists clenched at his sides, teeth gritting.
“We should take you in for observation, Ms. Jefferson.”
Hailey was immediately shaking her head. “No,” she told them. “Tell them I’m alright, Jerald. That I don’t need to go to the hospital.”
This was the first time she�
�d looked over to him so Jerald wasn’t sure how she’d known he was there. But when her hazel eyes rested on him and when her words sounded like an immediate plea, there was nothing he could deny her. Not a damned thing.
“If there are signs to look out for, I can do that,” he told the paramedics. “And I’ll bring her straight to the hospital if anything changes.”
“I can’t make you go,” the paramedic said. “But you may have some dizziness, blurred vision, even trouble swallowing for a day or so.” The woman then looked to Jerald and said, “She needs to stay hydrated and to try to get something on her stomach. Other than that plenty of rest should have her feeling better in a few days.”
“That bruise is going to hurt like hell in the next couple of days. Cold compresses will help. If you need a prescription for pain you’ll need to come back to the ER,” the female paramedic that had just taken her blood said.
“I’ll be fine,” Hailey told them, this time removing the mask from her face. “As soon as I get out of here I’ll be just fine.”
She began trying to lift up off the bed and the female paramedic touched one of her shoulders.
“Take it easy,” she warned her. “You’ve been through quite an ordeal, Ms. Jefferson. Just lay here for a while.”
“No,” Hailey said shaking her head. “I can’t stay here another minute. I want to leave. Now.”
She’d looked up to Jerald and once more he felt the need to do whatever she asked.
“I hear you,” he told her, taking her hand in his. “Let’s give them a minute to get their stuff together. I’ll sit with you and then we’ll leave alright?” he asked while easing onto the bed beside her.
Hailey nodded, keeping her fingers twined tightly with his. “I don’t want to stay here anymore,” she told him. “I’m ready to leave.”
Her voice cracked on that last word and Jerald thought his heart would break into pieces right at that moment.
“You don’t have to stay, sweetheart. I’ll get you out of here. I promise.”
It took a few more minutes for the paramedics to gather all their belongings and to go over the warning signs one more time. The agents that had tried to stop him coming in along with Bonner still guarded the door.
