by Me, Tara Sue
I’d tried to keep track of how many days they’d been holding me, but they’d drugged my food twice and that’d messed up my count. From my best estimate, I’d been in my current location for two days. I doubted I’d remain much longer. One of the many things I’d learned over the years was the longer you kept a hostage in one location, the greater chance there was of being caught.
On the other side of that coin, you took a chance of being caught each time you moved them as well. The secret to keeping them hidden was to make smart moves.
I might not have known my precise location, but I knew I was somewhere near people. During the day I could hear them in the distance. Not close enough to call out to or try to catch the attention of. The small windowless room I was in ensured as much. But it was a risk to keep me in such a place, and I assumed they’d be moving me soon. I refused to give in and think of the alternative.
In the past few days, despair always seemed to hang nearby, waiting for me to allow it a foothold. When I felt like letting it take over, I told myself they had kept me alive for a reason. I didn’t know what it was, but as long as I fulfilled that need, there was hope I could somehow escape or convince Barnes I was still of value to the Organization.
A shuffle from outside the room caught my attention. I didn’t even try to stand when I heard the rattle of keys. I’d attempted to escape the first few days after I’d been taken, but I was always overpowered. As punishment, each failed attempt resulted in a decreased amount of food. I was currently so weak from hunger I wasn’t sure I had the strength to walk to the door without help.
The door opened, and as I’d expected, one of the henchmen, Bruce, stepped inside with a blindfold and rope in his hands.
“Time to take a trip,” he said with a grin. I couldn’t help but notice he had two missing teeth.
Trip where? I knew better than to ask but wondered just the same. Hell, he probably didn’t know.
I struggled to my feet while he stood by and watched. He didn’t offer to help, and I didn’t ask. I’d rather take two hours to stand by myself than to have him touch me unnecessarily.
“Hurry up,” he said when I swayed trying to take a step toward him.
I shot him an angry look but kept my mouth shut. I’d mouthed off to him once before and no doubt still bore the bruise on my jaw he’d given me in return.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “This is the last time you have to worry about us moving you.”
His laugh at the way I stumbled at his words meant he probably didn’t mean it was my last move because they planned to release me. Wherever they were taking me was the place they meant to kill me. I thought about putting up a fight but didn’t see the point when I was so weak I could barely stand.
My best hope of getting away would be to catch the attention of someone. There were people walking nearby during the day. Wouldn’t it stand to reason at least one person would be around at night? I didn’t need an army. I only needed a single person.
Before when they moved me, my hands would be bound, and I’d be blindfolded, but they’d also put tape on my mouth. Bruce didn’t have tape with him.
An unexpected flicker of hope bloomed inside me. Had he forgotten, or was it not needed because it didn’t matter if I yelled? I wasn’t sure, but I was going to bet on the first being true until it was proven to be the second.
Attention to detail. One of the many rules I’d learned over the years.
Bruce half carried me, half dragged me out of the room I’d been in. I felt the gush of fresh air as soon as we stepped outside. There was a smell too, but I couldn’t place it. I’d caught the occasional hint of it inside the room, but it was stronger outside. I wished I hadn’t been blindfolded. If I could only see where I was, I could try to come up with some sort of plan.
As I’d hoped, Bruce had used no tape. I could use my voice. The trick was to time it just right. Too soon, and I’d be shoved back into the room we’d stepped out of seconds ago. Too late, and they’d shove me wherever they were taking me. I needed to scream somewhere in the middle, but how was I to know where that was if I couldn’t see?
I counted in my head while trying to use all my senses to gather as much information as possible: which direction the wind blew, the temperature, the sound of our footsteps. Satisfied it was the best option, I decided to go for it when I reached ten. Maybe the sound of my shout would catch the brute holding me off guard enough for me to try to make a run for it.
With the countdown started in my head, adrenaline flooded my body, reviving me cell by cell. I could do this. It would work.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
“Bri? Is that you?”
The shout I’d been preparing for died in my throat at the sound of the one voice I never expected.
“Piers?” I asked, a little louder than a whisper.
“It is you,” Piers said. “Hey, what are you doing with her? Why is she tied up and blindfolded?” There was a sound of a struggle. “What’s your problem? Let go of me!”
“You were supposed to have her in place before now,” a voice I didn’t recognize said.
Bruce answered, “It’s not my fault. I couldn’t get her to stand quick enough.”
“We need to get them in and settled before the boss shows up, and he’s right behind me.”
I felt the hard end of a gun against my side. “Move quickly and quietly, and I won’t shoot you,” Bruce said.
What was Piers doing? Did they have him as well?
I found out a second later when I was pulled forward and shoved into a seat. My tied hands were quickly bound behind me to the chair I sat in. The bright light of day blinded me as Bruce ripped the blindfold from my head.
“Wait here,” the voice I didn’t recognize said and then laughed. “Like you have a choice.”
And just like that, the two men left. I looked at Piers. He had what was going to be a nasty black eye. Like me, they had also tied him to his chair.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Barnes invited me to come hear the truth,” Piers said. “After hearing it, I realized how they’ve been playing you all these years. I was afraid they’d done something to you and insisted they tell me where you were.”
“And so I showed you.”
Piers and I both turned our heads at the sound of Barnes’s voice. The asshole looked pretty satisfied with himself.
“You’ve seen her, Mr. Worthington,” he continued. “Are you happy now?”
Piers glared at him. “I’d be happier if you’d untie us.”
“Now, why would I want to do that?” Barnes replied. “I finally have both of you where I need you.”
“Tied up on a boat?” Piers asked.
I glanced out the window. How had I not noticed before that we were on a boat? Now the smell I’d noticed made sense. I could feel the slight rocking as well. I’d attributed the motion earlier to my fatigued body.
“The simple truth is,” Barnes said, “I don’t have a use for either of you anymore. Bri became expendable the second she fucked you, and I don’t need you in order to claim your inheritance.”
“What inheritance?”
I didn’t realize I’d spoken out loud until Barnes answered. “That’s right. I forgot you weren’t part of the little chat Mr. Worthington and I just had.”
That was a lie if I ever heard one. Barnes forgot nothing. I kept silent though. Something told me it would be in my best interest to remain quiet at the moment.
“Unfortunately,” he continued, “I don’t have time to go over the entire story again, but the short of it is that Mr. Worthington here has quite the inheritance. It should be mine, and I’m going to take it.”
“How?” Piers said through clenched teeth.
Nothing they were saying made any sense to me. What inheritance? He’d never answered the question.
“I believe I mentioned before about the dirty judges in my pocket?” He didn’t wait but co
ntinued. “You didn’t know about the inheritance before I told you about it anyway. It really shouldn’t worry you at all. Just know that with the judges’ help, it’ll be in excellent hands.”
“I know it’ll be in excellent hands because it’ll be in mine,” Piers said.
Barnes laughed. “You really think that?” He laughed again. “I’m afraid you’re wrong because you’re going to be dead.”
Piers struggled to untie his hands. “Bastard. You’ll never get away with this.”
“But I will,” Barnes insisted. “It’s so easy. You and Bri are going on a boat ride. Unfortunately, you’re going to run into mechanical problems, and the boat you rented will blow up with you on it. I doubt they’ll ever even find enough pieces to bury. We have everything already programmed, so there’s no way to stop it even if I wanted to. But cheer up. The good news is I’ve decided to keep your friends at Bachelor International out of this altogether. Well, except for mourning the two of you.”
Chapter 24
Bri
I watched in shock as Barnes gave somewhat of a half snort, half laugh as he turned and left the room. Only three feet away from me, Piers cursed under his breath and continued his ongoing battle to untie himself.
I remembered when we were young and got ourselves into trouble, how Piers always impressed me with his calm, no-need-to-worry attitude. Regardless of the type of hot water we found ourselves in, he never appeared spooked or worried. That he looked both at the moment scared me more than anything else.
“We’re really going to die.” The words sounded strange when I spoke them.
I didn’t see any other way our current situation could turn out. We were both tied to the boat, and apparently there was an explosive device somewhere on board that would detonate at some unknown time in the future.
“We haven’t left the dock yet.” Piers twisted his body as if doing so would increase his chance at untying himself. “Nothing’s going to happen to us while we’re still here. Barnes might be a fucking SOB, but he’s not stupid enough to blow up a boat here.”
“We could start moving at any minute,” I said. “That really doesn’t make me feel any better.” Piers didn’t answer but kept working his roped hands. Since they tied his hands behind him like mine, I couldn’t tell if he was making progress or not. “Any way you can swing your chair over here and let me see your hands?”
He tried to lift himself and the chair at the same time but failed. On his second try, I saw why.
“Bastard bolted the chair to the floor,” I informed Piers.
“Fuck!” He sat still for a second, panting. Sweat dripped from his forehead. “Damn, I never saw this coming. I always thought I’d go out on my feet, fighting back as hard as I could. I never imagined I’d be tied down. Especially to a boat.”
“Are you still claustrophobic?” I asked.
“ How do you know about that?” He tilted his head. “I don’t recall ever telling you.”
“You didn’t,” I said. “I figured it out that time they threw you in the cellar for twenty-four hours.”
“I’d forgotten about that,” he said softly.
“More like blocked it out of your mind.”
He chuckled. “Probably. You came down there and stayed with me. I’d forgotten that too.”
“I didn’t want you to be by yourself.”
“We were a pretty good team back then, weren’t we?” he asked.
“I thought we were a pretty good team now,” I said. “I’m just sorry I let it go so far.”
“They brainwashed you as a child. It’s not your fault.” He kept his eyes focused on mine, and I found it impossible to look away. “I don’t blame you.”
I didn’t deserve his forgiveness. “Thank you.”
We were both silent as the boat’s engine started up and the boat inched its way out of the marina. Or I assumed that’s what it was doing. The room we were in was belowdecks and had no windows.
I wanted to ask Piers how far out he thought we’d go. Or find out if he knew how the boat was being steered. But I couldn’t get the words to form. Instead I kept my gaze on him.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to rescue you,” he said.
“No more apologizing,” I said, blinking back tears. No one would miss me. I had contributed little to this world. Unlike Piers. He would be missed by so many. I thought of the foster children he talked to, the pro bono work he did.
And of course I couldn’t help but think of those handfuls of perfect nights we’d spent together. There were so few. “I wasted too many years on hate,” I said. “I don’t know why I never saw that love is what matters.”
“I wish we had one more night,” he said. “I want one more chance to hold you with no secrets between us.”
Silence fell back across the room again, at least between us. The noise of the boat’s engine filled the would-be-quiet spaces.
I stared at the closed door. How far out were we now? Was it better not having a window?
More questions I kept to myself.
I thought it was my imagination when the door knob turned. But no. A second later, the door opened and Newsome walked in.
“Looks like I arrived just in time,” he said. “You have six minutes and twenty-some-odd seconds to get off this boat, into the lifeboat, and get away from here before this baby blows sky-high.”
“Newsome?” I asked.
I hadn’t seen him in years, but I’d recognize him anywhere. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why he was on the boat or even in the States for that matter. But he was untying Piers, and then they both came to help me.
I was still a bit unsteady on my feet, but the running countdown in my head motivated me to keep going.
The three of us hurried out of the room and down toward the back of the boat where Newsome said there was a lifeboat.
“Four minutes, fifteen seconds,” Newsome called out as Piers stepped into the lifeboat and then helped me in.
“Come on,” Piers said, holding out his hand to Newsome.
But the older man shook his head. “I wasn’t lying about the six months, and I’d rather go out my way. I wrote everything down and mailed it to the address on the card you left.” He looked at his watch. “Three minutes, twenty seconds. Plenty of time for the two of you to speed away. Go on. Now.”
Piers didn’t want to leave him, but it became obvious Newsome wouldn’t get on the boat with us. At two minutes, fifty seconds, Piers started the lifeboat, and we drove off as quickly as we could.
Neither one of us looked behind when we heard the explosion.
Chapter 25
BRI
Those who saw it would later describe it as a sudden spark, followed by what appeared to be the boat imploding rather than exploding. The initial investigation attributed everything to a mechanical issue supposedly overlooked during its last inspection. But we, of course, knew better.
The day Piers received the materials Newsome said he’d mailed, the UK announced the arrest of one of the nation’s most-wanted fugitives. At the time of his arrest, the man in question went under the alias Adam Barnes. Less than twenty-four hours after his arrest, they found him dead in his cell.
Apparently, Piers wasn’t the only one Newsome had mailed.
After arriving safely back onshore that fateful day and checking in with Tenor and Mia, Piers took me to one of his lesser-known properties in Greenwich, Connecticut. The sprawling waterfront property was meant to be a retreat for both of us. A chance to relax, reconnect, and recover. We always planned to return to the city.
Two months later, we had no formal plans to leave. We were both perfectly okay with that. The quiet lifestyle was soothing for both of us and welcome after so many years of uncertainty.
I looked up at Piers at the sound of the doorbell. “They’re early.”
Normally, I wouldn’t mind, but they were very early. And Piers and I were naked. Thinking we’d have plenty of time before they arrived, he’d slip
ped into the shower I was taking, which led to him carrying me into the bedroom, and well… I hadn’t found the time to put on clothes.
Piers gave me a quick kiss and sat up. “You take your time getting ready. I’ll go let them in.”
Fifteen minutes later, I met everyone in our sunroom. Mia’s eyes danced with mischief when she asked me how I was doing, and I knew she was aware of just what I’d been doing before her arrival. I gave her a grin and went to sit next to Piers.
“What do you have there?” I asked, pointing to the paper in his hand.
“Apparently some documents pertaining to my inheritance were delivered to the Bachelor International office,” he said.
“I didn’t know you even knew who your father was,” Tenor said.
Over the past few months, the two men had slowly been rebuilding their relationship, but Piers had been hesitant to discuss his father with anyone.
“I learned about him first through Barnes,” Piers said. “And later through the letter Newsome had mailed me.”
Tenor knew about the Newsome letter. How the man had apologized for his actions so many years ago. He admitted the promise of wealth caused him to turn from everything he’d ever been taught.
About a year ago, he’d gone to the doctor and learned he had a terminal, degenerative neurological disorder, and he’d fallen into a depression. He happened to come across a newspaper that mentioned Piers and began looking for a way to contact him without alerting the ever-watchful Organization.
Having long since lost his reward for splitting me and Piers up and witnessing Barnes’s true self on a personal level, when Piers showed up at his townhouse, Newsome knew what he had to do. Days before, Barnes had called him to brag about his plans for me and Piers.
Newsome saw this as his one chance at redemption and made his way onto the boat before anyone else.
“I wasn’t sure there was anything left of my father’s inheritance,” Piers said. “But according to this, that’s not the case.”
