by Linda Palmer
I also knew who should be there with me.
"Riley!" I frantically jerked my head around to scan the area. "Riley!"
With my gut in knots, I patted my pockets for my cell. No luck. Couldn't find my gun, either. I remembered firing once in response to someone else's shot. Had I been hit? Sometimes it took a while to realize it.
A guy could even lose a leg and not have a clue.
But no blood stained my clothing. I could only hope my bullet had hit its target, whoever he was. I wished I knew how many guys had jumped me. I'd only seen two. I'd heard more.
Riley. Oh God.
I'd told her she'd be safe with me. But I'd failed her, just as I'd failed everyone else I cared about.
Was she scared? Hurt?
If one of those creeps touched her...
I rolled over and crawled on my knees to the truck, my balance off and my head swimming. I grabbed the seatbelt and hoisted myself to my one foot. That's when I saw my phone, lying just where I'd put it, on the console.
Only fools would've left me that. Fools or kidnappers confident that it would do no good. They were right. No freakin' bars, at least here. I opened the door to the back seat. My crutches lay right where I'd tucked them when we packed up yesterday. They made things a lot simpler.
I must've looked like an idiot walking around the muddy yard on crutches that squished in the mud, the left leg of my jeans flapping in the breeze, my phone as high in the air as I could manage without dropping a crutch.
One bar. Another. Twenty yards from the cabin, I got enough to do it. I called Sparks first. He'd know how to get to me fast.
Chapter Sixteen
Riley
A man dressed in silver-gilded black stepped forward and squatted in front of me, his Titanium mask right in my face. It looked as if he'd spray painted his clothing in some kind of weird, shiny camo pattern.
"Where's Zander?" I asked before he could speak.
He just laughed. "Here's what's going to happen."
I'd have known that gravelly voice anywhere. Jason. My stomach lurched; bile burned my throat, making me cough.
He never noticed. "You will call your father on this phone and tell him that you are fine, but won't be for long if he doesn't listen very carefully to what I say and follow my directions to the letter."
I tried to lick my bloody lip, but my mouth was too dry. "Are you trying to get money from him? Because he'll never pay you a cent to get me back."
"We don't want his money."
"Then what?"
"You're about to find out." He took my hand and slapped a cell phone in it. "Call him."
"I don't even know his number."
"I do." Jason punched it in.
The moment he handed me the phone, I threw it in the shadows. Clunk.
"That's twice you've done that, bitch." He glanced over his shoulder. "Get the Panther. Riley, here, needs to be taught a lesson in obedience."
Panther? As in a fierce feline with ferocious fangs?
But it wasn't a cat that walked into that circle of light. It was the biggest man I'd ever seen. Dude had to be six-seven at least and wore black from top to bottom. With his buzzed head and muscular body, he scared the crap out of me. But his costume contact lenses, golden with black cat pupils, were the crowning touch. All the air left my lungs in a whoosh of horror.
"This is Panther, named after one of Titanium's most nefarious villains. He helps me out and loves sweet young things. Especially brunettes with big brown eyes. Right, Panther?"
The giant of a guy started toward me. I scooted my butt back, but not far. A solid cinderblock wall stood directly behind me. Grasping my wrists, he yanked me to my feet and pinned them over my head. He rubbed his body against mine before he forced one knee between my legs, making me straddle him. Panther leaned down to nuzzle my neck.
I thought I would die.
And when I didn't, I wished I could.
Twisting my head away from him, I wondered how much I could endure before I gave in. And was resisting even worth it? My dad had never been there for me. And though he said he'd changed, I had my doubts.
But the money.
All that money. Surely it meant something beyond legal obligation. After all, he'd sent me that email...
Panther kissed me, forcing his tongue between my teeth. I smelled beer and bad breath. Furious, I twisted my hands free and slapped my flattened palms on his ears, a move I'd seen on TV. Didn't faze him. Slipping a hand under my hoodie, he fondled my breasts through the lace of my bra. One squeeze did it.
"Okay! All right! I'll talk to him." I shuddered in the aftermath of his disgusting touch.
Panther released me with a curse and obvious reluctance. I swallowed the sob stuck in my throat. I was not going to fall apart in front of these creeps.
Once again, Jason thrust the phone at me. "Hit redial and the speaker button."
With my feet now on the floor but my skin still crawling, I did as told.
Steve McConnell answered on the fifth ring. "You've reached a private number. Who is this? "
"Dad?"
"Riley? Is that you?" He sounded honestly pleased.
"Yes."
"Are you in Dallas?"
"No. I'm-- Actually, I don't know where I am. Something has happened. Something awful."
Jason snatched the phone away. "Hello, Steve. This is your number one fan, Titan. I've tried to contact you by letter, email, and phone, but everything seems to vanish into some big black hole."
Dead silence.
"We have your daughter, which, I'm thinking, should finally get your attention. You can have her back if you do exactly what I tell you to."
"Is this some kind of joke?"
"Why don't you answer that, Riley?"
I shook my head, not to answer my father, but Jason. He flicked a glance at Panther, who grinned gleefully and stepped toward me.
"It's real, Dad." My words came out a gasp. "It's all real."
Steve sucked in a sharp breath. "Now you listen to me-- "
Jason cut him off. "My name's Titan. [email protected]. And I think you'd better listen to me. I'm not going to let you sell out the greatest antihero ever created just because you're 'different now.' Yeah. I read the smarmy email you wrote Riley. If you really want to spend the holidays with your long-lost daughter, you'd better do what I say, when I say. Because we're going to be having some fun with her until you do."
As if on cue, Panther moved in again. I squealed without meaning to. He terrified me that much.
"Stop! Don't hurt her! Just tell me what you want."
"Get paper and pencil. I want you to do this right."
"I'm ready."
"Good. It's very simple, Steve. First, you fire Cory Walls. That punk could never play Titanium. Second, call "Entertainment Tonight" and announce that you'll soon have some very big news for them. Third, resurrect Panther, the most diabolical villain of all time and the only opponent worthy of our man's effort. Am I going too fast?"
"No."
"Fourth, use my script for your movie. I know what Ti's followers want. My fan fic is top rated. Fifth, and this one is the kicker, cast me in the role of Eric Deckard. I've lived his life, man. I. Can. Relate. Last, but most important, you don't tell anyone why you're doing this. I want the world to believe you've finally wised up. I want them to respect you again, even if you don't deserve it, because disrespecting you is disrespecting Titanium."
Listening to Jason's outrageous rant, I experienced a chill that had nothing to do with the weather or the nasty place we were in. Far different from any comic book nerd I'd ever met, he epitomized every appalling psycho I'd ever read about in a book or watched in a slasher movie on the big screen. Was he deliberately playing a role he thought would scare me? Or was he certifiably crazy? Whichever, I'd somehow gotten caught up in the surreal fantasy world that was his daily existence.
At that moment, I lost all hope of rescue and even survival.
B
ut Jason wasn't finished. "Leave the cops out of this and don't try to pull any fast ones. I see and hear everything. By the way, Ginny is awake in her crib and probably needing a diaper change, but your wife is still planting roses outside."
Dad sucked in a sharp breath. "There's no way in hell you could get into this house to put up cameras."
"Who says we did? You underestimate your Titanimites, Steve. We're not all mindless fans. Some of us have skills. In fact, my team and I are monitoring every move you make--your emails, your texts, your phone calls, the GPS system in your car, your security camera, even that brand new nanny cam."
"Stay away from my family!"
"Funny you should mention that. Little Ginny was actually our target until you sent that email to Riley, the family no one knows about. Since she doesn't need a bottle or Pampers, we changed our plans. There are perks for guys who kidnap hot chicks, you know."
"Please don't hurt her."
"Do what you're told, and I won't have to. Don't do it, and we'll kill her so we can focus on the rug rat." He glanced at Panther, who gave him a short nod. "Now I'll be checking back real soon. Shall we say tomorrow noon? That should give you plenty of time to get things going."
"B-but--"
Jason ended the call, took the phone apart, and ground the pieces into the concrete floor with the heel of his boot.
Zander
I thought Sparks would never get there, but he actually made pretty good time. When he pulled up behind my truck, I saw him and some other guys pile out of it. Wilson. Simms. Perez. He'd brought everyone in good enough shape to help. My confidence soared. We each had skills that would come in handy.
"Did you call the cops?" Sparks asked when they'd clustered around me.
"Not yet."
"Why not?" This from Simms.
"Who do I call? The sheriff? City police?"
"Try 9-1-1 and let them decide." Wilson, offering his two cents worth.
"Right." I dug my cell phone from my pocket with unexplainable reluctance. No freakin' bars. I'd never been so frustrated. It was hard to think straight. "Could someone find the leg? It's probably here someplace, and I'm no use gimping around."
Wilson and Simms, both mobile, began combing the bushes nearby.
Dom and Sparks waited, their gazes nailing me to the spot. "I'd rather report this to Sergeant Brian, the cop who helped us before. His number's at the house."
Dom clearly had doubts, but didn't argue. "It's your call, buddy."
"Thanks. Would you two see if you can figure out how they got here and where they went? I don't see any sign of them anywhere up front. There's the lake out back, though. Tried to get there, but my freakin' crutches are sticking in the mud."
With nods, they left me.
"This yours?"
I turned toward the sound of Wilson's voice and saw he had the Glock. "Roger that. Any sign of the leg?"
"Found it!" Simms held it up. Mud and autumn leaves clung to the titanium pylon reminding me of a stake planted in a flower pot. That might've made me laugh if I hadn't been so frustrated. All I could think about was our wasting time while Riley was stuck in hell. I wished I'd taught her some self-defense moves. Didn't know why I hadn't thought of it before now.
I put on the leg Simms handed me. Without the gel sleeve, it would rub something awful, but I couldn't worry about that now. I checked to see if the gun was still loaded. Wasn't, but I tucked it into my hoodie pocket anyway.
Dom and Sparks joined us. Dom gave me their findings. "They approached and retreated by the lake."
"Figures." I wondered how long they'd been at the cabin before attacking us. And I'd thought we'd be safe.
"Did you call 9-1-1?" asked Simms.
"No." I pinched the back of my neck, trying to relieve the tension headache that had slammed me out of nowhere. Impatiently, I explained my decision to call from the house.
"Do her folks know?" Trust Dom, the family man, to ask me that. He was undoubtedly thinking of his own daughters, but Riley's situation was different.
"No. She refused to call them after the parking lot thing, so I'm not doing it now. Besides, I don't have their number."
"You should look for it." Dom again. "It's the right thing to do."
"What if she got away?" That came from Sparks. "Are you sure she's not hiding in the woods?"
I glanced hopefully toward the trees. "I'm not sure of anything."
"We'd better do some recon."
We split up and headed into the forests, every step agony for me. From all directions, I heard them calling for her.
Riley. Riileey. Riiiileeeey.
Thirty minutes after we started, we gave up. If she was anywhere close, she'd have heard us. I deliberately didn't consider her being nearby, but unable to respond. My heart couldn't bear the thought.
"That's that, I guess," I told them once we got back together. "Now I need some tires."
"I'll get my brother-in-law's cousin on it," Dom said. "He's got a Firestone dealership."
"Thanks. It'll be right here. Ready?" I got nods all around.
After locking up the cabin, we split and got to Riley's place by noon. My heart sort of flip-flopped when I saw her car sitting in the drive. Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away and not because I worried one of the guys would see them. I didn't give a shit about that. This was simply not the time for sloppy sentimentality.
The girl I loved had been kidnapped. It was up to me to find her.
To do that, I had to keep my head on straight and my wits about me.
I wished like hell that I'd had the nerve to tell Riley I loved her. Had war taught me nothing? How many times had my buddies told me they regretted unfinished business more than anything else.
How do you thank a spouse for playing single parent while you play the role of soldier? How do you explain to your boy that you'll miss his little league games? Or your daughter, her ballet recital? No matter how noble the reason, because of it, we'd all lost life experiences we couldn't regain. That made my failure to speak my heart to Riley unforgiveable. I was back in the land of the free. I had no excuse for my behavior except foolish pride and self- pity.
Once we got back to the apartment, I searched the desk for Sergeant Brian's card. He'd said to phone him. Now was the time to do it. But he never picked up. I left a voicemail.
As for the others needing to know, I had no phone numbers without Riley's cell phone and didn't even know her aunt's and uncle's last names. That left only one person to call, and I hated like hell to do it.
I sicced Dom, the computer whiz, on her emails and took a quick shower first. My spare gel sleeve and cleaned-up prosthesis made me feel a lot better physically. Mentally, I was still a wreck. Dom had the number by the time I got back in the living room. I punched it in, my jaw clenched in irritation. This jerk did not deserve a call.
"You said I had until tomorrow noon!" a man yelled instead of saying "Hello."
I tensed. "Is this Steve McConnell?"
"You know damn well it is. Let me speak to Riley."
"That's why I'm calling. She's gone missing, and--"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who is this?"
"Zander Bennett."
"Who?"
"Riley's housemate. I know she's mentioned me in an email."
"Yeah. Yeah, she did."
"Are you saying that someone has called you with demands of some kind?"
"Yes. Can you tell me what the hell is going on?"
I ignored the question and asked one of my own. "Do they want money?"
"No. The man who called said his name was Titan. He had a list of demands, all of which related to one of my graphic novel series. I have several. This one is the most popular."
"You're talking about Titanium."
"Yes." He sounded surprised. "You read them?"
"So this whole thing is about you."
"Apparently."
That figured. Even absent from Riley's life, her dad still managed to hurt her. My
first inclination? Hang up the freakin' phone. But I went with my second and reluctantly told him almost everything, beginning with the encounter in the mall parking lot. Steve told me all about a phone call he'd gotten from the so-called Titan, who I felt sure was our Jason.
"Have you talked to the cops?" I asked when he finished.
"Titan told me not to."
"Did you call her folks?"
"Did you?"
"No."
"Neither did I."
Although unsure of his motives, I dropped it. The aunt and uncle might come running and, once Riley was safe, take her back home with them. I didn't want that. Selfish? Absolutely. But at the moment I couldn't bear the thought of giving up the sunbeam who'd brightened my dark existence.
"I'm flying to San Antonio," Steve next said. "We'll figure out what to do when I get there."
"Do what you want. I'm not waiting." I killed the call. It took a second, but I finally saw that every eye in the room was trained on me. I gave them the short version, but did include the scoop on Riley's dad. That got quite a reaction. We all loved Titanium, the metal man who fought tyranny to save the oppressed. "So the kidnapping was well planned, but how in the hell this Titus guy knew we'd be at the lake this weekend, I don't know. No one followed us. I'm absolutely sure of it."
Dom jumped up and began walking around the room examining the walls and ceilings. He stopped. "What's that?"
We all looked to where he pointed--a black speck high on the taupe wall in the southwest corner of the room. A spider, maybe? When I got to it, I saw that it was, indeed, a bug, but not an arachnid. I looked closer. A mic. Someone had bugged the freakin' room. Trust Dom, the communications officer, to think of that.
Without me saying a word, the guys mobilized and began checking all the walls. I heard a signal whistle from Riley's room, a sound that meant rendezvous. Dom again. We all met in the middle just outside the bathroom door. He kept his voice low. "Mics everywhere. Goddamn camera above her bed and another in the bathroom."
I came unglued. "Son of a bitch! That perv has been spying on her. Why couldn't I tell he was lying through his teeth?"
