by Nella Tyler
“I can’t explain it. There must be some mechanism in the rock that changes the color when pressure is applied to the rock,” Drake speculated.
“Or it could be magic,” Meg grinned.
Drake rolled his eyes at her comment.
“Let’s move the rock to see what’s underneath it,” Kai smiled.
It was a very large rock and it took both Drake and Kai to roll it aside. They finally rolled it away and were dismayed not to see a key.
“It must be buried beneath it,” Drake said.
“I only brought one small spade with me. I should have known better and brought some shovels,” Kai said sadly.
Drake kicked the dirt about with his foot.
“The dirt is loose. Get a hole started with the spade and should be able to dig with our hands,” he said.
Kai followed Drake suggestion and soon everyone was digging for the key. Ashlee’s hand hit something hard.
“I think I found something,” she said. She dug a little deeper then pulled up her hand triumphantly. “It’s the key! And it beautiful.”
Meg moved to kneel beside her and looked at the key.
“It’s silvery white just like the key on the back of the mirror. This has to be it.”
“We found it, Meggie. We found it!” Ashlee stood and danced around.
“You found it, Ashlee,” Meg exclaimed as she hugged Ashlee.
“Quiet!” Kai said suddenly.
They stood stock-still and listened. They heard a crunch of footsteps.
“We got company and they are running. We need to do the same thing. Let’s move,” Kai said.
Ashlee stuffed the key in her jean pocket that zipped. Then they all started running as fast as their legs would carry them.
“Get the yacht running, Noah,” Drake said into the radio. “We’re being chased.”
“Copy that!” Noah said anxiously.
They arrived at the clearing and ran into the jungle. Then they heard it. Gunshots.
“My God! They’re shooting at us!” Meg shouted.
“Keep running,” Drake yelled.
They could hear footsteps tearing through the jungle behind them. They were gaining on them and they did not have a way of waylaying them. Then Meg thought of the mace she had in her small purse. Meg needed to see if Ashlee had her mace as well. She grabbed Ashlee’s arm to stop her.
“What are you doing?” Ashlee asked incredulously.
“Ashlee, do you have your mace?”
“Yes.” Then she understood what Meg was thinking.
“Why have you stopped running? Come on,” Drake insisted.
“We have mace, Drake. Maybe you and Kai can use it to slow down our attackers,” Meg said urgently.”
“Give it to us,” Drake said. Meg gave hers and Ashlee did as well. “Now go!”
The girls took off running.
“I think there are only two of them,” Kai said. “We can trip them with a log then spray them.”
Drake nodded and they hid on either side of the path. The gunmen drew closer. Kai was correct: there were only two of them, each carrying a rifle. Kai and Drake squatted to the ground and waited for the gunmen to approach. When they were about to run past them, Kai and Drake stuck out the log to trip them. They gunmen fell heavily to the ground. Drake and Kai then jumped and sprayed the mace in their eyes. The gunmen howled in agony. Drake and Kai then started running.
Meg and Ashlee arrived at the boat, panting heavily.
“Where are Drake and Kai?” Noah asked worriedly.
“Trying to buy us some time,” Meg rasped.
Noah was still confused but didn’t ask any more questions at that moment. He would ask for clarity later when Drake and Kai were safely onboard. Drake and Kai burst out of the jungle. They raced to the boat and hopped onto the deck. Noah eased the boat away from the dock and directed it out to sea. Within seconds, the yacht shot off like a bullet. They were cutting through the water as though their life depended on it. And indeed it did. The others looked back at the island and saw the gunmen arrive to the dock. They didn’t bother to shoot for the yacht was too far away. Soon the island was out of sight. Meg sighed heavily.
“We came, we conquered. And we got the key.”
Drake slipped his arm about her waist and kissed her temple.
“We did it with a lot of hard work with a little bit of magic,” he smiled.
Meg smiled too as she rested her head on his shoulder.
*****
“My mom was right.”
“Right about what?” Drake asked as he sat back in his chair across the table from her.
Meg and Drake were having dinner on the patio of a trendy restaurant. They had just finished their meal and were listening to the band playing popular Hawaiian music. Although the band was inside, they could still hear the vocalist’s melodious voice above the din of the diners.
“She was concerned about my safety on this trip. I dismissed her fears as those of an overprotective mother,” Meg said quietly. “But it appears that her anxieties were not unfounded.”
“What caused her qualms?”
“She said it was just a feeling. I call it her Irish instinct. It’s been known for its accuracy in the past,” Meg answered. “I should have been more attentive to her.”
“You had no idea any of this would happened.” He took a sip of his wine.
“That’s just it. She was trying to warn me and I wouldn’t listen.”
“I see your point. But our situation was not something we could have avoided. We were dropped into this web with no knowledge of its tangles,” he stated.
“Still, I know my mom. I should have paid attention. She was so alarmed and adamant that I not come and I blew her off.”
“I am glad you did not listen; I would not have met you,” he murmured.
She smiled wanly.
“On that score, I agree. I am very happy that I met you. Despite the intrigue and danger, I wouldn’t change a thing about this trip,” she said.
He reached across the table to grasp her hand.
“We are on the same page.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and gently tongued her fingers. “Would you like to dance?”
She nodded affirmatively. He stood and moved to hold her chair. Meg rose and he grabbed her hand to lead her to the dance floor. The music was slow and he pulled her into his strong arms. They moved from side to side in perfect sync. Meg thought such precision seemed to describe their relationship. They were in one accord with everything. Even in their small disagreements about what food to order or what movie to watch, they always came to a compromise, and each was satisfied with the results. They were truly a perfect couple. He pulled her closer and she felt his hardening penis. She smiled as she thought of what was to come that night. They danced a while longer, then he bent his head to her ear.
“Are you ready to call it a night?”
“More than ready,” she whispered.
He pulled back and led her from the restaurant. As they exited the restaurant, Meg noticed some men across the street looking in their direction.
“Drake! Those men over there. They look like the ones who were chasing us,” she said apprehensively.
Drake looked at them. When the men saw that she and Drake were looking at them they turned and walked down the street.
“We were running for our lives, babe. There was no time to get a good look at them,” Drake said.
“But you got a closer look at them when you sprayed them. Were they the same men?”
“I can’t be sure. But they appeared very interested in us. Stands to reason it was them,” he muttered. “Let’s go.”
He guided her along the sidewalk quickly. He did not want a repeat of the Shadow Island incident; although this time he was prepared. He hadn’t wanted to alarm Meg, but he was packing. He refused to be taken by surprise again and not be able to defend them. If need be, he would use the Glock 17 pistol in his pants pocket. They arrived at the hotel t
o find Ashlee frantically pacing the floor of the lobby.
“Ash! What’s wrong?” Meg rushed to her friend.
“Oh, Meg! I’ve tried calling you only to discover that you left your phone in our suite. They’re out looking for her. I couldn’t reach you. I don’t know where she is. They haven’t—”
“Ashlee, stop. You’re not making any sense. Tell me what’s happened,” Meg said calmly although her heart was racing.
“It’s Beni. She’s gone,” Ashlee wailed.
“Gone where?”
“I don’t know. They grabbed her when we were coming into the hotel,” Ashlee said. “She was right behind me. I heard a muffled scream. When I turned around, they were shoving her into a van. I ran outside screaming for her and the van tore off.”
“When did this happen, Ash?” Drake questioned.
“Just now. Not even ten minutes ago,” Ashlee replied. “We’ve got to get her back, Meggie.”
“We will, Ash,” Meg said soothingly.
“Have you told the police yet?” Drake asked.
“I called for them but they haven’t arrived yet,” Ashlee answered. “What are we going to do? Who knows where they are taking her and what they are doing to her. Why would anyone kidnap her?”
“Did you get a good look at them?” Drake asked.
“Pretty good. He looked like one of the men who chased us at Shadow Island.”
“Why would they take her?” Meg questioned.
“For ransom. Whatever they think we have it must be valuable,” Drake explained.
“So valuable that they would kill for it?” Ashlee asked frightfully.
“Possibly. They were shooting at us. But they will not harm her. She is their bargaining chip,” he replied.
“Beni is a smart girl. She will keep her wits about her and escape when there’s an opportunity,” Meg said.
“But should she try? If she is caught it could be all the worse for her,” Ashlee cried.
“You said something about Kai and Noah were out looking for her,” Drake prompted.
“Yes. I called them first. But I don’t know where they are looking,” Ashlee responded.
“I’ll try to reach their cell,” Drake said as he moved away to make the call.
“What’s going to happen, Meggie?”
“We’re going to find Beni. You know, we saw them as we came out of the restaurant a little while ago,” Meg said. “They’d been watching us.”
“So you really do think it’s the men from the island?”
“It makes sense. Who else would watch us and kidnap Beni?” Meg responded.
“But they didn’t even see Beni. She was on the yacht the whole time.”
“I guess it didn’t matter which woman they took. They just wanted one of us. And maybe they mistook Beni for you. It was dark,” Meg supposed.
Ashlee began to fidget.
“Where are the police when you need them?”
As if on cue, two officers walked into the hotel. Ashlee and Meg rushed toward them.
“Where have you been? We have an emergency,” Ashlee demanded.
“That’s why we are here, miss.” He was condescending and Ashlee wanted to smack him. “I am Officer Brimley. What seems to be the problem?”
“It’s not a potential problem, it is a problem,” Ashlee snapped. “Our friend Benita Vega has been kidnapped.”
“That is a strong word and we don’t want to use it prematurely,” Brimley said smugly.
“Perhaps if you had gotten here sooner to assess the situation you would recognize that our assessment is accurate,” Drake retorted as he joined them. Drake instantly disliked the policeman. He was arrogant and pompous and most likely lazy. It was obvious he was a chauvinist with little regard for women. He watched the man with distain as he ran his hand through his thinning blond hair. He looked to be in his fifties and was overweight. He was not a local. Probably from the mainland with no real police credit to his name.
“Who are you?” the officer retorted. He had not liked Drake’s attitude.
“My name is Drake Hanover and these are my friends, Ashlee Scott and Megan Mahoney,” Drake said in a clipped tone. “And they were absolutely correct in describing tonight’s event as a kidnapping. Ashlee will text a photograph of Benita to you to aid you in your search.”
“Nothing can be done for twenty-four hours. It is often discovered that the woman left on her own accord,” Brimley said casually.
“If you would ask some questions to determine what happened, you wouldn’t say that,” Meg said sharply. “Beni did not leave on her own accord. She was snatched into a van right in front of this hotel.”
“Did you see it?” he challenged.
“I saw it,” Ashlee asserted. “We were coming into the hotel and Beni was behind me. I heard her scream and turned to see her being pushed into a white van. I got a partial plate number. I will text it to you as well.”
“We still cannot conduct a search for twenty-four hours,” Brimley said haughtily. “You will have to wait.”
Ashlee stepped forward in anger.
“We will not wait. Move your sorry a—”
“Ash!” Meg interrupted her.
The other officer looked at Brimley in disgust and stepped forward. He was a younger man in his twenties and appeared to be a local.
“I am Officer Steve Honi. I understand your urgency and will push this investigation forward. Please send the photo and partial plate number to me, Miss Scott. Here is my cell number,” Officer Honi said kindly.
“You cannot open an investigation yet,” Brimley reprimanded. “It is not procedure.”
“I can and I will.” Honi replied heatedly. He moved to Ashlee to provide his number.
“Looks like you’ve been outranked,” Drake smirked.
“He does not outrank me,” Brimley blustered. “He’s barely out of training.”
“He outranks you in every way that matters,” Drake snapped.
Brimley stomped out of the hotel in fury.
“I apologize for Brimley,” Officer Honi grimaced.
“It’s not your fault. We’re just grateful that you are stepping up to help us,” Ashlee said.
“We will do everything we can to find your friend,” he promised. He extended his business card to them. “Here’s my card. Call me at any time until we solve this case.”
Drake took his card and gave him his own.
“Thank you, Officer Honi,” Drake said.
Steve Honi then left the hotel.
“Noah and Kai are on their way to the hotel. We can wait for them in the lounge,” Drake said.
They walked to the lounge feeling terribly hopeless.
Chapter 12
Beni woke from a drugged sleep to the feel of the moving vehicle. She opened her eyes and remembered that she had been tossed into a van. She remembered a foul smelling cloth covering her nose when they snatched her. The lowlifes had used some kind of chemical to knock her out.
She cringed as she became aware of the pounding ache in her head. She looked around the van and saw that she was alone. There was a windowed partition separating the front from the back of the van. It must have been cracked, for she could hear voices. The passenger turned his head to look at her and she quickly shut her eyes. She didn’t want them to know that she was awake.
“She’s still out,” one of the men mumbled.
“Yeah. She’ll sleep like a babe for another few hours. We should be at the warehouse before she wakes,” the driver said.
“Do you think they will pay to get her back, Larry?” the passenger asked.
“They’ll pay,” Larry answered. “But she won’t be alive when they find her.” He laughed harshly.
“Do we really have to kill her?” the passenger asked.
“What do you think, Moe? She will be able to identify us if we let her go. We ain’t wearing no masks. She’s got to die,” Larry snorted.
“I guess you’re right. Too bad she didn�
��t have the key on her. I searched all of her pockets. She didn’t have it. It would have made things a lot easier. Now we have to go through the ransom thing,” Moe said. “At least this time we will have good news for Mister West when we talk to him again.”
“Yeah. He will like our ingenuity in handling the situation.” Larry laughed.
“You sure he won’t mind us nabbing the lady? He didn’t tell us to do that,” Moe asked uncertainly.
“But he will like the results. And that’s all that matters,” Larry answered. “Hey, I’m hungry. We can stop at the next diner to eat.”
“What about her?”
“She’s out for the count. She ain’t going nowhere,” Larry replied.
They turned off the highway into a truck stop. Larry got out of the van. Moe took another look at Beni. She appeared to be unconscious.
“You coming?” Larry called.
“Yeah.” Moe got out of the van and the two men went into the diner.
Beni watched them enter the diner and sit at the counter with their backs turned to the van. She knew this was her chance to escape. She opened the back door of the van and looked around the parking lot. She saw an eighteen-wheeler truck with its headlights on. It slowly inched forward to leave the lot. Beni knew she had to get to it and beg the driver for a ride before he left. She jumped out of the van, slammed the door shut, and ran for dear life toward the truck. Thankfully it had paused at the stop sign. The driver looked like he was fiddling with his radio before leaving. That gave Beni time to reach him before he pulled off. She arrived at the passenger door and banged on it. The driver looked out of the side window then leaned over to open the door.
“What’s up, lady?” he asked. He was an older man with a kind smile.
“Please, sir. I need a ride. I’ve been taken against my will and I must get away before they miss me. Can you give me a ride?” Beni explained frantically.
The driver surveyed her at length. Then he nodded solemnly.
“Sure. Get in.”
Beni almost collapsed from relief. She scrambled into the truck and shut the door.
“Where are you headed?” she asked.
“To Honolulu,” he answered.
“Oh thank God! That’s where I need to go. My friends are there and they must be worried sick,” she replied.
