Dangerous Surrender

by Carrie Kelly

“Probably a robbery gone wrong. That woman was mistaken. You don’t need protection, Ms. Tucker.”

  Standing up to face him, I put my trembling hands on my hips. “How do you know that? Those men could be human traffickers, and if they come after me--”

  His eyes traveled up and down my frame, just like Steven used to, finally settling on my face. “Why would they want to do that? Human traffickers take young women and children in most cases.”

  Fire flared over my cheeks and tears prickled the corner of my eyes again. Right. Just because Jack loved me, didn’t mean Fattie Mattie ceased to exist. I didn’t want to believe him – not after everything. Why couldn’t I stand up to assholes like that?

  Well, Tilda, who says you can’t?

  “You know what? I’m sure the ladies are lining up around the corner for your balding head and that beer belly. Am I right? I’d thank you for your help, but you haven’t given me any. I’ll fill out that paperwork now.”

  Mr. White stared at me, a blush creeping up his skin and his hands brushed his stomach. “We’ll bring it to you right away.”

  I nodded and sat back down. That’s a story I needed to tell Jack – if I ever saw him again.

  After filling out pages of paperwork, they ushered me to a little hostel down the street. At least I got my own room and a bathroom with hot water. Thank God!

  I locked the door and pushed a chair up against it, just in case.

  While the hot shower refreshed me after the long day, the knots in my stomach tighten as I looked out the window at the shimmering lights of Chiang Mai. Sure, my vacation was ruined but I didn’t care about that anymore. Jack was somewhere out there, and I had no idea if he was even safe or not.

  He was already wrong about the consulate offering me protection. What if he was wrong about more? I pushed the thought from my mind and tried to sleep.

  The next morning, the consulate gave me a replacement passport and told me how to buy a train ticket back to Bangkok. Besides that, they offered me no further help. Standing on the street corner, I frowned and clutched my purse to my chest. If I went back to Bangkok without protection what would happen?

  The consulate suggested I have money wired from home at a Western Union and finish the rest of my vacation. How could I do that on my own? I already looked over my shoulder every few minutes to see if anyone suspicious followed me. Dammit! I needed Jack more than even and had no way to contact him. Shit!

  Instead, I called the airline and arranged to change my flight back. They had a seat for me, and as I hung up the phone the reality sunk in. I’d go back to America on my own with no idea when I’d see Jack again. Not only that, but I couldn’t even tell Cheryl the truth about her own brother!

  She’d be furious he abandoned me in a foreign country a week into our trip, and I couldn’t correct her!

  Thankfully, in a city as large as Chiang Mai, most people spoke English so getting around was easy. I hired a tuk-tuk and even bought a ticket on the night train without any problems.

  Wiping my palms on my pants, I perused the local market near the station and bought a few souvenirs and a new outfit. I can do this. Those men wouldn’t be looking for me on my own.

  At least that’s what I told myself.

  That evening, I boarded the train wearing my new clothes and settled into my cabin. I’d splurged on first class so I didn’t have to share with a stranger. The bed and seat were both comfortable for a train, and my nerves calmed as we pulled out of the station.

  In less than a day I’d be back in Bangkok and headed home. If the men hadn’t come for me yet, they probably didn’t know where I was. I hoped they didn’t know where Jack was either.

  The sunset burned red in the distance, over the jungle and grasslands. No wonder Cheryl insisted I travel with Jack – riding around alone was pretty boring!

  I ate dinner in the dining car, and headed to bathroom to wash up before I tucked in. As I headed back to my compartment, a man approached me. He looked like most Thai men, dark hair and tan skin, but my heart clenched as Jack’s warnings went through my head.

  Just let him pass and nothing bad will happen, Tilda!

  I hurried to my door just as the man drew near.

  Get inside and no one can hurt you!

  My hands shook, my fingers fumbling with the lock.

  Then something hard and barrel shaped dug into my back. I froze in place, my throat closing up no matter how badly I wanted to scream.

  The man walked past without looking at me.

  A moment later, the hand on my back shoved me into the compartment, and I tripped inside. Turning around, my eyes widened. One of Jack’s old business associates from the shoot out stood there.

  “Hello, Jack’s wife,” he growled in heavily accented English.

  “I – what?” How could I forget? They thought we were married!

  He stepped closer, and I stumbled away. “Your husband is a stupid man for leaving you alone in a dangerous country.”

  The window’s cool glass pressed into my back. I needed to get away, but how? If Jack were here he’d probably suggest jumping out of the train.

  “I’m not alone. When he finds you here he’ll--”

  He raised his hand and I winced, closing my eyes just before the slap rang across my cheek. The reddened sting burned my flesh. No one had slapped me since I was ten and stole nail polish from Walgreens on a dare! And that was my mother.

  “Turn around if you want to live.”

  My mind swam. Every muscle in my body shook uncontrollably. I wanted to live – almost more than anything. Turning around, I pressed my cheek to the window and bit back a sob.

  Jack. Where are you?

  The man, his name slipped my mind, tightened something around my wrists and ankles before gagging me with a tie. At least he didn’t knock me out – that would’ve been worse. When he finished, he shoved me onto the bed and sneered.

  Then he grabbed my chin in his hand. “If your husband tries to stop us we’ll sell you.”

  Widening my eyes, I let out a muffled scream. Dammit! No one outside of the room would hear me at all.

  “I’ll find him – if he’s on the train,” he said and grabbed my cabin’s key. “You’ll be a widow when I’m finished.”

  He slipped out the door and the lock clicked in place. At least he left me alone, even tied up. Escaping would be much easier without him watching me the whole time.

  How was I supposed to escape?

  Calm down and think, Tilda! Okay. First things first. Get untied then get off the train.

  If I went back to Chiang Mai maybe the consulate would believe me now. But what could they do? Escort me? Maybe – but it’d be wiser to find Jack. Where the hell would I even look?

  And why didn’t he give me his cell number?

  I wriggled in my binds, the soft pliable rope felt like nylon. Good. Cutting it off was an option if only I found something sharp enough. I sat up and scanned the room. Of course my kidnapper wasn’t kind enough to leave any knives around, but the metal at the edge of the bed looked promising.

  Scooting toward it with both my hands and feet bound wasn’t easy. I nearly toppled off the damn bed twice and caught myself just in time. Finally, I positioned my hands above the sharp edge and rubbed. And rubbed. And rubbed.

  Dammit! This works a lot better in the movies!

  My heart slammed in my chest. Every sound startled me from my work. Rub faster! Faster.

  Finally, the rope loosened as the binds broke down. I rubbed it against the metal harder, even as the friction burned my wrists. If the kidnapper returned what would he do? Kill me? Probably!

  Every footstep outside the door froze my heart.

  Please don’t catch me!

  Pulling, wiggling and rubbing, the rope loosened enough to yank my hands free. Without wasting any time, I ripped off the gag and untied my ankles. A boy scout, that man was not. He didn’t even know how to tie a proper knot!

  As the binds fell free, some
one jangled the lock at my door. No! Back already. Shit!

  Glancing at the window, my heart leapt into my throat.

  It’s the only way to escape. You don’t want that guy killing you, right?

  The glass slid open easily, the cool evening air whipping inside the compartment and blowing my hair back. Outside the dark landscape rushed by in a bluish black blur. Okay, jumping off the train wasn’t a good idea.

  With trembling hands, I sat on the window seal and looked up. If I could climb onto the top of the train maybe I’d make it to another car and get the help I needed before they found me again.

  The door slid open.

  Without looking, I grasped the outside of the train and climbed up.

  Suddenly, arms wrapped around my legs and strong hands pulled me down. I was not getting caught that easily again. Twisting and shoving, I pushed at my assailant with all my strength.

  “Mattie, it’s me!”

  “Jack?” I cried and ducked down just as he pulled me inside.

  Sure enough, he stood in front of me, his hard chest heaving. “What the hell were you thinking?”

  “I thought you were a bad guy. Look they tied me up and—why are you here?” My legs felt like wet noodles as I leaned into his powerful hold.

  He pressed his lips to my forehead. “To save you, love. Those idiots at the consulate didn’t give you any protection, so I kept watch.”

  “Why didn’t you come to me last night? Or this morning? I spent the whole day wandering around Chiang Mai on my own!”

  I looked into his eyes, and he frowned. “I know, Mattie. I thought you’d be safer if I kept my distance. With your dark hair I wasn’t sure they’d recognize you, but I was wrong.”

  “Say it again, please. This whole time we’ve traveled around based on a hunch that the consulate would protect me and--”

  He smiled. “I was wrong, and I’m sorry. It seems to happen a lot lately.”

  The steady beating of his heart calmed my nerves. “You were wrong about the dinner, wrong about the consulate and wrong about me being safe alone. But you weren’t wrong about coming with me on this trip.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “No? Even after everything that’s happened you don’t want to be back in New York?”

  I thought of my safe little apartment and my sewing room at the theatre. Central Park, my favorite cafes and restaurants – everything I called home.

  “I’d rather be with you right now. I’d always rather be with you,” I said softly.

  His lips found mine an instant later. Our mouths burned as they met, if for only a moment.

  “Let’s get you out of here.”

  “Yeah. You don’t think I can get a refund on the room, do you?”

  His chin tickled my forehead. “Not likely.”

  Leaning out of his grasp, the red splotches splashed across his shirt caught my eye. “Did you get hit?”

  Jack’s jaw tensed. “Best not to ask too many questions, love. I’ve found six men on the train so far but there could be more. Do you know the man who caught you?”

  “Not his name,” I admitted.

  He slid open the door and we glanced down the long hallways, stretching in both directions.

  “When does the train arrive in Bangkok?” I asked.

  “Around eight A.M.”

  Glancing at my phone, I frowned. It was just after midnight as it was. Eight whole hours!

  “And what if more men are waiting at the platform?”

  Jack’s blue eyes sparkled when he glanced at me. “That’s likely, but we might be able to do something about it.”

  He didn’t say another word on the matter as he pulled me out the door. Sneaking down the hall, goose bumps rose along my back and arms. All the compartments were already closed and locked, the dim lights flicking over our heads. Why did I choose the overnight train?

  “Do you have a cabin too?” I whispered.

  He answered with a quick shake of his head. “No, just a second class sleeper. I wanted to keep an eye on you, but it looks like I didn’t do too great a job.”

  When we got to the end of the car, Jack opened the door and peeked out. Then he motioned for me to follow him. We slipped through five or six cars until we came to one at the back of the train – one that was locked.

  Instead of turning back, Jack pulled out a pick.

  “What are you doing?” I hissed.

  “This is the freight car, and I’ve got a hunch about what’s inside. Humor me, love.”

  Wringing my hands, I glanced at the door to the last car and frowned as his words sunk in. “Wait. You think people are in there?”

  “It makes sense. I’m sure they move their cargo down the river too, but think about how easy it is to put a freight box on a train. Less than twelve hours later they’ve made the drop and no one can do a damn thing about it.”

  My heart slammed in my chest. “But what does that mean?”

  He smiled sadly. “It means we’ll be saving some lives and stopping some bad men, Mattie. And I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  The lock popped open before I responded. Huge wooden boxes loomed over us as we stepped inside the dark car. My stomach turned when I thought of what it would be like to be trapped in one, and my eyes fought to adjust to the shadows.

  Jack pulled out his gun and swept around the room, checking every nook and cranny for a guard of some kind. No one was in the cabin but us.

  “When did you think they used the trains?” I asked when he was done, hugging myself.

  “I’ve figured for a while, but I never had the chance to check. I didn’t want them to get suspicious of me.”

  I stared at him, my heart pounding in my chest as everything clicked into place. “And the river? Is that why we used it to travel? Did we go out of our way so you could see how they’re shipping people?”

  He glanced at me as he slipped his gun back into the holster. “It wasn’t out of our way, but after that night I knew I couldn’t sit ideally by any longer. Getting you to safety and checking out a good lead weren’t mutually exclusive options – two birds with one stone as they say.”

  I put my trembling hands on my hips. “But why didn’t you tell me that’s what we were doing?”

  Jack sighed and tapped on one of the boxes. “Honestly, the less you know the better. I didn’t think you needed to know unless it was relevant to your well-being.”

  “I’m here now! Do I need to know about this?”

  He raised an eyebrow and yanked at a board on the side of a crate. “I couldn’t very well leave you tied up, could I?”

  Narrowing my eyes, I frowned. “I untied myself, thank you very much. I’m not totally useless and—Oh for God’s sake. Use the crowbar!”

  Jack glanced around the room. “What crowbar?”

  I nudged it with my foot, and he scooped it up. “That crowbar.”

  The typical heart-melting smile broke across his lips. “See? I need you, love. You see things I miss.”

  “Well, you’re pretty amazing yourself. Let me help. We get crates of fabric this big all the time.”

  We broke into half the crates in the room before we found what we looked for. Most were filled with cloth or food. The last crate we cracked yelped and sobbed as we pulled back the wooden boards. Inside, children and teen girls sat, their eyes wide with terror.

  I’m not sure what Jack said to them, but the looks on their faces calmed.

  I wiped my cheeks and grabbed his arm, my heart breaking. “What are we supposed to do with them? We can’t leave them here!”

  A calloused finger caressed my cheek. “I know. I’m going to make the call and put this to an end, Mattie. Sit with them for a moment?”

  I nodded and forced myself to smile at the girls – crying wouldn’t do any good. Gently, I reached inside and took some tiny hands in mine. Since I couldn’t comfort them with words I hoped the touch was enough.

  A few crates away, Jack pulled out his phone and made a call. I ha
rdly understood the lingo he used. Alpha this and Charlie that. But when he came back to me, he smiled broadly.

  “We did it, love. We’re bringing these bastards down once and for all.”

  Wrapping my arms around his slender waist, I pressed my cheek against his hard chest. “Good. Now what do we do with these girls?”

  “We keep them safe until we get to Bangkok.”

  I frowned at him. “How do we do that with a train full of those evil men on board?”

  Jack’s eyes hardened, and he set his jaw. “I do my job, Mattie.”

  His word sent shivers up my spine, and I nodded. No way I’d argue with that.

  11

  A quick check told us none of the other crates held more children. Good. Fifteen were already enough to deal with. Jack checked the last car on the train while I stayed with the girls. When he returned, after a shout and a bang, his eyes burned.

  "It's clear," he growled.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded.

  Together we corralled the girls to the last car. It was another luggage car, but this one was filled with suitcases instead of crates.

  "Will it be safe back here?" I asked as the children huddled on the floor.

  Jack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Safest place I can think, love. Now I'm going to guard the front entrance – you guard the back. Can you do that?"

  "Guard with what? You have a gun!"

  With a smile Jack handed me the crowbar. "One swift hit to the head or another sensitive appendage should do the trick," he said with a wink.

  It didn't take much to figure out which sensitive appendage he meant. I took a deep breath and gripped the bar to my chest, walking to the back door. Settling on a suitcase, I waited. Only a few more hours and we'd be in Bangkok. We'd be safe. This whole mess would be over – at least I hoped so.

  I kept one eye on the door and the other on the children. They cuddled into a pile and the younger ones slept. I couldn't blame them as I wiped sleep from my own eyes. The night before I tossed and turned. A good sleep eluded me for days and the weariness was finally catching up to me.

  Suddenly, a bang sounded from the other side of the car.