by Francis Ray
“If I had been with her, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Clutching his shirt, Sierra lifted her head. “It’s not your fault. Blame the men who took her.”
“I’ve lived With that guilt all these years.” His hands clenched. “I never wanted to love another woman or put one in jeopardy because of her association with me.” Finally, he stared down into her tear-drenched eyes. “The week before she was taken, the local newspaper did a story on my success. Once the media learns of our relationship, they’ll plaster the news across the country.” His hands flexed. “I shouldn’t have put you at risk.”
“You haven’t. If anything, it has done the opposite.” Her hands framed his anguished face. “You have a reputation for swift, merciless retribution. Only a fool with a death wish would try to harm me. Let’s not forget, I can take care of myself.”
“I shouldn’t have put you at risk,” he repeated.
“I’ll never regret that we found each other, that we became lovers. Neither should you.” She brushed her lips against his, felt him shudder. “Would you change what we have together?”
“No.”
“Good. You’ll see. You can get rid of Atkins. I’ll be fine. I promise, and I always keep my promises.”
His arms tightened protectively around her. “I’ll hold you to that.”
TWENTY
They attended the Sickle Cell Foundation Charity Ball as planned. Sierra was determined to help Blade overcome the guilt and be happy. However, on Monday morning one of his fears was realized. Not only did their picture from the event appear in the business section of the newspaper but in the sidebar on the front page as well.
Sierra silently read the newspaper Blade handed her after she took her seat for breakfast on the terrace of his penthouse. The article went into the details of Blade’s wealth and mentioned Sierra’s connection to the wealthy Falcon family. The last sentence stated that the reason for Blade Navarone staying in Dallas was finally answered: his relationship with his exclusive broker for Navarone Place, Sierra Grayson.
She laid the newspaper aside. For once, she didn’t know what to say. Her heart ached for Blade. The newspaper article would only increase his fears.
“Now it starts,” Blade hissed. “The media will go crazy.”
“So will my family,” she said.
Getting up from the table, he went to her. Hunkering down, he took her hands. “I’m sorry.”
She kissed him. “Not your fault. Let’s eat breakfast and forget about it.”
Blade didn’t move. “Perhaps—”
“No,” she cut him off, afraid of what he was going to say. “I’m staying. If it will make you feel better, I won’t leave the property unless I tell you.”
It didn’t. There were too many variables. “All right for now.”
Her eyebrow quirked. “That was too easy. What are you planning?”
He kissed her hands and returned to his seat. “Nothing that should worry you.”
“I don’t want a bodyguard or someone following me,” she insisted.
“Noted.” He picked up his coffee cup. There were other ways of keeping track of a person, and Shane knew them all.
A week later Sierra hurried through the newly finished lobby of Navarone Place to meet Jess, glad for once not to have to deal with the media. She guessed they’d finally realized getting arrested for trespassing wasn’t worth trying to get an interview or a photograph of her and Blade.
Shane was ruthless when it came to protecting them. Rio was just as scary. Thank God for them, she thought as she exited the building. At least her family hadn’t appeared. Not yet.
Perhaps Rio and Shane could ease Blade’s fears. She’d tried and couldn’t. Her heart ached for him and what his family had gone through. She was going to do everything in her power to help him realize his wife’s and son’s deaths weren’t his fault. A lump formed in Sierra’s throat at the thought of the senseless disregard for life.
Brushing the moisture from her eyes, she saw the two men approaching her just in time to step to one side of the sidewalk to let them pass. They split, one going to her left, the other to her right. Deep in thought, she didn’t think anything about them separating.
When they were even with her the men turned sharply, each grabbing her arm. Before she could protest, a blunt hard object jabbed painfully into her right side.
“Scream and you’re dead.”
Stunned, Sierra looked from one solemn-faced man to the other. Both were African-American, clean-shaven. One was tall, the other stocky.
“What do you want?”
“That’s a dumb question from a woman who’s supposed to be so smart,” the taller one sneered.
“Here’s my purse.”
The man who had just spoken jerked it from her hand. “We expect to get a lot more out of you than that. Now move.”
It hit her like a closed fist. She was being kidnapped! Blade leaped into her mind. He’d blame himself. She berated herself for not paying attention. She briefly wondered if Mary had thought the same. She would have had the added worry and concern for protecting her baby.
With two men it would be dicey to attempt an escape, but Sierra had no intention of quietly going with them. They weren’t wearing masks, which meant they didn’t care that she could later identify them … if she was alive.
They were heading straight for a mud-splattered white truck. Safety had been drilled into her head enough to know that her chances of survival would go down dramatically once she was inside.
She quickly devised a plan and readied her body. One would drive; the other would round the truck to get inside. Whichever one held her at that point, she’d elbow him, use her stiletto heel on the top of his foot, run like hell to alert Security, and pray the kidnappers didn’t shoot. She wasn’t worth anything to them dead.
“Sierra.”
She looked up and saw Jess loping toward her, a potted plant in his large hands. Of all the people to stop them, Jess was the most vulnerable. The men tensed; the barrel of the gun dug deeper into her side.
“Get rid of him if you want him to live,” hissed the taller of the two.
Jess stopped in front of her, grinning. “Hello,” he greeted the men, then turned to Sierra. “I bought you a present. It’s a staghorn like I promised.” He held it out to her.
“It’s beautiful, Jess. Thank you, but I’m kind of tied up at the moment. Please take it to the boss and tell him and Luke they were right. You’re my Faith.”
“Come on.” Gripping her arms, the men continued to the truck. As she’d suspected, they separated, but Jess didn’t move. He simply stared at them. If she ran or screamed to alert the security guards, Jess might cower because he didn’t like altercations or he might try to come to her. Either way, he was too large of a target.
The short man opened the truck’s door and shoved her inside. Stale food and body odor assaulted her nostrils. The men had waited a long time to carry out their plan. And she had walked right into their hands.
She looked out the back window at Jess still watching them and prayed he’d do as she asked.
Blade woke up the second Sierra left the bed. It hadn’t taken long for him to get used to the warmth of her by his side. He couldn’t imagine waking up without her, had even put off important business because he hadn’t wanted to leave her. He didn’t reach for her because he knew how that would end up. She had a breakfast appointment.
Hearing her close the front door, Blade dressed and went to his penthouse. Only his personal staff and Rio and Shane knew where Blade spent his nights. In his apartment, he showered and dressed before heading for his office. It wasn’t empty.
“Make yourself at home,” he told Shane.
“Already did.” He munched on a slice of French toast. “I might start to come by more often for breakfast. Wouldn’t want Martin to be unhappy.”
Blade didn’t take the bait. If Blade and Sierra showed up, Martin would cook for them; if not, it did
n’t bother him. If they missed breakfast, Martin would go up after the sales office opened to see what she wanted to eat, which worked out well, because Blade wanted to spend as much time alone with Sierra as possible. Thankfully, she felt the same way. If the media weren’t a problem and time wasn’t growing shorter for them, he’d have no complaints.
“With only two estates remaining and the formal grand opening in a week, what are your plans?”
Blade stopped going through the appointment calendar on his desk. Some of the residents were already moving in. Thankfully, the twins were on a cruise with their father and wouldn’t take occupancy for another two weeks. “For once, I don’t know.”
Shane lowered his glass of apple juice. “That’s not like you.”
Blade tossed his pen on the desk. “Tell me something I don’t know. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“All I can say is, it’s about time.”
Blade cut Shane a look. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what it means.” Standing, Shane placed his glass on the wooden tray on Blade’s desk. “The security system for the entire complex is complete. You want to take a look?”
Blade trusted Shane completely, with good reason. “Why?”
“Give you something else to think about,” Shane tossed, and went to the door.
Blade came to his feet and rounded his desk. “One of these days, that smart mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble.”
“You don’t say.”
Blade didn’t bother to comment. He simply went through the door Shane held open. In the front room, Blade said, “The press would probably get worse if I showed up in Santa Fe or if she came to Navarone Riviera Maya.”
“Yes, but I don’t think that’s going to keep you away from either place,” Shane said.
Blade silently agreed and opened the front door, frowning as he saw Jess, his large hands clamped around a potted plant. The leaves resembled elk horns. Perspiration dotted his forehead, although the area had zoned air-conditioning set at seventy degrees.
Aware the man was wary of him, Blade spoke softly. “Good morning, Jess. Is that for Sierra?”
He nodded. Swallowed.
“She had an early appointment this morning,” Blade continued patiently. “If you’d like, I’ll give it to her or show you her office and you can leave it there.”
Jess looked up at Blade, then away. “She—she told me to give it to the boss.”
“You saw her when she was leaving, then.” Blade reached for the plant. “I’ll keep it for her.”
Slowly Jess released the plant and looked at Shane. “Are you Luke? I have to tell Luke, too.”
“Luke? What?” An icy shiver raced over Blade.
Jess took a step back. “Before she left with the two men, she said for me to tell the boss and Luke that you were right. That I was her Faith.”
Blade almost dropped the plant. Jess jerked it back just in time. Blade raced toward the elevator. Shane’s shout stopped him. “Too late! We can track her.”
Blade felt light-headed. He pressed his hand against the wall. It was happening again. His fault. His fault.
“Did I get it wrong?” Jess asked, clearly agitated.
Blade fought through rage and fear before he could answer. “No. You got it exactly right. Come inside.”
Jess hesitated. “I have to work.”
“I’ll explain it to the foreman. Now, this is important—to help Sierra.” This time Jess didn’t hesitate to enter and take the seat Blade offered. “Did you see what kind of car or truck they left in? It’s very important.”
“A muddy white Ford pickup,” Jess said slowly and proudly.
There was a brisk knock on the door, and three men entered. Blade recognized them as security. He wanted to rail at them for not protecting her, but this was his fault, not theirs.
“She got into a white pickup with two men. She spoke to me as she always did, and told me she had a breakfast appointment. I didn’t know anything was wrong.” The man looked crestfallen. “She didn’t give any indication that she was in trouble.”
The phone rang just as Shane walked back into the great room. He didn’t have to say a word. From the hard expression on his face, Blade knew.
“All of the signals are coming from inside the building,” Shane confirmed. “She must be wearing new clothes that haven’t been tagged.”
“Mr. Navarone,” Jenkins said, “a man is on the phone demanding to speak with you. I asked him what it was in regard to, and he said to ask you if you were missing anything.”
Blade cursed and raced to his office, Shane on his heels. Blade jerked up the phone. “Hurt her and there won’t be a place on earth or in hell that you’re safe.”
Laughter came through the line, but it sounded forced. “Ten million dollars by eight tomorrow morning. I’ll call back later with instructions. No police or she’s dead.”
“You don’t get one cent until I speak to her now and before the transaction,” Blade stated with barely controlled fury.
“You don’t make the demands; I do. Just start working on the money.” The line went dead.
Blade is too smart to give you any money unless he knows I’m alive and unharmed,” Sierra told the kidnappers. She was held in the kitchen of a small house with her hands tied behind her back. From what she could tell, they were just outside of Dallas. She had a bit more hope that the men planned to let her go when they began arguing over who was supposed to remember to blindfold her once she was in the truck.
“I’m running this, not some hotshot,” Frank, the taller one, snapped.
“We’re running this,” corrected Gus, the little man, who kept pulling his pants up over his protruding stomach.
“What you’ll be doing is running from Blade, not to mention my brothers, for the rest of your lives. Powerful men make dangerous enemies,” she said, watching the reactions of both men. “Blade has connections all over the world. You won’t be able to enjoy one dollar of the money.”
They traded worried glances. “I saw a movie once where they marked the bills. You should have told him we had a way of detecting that,” Gus told Frank.
“Well, it’s too late now,” snapped Frank. “I’ll tell him when I call back with instructions.”
“Why can’t I talk to him?” the rotund one wanted to know.
“Because I am.” Frank stuck his Glock inside his waistband. “Now get some food on the table.”
“Yeah, I’d enjoy every meal while you can,” Sierra taunted. “Because from now on, you’re going to be looking over your shoulder. My family is descended from warriors. You’ll regret the day you were born.”
Frank whipped the gun out and into her face. “You’re the one who’s gonna regret the day you were born if you don’t shut up.”
Gus licked his lips and paused with a skillet in his pudgy hands. “The paper did say that Navarone was as ruthless and as deadly as his name. So is that rich cousin of hers, Falcon.”
“So is this.” Frank waved his gun. “Now go cook.”
Luke received the phone call first. He had to clamp down on his own fear long enough to get the few details Blade knew.
“I’m sorry that I didn’t protect her better,” Blade said, raw pain in each word.
“No one is infallible. It’s not your fault,” Luke said.
“A jet is on its way to pick you up. The pilot should land within the hour at the private airfield in Santa Fe.” No matter what Luke said, Blade knew it was his fault. “Sierra said your name as a signal, but she’d also want you here.”
“We’re all coming. Good-bye.” Luke hung up the phone, wondering how he was going to tell their mother.
Sierra wasn’t offered any food and she didn’t ask. Gus’s cleanliness wasn’t the best. Frank had given her water, tilting the glass sharply so that most of it ran down the sides of her mouth. He enjoyed taunting her. She didn’t complain, just continued to try to loosen the rope.
She only accomplished abrading her skin on the rough hemp. She flexed her fingers, trying to keep her hands from going numb.
“I need to use the bathroom.”
Gus paused from shoving in the spaghetti he’d cooked. Frank acted as if he hadn’t heard.
“Which one of you is handy with a mop?” she asked.
Gus jumped up and rushed over to begin untying the rope around her wrists. “I’m not cleaning up after you or nobody else. I done enough of that in my life.”
Frank took another bite. Spaghetti slipped off his fork and back to his plate, splattering his blue-striped shirt with sauce. “You try something and the next time I watch.” He leaned back in his chair, a cocky grin on his thin face. “Maybe I should watch anyway.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Listen to Gus. Blade can be merciless. He can skin a man alive and not draw blood. Is a look worth that?” She turned to Gus, who had backed up. “Which way?”
He swallowed and pointed behind him. Sierra went to the bathroom and came back out as quickly as possible. She didn’t trust Frank.
Blade didn’t know what to expect when Sierra’s entire family arrived. Introductions were quickly made. Their cousins, the Falcons, were already there, along with their extended family of the Taggarts and Masters. Seeing Sierra’s mother tested Blade’s teetering control. She looked so much like Sierra it made his heart ache. He couldn’t lose Sierra. He couldn’t.
Ruth Grayson, matriarch of the Grayson clan, went directly to Blade. “Have you heard anything else?” Felicia Falcon, Daniel and Dominique’s mother, moved to stand by her. So did Ruth’s brother and Felicia’s husband, John Henry Falcon.
“No, ma’am.”
Ruth blinked, bit her lip. Then she seemed to draw her courage around her erect shoulders. “We’ll get her back.”
Blade swallowed. “I don’t think I could go on if I didn’t think so. Why don’t you sit down?”
“I’d rather stand.”
