Only You

by Francis Ray

“She’ll just want to go to the bathroom again if you get it.” Frank sat up in his chair, withdrawing his hand from beneath his shirt. “Just tie her up.”

  Getting up, Gus reached for her. “Come on.”

  “If I stay tied up all night, I won’t be able to walk. Blade won’t give you the money unless he sees I’m all right,” she told them.

  “What makes you think we’re going to give him a choice?” Frank lounged back on the sofa, his arm thrown over the back.

  Her heart stopped, then pounded. “Blade isn’t stupid. He couldn’t be and have amassed the fortune he has. He’ll expect treachery. The only way to get the money and enjoy spending it is if I’m there at the exchange.”

  “You’re staying here. Lover boy just better have my money at the drop,” Frank spat.

  “Your money,” she said. “Blade could give you the money and you could claim he shorted you.”

  Frank came off of the sofa, his hand under his shirt. “You’re beginning to really piss me off. You want to know what I do to women who piss me off?”

  Sierra kept her mouth shut.

  “I thought not,” Frank sneered. “Tie her ass up. Tight.”

  “Why do you always give the orders, Frank? We’re in this together,” Gus said.

  “I never said differently. If it makes you happy, I’ll tie her up.” Frank jerked Sierra away from Gus.

  “I think I should pick up the money,” Gus said.

  “I’m picking up the money. You’re staying here with her until I get back,” Frank yelled.

  “We’re all going. If Navarone does have a trick up his sleeve, it’ll be better if there are two of us,” Gus said, looking pleased.

  “That ain’t what we planned.” Frank got in Gus’s face.

  The rotund man didn’t budge. “It is now.”

  No one slept besides the children of Madelyn and Daniel, Matt and Shannon, and Victoria and Kane, who were in the guest bedroom. Coffee had been made and served several times by Martin and Jenkins, who hovered nearby, their faces filled with a mixture of anger and fear. The women and men would huddle in separate groups, then as couples, drawing strength from each other.

  Alone in his office, Blade continued to be surprised that no one seemed to blame him. Just before Shane, Rio, Daniel, and Luke left at midnight, Luke had clapped him on the back. “I know it’s hard to stay, but it has to be this way. We’ll bring her home.”

  Throughout the night and now, as Blade watched the sun push back the dawn, Luke’s words came to him: Bring her home. But this wasn’t her home. No matter how much he wished it otherwise, it couldn’t be.

  “Mind if I join you?” Faith asked.

  “No.” Blade looked at the two attaché cases filled with money, then shut both. With Mary there had been a ransom demand, but before the exchange could be made Faith had escaped and Mary—He jerked the cases from the desk.

  Faith studied his set face. “She loves you, you know.”

  The words were like a stunning blow. His eyes slammed shut. Even with the hopelessness he felt, he had wanted her love.

  “She’ll tell you herself when she comes home.”

  His eyes opened. He was unable to hide the misery and emptiness, the remorse. “We’re not meant to be.”

  Faith’s usually calm eyes fired. “Stop it, Blade. I was with Mary. I know how much she loved you, how she would have hated you blaming yourself. Greedy men without mercy took so much. Don’t let them take the memory of your love and the possibility of another.” Gently she touched his arm. “Few people in life are gifted with two great loves. Please don’t turn your back on a precious gift.”

  “I have to go.” He walked out of his office and almost bumped into Brandon. Blade should have expected as much. He’d never been far from Faith or Faith from him since their arrival. It had been the same way with the other married couples. The love they shared was like a living, breathing entity. No matter how much his brain protested, he wanted that same thing … with Sierra.

  Blade drew everyone’s attention when he stepped into the great room. Ruth was standing with her brother and his wife, but she immediately came to him. Her eyes looked so much like Sierra’s. His grip on the cases tightened.

  “Stay safe and bring her back.” Her arms went around him, hugging him. Then she kissed him lightly on the cheek. “May God and the Master of Breath go with all of you.”

  Too full to speak, Blade nodded, then continued out the door Jenkins held open. Martin stood beside him. Neither had to say a word. Blade would bring her back or die trying.

  A quarter to eight the next morning, Sierra knelt between her two captors in a heavily wooded area on the fringes of the abandoned rock quarry. Twenty-five yards away, knee-high weeds, mounds of stones, and sand filled the yard of a weathered shack. They’d driven about two miles on the highway, then left the truck and walked another mile across a pasture. Once there, the kidnappers had tied her hands again and gagged her.

  During the trek, both men had been quiet. They’d been that way since Frank had nudged her awake. Or so he thought.

  She had stayed awake all night, waiting, looking for a chance to escape. There had been none.

  Apparently she had done her job of creating discord between the two men well, because last night Frank had marched her across the living room, shoved her into the chair she’d just left, and tied her hands and feet. He and Gus proceeded to sit at opposite ends of the sofa and watch each other and the TV all night.

  “He should be coming any moment,” Frank said, his voice full of greedy excitement.

  “We’ll be rich.”

  “By this time tomorrow, I’ll be in Mexico with a drink in one hand and a woman in the other,” Frank said, moistening his lips.

  “I thought you said we should lie low for a week or so.” Gus turned from watching the road.

  “Like you said last night, change of plan.”

  “I—” Gus began, then abruptly stopped.

  Sierra heard the smooth rumble of a powerful engine. An icy fear gripped her. Blade. They’d kill him. Her mind screamed, No! as she attempted to stand with her hands tied behind her back. Hard hands shoved her back down.

  “Stay put, or I’ll do you now,” Frank hissed.

  Her eyes conveyed the hatred her mouth couldn’t.

  “Look at that car!”

  Sierra whipped her head around at the awe in Gus’s voice. The Maserati was going about 10 miles an hour over the rough road. She couldn’t see the driver or whether anyone was in the back because of the tinted windows. Please, God, let Blade have called Luke.

  “Damn. The rich bastard,” Frank spat. “I can’t see a thing through those windows. Go out there, and stop him.”

  Gus started to get up, then stopped. “I thought you were the one who was going to make the deal?”

  “You wanted to be more in charge. Now do it. He’ll pass us soon,” Frank snapped.

  “I’m guarding her.” Gus wasn’t budging.

  Frank looked as if he might argue, then cursed as the car neared. Pulling his gun, he stood and left the concealing bushes. Immediately the car stopped. “Get out of the car slowly, then open the back doors and the trunk,” he yelled.

  Sierra held her breath. Please don’t let Luke be hiding in the car.

  The car door opened. Blade stepped out. “Where’s Sierra?”

  Sierra felt her throat tighten. His face looked ravaged. He’d blamed himself as she feared he would.

  “I’m giving the orders, rich boy.” Frank motioned with his gun. “Open the back doors and trunk in a hurry. My partner is holding your woman, and he has an itchy trigger finger.”

  “Harm her, and you’ll die a thousand times,” Blade promised as he opened the doors and trunk.

  “Now, where’s the money?”

  Blade reached into the backseat and pulled out two suitcases. He opened first one and then the other, then closed both and placed them at his feet.

  Beside Sierra, Gus’s breathing accele
rated. “I’ll be rich. Rich, and no one will look down on me again.”

  Frank’s gun centered on Blade’s chest. “That’s real smart of you.”

  Sierra struggled to get up. Gus caught her arm. “I’m sorry, but I want that money. I’m tired of being poor and being treated like dirt.”

  She tried to butt him with her head, but he leaned away. She refused to stop trying. She wasn’t going to make it easy for them or give up.

  “If you want the money, let Sierra come down here and drive away.” Blade held up a black device in his hand. “Otherwise, all you’re going to get is shreds of worthless paper.”

  A bomb. Sierra felt all the air leave her lungs. Blade wouldn’t bluff. His life in exchange for hers.

  “You’re bluffing,” Frank said.

  “I never bluff.” Blade picked up one of the attaché cases and tossed it several feet away. The case had barely hit the dirt before it exploded. Bits of charred paper littered the air like confetti before falling.

  “Mother—”

  “Send Sierra down, and the other case is yours,” Blade said. “I’ll go with you to my bank to withdraw more funds or fly you to Mexico … after she leaves.”

  “You’re crazy!” Frank shouted.

  “All that money gone. All that money gone,” Gus kept repeating, his grip tightening on Sierra’s arm.

  “I love her. She means more to me than anything I possess,” Blade said. “Let her go, and I’ll double the money. Twenty million.”

  Tears misted in Sierra’s eyes. She hadn’t wanted loving her to bring him pain.

  “Oh my!” Gus shot to his feet, pulling her with him. “Let’s give her to him!”

  “No!” Frank shouted over his shoulder. “Let me think. He just blew up five million dollars. He might not give a rat’s ass about his neck once she’s safe.”

  Frank was smarter than Sierra had given him credit for.

  “I’m worth a billion. Twenty million, and a ride to Mexico. My jet can have you there in less than three hours on a private airstrip,” Blade coaxed. “Freedom and riches. All you have to do is send Sierra out and let her drive away.”

  “What’s to stop her from going straight to the police?” Frank demanded.

  “The same reason that kept me from calling the police. My safety.” Blade nudged the case with his foot. “You’re in charge here. Five million now, the rest when we get to Mexico. I’m building a resort there and have an unlimited line of credit.”

  Gus dragged her over to Frank. “Take the money!”

  Blade’s easy stance changed to predatory. His gaze flashed over Sierra. A muscle leaped in his jaw. “You’ll be home soon.”

  “I give the orders,” Frank repeated. “You’re not in charge.”

  Blade picked up the case with his other hand. “Send her down or you’ll end up with more burnt paper.”

  “You—you’re holding it,” Frank stammered. “It would blow you to bits.”

  “Whether I die now or from your bullet minutes from now doesn’t matter. You don’t plan to let either of us leave here alive.” He looked at Sierra. “I should have kept you safe.”

  Sierra struggled in vain to twist free. She shook her head, her eyes imploring him to wait. As long as they were breathing, there was a chance. Their chances escalated sharply if he’d contacted Luke.

  “Drop that case!” Frank pointed the gun at Blade.

  “Untie her and send her down, and I will,” Blade countered. “Twenty million and Mexico in three hours, or nothing in seconds. Choose.”

  Frank and Gus looked at each other as if trying to come to a decision. Sierra only had eyes for Blade. Please don’t! Perhaps if she ran to him he’d drop the detonator. She started to take a step.

  The trill of a nightingale stopped Sierra in her tracks. Her eyes shut. She swayed.

  “Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Frank demanded, catching her by her arm. “Don’t you faint.”

  She almost turned up her nose at him. She’d never faint unless—The trill came again. She let her body go limp, falling toward Frank and taking him down with her. He cursed. Then his foul words ceased abruptly. Before she could open her eyes, she was being gently lifted and held against a wide chest she knew well.

  “You’re safe. You’re safe,” Luke said. “Glad you remembered the nightingale signal from our childhood and didn’t try something on your own. You did good.”

  Tears ran down her cheeks as Luke set her on her feet, untied her, and removed the gag. Daniel handed her a cell phone. “Aunt Ruth.”

  Her hands trembled as much as her voice. “I’m fine, Mama.”

  “Sierra! Sierra!”

  Her head snapped around. The phone fell from her hand. She ran to meet Blade. He caught her, his mouth finding hers. Both were trembling when he lifted his head. He caught her face in his, searching her eyes, then her body. Seeing the abrasions on her wrists, he emitted a sound like a growl.

  Sierra tried to stop him, but he shook her off like a gnat. “Blade. No!”

  He started up the hill with Sierra behind him. When he reached Luke and Daniel, the kidnappers were gone. “Where are they?” Blade asked, his voice cold.

  “Rio and Shane thought it best to take them to a place nearby and wait for the police,” Daniel said, watching his friend closely.

  “Blade, take Sierra to your car and wait for the police,” Luke told him. “If I know my brothers, they’re nearby as well.”

  “I will after I’ve taken care of them,” Blade said with deadly intent.

  “Blade, I’d really like to sit down,” Sierra said. “My legs and wrists hurt.”

  He whirled around to her, took her hands in his, then gently picked her up and carried her back to his car. She wrapped her arms around him, grateful they were both alive.

  Everything was going to be all right now. Blade loved her. Nothing else was important.

  Later that afternoon, Sierra was surrounded by her family who loved her, two of whom had risked their lives for her, and she was lonely. The Dallas police and FBI agents had arrived ten minutes after the kidnappers were captured. She’d heard the authorities try to take her rescuers to task for going out on their own, but none of them seemed to listen.

  The rest of her family arrived with the police. Her mother and Blade insisted Sierra be seen by a doctor. To keep the kidnapping out of the newspapers, one had met her at Navarone Place. No one wanted to put ideas into anyone else’s head. The doctor had cleaned and bandaged her wrists, then left.

  Since then her family hadn’t been more than a few feet away. She smiled at the jokes as they intended, sampled the array of food Brandon and Martin had prepared, played with the children. Yet the void wouldn’t go away.

  “What?” she asked.

  Brandon frowned down at the barely touched food on her plate, then lifted his troubled gaze to her. “I asked if you want something else.”

  “I guess I’m a bit tired.”

  “Of course.” Ruth, sitting next to Sierra, helped her to her feet. “Why don’t you lie down?”

  She didn’t want to lie down; she wanted Blade. She looked over her shoulder at the door. He should be here. Why wasn’t he?

  “Blade is a good man to have in your corner,” Luke said. “Your kidnapping really ripped him apart.” He looked down at Catherine by his side. “I don’t know if I would have held it together as well.”

  “And it happened to him twice,” Sierra said. There was utter silence in the room. “I won’t go into details because it’s Blade’s story to tell if he ever wants to. He blamed himself then and now.”

  “This wasn’t his fault,” Morgan said.

  “I know that,” Sierra said softly. “Convincing Blade is another matter.”

  “Men in love often don’t think straight,” Daniel said with a playful gleam in his eyes.

  Sierra simply stared at her cousin. She knew Blade cared, but did he love her? Was it possible? Had he been telling the kidnappers the truth?

 
Brandon pulled Faith closer. “I guess I won’t have to worry about him.”

  “You’ll never have to worry about any man.” Faith snuggled against him.

  Sierra looked around at all the couples, including Aunt Felicia and Uncle John Henry, who had gone through rough, uncertain times and had made it work because they deeply loved each other. “Excuse me; I want to talk to Blade.”

  “Are you sure, Sierra?” her mother asked.

  “He might not be the one you chose, but he’s the one my heart chose.” She kissed her mother, then hurried for the door.

  Sierra paced in the elevator. As soon as the doors began to slide open on the top floor, she was out, almost running down the hall. Shane and Rio were just emerging from Blade’s penthouse.

  “Hi, fellows,” Sierra greeted them on passing; then she knocked on Blade’s door.

  “He left an hour ago.”

  Stunned, she spun around toward Shane.

  “As soon as you were back in your apartment, finished with the police statement, and the doctors checked you out, he called Jess to tell him you were all right, then Blade left,” Shane told her.

  “He didn’t say good-bye.” It sounded inane and pitifully needy to her own ears. Her chin lifted. She did need his love and didn’t care who knew.

  “He couldn’t,” Rio said.

  “Why?” she demanded.

  “Or he might not have left,” came Rio’s answer.

  Her pounding heart calmed. Rio was as closemouthed as they came. He also cared about Blade. His words meant Blade cared. Now it was left up to her. “Thanks.” She hurried back to the elevator.

  “Where’re you going?” Shane asked.

  “To ask Daniel if I can borrow his jet if I can’t get a commercial flight out to San Francisco.” She jabbed the elevator button.

  Rio whistled. “How did you know where he went?”

  “I just know.” It was where they had shared their first kiss, where they started falling in love. He’d go there to remember and try to put her memory to rest. She wouldn’t let him.

  “You won’t have to do either,” Shane said, stopping beside her. “As soon as the chopper left him at the airport, I had the pilot return here. It’s waiting for you on the helipad.”