The TAKEN! Series - Books 9-12 (Taken! Box Set Book 3)

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The TAKEN! Series - Books 9-12 (Taken! Box Set Book 3) Page 17

by Remington Kane


  “That gun you gave me, it belongs to Jude O’Grady, doesn’t it?”

  Craig was surprised by Blake’s knowledge, and for a moment, he couldn’t think of a lie.

  “You think I take a hit without checking things out? I know O’Grady nearly stole your girl away. Hell, I’m surprised that you don’t want him dead.”

  “Yes, the son of a bitch nearly broke us up, but Virginia’s father talked some sense into her and made her see that he’s nothing but a fortune hunter.”

  “Okay, so the old man is killed by his gun, the cops will still think it convenient that he died as soon as you became part of the family.”

  “Oh they’ll still suspect me, given my position, but that gun will make sure that they grab O’Grady instead, and his prints will be the only ones on it.”

  “Leaving you and Wessel’s daughter to inherit his fortune now, rather than later,”

  “Correct.”

  “Wessel dies today, count on it.”

  “Perfect.”

  “You really hate O’Grady, don’t you?”

  “Hell yeah, and I can’t wait until he’s rotting away in prison.”

  ***

  “Samantha can’t be cured of what she is, what she is isn’t curable; she’s a natural-born predator.”

  “I understand that,” Jessica said. “However, she can be directed towards more positive actions, much like you’ve directed yourself.”

  “She’s just so young that many things are still abstract to her, such as love.”

  Jessica shook her head in disagreement. They were seated at a table inside Perpetuity, while waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin. Through the doorway that connected it to the hotel, she could see the front desk, and beyond that, the corridor that led to the coffee shop.

  “No, I thought that she was incapable of love until that... incident with Maria, but her reaction to that, and also her fondness for you prove that there’s a human heart inside her.”

  “Does that mean that you’re willing to see her as a patient?”

  “Yes, but not in the traditional sense, and I believe that the best therapy for her would be to spend more time around you. She trusts you, and you’re a good influence on her.”

  “Maybe, but I’m not a therapist,”

  “She doesn’t need a therapist; she needs someone to model herself after, and I can think of no one better than you.”

  “So, we tell Brendan Ryan yes?”

  “Yes, but do you think Samantha will agree?”

  “I do; in fact, I suspect she may have orchestrated the whole thing.”

  Carly and Michael returned from mingling among the other guests and sat across from them.

  “Michael, you’ll be happy to know that I’ve constructed the 3-D projector you helped me with, and I plan to fully test it tomorrow.”

  “That’s great, sir, and is it a life-like 3-D image, not just an obviously illusive construct?”

  “I projected an image of myself and it was like looking at a twin, although the image’s opacity needs tweaking.”

  “I would love to help with that if you need me.”

  “Good, why don’t you and Carly come on by tomorrow. You can also meet my mother.”

  Carly had been sipping on iced tea, but stopped the glass halfway to her mouth.

  “You have a mother, sir?”

  “Yes.”

  “Of course you do, it’s just that... it’s hard to imagine you as a child.”

  Jessica laughed. “I have trouble with that myself.”

  ***

  Less than a mile away, at the docks of the city of Harborton, George Wessel walked out of the stateroom on his yacht to find his assistant, Jude O’Grady coming down from the deck.

  Wessel was in his late-fifties and on the heavy side, with curly brown hair and green eyes. He was dressed in a new tuxedo for his daughter’s wedding, and the gold watch on his wrist sparkled.

  Jude O’Grady was thirty years younger, the ex-army brat had served only a few years in the service before changing direction and seeking a life in corporate America, and has only worked a short time as Wessel’s assistant.

  “Where the hell did you get to, O’Grady? It’s time to leave.”

  “I was just taking care of some last minute details.”

  “Everything is alright, isn’t it?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “It kills you that Virginia is marrying Craig, doesn’t it?”

  “You made it very clear that your daughter was off-limits when you hired me, but I didn’t expect to fall in love with her.”

  “She was engaged. A man of honor would have respected that and not gone after her.”

  “I tried, sir, but we were drawn to each other.”

  “It’s a damn miracle you still have a job, and you can thank Virginia for that, if I had my way I’d have fire you, but I promised her I’d give you another chance.”

  “Without Virginia, work will be all I’ll have left.”

  Wessel’s expression softened at the tone of pain in O’Grady’s voice.

  “There will be no shortage of young women at the wedding reception. My advice is to take hold of one of them and have a good time.”

  “Maybe I’ll do that.”

  Wessel checked his watch.

  “I think we should leave now, I’ve a lot of guests to greet. Go put on a tie and meet me up top.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Once Wessel left, O’Grady walked over to stare at a picture of Virginia Wessel that hung on the wall. The photo displayed a dark-haired beauty.

  “I haven’t given up on you yet. Oh no, not by a long shot,”

  ***

  Jessica smiled at Samantha and received nothing back.

  “Why did you want to see me alone?” Samantha said.

  They were walking together outdoors, near the water’s edge. Off in the distance loomed the Brannick Bridge, the roadway that connected the City of Harborton to the main island, Ocean Beach Island. The red, cable-stayed bridge glistened in the sun, even as a cool wind blew off the water to stir Jessica’s hair and give Samantha cause to hold onto her hat.

  “Your grandfather wants me to start seeing you as a patient. What do you think of that?”

  “You said that you would?”

  “Yes, but only if you agree, if you won’t talk to me honestly, than I can’t treat you,”

  Samantha stopped walking.

  “Treat me?”

  “Your grandfather is worried about you.”

  Samantha stared up at her.

  “Do you hate me?”

  Jessica was taken aback by the question. The child before her looked angelic, but Jessica knew that her outward appearance masked the heart of a cold predator.

  “I don’t hate you, Samantha, but I don’t trust you either. If I see you as a patient we will have to be honest with each other, and in all honesty, the only reason I’m considering this at all is because of my husband.”

  “Mr. White wants me to see you?”

  “Yes, and if you agree, he’ll be a part of our... sessions, although they’ll be more like meetings. I think spending time with him could be helpful to you.”

  “I’ll do it, if it means spending time with Mr. White, I’ll do it.”

  Jessica sent her a tight smile. “Fine,”

  As they began walking back towards the club, Samantha asked Jessica a question.

  “When I’m all grown you’ll be old, won’t you?”

  “More like, mature, why?”

  “When I’m old enough, I’m going to steal Mr. White away from you.”

  “Is that a threat?”

  Samantha grinned. “Just being honest,”

  ***

  Aboard the ferry that was chugging its way towards the island, were two white vans. The vans had the name and logo of a catering service painted across their sides, and the white-jacketed men sitting inside them looked the part of caterers, but their appearance and that of the vans was a disgu
ise.

  In truth, these men catered to no one.

  The oldest of the men was Vadim Belenko, a Ukrainian national, and he was staring at George Wessel with great interest. Wessel was surrounded by wedding guests, and seemed every inch the proud father. Belenko knew that a wedding as grand as this one must have cost a fortune and that Wessel must love his daughter very much to have squandered such wealth.

  That was good. He would turn that love into a weapon to use against the man and gain the information he needed.

  He took out his cell phone for the third time in five minutes and was pleased to see that he had drawn close enough to have a signal. The island had only one cell tower and its range was limited.

  His call was answered on the second ring and the voice spoke in their native tongue.

  “Yes, Uncle?”

  “We are nearly there, are you ready?”

  “Yes, I’ll be in position.”

  “Good.”

  “Uncle?”

  “Yes, Pavel?”

  “Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

  “There is risk in what we do today. If we succeed, our enemies will be rooted out, but if we fail, they will kill us, and then there will be no one left to fight for our cause.”

  “You will not fail, Uncle, I know it.”

  Belenko smiled.

  “You’re a good boy, Pavel, and I will see you soon.”

  He ended the call and gazed at George Wessel again, while going over the plan in his mind.

  He could imagine no other outcome but success. He had over a dozen armed men at his disposal, men who would kill at his slightest whim and who themselves were not afraid to die, and all he needed to do was to make one pampered, middle-aged American recite a list of names.

  Success was assured.

  CHAPTER 2

  Samantha’s grandfather gazed at Jessica with a questioning look as she and Samantha reentered the club.

  Her husband walked over and reached out for Samantha’s hand.

  “Come sit with me.”

  As Samantha walked off, Jessica spoke to her grandfather.

  “Samantha has agreed to start seeing me as a patient. We’ll be entertaining guests tomorrow, but perhaps she can come by on Tuesday? Say, noon?”

  Brendan Ryan sighed with relief.

  “That sounds splendid, but how long will the sessions last?”

  “Oh, they won’t be sessions in the traditional sense, more like visits. I’m quite sure that she would balk at normal therapy practices, and so I’m going to treat her in a non-traditional manner. We’ll let her spend the whole day with us and see how it goes from there. Is that agreeable?”

  “Yes, Doctor, and thank you, this has been very upsetting for me and my wife.”

  Jessica opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted by a hotel employee.

  “Pardon me, but are you Dr. Jessica White?”

  “Yes.”

  “The bride, Virginia, she asked me to find you. She’d like you to go see her.”

  “Is everything alright?”

  The young woman whispered conspiratorially.

  “I think she has a case of premarital jitters.”

  Jessica excused herself to Brendan Ryan and began walking towards the elevators. As she walked along, she took out a phone and called her husband.

  “Yes?”

  “I’m going upstairs to see Virginia; apparently she’s having doubts about the wedding.”

  “At this stage?”

  “It’s probably nothing, it happens to some brides,”

  “Her father is arriving right now. From here, I can see the ferry docking.”

  “I’ll see to Virginia and let you know what’s happening.”

  “Alright,”

  After he put the phone away, he spoke with Samantha for a while, and then Carly and Michael walked towards him with worried faces.

  “You look upset, Carly, what is it?”

  Carly looked over at Samantha.

  “Honey, could we talk to... Mr. White, alone?”

  Samantha grabbed her purse from the table.

  “I’ll go sit with my grandfather. See you later, Mr. White.”

  “Goodbye Samantha.”

  As soon as Samantha was out of earshot, Carly leaned across the table and whispered.

  “One of the catering staff is carrying a gun. I saw it beneath his jacket when he bent over to retrieve something from the floor.”

  “Which one was it, do you see him now?”

  Carly looked about, but it was Michael who spotted him. The young man was wearing the white jacket that all the caterers wore, but the muscle beneath it strained against the jacket’s seams.

  “It’s that guy there, the one walking past the front desk.”

  He stood up.

  “I’ll look into it, but he might just be undercover security.”

  “Where’s Dr. White, sir?”

  “She’s with the bride, now stay here, and don’t mention this to anyone else.”

  “Yes sir.”

  He walked quickly towards the man, but was halted by the same young woman who had spoken to Jessica. She handed him a key card to a room on the seventh floor.

  “I was asked to give this to you.”

  “By who?”

  “A blond woman, pregnant, she said that you’ll find her there.”

  He thanked the woman for giving him the card and slipped it into a side pocket. He then went in pursuit of the armed man that Carly had seen.

  Behind him, the woman made a call.

  “I gave him the key card and he’s on his way. You owe me big time.”

  “And what about the wife?” Skye Quinlan asked.

  “I sent her up to be with the bride.”

  “How did you do that?”

  “I told her that the bride was having second thoughts, and I wasn’t lying, that girl looks like she’s ready to swim off the island.”

  ***

  “There’s another man, and I can’t seem to forget him.”

  Jessica listened to the anxious tone in her cousin’s voice.

  Virginia Wessel was twenty-one, with dark hair and her father’s green eyes, eyes that were filling with tears. Her worried face was a stark contrast to the white lace wedding dress she wore.

  “Tell me about this man, who is he?”

  “His name is Jude O’Grady and he’s Daddy’s assistant. We had a brief affair until Daddy found out, and then he talked me into staying with Craig. Daddy thinks that Jude is beneath me. If I were brave he would be the one I’d marry, but then Daddy would fire him and we’d have no money. I’m not strong, Jessie. I would be lost in the world without Daddy’s money, working at some job every day while barely earning a living. I don’t think I could do it.”

  “There are worse fates, such as spending your life with a man you don’t love.”

  Virginia looked at her through tears.

  “You think I’m shallow, don’t you?”

  “A little, but I think you’re mostly afraid, and you’re afraid on a day when you should be feeling nothing but joy. Your fiancé, Craig, do you love him?”

  “I thought so until Jude came along, and then as much as I tried to fight it, I couldn’t get him out of my mind, and I still can’t, even now.”

  There was a knock on the door, and Jessica walked out of the bedroom, through the suite, and looked out the peephole.

  “Yes?”

  “Hi, my name is Jude O’Grady, I know that this is odd timing, but I need to see Virginia.”

  Jessica looked back at her younger cousin standing in the bedroom doorway and found the girl beaming.

  After telling O’Grady to wait for a moment, she went back and took Virginia by the shoulders.

  “I can’t tell you what to do, but I will say this, you do not want to spend your life unhappy, and money isn’t everything. In fact, without love, it’s nothing. I’ll be in the hallway making a phone call. When you’ve made your decision,
let me know.”

  Virginia hugged her. “Thank you, Jessie.”

  Jessica opened the door and O’Grady rushed in, but then stopped and stared at Virginia with pleading eyes.

  Jessica offered O’Grady her hand.

  “I’m Virginia’s cousin, Jessica.”

  “The doctor? The one that wrote the book?”

  “Yes, and it’s nice to meet you Mr. O’Grady, but now I’ll let you two talk.”

  Jessica went out into the hall and walked over towards the window. Through the glass, she could see the ferry departing the mouth of the bay, and beyond that lay the wide Atlantic. After lowering herself upon a padded bench, she took out her phone to call her husband.

  ***

  Eight floors below, in the basement, her husband felt his phone vibrate inside his pocket as her call went through.

  He was at the right rear corner of the hotel, in the receiving area. The loading dock was actually underground and could be accessed by backing down a ramp and driving beneath the building’s fold-up metal doors.

  He had followed the man with the gun and watched as he hit the switch that rolled up the steel loading dock doors. Seconds later, two long, white vans backed-up inside. Once the vans were parked, over a dozen men spilled out of them.

  They wore the same white jacket as the caterer, but stripped them off to reveal outfits of black and gray camouflage, along with military style boots.

  They then began arming themselves with sawed-off, semi-automatic shotguns, while two of the men strapped on backpacks, most likely filled with extra ammunition and other supplies.

  He was watching all this from behind an industrial trash compactor as Jessica’s call came in.

  “Jessica, are you safe?”

  “Safe? Yes, and why are you whispering?”

  “There’s something bad about to happen. A group of armed men just arrived through the loading dock. Stay with your cousin and don’t let her come downstairs. I’ll come and get you when it’s safe.”

  “Oh God, please be careful.”

  “I will, but I need you to call the police and tell them what’s going on.”

  “I’ll do that, and please stay safe,”

  “I will, and I have to go. I love you.”

  “I love you too baby, stay safe.”

  He put the phone away and watched as the oldest among the men, a man of about forty-five with a salt & pepper beard took a walkie-talkie from his pocket and spoke into it.

 

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