by L. A. Fiore
Maybe this wasn’t a mistake after all. “Love you, Nat.”
“Love you. See you soon.”
“That’s flamboyant, I don’t want that.” As promised Nat showed up at Clover to steal me away to look at cars. When learning of our plans, Rafe immediately agreed to join us. Jessica was shopping with us too; Nat thought it couldn’t hurt to have a third voice of reason, even though Jessica was not in person, but on the phone—parroting all of Nat’s picks. Sometimes I wondered if they weren’t the sisters.
“You can’t go wrong with a Camaro, it’s Bumblebee.” Nat said, to which Jessica agreed fervently.
Rafe was clearly of a similarly mindset as Nat and Jess, but the car he had them bring around for me wasn’t Bumblebee. A more fitting name would be Maleficent: all that power and beauty. A black, convertible Camaro with tan leather interior and all the bells and whistles pulled up and stopped just in front of me. It was ridiculously expensive and the most beautiful car I’d ever seen, but I wasn’t spending that kind of money on a car. “I was thinking more along the lines of the Spark.”
The disapproving groans were nearly in harmony, ruined when Jessica squawked through the phone. “What? The Spark. What is wrong with you? Are you inhaling the flour at work? You are, aren’t you? Nat! Do not let her get the Spark.”
Nat immediately chimed in, reiterating Jess practically word-for-word. Rafe, who’d been off to the side observing the dynamics, walked to me and draped his heavily muscled arm over my shoulders. I really liked his arm around my shoulders, liked that he was here, but more I liked that he didn’t jump on the bandwagon, even knowing he felt the same about my car. Instead he was offering a silent sign of support. And then he said, “You’ve been driving around in, well, you know my feelings about your car. Live a little.”
“Listen to Rafe, he’s a very smart man.” Jessica commented again, but she was practically licking her phone screen.
“You’re just infatuated.” I muttered.
“Doesn’t take away from the fact that the man is right.”
“You’re teaming up on me.” Walking to Nat, I handed her my phone. “I give up. You decide what I should get and come find me. I’m going in search of a cup of seven-hour old coffee. Maybe I’ll land in the hospital.”
I didn’t get far; Rafe grabbed my hand and yanked me into his arms. Pulling his hands through my hair, he lifted it from my neck so he could press a kiss there. “What do you want? Whatever you want. I just want you happy.”
Irritation dissolved, love replaced it. “I want to test drive the Spark.”
Nat was not a gracious loser. “Fine, the Spark but that ride is not much better than your old car, I’m just saying.”
“I’ve got to get Aidan down for a nap. See you next week. Hope your mom is still there when I get there. Bye!”
Oops, I hadn’t shared the news with Rafe that mom was coming.
“Your mom’s coming?”
“In the RV and there is no stopping them. I tried, I truly did.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. Maybe we should hold off on the car and let her haggle the price.”
I hadn’t thought of that. “That’s a good idea. She would love that.”
“So are we test-driving the tin can?” Nat asked, still unwilling to concede defeat with style.
“Nay, there’s time for a bite, let’s go eat.”
To which she replied, “This is a better plan.”
Rafe didn’t join us, he had to get back to finish up a dresser he was delivering in the morning. Before he left us though, he dragged me away from Nat so he could kiss me long and hard.
“I’ll make you dinner. Do you have a preference?”
“Surprise me.”
Naughty was the only word to describe the way his lips curved up. “Maybe in more ways than one.”
And then he kissed me again; sweet and filled with promise before he waved to Nat. “See you next week.”
“Later, handsome.”
Rafe climbed into his truck, “She’s almost as goofy as you. Have fun.”
“Nat and me? Always.”
Nat and I sat at the café just down the street from Clover. “He’s crazy about you.”
I got all warm and gooey inside. “He told me he loved me. I think I knew it already, but hearing those words from him. I found my Harold.”
Her smile took up her whole face. “I know you have.”
“What about you? How’s Tyler?”
“Wonderful. He’s so attentive and sweet. I think I’ve found my Harold too. And the body on that man makes me want to sin. My only complaint is he is so good about what he eats, I feel guilty when I’m shoveling a pint of ice cream into my face. I’d love it if he’d grab the spoon from me and indulge.”
“You realize your only objection to your boyfriend is that he takes care of himself.”
She flashed me a cheeky smile.
“He’s still coming with you in a few days, right?”
“Yeah, he’s looking forward to spending more time with you. Changing the subject, have you heard from Dad or the step monster since his attempt to squeeze a baby shower out of you?”
I snarled, didn’t mean to, but couldn’t help it. “Nope. Not one word. I imagine Dolly’s pulling the injured party, the poor pregnant woman who isn’t asking for much from Dad’s selfish daughters. The really sad part, had she just asked me to my face I probably would have arranged it, but the way she went about it. No way.”
“What I don’t understand is how was the child conceived because I can’t imagine Dad taking the time out of work to plant the seed.”
“Oh my God, really Nat. You needed to put that image in my head.”
“Yeah. Do you suppose she has a credit card reader on her…” Nat looked down at my lady parts. “…you know, payment before entry, like an amusement park ride? Canned moans too, like the pre-recorded ones for sitcoms. Oh yeah, baby; faster, harder, ride me, cowboy. Oh. Oh. Oh.”
Putting my hands over my ears, I tried to hum the national anthem; I could still hear Nat imitating Dolly in orgasm. “I’m scarred, every time I use a credit card machine I’m going to think about Dolly’s…”
“Her what?”
“Flower.”
“Vagina.”
“I need wine to numb my brain to this conversation, unfortunately I have to get back to work.”
“It is so much fun teasing you.”
“You better enjoy it, since you do it often enough.”
She laughed out loud as she reached for the bill. “The perk of being the oldest and the one with the bigger brain.”
My shift was over and I had just stepped outside when my cell rang. I couldn’t help feeling disappointed seeing the unknown number because I had hoped it was Rafe. He’d been in my head all night, more particularly all the ways he intended to surprise me. My body throbbed at the thought; I had spent the night in a simmering state of arousal. Chocolate, cream, icing all took on new meaning when your body ached with a different kind of hunger. I was tempted to let the call go into voice mail—eager to get home so Rafe could do to me what he wanted—but found myself answering. Immediately a concerned voice came over the line.
“Avery? It’s Tyler.”
Exhaustion, and a lust-saturated brain, kept me from appreciating the oddity of Tyler calling me. “Hey, Tyler.”
“Is Nat with you?”
I had been walking to my car, but that question stopped me in my tracks. “No, she left hours ago.”
“She’s not home and she’s not answering her cell.”
Dread, sharp and vicious, moved through me because Nat, for as scattered as she pretended, never took a detour without telling someone where she was going.
Tyler asked, “What time did she leave you?”
“Around five.”
“She should have been back, even with hitting traffic.”
“Her visiting me wasn’t planned, maybe she needed to charge her car and…her cell died?” I didn’t
even believe my own words; Nat was religious about keeping her phone charged because she often was on-call at the hospital. “I’m getting in my car now. I’ll backtrack. She likely took 9A.”
“Okay. You’re in Riverdale, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll call the police, maybe they can send out a patrol car or get on the line with the State police.”
“Good idea. She’s fine, Tyler. Likely pissed as hell at her forgetfulness, so you’ll want to have wine and ice cream at the ready.”
He laughed, easing a bit of the tension in my gut. “Keep in touch, Avery.”
“You too.”
My hands shook as I pulled from Clover’s parking lot, gripping the wheel I tried to calm down while wishing and hoping that I’d find Nat, in her car on the side of the road, yelling at herself for being so careless as to not charge her phone. I’d only gone a few miles on 9A, when I spotted her Tesla. Relief slammed into me as happy tears stung my eyes. Pulling over behind her, I hit the hazard lights and jumped from my car. She would not be living this down for a long time; I understood now why she loved ribbing me. It was a heady feeling. My smartass comment died on my lips because Nat wasn’t in her car, but her phone and purse were. Everything sort of spun at that moment as I desperately tried to understand what my shocked brain was seeing. Had she left her car to seek out help? But why not take her phone?
“Nat!” Moving around the car, I walked along the road calling to her and with each step I took, the larger the hole became in my chest. I didn’t know how much time passed when I returned to my car for my phone. There were several missed calls; I didn’t look at any of them. I called Tyler.
“Anything?”
“I found her car.”
“Oh, thank, God.”
“Tyler, she isn’t here, but her phone and purse are.”
Dead silence for a several long beats. “Call 911. I’m on my way.”
“Maybe you should stay there. We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”
“Her purse and phone are in the car?” His voice broke a bit and knowing the kind of man he was, it had my own fear escalating because he was scared.
“We will get her back.” I said as much for me as for him.
“Fucking yeah we will. I can’t sit here. I’m coming to you.”
I was glad for that. When we found Nat, she would want Tyler. “Do you have Rafe’s address?”
“Yeah. Call the cops. I’ll see you soon.” He said and disconnected the call; I dialed 911.
It had started to rain, my clothes were soaked to my skin and yet I stood on the side of the road watching the red and blue lights flashing, spinning around and around. Patriotic, police lights. I never noticed. The cops had asked me questions, standard questions like I’d heard on countless television shows. And I couldn’t help feel as if I were in the middle of one as the unbelievable unfolded in front of me. They were processing Nat’s car…Nat’s car was being processed. The lump in my throat ached, but I refused to give in to the tears that demanded release because I knew once I started, I wouldn’t be able to stop. There was damage to the bumpers on both the front and back of her car. The scenario the cops so callously painted was she’d been pinned, forced to stop and then taken from her car. They didn’t go into detail on how she was taken—sparing me the gruesome—but it didn’t take a genius to know she’d likely been held at gunpoint. Nat would never have unlocked her doors otherwise. And the idea of my sister having a gun aimed at her, my stomach squeezed, bile rose up my throat and I swallowed to keep it down.
Jax, the first cop to arrive on the scene, younger than his partner with kind brown eyes, held an umbrella over my head. He hadn’t left my side since the detectives showed up and took over. “I’ll take you home. My partner will drive your car.”
I didn’t object, couldn’t image getting behind the wheel. “What happens now?”
“We try to get a match on the fingerprints we lifted.”
“And if you can’t?”
“There are cameras along the road.” He said as he pointed to the small devices on the poles that lined the street. “We’ll check those out, see if we get lucky. They took her and…”
My stomach squeezed again. “What?”
“She’s not here.”
“You mean her bod—” My voice broke on a sob.
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be insensitive, but they want her, which means you’ll likely hear from them.”
“Ransom?”
“Most likely.” His voice turned even softer. “We’ll find her.”
And I knew he really meant it. Whether they did or didn’t, his words comforted. “Let’s get you home.”
It wasn’t until we were driving down Rafe’s street that my shock-soaked brain realized I hadn’t called Rafe. It was close to two in the morning, I should have been home hours ago. Those missed calls were likely from him and I hadn’t called him back. Pulling along the curb, he was already coming down the drive—his long legs eating the distance between us.
He pulled me into his arms, his hold so tight it was almost painful. “Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been going out of my fucking mind.”
“Someone took Nat.” I whispered.
He’s body jerked, like he’d just taken a blow. He pulled back, his face contorted with rage. “What?”
“Someone forced her to stop and took her from her car.”
Rafe looked past me to Jax. “What’s being done?”
“We’re running the prints, we’re checking the cameras. They took her, so they likely want something. The two detectives assigned to the case will be in touch.” He shifted a bit before he added, “These two on the case, they’ll want to rule everything else out before declaring it a kidnapping because once it’s ruled a kidnapping, the Feds step in. They’re hotshots, but they’re good at their job.”
“Kidnapping? You’re thinking ransom?”
“Yeah.”
Rafe put distance between us, and not just physically, and that felt like a knife to the heart. He started to pace, the dangerous energy rolling off him worried me that he’d act before he thought about the consequences.
“We have Avery’s car.” Jax said.
Rafe wordlessly moved to the gate and punched in the code before he returned to me and wrapped me in his arms.
And then those kind brown eyes were on me again. “We will find your sister.” I couldn’t respond because I feared the breakdown I was desperately trying to hold off. Understanding looked back at me as Jax waited for his partner to hand my keys to Rafe before they climbed into their patrol car and disappeared down the street.
“You’re soaked.” Rafe whispered as he pulled me closer to offer the heat of his body.
“They took her.”
His body stiffened against mine and yet his voice was soft and reassuring when he said, “Let’s get you warm.”
I wanted to protest because Nat might not be warm; she might be soaked to the skin too, cold and terrified. But getting sick wasn’t going to help my sister. A car pulled up to the curb and Tyler jumped out. Rafe’s hold on me tightened.
Tyler didn’t waste time on pleasantries; I didn’t blame him. “Have they found her?” He looked awful; worry lines were etched over his face.
“No, not yet. Tyler this is Rafe, Rafe this is Nat’s boyfriend, Tyler.”
“I’m sorry, man.” Rafe sounded as if it was his fault that Nat had been taken.
“What’s being done?”
Rafe answered. “The cops are running the prints from the car and checking cameras along the stretch of road where Nat’s car was found.”
“I’m not leaving until we find her.”
I agreed. “No, yeah, you should stay. Take the carriage house.”
“Yeah, okay.” He looked at his watch; I think he was in shock. “I should alert the hospital, get her surgeries canceled. And we have dinner reservations tomorrow…I guess it would be tonight now. I’ll have to call the restaura
nt, dry cleaning, she actually got some clothes dry cleaned for her visit with you.” And then he cracked. “Fucking hell, she’s alone, she’s scared and I’m not there.”
I choked back the sob and pulled strength from way down deep. I wrapped my arms around him. “The cops believe we’ll be getting a ransom call. They need her alive, so hold on to that Tyler. She’s alive and we will find her. It’s too late to do anything. We’ll show you to the carriage house. Try to sleep.”
He squeezed me before he stepped back. “I won’t be able to sleep, but thanks for the place to crash.”
“Avery, why don’t you take Tyler the carriage house and I’ll move his car.” Tyler handed Rafe his keys before he followed me up the drive.
Once Tyler was settled, I found Rafe waiting for me outside.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call. It was all…”
“Don’t.” The harshness of that one word cut. And though he held me tighter, I felt the distance between us growing. We said nothing else, not when we reached the bathroom and he started removing my clothes, when he turned on the shower, when he joined me—fully clothed—or when he dried me and wrapped me in his robe.
He led me to his bed and lowered the covers.
“I won’t be able to sleep.” And even as I said that, my eyes felt heavy as my body crashed, the magnitude of the evening hitting me in horrifying clarity.
He settled on the edge of the bed and though he didn’t touch me, even as I ached to feel his strong arms around me, I still felt tremendously comforted. I fell asleep with him silently watching over me.
I didn’t know what jarred me from sleep. Glancing at the clock it was almost seven in the morning. Climbing from bed, the hum of voices lured me toward the kitchen until I heard Rafe and my feet just stopped. He was beyond fury and rage, his voice so cold and detached.
“Even if I have to put a fucking gun to his head.”
Another voice, his father. “That’s not the answer.”
“You didn’t see Avery last night.” His voice cracked, his next words a harsh whisper. “You didn’t see her. They have her sister, they fucking took her sister.”
