Of All the Luck!

by Joanne Locker

  Victoria pretended long enough to be indecisive, and then made a pretend call to her Dad. She handled the transaction like a pro, and got the signed title and then hurried away. She picked up the men, and they were on their way, positive the new car wasn’t bugged and General Weatherby’s underlings would not be able to find them.

  “You did well, Victoria,” Griff praised her, smiling as he slid in beside her.

  “Thank you,” she gave him an answering smile. When she looked in the rear view mirror she saw that Jacobson was already half asleep, stretching out on the seat. One of them should have offered to drive over an hour ago. She paid attention to the speed limits and did nothing to draw attention to them. It was well after noon when they pulled onto the road that led to the cabin.

  “Are you sure no one will be here?” Griff asked quietly. “The other cabins here look deserted.”

  “It is kind of cool to go swimming, and the lake is set up for swimming and jet skiing and skiing. I cannot promise that no one will be here. Sometimes people just want to be alone, but Liz and Cal both work and I can’t imagine that they will be here. We will do a drive by first just to make sure there are no cars and such.” She did exactly what she said, showing the two men how the road wound around the lake, and which roads would get them out of here if they needed to make a run for it.

  Victoria drove them back to the cabin, and prayed the key was where it was when she was there before. It was, and within minutes they were inside, checking out the cabin and delighted with what they found. The kitchen was stocked, even though they would have to make do with canned milk and powdered eggs. The freezer was full of food, and if they carried in wood, they would be warm enough at night when the temperatures dropped into the cold levels. There were three bedrooms, and the two larger ones were on opposite ends of the cabin, giving Jacobson his privacy, and well as giving her and Griff some privacy, too.

  Victoria knew that Griff was simply biding his time until he could get her alone and then he was going to deal with her lack of professionalism earlier that morning. She knew better than to behave in that manner, and she knew that she not only upset Griff, she upset Jacobson, too. He didn’t have an easy job, and the fact that Xavier picked him for the job told her how highly the man regarded Jacobson.

  She fixed a decent meal for all of them, and did her best to relax. She knew she was safe here, but how long would it be before they were discovered, however innocently by someone else? They couldn’t very well stay here if other people showed up, people who were invited to use the cabin. She looked at Griff and asked, “Do you think I should simply call Liz and clear our staying here?”

  He looked at her in utter amazement. “Victoria, I know it’s been a while since you worked this job, but are you crazy? Don’t you think the General knows everything about you by now… including who does your hair? He’s probably sending operatives in there to gossip about you and ask all sorts of questions. All Liz has to do is mention this place and we’re screwed.”

  “Okay, it is a bad idea,” she conceded. “I just thought that I could warn her not to mention the cabin to anyone, and make sure that no one else is coming up for the weekend.”

  “And what if one of Weatherby’s people is in the salon when you call and overhears Liz’s side of the conversation?” Griff looked at her in disbelief and disappointment. “Can I trust you to behave, Liz? Or do I need to take the phone and smash it into little pieces?”

  “Now that would be foolish indeed!” she railed at him. “Honestly, Griffin Conway, you are acting like I am your enemy!”

  “I am trying to protect you, and you seem determined to make it difficult.”

  “I am not making things difficult. I am doing my best to keep from making any mistakes, which is why I prefer to talk things through. However, I am tired of your acting as though I am a stupid imbecile who has no idea of what is right and what is wrong. I’m not a novice, and Lord knows I have been on enough protective custody cases to know the drill.”

  “I’m tired of the attitude, Mrs. Conway, and it is past time to deal with it.” He looked at Jacobson and said, “If you will excuse us, my wife and I need to have words. Actually, I need to do the talking and she is going to do the listening while she is bent over the bed getting her butt laced good.”

  Chapter Seven

  Griffin pulled Victoria from her chair at the table and the pillow that she’d placed on the chair fell off the wooden seat and to the floor. The look of disappointment in his dark eyes told her that he was upset with her for sneaking the pillow onto her chair. She knew that she wasn’t to ease her discomfort in any way after a punishment spanking, and that is precisely what she did. And her behavior since that spanking was that of a pouting, spoiled little girl; wanting her own way, arguing when she should have been paying attention, and throwing a tantrum when she was told to do something. With their lives in jeopardy they couldn’t afford to have her acting this way, and Griffin needed to do something about it right now. He knew she was already sore as could be from the punishment he gave her the night before, but by the time he was done with her now, she would be more than ready to stop testing him every step of the way.

  Victoria waited until they were in the bedroom with the door closed to speak. “Griffin, will you calm down, please…? I would like to talk to you.”

  “Talk? I think that talk needs to happen with you bent over the bed with your butt bared for my belt.” He was angry and it showed.

  “No, Griffin. That isn’t going to happen… at least not until we have talked. You are too angry right now, and I want to explain a few things. Please…?” she pleaded with him.

  Griffin looked into her blue eyes and simply couldn’t resist. “All right, Victoria. You win. Talk to me.” He sat down and patted the bed right next to him.

  “I would rather stand right now,” she told him. “My bottom is still welted from the strapping you gave me last evening, darling.”

  “If you are going to try and make me feel guilty for strapping you, Victoria, it isn’t going to work. You earned that punishment.”

  “Yes, I did. I was testing you, and got exactly what I asked for. I would like for you to put it in the past, however, and not keep throwing it in my face. I said ‘sorry’, took the spanking, and I wish you would forgive me… Please…?”

  “I do forgive you,” he said, looking up at her. “Why do you think I haven’t?”

  “Your temper has been terrible today, darling.”

  “My temper? Sweetheart, your temper has been horrid, and you’ve earned yourself a good spanking for that very reason.”

  “I was in pain, Griffin. If you looked at my butt you would understand, and if you tried to sit on a butt this sore you would be in poor spirits, too. I know I made it harder on you and Jacobson, and I am trying to say that I am truly sorry. Sitting after a strapping is impossible for me to do, and you know that, darling.”

  “I remember your having that difficulty on a few occasions,” Griffin agreed. “But, we are trying to keep you alive, and you aren’t listening to a thing you are told. Arguing with every decision we make is not helpful, Victoria. It is distracting, and you know very well that we don’t need distractions of that sort when all of our lives are at stake.”

  “I apologized, darling, and I meant the apology. I stopped fussing then, didn’t I?” she asked.

  “Yes, until we got here and you started asking to call people.”

  “Griffin, I was bringing it into the open for discussion to see if you and Jacobson thought calling Liz to ask her to keep quiet about the cabin was a good idea. You went all crazy and started accusing me of trying to sabotage us, which wasn’t a bit fair. I know the drill, but I wondered if making the call would be a good idea. You didn’t think so, and that was all you needed to say. You made me feel like a nitwit in front of Jacobson, and it hurt my feelings.” When he looked at her in surprise, she added, “You are angry, darling, and you are taking everything I say as a challenge. That
is just as distracting as my complaining was earlier. You are angry that I am in danger, and you are worried you won’t be able to protect me. It’s making you extra sensitive to everything I say.”

  “When you tell me you want me to let General Weatherby have you so you can get to him and do for him, then hell yeah I get angry. I worry that you’ll tell me what I want to hear and the minute my back is turned you’ll do what you think is best.”

  “I was thinking of you and your safety… and of Jacobson. Darling, I love you so much, and I couldn’t bear it if you were hurt or killed because of me. When I saw how upset I made you I gave you my promise, and I fully intend to keep my word. I love you. Please forgive me for scaring you so badly. I don’t think I deserve to be punished again, darling. I need to be held and loved.” She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and bent down to kiss him. “Please let go of your anger now.”

  “I’ll try,” Griffin promised, and then he pulled her down on the bed and made sweet love to her. “I love you, my lady wife. I am going to keep you safe,” he vowed.

  “I trust you and believe in you, darling. I know you will do everything in your power to get us out of this mess.”

  * * *

  Ian hated being stuck with the dishes, but he’d had another great meal, and Victoria was a talented chef. He didn’t think she deserved a spanking because she complained that she was too sore to sit, but Griffin knew her better than he did. Still, when there were still no sounds of spanking coming from their bedroom by the time he finished washing the dishes and righting the kitchen, he had to smile. Victoria must have calmed Griffin and Ian was happy for her. Listening to the spanking Griff gave her the night before had been difficult, and he didn’t care for a repeat tonight. He walked around the house and made it as secure as he possibly could, and then he went to get some sleep. Ian was sure they would be safe tonight, but tomorrow would bring another set of problems to deal with.

  * * *

  “Imbeciles! The lot of you are imbeciles!” General Weatherby was furious and his face was an unhealthy shade of red. He was in terrible pain, and he feared dying before he saw Victoria Conway brought to her knees. He’d spent thousands of dollars on equipment, and to hire men who’d sworn they could do the job, and all for nothing! The woman was gone again, and this time without a trace! It was time to go after Xavier himself. His operatives inside the organization were failing in their duty, as had his granddaughter. He would not fail. He would make Xavier talk and then kill him. “Bring my car!” he ordered, removing the oxygen mask he was wearing and sitting up in his bed. “Get my clothes!”

  “But, sir, you need to stay in bed and keep your oxygen mask on,” his nurse protested.

  “I’ll do as I damn well please, woman. Get my damn clothes.”

  The nurse was afraid to argue with him. The man was alive by willpower alone, but he was a criminal, and she feared he would order his men to shoot her. She wasn’t able to sleep at night for fear it would be her last night alive. The money he was paying her was the only reason she stayed… That and the fact that she’d been warned not to go near any of the doors. The money was important to her. It meant that she would be able to take care of her little brother and her Mom the way her Daddy would want her to take care of them. He didn’t leave much of anything when he died, and their savings were depleted from his lengthy illness. It was up to her to pay all the bills right now, and that was why she took on private nursing assignments. Her Mom wasn’t able to work because of her bad back, and the money she received was barely enough to pay for food. She was determined to see to it that her brother had a chance to go to college, and the money from this job would go a long ways toward realizing that goal. She said another prayer that she would get out of this alive, and if she didn’t, that the money she’d saved would make it to her mother.

  General Weatherby was frail and he hated the body that was betraying him by the minute. “Girl, you’ve kept me alive as long as you can. It’s time for you to leave. It don’t matter what you tell anyone now; I’ll be long gone from here before you can tell anyone where to find me. Get your things and go on home now. Here’s the rest of your pay.” General Weatherby handed her a wad of hundred dollar bills.

  “Thank you, sir,” she said, amazed at his generosity.

  “You treated me well, but we both know I don’t have much longer. A few hours at the most before I slip into a coma. I’ve got to find that woman and do for her so I can rest in peace. Go home now and take care of your family.”

  She hurried to pack and within minutes she was ready to leave.

  “Boss…?”

  “Take her home, and don’t harm one hair on her head. She’s been good to me, and she can’t hurt us now.”

  The man nodded, but he had his own opinion of the situation, and he could always use the money she was carrying on her. Just as soon as he had the thought, the General read his mind and shot him right between the eyes. He would see to it himself that the nurse got home safely.

  * * *

  “Sir, General Weatherby isn’t here. We did find a body, only dead by an hour or so. We just missed the General. He left his sickbed, his oxygen, and all his medications are here. The General is on the move.”

  Xavier closed his eyes and cursed silently. Too late again! And, the last time he’d tried to connect with Ian, there was no answer. He didn’t know where they were, or if they were still alive. If any of them ever bothered to call in again he was going to tear a strip off them like they wouldn’t believe. If they called in… Xavier offered up a silent prayer then turned to the two agents behind him. “Take this one and get him some medical attention. He’ll probably die, but he can at least do it painlessly.” Xavier put all of his concentration on trying to guess the elderly man’s next move.

  * * *

  “What are you doing?” Griff asked as he saw his wife pull open a cupboard to show a hidden computer, which she was booting up. “You can’t go online!”

  “I’m not going online, darling,” she told him in a soothing voice. “Please relax. I thought I would work for a while.”

  “You can actually work on your writing at a time like this?” Jacobson asked, clearly surprised. He would have thought it would be just the opposite.

  “Writing helps me relax,” she told him, smiling. “There is nothing else to do, except play Monopoly, and there is no way I’m getting into a game of that with Griffin Conway. He cheats because he can’t stand to lose.” She was teasing Griff, hoping to take his mind off of their situation. The man was so tense he was close to exploding.

  “I don’t have to cheat to win, Mrs. Conway. You put up that computer and the three of us will play and I’ll prove it to you both!” It was a challenge, pure and simple, and even if his bratty wife engineered the whole thing, it was one thing he was sure of. He never lost at Monopoly. “You can work later, woman! My honor demands satisfaction. I’ll even let you have a pillow to sit your fanny upon.”

  Victoria wasn’t stupid. She took the pillow and placed it on her chair, while Griffin got the Monopoly game from the top of the refrigerator and brought it to the table. Jacobson fixed them all a soda, and it was game time. It would be a great way to pass the time while waiting for General Weatherby to be caught.

  Victoria was told she would be the banker; both men seemed to think that was a good idea, and she accepted because otherwise Griffin would ‘borrow’ money from the bank when needed and pretend it was his own. Jacobson got to Park Place first and snapped it up, and on his next trip around the board he purchased Boardwalk. Griff was not happy, even though he was doing very well himself. Victoria had one misfortune after another and she asked Griff point blank if he stacked the cards in the Chance pile. He gave her a dirty look and told her that it was her own fault for rolling the dice as she did. Jacobson laughed at them and told them that playing with the two of them was like playing with his siblings when he went home for a visit. The game lasted for four hours before Victoria w
as bankrupt. She turned the bank over to Jacobson and then started to fix their dinner.

  The kitchen was small, but adequate, and with the stock of groceries available, she was able to fix something she was positive they would all enjoy. There were no fresh fruits and vegetables, and no fresh dairy products, but there were canned and frozen fruits and veggies, and there was canned milk and powdered eggs. If she added the right seasonings, no one would know the difference.

  “You are an excellent chef, Victoria,” Ian told her after he sampled the dish she set before him.

  “She is a chef,” Griffin told the other man. “She took classes at the Culinary Institute. She doesn’t want to work professionally, but she wanted to be able to cook beautiful meals… and entertain guests and wow them with her cooking.”

  “She sure wows me,” Jacoby admitted, savoring every bite. “This is really good, Victoria.”

  “Thank you,” she said, smiling, but the smile faded when they heard a car door slam, and a few seconds later another door slammed. “It might be Liz and Cal!” she whispered, but her hand was already on her weapon.

  Griffin put out his hand to hold her back when she rose to go to the door to see who it was. “Do not dare, Victoria!”

  “You can’t shoot innocent people, Griff!” she argued.

  “Hush!” Jacobson silenced them. They heard footsteps, quiet talk, and then giggling. It was obviously a couple.

  “It’s Liz and Cal,” Victoria whispered once again, and once again she tried to go to the door, but Griffin pulled her down behind the counter and held her there, his dark eyes warning her to stay put or else. “Don’t you dare use those guns until I say so!” she ordered sharply.