The Baby Contract (The Billionaire Bachelor Series)
Page 17
Spencer couldn’t believe how far things had been taken. If he’d known Richard and Martin would stoop to murder to get what they wanted… He shook his head. He was swimming in this fuck up with no land in sight. If he didn’t go through with it, his neck was on the line. Spencer wasn’t a man who could survive prison time. The East Coast was no longer an option; once he sold Whitmore he’d make for Europe and find a country which didn’t have extradition to the US for criminals.
He hated that he’d become a puppet for KayBona and realized how much he’d been manipulated by Richard. Bitterness filled him, mixing with self-pity—an internal agony that he dwelled in. He would fix things...he had to.
“I’ll give you the woman’s address. Go inside, grab her, then bring her to our meeting spot. Got it?”
He wrote down Abigail Haden’s address and handed it to the oaf, hating the way his hand trembled as he did so. The man grunted again, balled the paper up, and pitched it on the ground, his perpetual sneer hardening. He lumbered off toward his vehicle, a silver Subaru that looked much too ‘soccer mom’ for a convicted felon for hire. Spencer could only assume the man already knew Abigail’s address.
Spencer walked to his Mercedes, not feeling the least bit better about things. While he didn’t want to be involved in a murder plot, he also didn’t want his ass handed to him by Richard and Martin. Self-preservation was a powerful emotion, and one he definitely abided by first.
Guilt would fade with time, he decided, especially since he’d do everything he could to keep Abigail alive. If she agreed to his deal. And if she didn’t...well, what options did he have?
Like Richard had said, everyone had their price. If the nurse valued her life she’d jump at his offer—ten grand and a plane ticket. Not much cash to get back on her feet, but Spencer would make sure she saw just how dire her circumstances were. He was good at making others come around to his way of thinking.
Austin had more life as he turned onto Congress Avenue, but as he left the city minutes later, the nighttime closed in around him. Dark, foreboding, and Spencer couldn’t quell his fear of what may come.
Chapter 24
Abby awoke and blinked into the darkness. Her ears strained in the quiet. She felt sure a noise had brought her out of sleep. Maybe a neighbor’s car door? Unease crept through her and she sat up, the hairs on her arms prickling. Her home was silent save for the gurgle of her fish aquarium in the next room. Yet, instinct set her on alert as she held her breath, waiting, though for what she couldn’t be sure. Long seconds passed, until Abby smiled, feeling silly. She must’ve been having a nightmare, she reasoned.
A shifting of shadows beyond her open bedroom and toward the back door caught her attention. Abby caught her bottom lip between her teeth as her heart rate kicked up. It had to be her imagination. The shadow shifted again, and her eyes adjusted enough she could see the silhouette of a person.
It wasn’t a dream.
Oh my God.
Someone was in her home. Her cellphone was in the kitchen charging. Out the bedroom window? Hide under the bed? Options tumbled one over another, and she couldn’t pin one down long enough to act.
The huge silhouette moved through the home until it was outlined in her bedroom doorway. Adrenaline surged, but disbelief kept a scream at bay, leaving her frozen in place as a small penlight trained on her face. Fight-or-flight was useless when she was tucked into the false security of her own bed. Abby sat dumbly, blinking at the bright light shining in her eyes.
The figure surged forward and a heavy weight slammed her into the mattress. A hand closed over her mouth, muffling her cry. Abby fought with everything she was worth, flailing and kicking as she was dragged from her bed and through her home. Things fell over and something shattered on the floor as she was dragged toward her back door. The hand on her face restricted her breathing, and her lungs screamed for air. She clawed at the gloved hand until her head swam from lack of oxygen. Fight, fight, fight, instinct demanded, but she had nothing left as they left through her back door. When the cool night air hit her, Abby passed out cold.
When she came to she was in a tomb of darkness, her hands and feet bound, and a gag stuffed in her mouth. She struggled, kicking out, finding herself closed in on all sides to where she couldn’t even stretch her legs. The strong odor of gasoline and motor oil hit her; she must be in a car trunk. She fought down panic and claustrophobia. Voices carried to her from just outside and she stilled. She held her breath, listening.
“What the hell did you bring her here for!” a male’s voice boomed.
“I had hoped to reason with her. If we give her enough money I’m sure she’ll keep her mouth shut and leave the damn country. You can give me at least that much for putting me in this position.”
Both men sounded familiar, and Abby tried to place them. Their voices were muffled from inside her enclosure, making them hard to distinguish.
“No, Spencer, don’t be ridiculous. If you’d finished the job and had her killed, the plan would’ve fallen into place. She’d be in a shallow grave and out of our hair. I’ve already texted Liam from her phone. He’ll think she’s left for God knows where with an assload of money from some mystery source. I’ve already given him enough suspicion that she wasn’t the shining flower he thought she was thanks to planting her necklace at my office.”
Spencer Davidson? Abby blinked in the darkness. Why the hell did Spencer Davidson kidnap her? And they wanted her dead? Why? Her brain worked over the question quickly. Liam had to provide an heir to his company. She was providing his heir, was that their motive? What the hell had Liam neglected to tell her?
“I can’t do this, Richard. I won’t…kill someone. This is going too far,” Spencer continued.
“We’ve come too far, and there’s no going back. Do what you have to do, but I expect this to be carried through.”
“You don’t think the cops will know where to go when they find her missing? If Liam found her necklace inside your office, he’ll point fingers at you,” Spencer said, sounding determined to point out the soft spot in Richard’s plan. Abby pleaded silently that he’d be successful.
“And you think a few cops could ever touch a company the size of KayBona? Like I said before, a few dropped words to a certain congressman and we’ll never hear another word of it.”
The men’s voices moved away, still in conversation. Abby lay still, creating then discarding plans for escape. As long as she remained locked inside, they were all useless. The trunk was empty save for her and the tarp she lay on. No tire iron, and not even a flashlight she could use as a weapon.
She rolled over and made an awkward search for the pull in the trunk. All new cars had them just in case someone got trapped inside. She couldn’t find it. Damn it. The tape around her wrist gave her wiggle room and she worked at it, trying to get it to loosened enough to get free. Sweat trickled into her eyes. Her prison was stifling. She worried about the air supply. Could a person suffocate in a car trunk? Panic welled up, but Abby braced against it. Keep it together for the baby.
Spencer spoke from nearby. “Take her inside. I’ll decide what to do later.”
She heard a click then light flooded her little tomb. She squinted and squirmed back as hands reached for her and hauled her out of the car trunk. The gag muffled her scream, and she struggled as best she could as the huge man that’d kidnapped her flung her over his shoulder. She was carried inside a dingy mobile home and deposited in a closet. The door was pulled shut, throwing her into blackness again. The place reeked of mouse pee and stale cigarette smoke.
Abby focused on her breathing, keeping her fear under control. God knew what might happen to the baby if she didn’t stay focused. She had to stay alive; she wouldn’t let her baby die.
She worked at the tape around her wrists, trying to loosen it. She heard Spencer talking with the man who’d carried her inside. She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to hear the conversation. A minute later, the closet door opened and she sta
red up into a pair of familiar slate-colored eyes. They were cold, and a shiver ran over her flesh as he yanked the gag out of her mouth.
“What do you want from me?” Her mouth felt like cotton after being gagged for so long.
“To be honest, I want you to disappear into thin air,” Spencer returned, a tight grin on his face. “But since that’s not possible, I’m looking at other options.”
“Why in the world would you want me dead?” She refused to break eye contact. If the bastard wanted to kill her, he’d have to stare her in the eye the whole time. “I haven’t done anything to you.”
“You heard our conversation, did you? Well, if you recall, I want you alive and I want you to be reasonable.”
Her nostrils flared. “Reasonable? You kidnap me, drag me out to who knows where, and you want me to be reasonable?”
“I want you to take ten thousand dollars and leave the country,” Spencer continued, ignoring her. “I hear the Bahamas is nice this time of year. Lay low and play dead. That’s a better alternative, don’t you think?”
She opened her mouth to reply, but he held up his hand. “And I know you’ve been offered a great deal more, but consider what’s at stake. My colleague wants you dead. I don’t want that on my conscience, and I’m offering you a choice. Leave the country, don’t have any contact with Liam, don’t allow your child to be declared an heir to his empire, and we’ll be copasetic.”
“Why in the world would you go to all this effort to keep me away from Liam?”
“It’s business, and nothing for you to concern yourself over. Now if I have your word, I can get you out of here and on a flight in a matter of hours. First class even, if you so desire. And remember, if you do contact Liam or the cops, my colleague has all the money in the world to make you truly disappear into thin air. I’ll let you sit in there and think things over.”
Left alone again, Abby thought over Spencer’s offer. A horrible feeling in her gut told her that escape wouldn’t be the easy out he’d offered. The other man had sounded too desperate to be rid of her. Spencer promised she could leave alive, but what if the other man returned before that happened? She swallowed and drew her knees to her chest. Tears trickled down her cheeks, and she wished so much to wake up from this nightmare.
“Crying won’t help,” she mumbled to herself.
She sniffed and worked the tape on her wrists. Just a little more… One hand slid out. Eureka! She quickly undid the binds around her ankles.
Abby wasn’t sure if she was alone in the home or not. She pressed her ear to the closet door, listening. Silence. She hoped that meant the place was vacant as she eased the door open and peered out. The place looked empty, illuminated by a couple of gas lamps, and she tiptoed down the hall. The home was a hovel and probably wasn’t used regularly judging by its tattered and smelly state.
She wrinkled her nose and peeked out the window by the front door. The huge man stood outside it, messing with his cellphone. She needed that phone to call 911. Weapons? Nothing immediate presented itself. In the kitchen all she found was an old aluminum skillet, little use for a makeshift club. No knives, but the idea of stabbing another person left her feeling queasy, regardless how desperate her situation was.
She frowned when she spotted what looked like glass pipes used to smoke meth or crack. If the place had been used to cook meth then her baby could be at risk—another fear to add to the ten others foremost in her thoughts. No chemical smells hung in the air, and she took that as a good sign.
Abby tiptoed back through the house and peeked outside to the guard. He shoved his phone in his pocket and left the front door, disappearing from view. She watched him pass by windows along the side of the trailer toward the back of the house.
It was her one chance. She grabbed the doorknob, ready to run.
Chapter 25
Liam had followed the strange Subaru from Abigail’s home until it stopped outside of a trailer house which sat in a desolate area. He parked his SUV well out of sight of the place and kept to the shadows until he found a spot behind an outbuilding. A bruiser of a man climbed out of the car and Liam watched as Spencer and Richard met him.
He’d received several texts from her, brief and to the point.
I’ve had a better offer. Our deal is off. Don’t bother to look for me, I’m already gone.
Liam had raced to her home, needing to reason with her. Abigail’s necklace in Richard’s office, her sudden change of heart, the God damn man had gotten to her. He had felt more anger than he’d ever known when he believed she’d been bought by his rival. Anger stemming from betrayal. He’d held so much hope that she might love him back. His entire future had tottered on her loving him back.
When he’d arrived at Abigail’s place, he’d seen the silver car parked in the carport of the vacant next door house. Suspicious, he’d stayed across the street and cut the lights and engine. In less than a minute he’d seen a huge form sneaking through the shadows with a limp body draped over its shoulder. Liam briefly considered calling the cops as he followed the car from a safe distance out of town. Then he imagined all sorts of terrifying scenarios: a shootout, Abigail being caught in the crossfire, Abigail being used as a hostage in a standoff.
If he could get to her first and rescue her then he’d call the cops and let them handle the rest. After he’d gotten his hands on the brute who’d kidnapped her.
Spencer and Richard had appeared, throwing all his plans for revenge out the door. Now he listened to the two men, catching bits and pieces of their conversation. Richard wanted Abigail dead, and Liam knew the only reason behind it. Whitmore Incorporated. Ice ran through his veins, Abigail’s life was in danger because of some damn soulless corporation. And his own cousin had conspired with Richard purely for greed. It felt too impossible to believe even as he watched it with his own eyes.
The bruiser pulled Abigail from the trunk and carried her inside. Liam’s first concern—make sure Abigail was safe. He watched her fight her captor. She was alive and appeared uninjured. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to make a rush for her. He had to have the element of surprise against someone as large as the bruiser. Marty had taught him a lot in a few months but Liam wasn’t foolhardy...he’d make sure he had the upper hand first.
Richard left and Spencer went inside the home. Despite all his cousin’s shortcomings, Liam had never once taken him for a man who’d kidnap and do God knows what to another for money. Especially an innocent pregnant woman. He scowled, cursing himself yet again for bringing this down on Abigail. If not for Whitmore Incorporated, she’d be safe and sound in her bed.
He inched his way through shadows, needing to make it to the home before Spencer had a chance to hurt her. He hadn’t made it ten feet when Spencer strode out the front door and went to his Mercedes parked beneath a tree. Liam watched the car pull onto the county road and disappear.
The bruiser was stationed outside the front door. Liam picked up a rock and pitched it behind the trailer. He heard a ding then thump. The bruiser shoved his cellphone into his pocket and left his post, walking around the home. Liam rushed for the door. It burst open before he made it up the steps. Liam skidded to a halt as Abigail slammed into him. He grabbed her, catching her as she toppled backward. Her eyes widened.
“Liam? Oh my God, behind—”
Liam was yanked backward, off the front porch. He had the sickening sensation of falling through air. He landed hard on the ground, knocking the wind from his lungs as he tumbled. He lay helplessly, trying to draw breath. The bruiser, illuminated by the faint moonlight, sneered down to him, laughing. He cracked his knuckles.
“Run, Abigail!” Liam shouted when he found his voice. The bruiser turned toward her as she fled toward the perimeter of the yard.
Liam struggled to his feet. “Hey!”
The man turned back to Liam and growled, lowering down like a bull before charging. Liam braced his legs wide, balanced and ready for the battle. He’d go down fighti
ng to his last breath for what mattered most in his life—Abigail.
He jumped out of the way of the man. The bruiser recovered and whirled, throwing a hard right. Liam ducked and sent an uppercut into the bruiser’s chin. He oomphed and shook his head, spitting in the dirt. Liam landed a left jab into the man’s kidney before Liam caught a hard knock in the jaw. He staggered back, stars flashing in front of his eyes. Another blow caught him in the gut and Liam’s breath left in a whoosh. He grabbed the bruiser around the middle, and they grappled.
He felt the man’s greater weight, but he refused to give in to defeat. Not when he had everything in the world to fight for. He clung tight, digging his shoes into the dried earth as the man tried to force him to the ground. If he got him down, God knew if Liam would be able to get back up.
Every muscle in his body burned. Liam bared his teeth. The hulk grunted and suddenly released him. He toppled sideways, holding his head. To Liam’s shock, Abigail stood nearby with a huge rock between her hands.
“I told you to run,” Liam hissed, keeping an eye on the other man who seemed dazed by Abigail’s blow.
“I wasn’t going to leave you alone with this guy,” she countered. “Should I hit him again?”
The bruiser fell onto his back and let out a big sigh. He was out.
“No, I think he’s down. Let’s get out of here.”
Abigail didn’t move, staring at their attacker and dropped the rock. “Maybe I hit him too hard?”
Liam grabbed her hand. “Let’s not forget the bastard would kill us in the blink of an eye, Abigail.”
“But…”
He let out an exasperated groan. “I understand you have that caretaker instinct, but we’ll let emergency services deal with him. Okay?”
Abigail released a hard breath. “Fine.”
They turned. Liam froze, the muzzle of a handgun pointed at his face. Abigail let out a startled cry as he blinked, focusing on its owner.