Paradise & Vodka (Saddles & Racks Book 6)

by Kimberly Knight

  I nodded. "I don't think he shot me."

  Nick looked for an entry wound in my head. "I heard the gun click."

  "So did I, but"—I shrugged—"maybe it was empty?"

  "Fuck," he breathed and pulled me into his arms. "I thought I'd lost you."

  "Me too." I buried my face in his sweaty neck, and then I realized the gunfire above us had stopped. "Is it over?"

  "I don't know."

  I didn't hear footsteps as I had before, but in an instant, another man with a gun appeared behind Nick. I startled, trying to pull away from Nick's hold as though I could dodge another bullet. Then there was another man, and then another, and another, and then a woman. All of them with helmets and vests and camouflage, and it finally registered that these were the people Nick had called to rescue us.

  "Nick! Are you okay?" one of the guys asked.

  Nick turned and rushed into the man's arms. "Fuck, dude!"

  The woman came to me. "Are you okay?"

  I nodded, speechless.

  "You told me there were four men. There was more than that," the guy said to Nick, who was still hugging him.

  One of the guys was checking on the kidnapper. "He still has a pulse."

  "We've only seen four," Nick replied.

  "Well, luckily, we came prepared."

  The guys pulled apart, and Nick went to the next guy, hugging him before making his rounds to the next and then the final guy. After he hugged the woman, he reached out his hand for me and helped me stand. "Ash, this is Paul, Gabe, Seth, Brad, and Paul's wife, Joss."

  I felt as though I already knew the group of friends given the stories Nick had told me on the way here, and just like Nick, I hugged each one, thankful they had come for us. "It's nice to meet you all. Nick has told me so much about you."

  "It's good to meet you too," Paul replied. "Let's get you kids out of here."

  Nick and I were driven to the other side of the island that wasn't impacted by the tsunami. The entire drive, he held my hand as I replayed everything over in my head. Was it good luck how everything had turned out, or bad luck? Or did it have nothing to do with luck at all, and it was Douglas's doing somehow? We still needed to figure out where my family was and if Douglas and his father were behind the kidnapping in some way.

  "What happens now?" Nick asked.

  Gabe was driving with Brad in the passenger seat of a black Suburban. Paul, Joss, and Seth were in another one, and there was another vehicle with four men—a private team Joss knew and had hired to come rescue us.

  "We go home," Gabe replied.

  I sucked in a quick breath. I wanted nothing more than to go home, but I couldn't leave. "What about my family?"

  "We can find out when we're home safe," Nick answered, squeezing my hand.

  "No." I shook my head. "I can't leave until I know."

  "Where were they when the tsunami hit?" Brad asked.

  I shrugged. "We don't know."

  "What has the news said about the tsunami?" Nick questioned.

  "That it hit, and the authorities are still searching for survivors," Gabe answered.

  "Any deaths?" Nick inquired further.

  "The last we heard, no," Gabe confirmed.

  I blew out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

  "See?" Nick pulled me closer to him. "Everything is going to be okay."

  I thought for a moment. "Yeah, but I can't leave without seeing them."

  "What if they already left?" Nick questioned.

  "You think … You think they would without knowing if I was okay?"

  He smiled tightly and looked at me as though I should know the answer. "Baby …"

  Nick was right. My family probably would leave without knowing if I had survived even though I thought we’d had a breakthrough, but that wasn't me. I loved my family—even my sister—and I wasn't going to leave without at least knowing they were alive. "I know, but I can't leave."

  He closed his eyes briefly and nodded slowly. "Okay, then we won't leave."

  Gabe and Brad shared a look, both of them grinning at each other as though they knew some sort of secret.

  Nick leaned forward and squeezed Gabe's shoulder. "Can you drive us to a hotel?"

  "Yeah, after we meet at the airport and go over the plan."

  The airport Gabe drove us to wasn't the one we had flown into when we’d arrived. That one had been damaged by the tsunami. Brad had given me his phone while Gabe drove so I could try to find my family, but I didn't know any phone numbers to call because all the numbers were saved in my missing phone. I logged onto social media, and once again struck out. Everleigh, my mother, and Douglas hadn't posted since the night of the wedding. My father didn't have a page.

  I stayed in the car while everyone, including Nick, got out. We were still waiting for the other vehicle to arrive, and I knew there was nothing I could do while they came up with a new plan.

  The passenger door opened. It was Joss. "Nick said you're staying."

  "Just until I find out what happened to my family." I didn't even know where we would sleep, and I wanted a shower so badly.

  She held out her phone. "Press the call button. I got your mom's number."

  "Really?" My eyes widened, and I grabbed the phone.

  "I made a call." She shrugged.

  "Right." I chuckled. "FBI."

  "Yeah. Has its perks." She grinned.

  "Thank you for this." I held up the cell phone. "For all of this."

  "Of course. I hope she answers."

  "Me too." I smiled tightly and then hit the call button. It rang, and rang, and rang, and I thought she wasn't going to answer, but then the sound of her voice rang back in my ears.

  "Hello?"

  "Mom! It's me, Ashleigh."

  "Oh my God! Where are you? We've been so worried."

  "I'm on the other side of the island. Where are you?"

  "At an evacuation center."

  "All of you?"

  "No." She paused, and my heart stopped beating. "Everleigh and your father are here, and some of the other wedding guests, but no one has seen or heard from Douglas and his parents."

  I frowned. How was Everleigh there but not her husband? Even if they weren't in love, the marriage had taken place. I'd assumed they would need to keep up the ruse until they were back in New York. Plus, weren't they together when the warning came through?

  Mother continued, "The people running the center have said that flights should start going out again tomorrow from the airport on the other side."

  "That's where we are," I advised her.

  "Are you leaving?"

  "I—hold on." I held my hand over the phone and asked Joss, "Is there room for three more?"

  "Yeah, I think so."

  "My parents and sister are safe. Can we get them out of here too?"

  "Of course."

  I returned to the phone. "Mom, we have a private plane. We can get you and take you back to the US."

  "What about the Alexanders?"

  "Ask Evie what she wants to do."

  I waited as I heard whispering, and then Mom said, "She's fine leaving."

  "Okay." I nodded to Joss. "Find out what address you're at, and we'll come get you guys."

  I wasn't letting Ashleigh out of my sight. I didn't care that she was with Paul and Joss and they were FBI. After everything that we'd been through the last two days, I had to make sure she made it home safely with my own two eyes. Until then, I was going everywhere with her, and that included going to get her family. Plus, I wanted to know what Everleigh knew since she was leaving without Dougie, and the kidnappers had wanted her originally.

  "What happened to the leader?" I asked.

  Paul looked at me in the rearview mirror as he drove. "Which one was the leader?"

  "The one in the cellar when you got to us."

  "The one you almost killed?"

  I nodded. "I would have if Ashleigh hadn't stopped me."

  "I was just telling you I was alive," Ashleigh
responded.

  "I know." I squeezed her knee. "Thank fuck for that." And thank fuck the gun was out of bullets.

  Joss turned in her seat. "The guy was taken care of."

  "Killed?" I questioned.

  Joss nodded. "Yes."

  "So, you guys don't have answers about why we were taken?" Ashleigh probed.

  "Not yet, but on the way in, I looked into who owned the property where you were being held."

  "And what does that matter if you killed the guy?" I questioned, assuming the leader owned the land.

  "We didn't kill the person who owns the property," Joss stated.

  "Meaning someone else is behind it?" I inquired.

  "I'm not sure yet. Usually, with these missions, we move in fast, and it takes time to gather the information afterward—if at all. We aren't on US soil, and this isn't a Hostage Rescue Team authorized by the FBI."

  "We may never know then?" Ashleigh asked.

  "I didn't say that, either. You're part of our family now, so I’ll find out if you really want me to," Joss replied.

  Ashleigh looked over at me, and I replied to her silent question, "I want to know if your sister and Dougie are behind this."

  "Your sister, the one we’re going to get?" Paul questioned.

  "They thought I was her when they took us," Ashleigh answered.

  "They knew who you were by name?" Joss inquired.

  "Well, they called me by my sister’s name, and then we told them I wasn’t her, that I was her twin."

  "That was when I negotiated calling you." I squeezed Paul’s shoulder. "We don’t have the money Everleigh’s husband and family have."

  "Interesting," Joss said. "Usually kidnappers don’t know names, only assume Americans come from money and then take their chances on who to kidnap for ransom."

  "They seemed to know a lot about my sister and Douglas," Ashleigh advised.

  "Like what?" Paul asked.

  "Douglas’s parents’ names, where they live, and they knew they flew in on a private jet."

  "Maybe they have someone on the inside who works at the airport," Joss suggested.

  "Or someone at the hotel," I countered.

  "The hotel? How would they know about the private jet?" Ashleigh questioned, her brow furrowed.

  "I'm sure they can find out anything they want with the right people on their side. I'm almost certain the shuttle driver who left us on the side of the road was in on it," I indicated.

  "Was it a woman?" Joss asked.

  I arched my brow. "No?"

  "The owner of the land is a woman."

  "It has to be a family business then," Paul suggested.

  "Why do you say that?" Ashleigh wondered.

  "All the people keeping guard were men, and it makes sense that the mom would be on the deed, and her sons are the muscle."

  "Her sons are probably the shuttle driver and the leader guy," I stated.

  "Do you think the shuttle driver was killed too?" Ashleigh asked.

  I lifted a shoulder. "I hope so. I hope whoever was in on it knows they fucked with the wrong people."

  "I'll look into the employees of the resort," Joss said. "Hopefully, that will give us answers."

  I nodded, even though I was hoping that Everleigh had some answers to give too. I was going to grill her hard about why she wanted to leave without her new fucking husband.

  Ashleigh and Joss went into the center while Paul and I waited in the SUV. There was no real reason for me to go inside since we knew her family was waiting for us to pick them up. Of course, Paul took the opportunity to ask me about the bet.

  "You own me a grand."

  "For what?" I asked, even though I knew what he was talking about.

  "You're in love with Ashleigh."

  I laughed. "No, I'm not."

  He turned in his seat and faced me. "Bullshit. I see it in the way you look at her."

  "I don't look at her any differently than the way I look at you, or anyone else for that matter."

  Paul chuckled. "Right. Keep telling yourself that, but you're wrong."

  "Maybe it's because we just went through some shit together, and she almost died in front of me."

  He thought for a moment. "That could be, but I will go double or nothing that once we get back to Vegas, you two will begin dating for real."

  Before I realized it, I was sticking out my hand to shake on the bet. "Deal."

  Paul turned back around, and we were silent as we continued to wait. I didn't care what he thought, I didn’t love Ashleigh. I cared about her a lot, but that wasn't love. And what I said to Paul was true: I almost saw her get killed in front of me. That shit would make anyone have more compassion for a person.

  Though, as I sat in the backseat waiting, I realized I was a fucking liar.

  After Ashleigh and her family got into the vehicle, Paul started the engine and drove toward the airport where the plane was waiting.

  "You two smell," Everleigh stated, looking back at Ashleigh and me. We were in the third row of seats, while Everleigh and their parents had the middle row.

  I didn't think they knew we had been held captive or why Joss and Paul were here. I was leaving that up to Ashleigh to tell, and she did.

  "Aren't you curious who these people are and how we have a plane waiting?" Ashleigh asked.

  Everleigh started to open her mouth and then closed it. Finally, she said, "Actually, yes. Sorry. I thought you hired them to take us home since the airport was washed out. I didn't know they were important."

  God, I hated this bitch.

  I reached for Ashleigh's hand and kissed the back of it before she replied, "We were taken and held hostage for ransom after the tsunami. Paul and Joss are FBI agents and friends of Nick. They came and rescued us, so please forgive us for not smelling like roses after the hell we've been through. A hell you were supposed to be in and not us."

  Everleigh balked, while their parents gasped in shock. I nodded that Ashleigh was telling the truth.

  "What do you mean that I was supposed to be in?" Everleigh questioned.

  Ashleigh looked over at me, and I nodded. "It's as good as time as any."

  "They thought I was you," Ashleigh stated to Everleigh.

  "Me?"

  It was my turn. "They knew about you and Dougie. That you live in New York and came in on a private plane."

  "They did?" Earl asked.

  I nodded at their father. "Yes, so how the fuck—excuse my language—but how the fuck did they know that?"

  "I don't know," Everleigh admitted.

  "Are you sure? 'Cause it's suspicious you want to leave this island without your husband," I observed.

  "We haven't been able to get ahold of Doug or his parents," Everleigh replied.

  "Weren't you with him when the tsunami alert went off?" Ashleigh asked.

  "No. He was ..."

  "He was what?" Ashleigh questioned.

  Everleigh looked at her parents and then sighed. "Fine, I haven't heard from him since our wedding night. We had separate rooms since our marriage was for show."

  I was grinning on the inside like the Cheshire Cat. We were about to get answers. Answers Ashleigh needed so she could be happy.

  Everleigh continued, "The marriage is just a ruse." No one said anything. "You aren't shocked?" she asked Ashleigh.

  "I already knew that," my girl replied.

  "You did?"

  Ashleigh nodded. "Nick saw you and Douglas fighting the night before the wedding. He said he heard something about an agreement between you two because Douglas had to be married before age twenty-six to get his inheritance."

  "Oh," Everleigh exhaled.

  "But we don't know what the agreement is or why you would want to go through with it," I probed.

  Earl took a deep breath. "Because I'm sick."

  I blinked as Ashleigh gasped beside me. I wasn't expecting that answer.

  "You're sick?" Ashleigh whispered.

  Earl turned slightly so he could
look at us behind him. "I have lung cancer due to asbestosis."

  "Asbestosis?" Ashleigh questioned. "How?"

  "Doc said I could have been exposed when I first started out as a mechanic thirty or so years ago. Some brake drums and brake pads contained asbestos back then."

  "Thirty years ago, and you just found out?" I questioned.

  Earl nodded. "It remained … What was the word the doc used, Dix?"

  "Dormant," Dixie replied.

  "Why didn't you tell me?" Ashleigh inquired.

  "Because we didn't want you to worry," Earl said.

  I placed my hand on Ashleigh's knee while she continued to question them. "But Everleigh knew. You trusted her enough—"

  "I only knew because they need money for the medical bills."

  Dixie turned and faced Ashleigh. "We didn’t tell her for a long time, but once the medical bills started piling up, we had to."

  Paul pulled up to the airport as I asked, "So Dougie only agreed to give you money if Everleigh married him before he was twenty-six so he could get his inheritance?"

  Everleigh took a deep breath. "Yes. When I got home from visiting them in Alabama, I walked in on him screwing my only friend in New York at the time. We were already engaged, and I’d thought it was love—real love—but it wasn't. I tried to break off the engagement, but he begged me to stay because of his inheritance. So, I agreed if he would pay all the medical bills for Dad, plus pay off their mortgage and their debt."

  I didn't like it, but it seemed Everleigh was smarter than I thought.

  I thought my sister marrying my ex was the worst my family could do to me.

  I was wrong.

  I couldn't believe that my father was sick, and no one told me. I wasn't sure if they had ever planned on telling me. I wasn't able to question them further because we arrived at the airport, and it was time to leave, but I was going to get answers on our long flight to Vegas.

  It was time I got all the answers.

  "Are you sure you want to leave without your husband?" Joss asked Everleigh, stopping us from boarding the plane.

  "He hasn't called to make sure I was okay, so why should I care about him?" she replied.

  "Maybe he's dead," Nick stated.

  "Last we’d heard, there weren't any casualties," Everleigh said. "Everyone at the center was checking continuously."