by D W Marshall
But she knows time is ticking away quickly.
Whitney’s parents walk into the room, confusion and worry mark their faces. Whitney shares so many similarities to her mother, which makes a sob catch in my throat.
“Mr. and Mrs. Alexander. There isn’t much time.” I show them the video recording.
Whitney’s mother falls into her husband arms in hysterics. Another emotion takes over her father—rage. “We trusted him with our daughter.”
I send Sam to find out the location updates of the car. Even I know I can’t just run around the island like a crazy man. We need solid clues.
“I came to Barbados as a part of an international task force when Thomas showed up on our radar. He was opening up a prostitution ring and he was trying to convince Whitney to work for him,” I inform the Alexanders.
Whitney’s mother breaks away from her husband and runs, her grief too much to contain. These poor people have only had their daughter back a few months.
“I’ll kill him,” her father says and looks me dead in the eyes. He means it.
“We’ll get her back. I love your daughter. I’ll die saving her if I have to.”
Mr. Alexander nods his understanding.
I take off after Sam and he goes after his wife.
Minutes feel like hours before we get the report of her car.
“Niko, the car has been traced to Thomas’ apartment.” The look on Sam’s face bares my feelings. His house is personal. He means to kill her. Sam and I head to the apartment, along with every available cop in the area. Whitney’s parents hitch a ride in an accompanying squad car.
Chapter 31
Whitney
I use all of my might to stress the splintered wood of the chair, each sound of fracture is a gleam of hope. Whitney you can’t die here. Your story can’t end here. With each tiny cracking sound the ropes feel looser. I stop in my tracks when the bedroom door flies open. Thomas drags me into the living room.
“Change of plans. Your boyfriend and the cops found you,” he says and walks in haste to the window. “Ha. The whole police department is here. Don’t they know you’re not worth all this fuss?” He stares at me, venom pouring from his eyes, spooking my soul. If I survive this I will have new nightmares. Thomas will now be the star.
“This whole circus because you betrayed me. Cause you couldn’t fuck for money, when you fucked for free for a year.”
I squeeze my eyes tight in an attempt drown out his voice. I have one mission, get free. Thomas’ phone rings and we both jump.
“This is Thomas Ackerly, how the fuck may I help you?”
He is silent while he listens.
“Oh, no, she’s alive…for now. I have no demands. I made them months ago, and no one listened. So, when you hear the first shot, that’s me putting a bullet in her head, and the second shot is the bullet I put in mine. I’m about to murder suicide this. Sounds poet as a motherfucker, don’t it?” He hangs up.
The ropes give. My hands are free, but I don’t move. Thomas and I are locked in a tense stare. He puts his attention to the window. The knife is close to me. I could reach for it, if I can get my legs free. Thomas starts talking and peering at the window. I go to work on the restraints on my legs, which aren’t tied tight at all.
There is no time to waste. For a brief second I remember the gun in his hand and have no doubt that he wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in my head. This is my only chance.
I reach for the knife, it’s heavy.
He is talking out loud to Niko, monologuing through the window about how he is going to kill me, so cocky he doesn’t hear me or feel me coming. He is enjoying the show.
“Hey, Whitney. He turns to me and I shove the knife into his stomach. The gun discharges before it falls to the floor. The sound is deafening, my ears ring and I have to resist the urge to cover them.
Shock and pain mar Thomas’ face, once handsome and loving, now the face of the devil. I cry and shake but push forward and reach for the gun. I’ve never held a gun before or stabbed someone. I can’t be a victim anymore. Thomas staggers forward, holding the handle of the knife with one hand and reaching for me with the other.
Not taking my eyes off of him, I back up.
My hands shake. My body quivers. Still, my eyes never leave his.
Vomit crawls up my throat. The gun burns my hands. I toss it down the hallway and step back, until my back slams against the front door. Our eyes are locked.
Thomas is deciding, me or the gun. He starts to pull the knife out and while he is focused on that task, I throw the door open and run. Thomas is on the sixth floor. I push for the elevator, praying for it to open. I turn to the sound of Thomas stumbling out of his door. He spills into the hallway, ignoring his pain, fueled by hate. I make it through the stairway door as the second gunshot rings through the air—it’s aim, my head.
I am blinded by my tears as I steadily run down, down, down. So many stairs.
The door above me slams against the wall; he’s inside the stairwell with me. My heart leaps into my throat. In my panic I trip and fall down an unknown amount of steps. Thomas leans over the side. He is only a couple floors above me. “You stupid bitch!”
I roll out of view as Thomas fires more shots. My broken body doesn’t want to work, but I can hear his heavy breathing. I will myself to get up. He is hurt, but he is coming. I hit the first step of another flight, on and on I run, nearly falling so many times, but I can’t die here. I can’t die by his hand.
Sunlight. It breaks through the window of the first floor. I know Niko is out there. I know the police are out there. I break through the door and run as fast and hard as I can. Ignoring my pain, ignoring my fear, ignoring every sensation.
Strong hands grab me. I scream and I fight, I hit, I kick, I scream as loud as I can so Niko can hear me, so he can find me.
“Whitney, it’s me. I’m here, you’re safe.”
I open my eyes and I am in Niko’s arms. “He’s coming!” I scream over and over.
Niko squeezes me in his arms and someone brings a blanket and covers my body. He takes me away from the scene.
The door to the building crashes opens and I turn to find Thomas winded but pushing forward like a robotic assassin.
“Freeze!” the police yell.
He doesn’t see but they are coming out of the building behind him; they are on the side of the building. He is out of options.
“Whitney, if I can’t have you. No one can!”
He raises the gun in shaky hands and gun shots ring out. Thomas collapses to the ground.
The next moments are a blur of ambulances, my family, Chalice, Niko.
Everything goes dark.
Chapter 32
Whitney
My body screaming in pain tells me I’m alive. I open my eyes and see my parents on one side of my bed, and Niko, Sam, Chalice, and Amaris on the other. Ironic, this is probably what they expected the first time I was taken by a stranger, for me to be found but in bad shape.
“Baby. You’re awake,” my dad’s voice rings through the silence. My dad never cries but when I look into his eyes they flood with tears.
“What happened?” Daddy asks.
Using the controls to raise the bed slightly, I wince where my body aches. At least four bodies lurch forward to assist me.
“Niko and I had a workout appointment at Milo’s Gym. I was rushing, not paying attention to my surroundings. Pain and then darkness. When I woke up, I was bound and gagged. He was planning to kill Niko, then come back to finish me off.”
My family reacts in a series of gasps and cries.
I continue. “My opportunity came when he dragged the chair I was tied to across the room. He dropped me and the chair broke. That’s how I managed to free myself. I stabbed him with his with his own knife and ran as fast as I could, dodging bullets.” Tears rush down my cheeks from recalling my brush with death.
“Thomas was a sick man. He had everyone fooled,” Daddy says.
“Thank God you’re okay. I don’t know what I would have done if we lost you,” Mom cries.
She kisses my cheek.
“I’m okay, Mom.”
I glance around at my family while I wipe the newly forming tears. “Guys, can I talk to Niko alone, please?”
All eyes turn to Niko. I can see hesitation on my dad’s face. But he gets up first, and everyone follows. One by one they file out of my hospital room, but they touch or kiss me on the way out.
Niko moves to the seat closest to me. I can see in his face that he knows what’s coming—what I’m going to say to him.
“So, you’re a cop?”
He looks down.
My heart breaks a little with the admission of his lie. This whole time.
“Is Thomas dead?”
Niko looks up and stares into my eyes. “This should have never happened to you. I should have protected you. I should have been there. I’m so sorry.”
He feels guilty for not protecting me. But he shouldn’t, protecting me isn’t his responsibility. After my brush with death, It’s mine. I know that now.
“Funny, before a few minutes ago, before I told you guys what happened, I thought I was a victim. I laid in this bed feeling sorry for all the things that I’ve been through. But I realized something.”
“What’s that?” Niko asks.
“I saved myself. I was my own hero.”
We sit in silence, then he smiles. “You did.”
“Is Thomas alive?”
Niko takes a couple of deep breaths. “Yes, unfortunately for mankind, he is. Recovering from your stab wound and gunshot wounds.”
“Here?”
He nods his head. “Two floors up. Surrounded by guards.”
Two floors is all that separates me from the man that tried to kill me. If I hadn’t broken free, I’d be dead right now. I saw the look in his eyes, raw hate. He wanted me. How long will he be put away? Is he going to come after me again?
“Do you hate me?” Niko asks, breaking through my thoughts.
“No. I could never hate you. Just disappointed that you never told me.” I look away from him. It’s true. Other than the lie, he has been good to me. “You were going to arrest me when we first met.”
He sighs. “Part of the job. My cover can’t be revealed to anyone, unless something like this happens and the job requires it.”
“Is Sam really your cousin?” I know the answer as the question tumbles out of my mouth.
He shakes his head. “No, she’s my partner. I called her to help because I was becoming distracted and I couldn’t allow the case to be compromised.” He presses his lips into a hard line. I’m not used to seeing worry like this on Niko’s face. He usually wears a smile that lights up the room.
“With what?”
“Falling in love.”
Oh my goodness. Did Niko just say he is falling in love with me? What am I supposed to say to that? How am I supposed to feel after knowing that he lied to me?
“You love me?”
“Very much.”
“Why do you think you love me? Thomas said he loved me too and look how that turned out.”
Niko moves onto the edge of my bed. He is cautious when he sits. “I don’t think, I know. I’ve loved you from the moment you crossed the threshold into my hotel suite. Scared and trusting. Beautiful and brave. In the midst of everything you were facing, everything you had faced, you were hopeful. I thank God every day that it was me in that room with you. Your heart is strong and beautiful.”
I gaze into his eyes and think about all of the things he just said to me. If only I saw myself the way he sees me.
“So, was everything you told me about yourself a lie? A back story for your job?”
Niko leans closer to me, taking my hands in his. “All true. I have citizenship in all the places I mentioned. I currently live in England and so does my family. The only thing I didn’t tell you was that my folk’s divorced when I was younger. Mom remarried and my step-dad is amazing, and I have a brother and sister. My dog’s name is Dreamer. I love the beach and coffee. You know me, Whitney. My job is different but that’s all.”
“That’s a lot of missing information.”
“Not really. I promise I planned to tell you.”
I turn my head away from him. “It’s not the same, Niko. You were the only person who knew me. When I walked into that hotel room, I gave you something of myself that no one else had—my truth. The dark truth of what Thomas wanted from me. Somehow you managed to earn my trust under circumstances when I should never trust anyone again. I let you in and felt things for you I’ve never felt for anyone else. I thought I loved Thomas, until I fell in love with you.” I pause at my own realization. “I loved you. I was starting to carve a space in my future for you.”
Niko smiles when the word love pours out of my mouth, but his expression changes as I put my feelings in past tense. How can I trust this man again? How can I see a future with someone I don’t entirely know? He lied.
“You know what keeps going through my mind?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
I smirk. I can’t believe what I am about to admit. Again, Niko is the only one I’d ever admit this to. “It’s actually something Thomas said to me when I was gagged and bound.”
Niko’s face bares the pain he feels hearing those words. “I will never forgive myself for not being there to keep you safe.”
I give him a weak smile and squeeze his hand.
“What he said settled into my bones and I don’t know if I will ever be able to remove those chilling words from my mind, partly because I have asked myself the same question repeatedly.”
I pause before I continue, sharing this will break me down into the tiniest pieces of nothing. Tears start to fall and a sob escapes me. Niko has me in his arms, consoling me. I let him.
When I get control of my emotions I push myself from his chest and he lets me go. Worry marring his beautiful eyes, now a stormy blue.
“What he said was that I went into the room. I went up to the sixth floor of the hotel and that the only reason I’m not on my back right now is because you were there.” I break down again.
“I don’t believe that, Whitney. You shouldn’t believe that about yourself. You shouldn’t worry about that either. We’ll never know because it didn’t happen. Neither you, me, or that monster will ever know.”
All I can do is wipe tears from my face and listen. Maybe he’s right, but Thomas’ words dug deep into my soul and pulled out what I think I’ve always been thinking, feeling. Sure, I’d whack the errant thought away, but it would always revisit me.
I look into his eyes. “It’s the reason we can’t be together, Niko. I have to be on my own right now. It’s time for me to learn that I don’t need my parents, my friends, or a man to survive. I have to know in my core that I can save myself, every time. If I don’t, his words will haunt me.”
Niko looks down at his hands, and he doesn’t say anything. I wait for him. When he finally looks up at me, the sadness in his eyes nearly breaks my heart. I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t want to lose him, but I can’t lose myself.
He forms a small smile. “You’re sure about this?”
I nod. My heart is pounding in my chest and my stomach hurts. This might be the biggest mistake in my entire life.
“What kind of man would I be if I fought you on something so important to you? I only want what’s best for you.” He leans forward and the single best and worst thing happens. His lips graze mine. He pulls his face back and gazes into my eyes and I give him permission to kiss me again. Tender gentle lips meet mine and I match his desire for our last kiss to be memorable. His tongue dances with mine and tears stream down my cheeks.
“I love you, Whitney.” He brushes his fingers across my eyes, wiping my tears and caressing my cheek. I close my eyes and savor the contact, suddenly feeling aged by my life.
Niko walks toward the door and turns toward me befo
re he leaves. “You take care of yourself,” he says and walks out of my life.
Chapter 33
Whitney
After three days in the hospital I finally get to go home. When I come out of the ensuite bathroom, Sam is sitting on a chair. A small plant in her hand.
“Hi,” she says.
“Hey.”
I continue packing up my things. My parents are due to arrive in the next hour or so. I told them not to rush because these things can take time.
“How are you feeling? You look good, love,” she says in her British accent.
I smile at her compliment. She seems uncomfortable in my presence. Is it because she lied too? A lie coming from her doesn’t touch me in the same places. “Thanks.”
She stands and shifts her weight from foot to foot. I stop what I’m doing because she obviously has something to tell me.
“Look. I know how it feels when someone you care about lies to you. But in our line of work, it is par for the course.”
I take a seat on the edge of my bed. My body still aches in places. I shrug at her comment.
“You think Niko planned to fall in love with you? I don’t think he has ever been in love with anyone.”
I sigh. “I care about him too. Probably too much. But I need time to work on myself.”
“I can understand that. You deserve as much time as you need.” She looks down at her feet before continuing. “Look, he doesn’t know I’m here. I mean, I don’t care if you tell him I stopped by. He’s taking it hard, losing you. I just want you to know that he is an amazing guy and he’s worth the risk, Whitney. If you love him, I mean really love him, don’t let him slip away.”
If she only knew how many times I’ve wanted to pick up the phone and call him. Text him. Tell him that I made a horrible mistake. I miss him so much. Not just as someone I was becoming romantically involved with—I miss my friend.
“Yeah, I know. Niko will probably be my greatest regret.” I sigh.
