by Maggie Thom
“So, what’s this about?”
“You didn’t sign the agreement.”
“You saw me sign it. Let me see your copy.” Tijan held out her hand.
“No. That’s fine. See I had my lawyer draft a new version. One that suits me better.”
Eleanor held out some papers to Tijan. Even though she held Eleanor’s gaze, her mind was bombarding her with ideas of how to escape. The doors were locked; she’d heard them clunk down the minute the door had closed behind her and she was quite sure there wasn’t a way for her to unlock them. There had to be a button on her door to lower the window but how’d she be able to do that in a short period of time she wasn’t sure. Even if she did get the window open, she’d have to dive out and pray that she didn’t get run over. Feeling panic threaten to settle in, she surreptitiously looked around inside the darkened car for something she could use. It appeared they were prepared for her.
“You need to sign these. Now.”
Eleanor’s voice was hard and cold, causing her to wonder whether she would live much longer after she’d complied with their demands. As she leaned forward for the paper, the gun’s cold metal pressed against her skin. She placed her hand on her stomach as though she wasn’t feeling well, which was the truth. Taking the papers, she set them in her lap barely glancing at them.
“So you came to my office with those other papers because?” It didn’t make sense to Tijan.
Eleanor thrust a pen at her. “Because if you’d signed like you should have, I would have used your signature and attached it to this agreement. Which ultimately gives over the hotel chain to Mr. T. But don’t worry that’s not what it says in the document. You’re signing over the company to Donte Ltd.”
“Yes. You gave me the idea to create my own legitimate business. You are going to sell C-Lite Hotels to my new company. On paper, it looks like you’ll be paid $450 million but don’t worry that won’t happen. But I will own that company. Eleanor is going to run it for me.” Tesimmon’s smile couldn’t have been more smug or condescending look. “So sign the papers. And you won’t send anything to CSIS because we can get to your son. Keeping him out at Dorothea Lindell’s won’t protect him forever.”
Tijan shivered. They knew too much. “I need something hard to write on or my signature will not be legible.”
Mr. T nodded at Eleanor. As Eleanor reached into her briefcase, Tijan yanked out the gun.
“Stop the car. Now.”
Mr. T’s face contorted into a mask of hardened stone that looked ready to crack. Eleanor appeared stunned, like she was someone who wasn’t easily surprised.
Tijan waved the gun so they’d know she was serious.
“You can’t kill both of us.” Eleanor sounded confident as she leaned forward.
“Not at once but I can kill one of you. So do you want to choose which one of you it is?”
Eleanor sat back in the far corner. Tijan hoped that meant she was staying out of it. Tijan swung the gun on Mr. T.
“You’re dead.” He glared at her with a ferocity that felt like it could have stripped her skin off. He stared her down but Tijan tightened her grip.
He pressed a button and a few seconds later the car slowed.
“Unlock the door. Now.” As soon as she heard the electronic lock disengage, Tijan reached for the door handle behind her. Before they had pulled to a complete stop, she yanked open the door and dove out. Thankful there wasn’t oncoming traffic, she hustled to her feet to run back the way they’d come. The heavy traffic on the two-lane highway kept the vehicle from immediately turning around. Tucking the gun in the back of her pants and pulling her shirt down over it, she was tempted to stop one of the passing cars but couldn’t take the chance. As soon as she saw an opening, she raced across the highway and into a wooded area. She crouched down, waiting for the squeal of tires. When there was none, she rose and moved as fast as she could in heels through the brush.
Chapter 58
“Bill just called. They’ve got Tijan.” Tarin’s voice was hysterical as she told Guy what was going on. “Tijan texted me; she said she had the gun she thought shot Dad. JT had it.”
“Dammit. Have we heard from them? Are they making any demands? Is Bill okay?”
August held the phone tight to his ear as he maneuvered through traffic. He was glad that Graham had included him in the call.
Tarin explained what happened. “Nothing from them. I think Mr. T didn’t like the original deal. Bill said Tijan had found a gun and they had to leave the office. Mr. T abducted her in the parking lot. Bill feels like he failed. He was having chest pains and collapsed. I called an ambulance. I’m following it now. I’ll stay there until we know he’s okay,” Tarin explained.
“Dammit. Where the hell would he have taken her? He’s going to kill her, isn’t he?” August punched the steering wheel. “Look. I’m on my way. Perry’s been sent to the hospital. I left it in LJ’s hands. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Meet at the hotel.”
“No wait. I think they’re on their way out there. Bill said something about Mr. T mentioning Caspian Winery,” Tarin said. “I’ve got to go. Call me later.”
August tuned out as she and Graham said their goodbyes. He couldn’t stop his mind from going to the darkest place. Mr. T didn’t play by any rules and murder appeared to be something that came easy to him. It was the torture he might do beforehand that played heavily on August’s mind. How was he going to find him? Was there any way they could save Tijan now?
His cell rang. “Hang on, it’s Guy.”
“Graham’s on the other line,” August said as he connected the three of them.
Graham started talking immediately. “Bill is on his way to the hospital with Tarin. Possibly his heart.”
“Where’s our guys?”
“They called just before Tarin. One of our security guys is following Tarin and the other is trying to find Tesimmon’s car.”
“I thought you had the best security?” August thumped his hand on the steering wheel.
“We thought CSIS would have taken him down by now, so we backed off. Dammit! Look August, I’m sorry. This is on me.” Guy swore.
“Let’s keep focused on what we need to do. We can get mad later. Tarin had started doing some research on landowners. She didn’t get far but I’ve been tinkering with it for the last ten minutes. I found something interesting. Eleanor Carter owns land. Guess where?” Graham said. “Yup, you got it. Right near Caspian.”
“What made you look into her?” August asked.
Guy replied, “Bill mentioned something about a classy woman in the car that took Tijan so I took a chance. This has to have something to do with Caspian Winery.”
August listened to the conversation but wasn’t quite making the connection. Then it hit him. “Isn’t Eleanor, James Madsen’s lawyer? Why would she have land out there? Is that a coincidence or are you guys thinking she’s in bed with the mafia?”
“Probably. So, if she owns a huge chunk of land in the middle of wine country, why? I’m still at the hotel, I’m going to go to James’ office and see what I can find.”
“Good question. I hate to ask it but did Geoff and Mr. T have business dealings? Or Geoff and Eleanor? For some reason, I think that Geoff has come back from the grave to make our lives miserable.” Guy’s voice had a hard edge to it. “I’m on my way out there, August. Tell the security guards to get everyone into the main building and lock it down. I have the police on their way.”
“Geoff?” August remembered hearing his name but not who he was.
“Sorry. Geoff, was Dorothea’s brother and he caused nothing but problems. For all of us. He’s the one who tried to kill Guy’s wife, Bailey, and through a sick set of circumstances is the father of Tarin’s son and he tried to destroy Caspian Winery. That’s just the short list of his wrong doings.”
August remembered some of the story they had told them a few days before. The man had done a lot of destruction before he’d died. August shook his h
ead and suddenly realized he was still traveling away from Caspian. He pulled into a driveway and stopped. “Was that the story you were telling us the other day at that old house? He faked his death and blew it up?”
“Yeah, that’s the guy.”
Graham spoke up. “I don’t know if the two knew each other but I’m quite sure they did. I don’t think Geoff ever ran drugs; money laundering was definitely his thing—and hookers. Human trafficking? Probably. They definitely ran in the same circles, I’m sure.”
They were all silent for a moment as they listened to Graham click away on his computer.
“Interesting. There is some land purchased by Chris Simmons. The land is near Lake Ontario. What a great way to run drugs across the US and Canada border. When did that deal go through?”
“Sixteen months ago.”
“That’s way too close to Geoff’s demise to be a coincidence. That bastard, Geoff, would do anything to make his sister’s life miserable. So, let’s say, he also put in play for the man to take over Caspian Winery. Would he do it himself or would he get someone like C-Lite Hotels to do it for him?”
“Geoff was always about making things appear legit. Wouldn’t that be interesting if he was teaching the mob guy how to appear more licit.”
“How do we find Tijan?” While they’d been talking, August was feeling increasingly frustrated. He was sitting on the side of the road feeling like he needed to be doing something.
“Does Mr. T own any other land?” Guy asked.
“Not that I could find. Just that owned by Eleanor and by Chris Simmons. Also out in that area.”
“Who’s that?”
“Just give me a minute.” The sound of Graham’s keyboard was loud. “Chris Simmons, aka, JT.”
August swore. “Is there any way you can hack his computer or his cell phone? Find that little creep. I swear if Tijan is hurt, I’ll mangle that pretty boy face myself.”
“Guy, can you get into his office? You’re still at the hotel, right?”
“I’m in James office, actually. I thought there might be something we could find. I’ll head to JT’s.” There was a loud bang and then a harsh snap as Guy kicked in the door.
“Both Mary and JT are gone; might want to keep an eye on the airports, trains, buses. You know the drill, Graham. Okay, give me a few to get into his laptop.”
August swore. He’d never felt more useless in his life.
Guy piped up. “There’s a copy of the contract that Tijan signed with Mr. T. How did he get a copy?”
Graham whistled.
“So, we know that JT has a connection to Mr. T. Was he going to double-cross him? Or was he the reason that Tijan got picked up?”
August’s phone rang and he pulled it away from his ear to see who it was. He immediately answered it.
“Tijan. Where are you? Are you okay?”
Chapter 59
Tijan had no idea where she was. But it was finally getting dark and she hoped that Mr. T and his goons, who she was sure had been looking for her, had finally given up. After hiking for a ways, she found a good hiding place in the brush. Staying in a cramped, uncomfortable position under the trees had seemed like the safest thing to do. But now it was time to move. She didn’t want to stay there though, knowing that at some point they’d probably be back if they’d ever left the area. Knowing how to track lost calves in the foothills, had taught her how to stay out of sight. Avoiding the road, she now moved as quickly as she could in her awkward high heels. Taking them off hadn’t been an option in the rough terrain.
Her heel caught on something and pitched her sideways. Her hands barely stopped her head from cracking against a tree. Crouching down in a dense area, she took a minute to catch her breath. Her head was pounding as she pressed her thumbs into her temples, trying to ease the pressure.
She shifted, feeling the gun rub into her back and her cell phone dig into her thigh. She pulled it out, almost crying with relief. Since she never carried anything like that when in the mountains, it hadn’t even dawned on her to think about her phone. And she actually had two of them—hers and the one Tarin had given her.
She used hers. “August, I don’t know where I am. I’m hiding in some woods and there may be a lake near me. Can you track my GPS?”
“Are you okay? Do you think you could be out by Lake Ontario?”
“Wait—I’ll use Google Maps. Just a minute. It isn’t locating me. Do you think they can they trace my cell phone? Or the one Tarin gave me?”
“Just a minute, I’ll ask Graham.”
The sound of a vehicle passing slowing by had her scrambling deeper into the bush. Her cell jostled out of her hands. She felt around but couldn’t find it. She scrambled to a trail alongside a fence, hidden from the road by trees.
Stopping for a moment to catch her breath she pulled out the phone Tarin had given her and turned it on. Closing her eyes for a few seconds, she prayed that the bad guys wouldn’t be able to find her but the good guys would. She first opened Google maps. If her phone was right, she was somewhere near Lake Ontario.
A shiver went down her back. August had asked her that. How had he known? Just who was the good guy and who was the bad guy? Feeling very freaked out, she put away the phone and continued to move.
She skirted several houses before arriving at an open field. Though it was dusk, she was sure that someone crossing an open field would still be easily seen. Some cows were grazing in the pasture. Not always a good idea to enter an area with cows and calves, she continued along the fence line.
It seemed to take forever to get anywhere, and in truth she felt like she was going nowhere. She was so lost and exhausted. Every time she heard a noise, she’d crouch down. Too many times, the barbed wire fence snagged her clothes or her skin. Feeling every ache and pain and scratch and cut and swollen feet, she felt almost like a zombie trudging along.
When the fence line finally came out of the trees to meet the road, Tijan knew she was finished. She couldn’t go any further. She found a place just far enough back that she wouldn’t be seen but could watch the traffic and catch her breath. Leaning against a tree, she eased her shoes off. They were like suction cups glued to her feet. Grabbing the back of the shoe with both hands, she rocked her foot back and forth until she managed to ease it off. She groaned in agony as her foot immediately ballooned up. Doing the same with her other foot, she soon had her feet free. Even wiggling her toes felt like too much work.
The sounds of the night penetrated her thoughts. Frogs croaking, cows mooing every now and then, birds chirping, other sounds she was too tired to distinguish and the distant sounds of traffic all felt rather soothing to her. It almost reminded her of home.
She pulled out her other cell phone and turned it on. She needed to hear the sound of her mom’s voice.
“Hello?”
“Oh, Mom.” Something Tijan had rarely allowed herself to cry, but hearing her mom started the waterworks.
“Tijan? Honey, are you okay? Whose phone are you using?”
It took her several moments to pull herself under control. “Mom, I found Tarin. That’s why I left home. And I found my father. You didn’t tell me.”
Tijan felt like she was mumbling and not making any sense but when she heard her mom sobbing, she pressed her hand to her chest.
“Oh, Mom. I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to bring this up like that. I’ve wanted to tell you but we haven’t had a chance to really talk. But both of us are confused. How could you keep us apart?”
“Tijan?” A male voice said.
Tijan let her head drop back against the tree. Tears leaked out and found their way into her hair. “Dad.” It was more difficult for her to say than she thought it would be. He’d been her dad; that she didn’t question but she now knew her biological father, and she felt cheated at not having a choice in whether he was a part of her life.
“We’re coming out there. Where are you?”
“In the middle of nowhere.” A sob caught in he
r throat. “I don’t know. Somewhere outside of Toronto.”
“Where are you staying?”
“C-Lite Hotels. I’m in charge. Well, Tarin’s in charge but I’m pretending to be her. I hate this craziness. I miss you guys.”
“Tijan, are you okay?”
“I don’t know Mom. I’d rather be chasing chickens about now.”
“You’re not making much sense. You hate working with chickens. We’ll be on the next flight. We love you.”
“If you want to talk to her, here’s her phone number... she has questions too.”
Tijan’s arm felt weighted and she didn’t have the strength to hold it up anymore. Her hand slid down her body and fell to her lap. There was still sound coming from her phone but she couldn’t do anything about it. Her eyes closed. She couldn’t remember when she’d last eaten or drank anything... or slept. She had hit the ground hard when she’d jumped out of the car. Her body slumped sideways.
Chapter 60
August drove like a new daddy who was late to the birth of his first child. It had been ten minutes since Tijan had called, and though Graham had said he could find her from the GPS, it was now getting dark. He couldn’t see much beyond his headlights.
“Okay. You’re in the right area. It’s showing that her cell phone is there somewhere.”
August slammed on the brakes fishtailing sideways, realizing he hadn’t been listening or comprehending Graham’s voice telling him to slow down. It was only when he said she was there, that he realized he’d even been talking. He pulled onto the side of the road and jumped out.
“I’ll look around and see if I can find her. Stay on the line. My GPS is on so you should be able to find me if we get cut off.”
“Tijan. Tijan.” He started calling her name but didn’t want to be too loud in case Mr. T was still around. Saying she was in that area was a bit vague. To his left were a few hills and housing. To his right were a stretch of trees and an open field; at least that’s what it looked like when he flashed his flashlight in that direction. He chose the trees and fence, carefully making his way through the woods until he found himself at a fence. There was no sign of her in the field nor could he see anything near the fence.
