Seduced by a Billionaire (The Carolina Series Book 1)

by Jill Downey

  “You’re up, Finn.”

  He sat on the stool chattering away with the cute girl wielding the face paint, sitting patiently while she worked her magic. She finally stepped back and grabbed a mirror so Finn could see the transformation. Clapping his hands with glee he said, “Thanks, wait til my dad sees me! He will be shocked.”

  “Great job! Thanks,” Ella handed her a very generous donation and they followed in the direction Kyle had been heading.

  “Ella!” She turned toward the familiar voice calling out her name.

  “Artie! I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Not staying long. Too many people for me and Ralph. Where have ya been? I was beginning to wonder if you were dead.”

  “Paddle boarding has kind of been put on the back burner lately, but I’ll be out soon.” Finn was petting old Ralph whose tail wagged slow but steady.

  Kyle appeared and Ella made the introductions. “This is my old friend Artie, a real pirate.”

  “I live on my boat; I’m hardly a pirate, but I am the son of a sailor.” he said shaking Kyle’s hand.

  Ella thought she caught a glimpse of Lindsey in the crowd, “Hey Kyle isn’t that Lindsey over there?”

  “Where?” he looked to where Ella was pointing but if she had been there, she’d been sucked up by the throngs of people.

  “It might not have been her, but a strong resemblance anyway.”

  “Nice to meet you Kyle, I think I know now why I haven’t seen Ella out on the water lately. You’re one lucky man.”

  Kyle slipped his arm around Ella’s waist. “Don’t I know it.”

  “Hope to see you around.”

  “Count on it,” Kyle said.

  “Bye Ralph,” Finn said ruffling the dog’s head.

  34

  Ella had picked up a festival pamphlet with the activities and booths listed. “Finn it says here that they have a bounce house. Would you be interested in trying that?”

  “Yes! For sure. That girl that painted my face told me about it.”

  “According to this map it’s back by the club.”

  “Come on let’s go!” Finn tugged at their hands, pulling them both along.

  “We’re coming.”

  Kyle bought the ticket and watched as Finn disappeared into the gigantic inflatable room. He could see Finn tentatively jump up and down. After a few minutes he was leaping into the air and flopping around like a rag doll. He had already made a friend and they were laughing and bouncing together.

  He put his arm around Ella and held her tightly against his side. “Back to our earlier conversation, was that just an obligatory response to my declaration?”

  Suddenly feeling bashful she couldn’t meet his intense gaze. “No, I was planning on talking to you tonight when we got home.”

  He faced her, tucking her hair behind one ear, “You were? What were you planning to talk about?”

  “Us.”

  “What about us?”

  “You know, stuff.”

  “Can you elaborate?”

  “Like where do you see this going? Where do I fit in?”

  “If you’ll remember, I promised not to pressure you about moving in, but the offer still stands.”

  “It does?”

  “Yes. I want it more than anything Ella. You, me, Finn, Lucy, Charlie, Daisy.”

  “Don’t forget about Cyrus and Miley.”

  “Didn’t I tell you? I flushed them.”

  Her mouth hung open until she realized he was teasing then she said, “You’re such a brat!”

  “And you’re still the most exquisite creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  He glanced at his watch again, “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  “Let’s grab Finn and get a bite to eat from one of the food trucks.”

  Kyle scanned the kids bouncing around and didn’t see Finn among them. “I’ve lost sight of him, let me poke my head in.”

  Kyle left Ella and approached the enormous bouncy house. Though he called out Finn’s name several times there was so much screeching, laughter and screaming that he didn’t have much hope of being heard over the clamor.

  He still didn’t see Finn anywhere, so he returned to Ella thinking maybe he’d found his way back on his own. “I don’t see him in there. Want to double check for me?” he said, his jaw tight.

  “Sure, I’ll be right back. Don’t worry I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. Maybe he went off with his new friend.” She squeezed his arm.

  “I told him he had to stay with us.”

  She rolled her eyes, “He’s a kid.”

  Ella looked in through the clear plastic windows. No Finn. She walked around the whole perimeter, becoming increasingly anxious. “Finn! Finn!” she called out.

  She returned to Kyle’s side. The color had drained out of his face and he was holding a piece of paper.

  “What? Kyle what is it?”

  He thrust the note toward her and with dread she took it from him and read.

  We have your son. Do not call the police. Do not notify the authorities or you will never see him again. Go home and wait for instructions. Don’t do anything stupid.

  Ella paled and said, “Oh my God! Where did this come from?”

  “A kid riding a skateboard handed it to me and took off.”

  “We have to notify the police.”

  “No!” Kyle said sharply. “You read the note!”

  “But...”

  He held up his hand, “Stop talking, I’ve got to think.”

  Ella felt like she’d been slapped, but she knew Kyle was beside himself right now. “Kyle listen to me, time is of essence, they couldn’t have gotten very far. He was only out of our sight for a minute!”

  Raking his hands through his hair he said, “Ella just shut up, give me a minute, will you?”

  Her eyes welled up, but she knew this wasn’t the time to collapse into emotion. She had to keep a clear head for Kyle but more importantly for Finn. Finn! Oh my God please no! Let him be all right. Please let him walk up laughing and sharing a funny story.

  But he never came.

  Ella’s legs felt wooden as they ran to the jeep. Her heart was racing, and she felt bile rising up in her throat. Kyle seemed to be an island unto himself, isolated...alone. It hurt that he was shutting her out, but this wasn’t about her. Ella hopped into the driver’s seat and Kyle climbed in, robotically fastening his seat belt.

  Kyle hunched forward and buried his face in his hands. My fault, I put myself before my son, I shouldn’t have been distracted… He couldn’t even comprehend what was happening. As if from a long distance away, he heard Ella talking but he couldn’t understand what she was saying to him. It felt like he was living in a nightmare…his worst nightmare, but unfortunately, he was wide awake.

  35

  When they arrived home, Kyle contacted Dave Adams, a retired navy seal and the head of his personal security team, who immediately sprang into action. He made it there in record time and they gathered in Kyle’s office, waiting to hear from the kidnappers. Richard Drake, who had also been filled in, was doing his part to help, entering the war-room with a pot of coffee and mugs.

  One look at Kyle’s anguished face had told him all he needed to know. Richard asked, “Would you like me to stay sir?” Kyle just nodded his head yes.

  Kyle drug his hands across his haggard face. “Should I call my father for help? He’s still in town on business. He may have some connections that I don’t.”

  Dave said, “Yes, I think that’s a good idea.”

  Richard offered to make the call and Kyle accepted gratefully, “Yes, thanks Rich.”

  Ella sat quietly, available if needed, but unwilling to insert herself again unless asked. Richard stepped out for a moment to make the call to James Bennett.

  “Ella, I want you to think about the last several weeks. Has anything unusual happened, anything out of place, even if you think its unrelated or insignificant,” Dav
e asked.

  “No, nothing that I can think of. There have been lots of changes lately. I’m sure as head of security, you’re aware that I’d been living here until two weeks ago, as a temporary nanny and Kyle’s nurse. I was with Finn a lot. We had some outings but mostly hung out around here after he got home from school.”

  “Any unexpected visitors?”

  “The only visitors I saw were Kyle’s law partner Pete, his sister Faye, and a childhood friend Charlene. I never entertained any guests here myself.”

  “Kyle this could be about your father’s development. You’ve got people vehemently opposed to it. The construction site has been sabotaged repeatedly, who’s to say they haven’t decided to escalate?” Dave said.

  “I’d thought of that, the only problem I see with that theory is that as far as they’re concerned, they’ve won. We’ve halted all construction. Pulled the foreman off the job and he’s been reassigned. I just don’t see it.”

  “What about the anthrax scare? That was pretty sinister.”

  “Yes, and we still don’t have any answers,” Kyle said.

  Ella’s forehead creased, her palms sweaty with nerves with what she was about to say, “I hate to bring this up, really I do, but I’ve been getting a really bad vibe from your partner Pete. He seems so angry and bitter. I know you’ll probably hate me for saying this, but has anyone checked out his alibi for the vandalism and anthrax prank?” She bit her lip waiting for Kyle to blow up at her.

  When he didn’t, she continued, “While you were laid up, he certainly had opportunity, not sure about motive though.”

  “He has been more of an asshole than usual, but this? I don’t believe it,” Kyle said.

  “But he was there today… at the festival.”

  “So were a million other people.”

  They all seemed to be at an impasse. Nothing made any sense.

  “Kyle, Pete was at the helm while you were recovering from your accident. Could he be in some kind of trouble…trying to cover up something else?” Dave said, warming to the idea. “Does he have money problems? Gambling addictions?”

  “He likes to gamble but I wouldn’t classify it as an addiction.”

  “Maybe I’m barking up the wrong tree, but he’d be one of the first people I’d look at,” Ella said.

  Dave took notes; looking up he added, “We have to consider him, Kyle. Ella, I asked for you to mention anything that you thought could be significant. Don’t feel bad for speaking up. It’s important that we all think outside of the box. The sooner we find our suspect the better.”

  Ella now on a roll said, “And another thing, did anyone ever check to see if there was more to your accident? I know the other driver ran a stop sign but wouldn’t you have had time to stop? I mean you had to be going pretty fast. You told me the cops said that there were no signs of skid marks at the scene. Did anyone do forensics on your car?”

  “Not to my knowledge. Dave?”

  “No. It seemed straight forward. In hindsight with everything that has been happening with your firm we should have insisted.”

  A vague memory was niggling the back of Kyle’s brain, a dream he’d had several times since the accident…one where he put his foot on the brakes, and they went straight to the floor. Was it only a dream or was it is subconscious trying to tell him something?

  Dave had been clicking away on his computer and suddenly said, “Shit!”

  “What?” Kyle said.

  “Looks like your partner is in debt up to his eyeballs. That would be motive.”

  “Like how much in debt?” Kyle asked.

  “To the tune of a three and a half million. His house is in foreclosure…I’d say that moves him up a few notches. I think it’s worth checking him out. I’ll send one of my men over to his house and pay him a surprise visit. If there is something to find out, Chaz will get it out of him. Meanwhile we sit tight and brainstorm some more.”

  36

  Ella wanted to climb out of her skin and volunteered to check on the puppies who were in an outdoor round pen set up in the back yard. Anything to keep busy.

  “I’ll be right back,” she told Kyle.

  When she saw Charlie, she burst into tears. All she could think about was Finn’s little face, his grin showing two missing front teeth, his joy when he finally got his wish and brought home his puppy. Something nagged the back of her brain, but she just couldn’t access it. It had something to do with Charlie.

  Kyle’s phone signaled that a text message had been delivered and he quickly swiped the screen as he and Dave bent over to read it.

  TEXT: Five Million deposited in an offshore account by noon tomorrow. Instructions to follow.

  Reply: AGREED

  “What should I do?” Kyle asked Dave.

  “Tell them that you need to see proof that they have your son.”

  KYLE: I need to see that my son is safe. Send a photo.

  TEXT: I call the shots asshole.

  KYLE: You want the money or not?

  An image of Finn with his face paint came through Kyle’s phone, he choked back a sob. “That’s him… today…he had his face painted like a dog at the festival right before he disappeared.”

  “Okay that’s good news. He’s alive. Now we just have to get him back. Text him that you agree with the five million.”

  KYLE: AGREED, where?

  TEXT: Instructions to follow. Remember no police or you won’t see your son again.

  KYLE: Agreed

  Kyle’s heart was pounding out of his chest. He was sweating and felt like he was going to suffocate. He couldn’t catch his breath. He wasn’t stupid…he knew the odds weren’t in Finn’s favor. The chances of them figuring this out or the kidnappers returning his son were slim to none. Hopelessness was settling in, but he knew he had to fight it. Now was not the time to give up.

  When Ella returned her nose was red from crying and that managed to penetrate through Kyle’s protective armor.

  He went to her, pulling her into his arms, holding her close. “I’m sorry I snapped at you Ella. It’s just that the guilt is eating me alive. If I hadn’t been distracted by us, this never would have happened. I’m a shitty father and I’m a shitty human in general. You deserve better than me. Please forgive me.”

  “Nothing to forgive. This is a nightmare. We’re all doing the best we can under the circumstances. Have you heard anything from them yet?”

  “Yes.” He showed her the messages saving the photo for last. Seeing that photograph ripped her wide open. Ella shuddered and squeezed Kyle tightly while soaking his tee-shirt with fresh tears.

  Kyle handed Ella a Kleenex. After drying her eyes, she blew her nose, “Now what?”

  “We wait for instructions or for a miracle, whichever comes first,” Dave said.

  37

  Pete had consumed a few too many martinis, followed by wine at dinner. He was feeling quite drunk. He and Andrea had fought on the ride home and she had dumped him off at his door. Fuck her! There were plenty of beautiful women that wanted him. Her loss.

  The knock at his door startled him. Good, she was coming back to apologize. He’d make her grovel then he’d fuck her brains out. He was horny as hell.

  “I’m glad you came ba…who the hell are you?”

  The beefy guy pushed his way inside and shut the door behind him.

  “What the hell?’

  “Have a seat.”

  “This is my house, who do you…hey!” Pete yelled out when he was shoved into a chair.

  “Here are the rules. I ask the questions you supply the answers. Got it?”

  Pete paled as fear crossed his face, “I don’t have to answer anything.”

  “You don’t have to do anything but trust me you don’t want to find out what happens if you don’t cooperate.”

  “Who the hell sent you?”

  Chaz enjoyed his role of a cat playing with a mouse. “Guess.”

  “I told Frank I’d have the money by Tuesday.”
>
  His eyebrows rose; Chaz continued to fish. “And where’s this money going to come from?”

  “I have my ways.”

  “Frank needs a little more detail than that.”

  “I can’t give it to him.”

  Chaz got in his face and bunched Pete’s collar in his fist, “You want to keep that pretty face perfect don’t ya?”

  Pete squeezed his eyes shut, “Don’t hit me.”

  “Where is he?”

  That got Peter’s attention and he opened his eyes, “Who?’

  “Don’t fuck around, I’m only going to ask nicely one more time… what did you do with the kid?”

  “I don’t fucking know what you’re talking about I swear, don’t hit me!” He cringed as Chaz raised his fist.

  “Let’s try this again, how are you going to come up with enough money to pay Frank—what do ya owe him now anyway?”

  “I was able to borrow again from my firm. I’ll have it by Tuesday, I’ve got collateral.”

  A vein popped out in Chaz’s neck. He wanted to kill the sniveling wimp in front of him, but he wouldn’t be good to anyone dead. “Collateral huh? What’s this collateral you’re talking about?” As he said this, he put the heel of his boot on top of Pete’s bare foot and ground in.

  “Ow! Please, okay, I’ll tell you.” Chaz didn’t let up on his foot, but he didn’t increase his pressure either.

  “You were saying?”

  “Our firm is representing my partner’s father James Bennett on his latest development. There are some very powerful people who want to see that it never happens. I was promised a hefty sum of money to make sure the project was halted. I succeeded and now I’m going to collect.”

  “What’s the collateral?”

  “A very large insurance check that the Bennetts aren’t aware of for the equipment destroyed by vandals. Since I’m a partner in the firm and the son has been laid up, I’ve been overseeing this case. When the cat’s away…”