Convincing Derrick

by Sara Blackard

  She had to be strong for Eva. Kiki couldn’t fall apart, not until she got Eva and Derrick out of this.

  She clutched Eva close to her side with one arm and leaned over Derrick, rubbing her hand over his dark, shaved head. He’d lost his cowboy hat during the fight. Not that it mattered now. She winced at the goose egg where the jerk Matias had hit Derrick. Would her family ever stop hurting others?

  She knew this had something to do with her father. Why else would someone need her and her supposed family as leverage? Her hands chilled to ice. If these mercenaries realized that Eva and Derrick weren’t Kiki’s family, they’d kill them both. They had to pretend and make it convincing. But how would she get a five-year-old to play house when real-life guns were being pressed to her head?

  Kiki’s hands shook as she bent closer to Derrick and kissed right above his ear. She didn’t have to fake the tremble of her lips or the shake of her hands.

  “Babe, wake up.” She jostled his shoulder, her voice cracking as tears threatened to fall. “Please, wake up.”

  Derrick groaned and rolled onto his back. His dark brown eyes blinked open, and his forehead scrunched in confusion. Eva started crying harder and threw herself into his chest. Kiki wanted to do the same. Isn’t that what a wife or lover or whatever it was these guys thought she was would do?

  She buried her face into his neck, her shoulders shuddering in a sob before she clamped down her emotions. “I’m sorry.”

  His hand threaded through her hair and cupped the back of her head. “It’s not your fault. We’ll get us home.” His whisper barely reached her ear as he leaned his face into her hair. “Let’s see if we can get out of this van through the back door.”

  He hugged her closer before loosening his arm. Kiki didn’t want to leave the protection of his arms, her weakness making her sick. She helped him up while their captors spoke rapid Spanish to each other. Good thing her nanny taught her the language right alongside English when she was little. The men were moaning about their injuries. Matias laughed at Edgar, making fun of the fact that Kiki had bested him. Matias still held the gun, loosely pointing it toward the back of the van.

  When the airport appeared through the windshield and Matias told the driver to pull up to the airplane, Kiki’s palms slicked with sweat. If they didn’t escape now, who knew where they’d end up. Samantha and Zeke would kill her.

  Derrick sat up and pulled her into a hug. “Can you see the back door?” he whispered softly, and she answered with a small nod. “See if it’ll open. If it does, we bail out the back.”

  He adjusted his position so she was directly in front of the handle. Her heart thrashed in her throat as she reached out her hand and pulled on the handle. The door didn’t move, and she whimpered.

  “Hey, it’s okay.” Derrick squeezed her slightly. “Is there a lock?”

  She frantically searched around the handle, then the door. Why wasn’t there a lock? The van slowed, and dread pooled in her stomach. She had to do something. The side door slid open, causing her to jump.

  Matias motioned with the gun. “Out. Don’t make me shoot you.”

  She swallowed, but her mouth and throat were still so dry. She scooted out, letting Derrick keep Eva in his arms. Her heart thundered in her chest as she stared up the stairs leading to the airplane. She couldn’t let Eva and Derrick get on that jet. This plane was big enough, they could end up almost anywhere.

  She felt Derrick’s heat as he stepped up behind her. Poor Eva hiccupped as her sobs slowed. Kiki shifted so she stood between the people she loved and the man threatening them.

  “Get in the plane.” Matias’s cold, deadly eyes pierced her soul.

  “These two won’t give you any leverage with my father. He hates their existence. Why do you think we’ve kept our relationship secret?” Kiki stepped forward, pulling away from Derrick’s hand as he gripped her arm. “You could leave them locked in the van, and it’ll be hours before anyone finds them. We’ll be so far gone, no one will know where we’ve ended up.”

  Matias sneered as he stepped toe to toe with her, his rank breath hot against her face. “If you speak the truth, we will just kill them.” He looked down at her body and licked his lips before glaring back in her eyes. “Or sell them.”

  He winked, and she gasped. His smile as he grabbed her chin in a hard grip left her with no hope of changing the man’s mind. Her knees threatened to buckle underneath her, so she steeled them.

  “Your padre will be happy to see you, no?” His unkind smile didn’t match his words. “Now, get in the plane.”

  “Come on, honey.” Derrick threaded his hand through hers and pulled her toward the plane. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and whispered harshly in her ear. “What are you thinking?”

  She turned to him at the bottom of the steps and traced the back of her finger down his cheek. She should’ve left long ago, should’ve hidden far away from anywhere her family could find her. He placed his hand over hers and pressed it into his cheek.

  “Hasn’t my family hurt you guys enough? I had to try …” Kiki’s voice cracked.

  He turned his face and kissed her palm. “We’re getting out of this … together.”

  “Move.” Matias pushed Derrick’s back with a growl.

  Kiki turned and walked up the stairs. Her feet weighed so much, it surprised her she could lift them. What if they couldn’t get away? What if Eva never saw her parents again? Kiki’s breath bottled up in her chest. Would she faint and tumble down the stairs? If she did, maybe Derrick could get Eva out of here in the chaos. He wouldn’t leave Kiki, though. Not if the determined look in his eyes said anything. Kiki focused on her deep breathing she’d learned during yoga. She had to be strong so she wasn’t any more of a burden to Derrick.

  She stumbled as she stepped into the jet. She’d been in a lot of private planes, but this one surpassed every one of them in luxury. Leather recliners sat in front of a large plasma tv. A small table for eating or meetings was beyond the lounge chairs. A glass wall separated the TV area from a bedroom. Kiki’s entire body chilled at the sight of handcuffs hanging from the headboard and different cameras waiting on a long table. She slumped onto the couch closest to the door. Her dad couldn’t be involved with what that glassed bedroom suggested, could he? She shuddered as she glanced around the cabin. Opulence like this plane boasted had to cost in the hundreds of millions.

  Lord, please, please, please don’t let anything happen to Eva and Derrick. Please.

  It was futile to beg to God. Evil fed off the innocent every day. What made her think her prayers were worth hearing more than any others? In fact, her family’s sins stained so dark, they would taint generations.

  Derrick handed Eva to Kiki and sat next to her on the couch, pulling her close. Eva’s wide eyes bounced from the men coming through the door to the window. Kiki had to convince her niece it was best to lie to these men. Kiki didn’t want to contemplate what they’d do to Eva and Derrick if they found out the truth.

  Derrick stared out the window as the jet taxied down the runway. He’d screwed up again, hadn’t been prepared, and now they were flying to certain death. Sure, they might not get killed right away. Yet, he’d seen the effects of human trafficking enough during his missions with the army to know that if he didn’t find a way out of this, two people he cared about most in the world would die slow, torturous deaths that would draw out for years. He shuddered, his gaze darting to the bedroom on display in the back.

  Why? Why had he let his guard down? Eva’s sobbing ratcheted back up as the plane lurched off the runway.

  “Shut your brat up!” Matias glared at them from where he stood at the table with a phone to his ear.

  “Shh, Eva. It’s going to be all right.” Kiki held Eva tighter, rubbing her hand over Eva’s head.

  “I want my daddy,” Eva sobbed into Kiki’s neck.

  Derrick glanced at the men, tension tightening his muscles. He relaxed when it appeared the men hadn’t heard her
soft words. Edgar and the driver were laughing at the first guy Derrick had taken out. They’d laid him in the bed where he held his head, waving obscene gestures at his friends who taunted him. Matias stared out the window as he spoke on the phone.

  “Boss, we got her.” Matias, who spoke in Spanish, paused and nodded his head. “Got her family too. A daughter and her lover.”

  He flinched, moving the phone away from his ear. Derrick’s blood ran cold at the obvious upset of Matias’s boss. Derrick prayed the three of them weren’t stripped from each other right away.

  Matias rubbed the back of his neck. “Promise, boss, this is worth it. The kid looks exactly like her, just dark-skinned.”

  Derrick didn’t like the evil grin that stretched across Matias’s face. Derrick would have to keep up the charade of being weak. Kind of hard when you’re six foot four and two-hundred and twenty pounds of solid muscle, but Derrick learned real quick in the army that size didn’t equate to bravery. Some of the bravest people he knew came in smaller packages.

  He turned his attention to Kiki. Case in point. This five-foot nothing woman just threw herself to the wolves, giving them a very doable suggestion for not taking all of them. Though, it wouldn’t have taken him hours to escape the van. More like ten minutes, thirty tops. His stomach had bottomed out when she’d stepped away from him and lied to the creep. Her eyes screamed the pain and distress she felt as she’d run her soft finger down his cheek. Her family didn’t deserve to claim her as one of them. He rather liked that their captors had come to the conclusion they were a family. The thought of giving her a new name, his name, caused his skin to buzz with contentment. Maybe together they could find a way to a life healed of past mistakes and hurts.

  Matias tossed the phone onto the table and fell into a chair, clicking on a soccer game. Derrick was glad the viewing choice was appropriate for Eva, though he doubted Matias cared. Eva sobbed, and Matias glared over at them.

  “I want my mommy.” Eva’s muffled words shattered Derrick’s heart and made his hands sweat.

  He had to calm her down, or they’d all be screwed. He grabbed her from Kiki and brushed her hair away from her face. He didn’t know how Matias could say she looked just like Kiki. Eva resembled Sam almost down to the freckles, but maybe there was enough of Kiki’s brother shining through, paired with the blue eyes that matched Kiki’s, tricking someone into seeing a resemblance.

  “Eva-mine, I need you to calm down, otherwise we might be in a world of trouble.” Derrick hated having to be so blunt with her, but her safety depended on her cooperating.

  Her eyes went wide and her lips trembled as she glanced at Kiki.

  “It’s going to be okay, honey.” Kiki leaned over and kissed Eva’s cheek. “But you need to stop crying so we can figure out how to beat these bad guys.”

  Eva peeked back at Matias and turned back with a glare. She sniffed, wiped her arm across her nose, and crossed her tiny arms over her chest. That’s my girl. He almost teared up at her show of strength that was so much like her mom’s.

  He pulled them both close so he could whisper to them. The game on the screen would cover their conversation, but he didn’t want to take the chance of being overheard. He breathed in the scent of Kiki’s perfume and maple from Eva’s donut at breakfast, and the combination calmed his nerves.

  “Okay, ladies, here’s what we’re going to do.” He gave them his best scheming smile.

  As he explained that they’d have to pretend to be a family, he marveled at Eva’s willingness to try. He wasn’t sure if she could pull it off, but she’d give it her best. She laid her head on his shoulder and fell asleep. He glanced at Kiki, who stared at Eva, her eyes bright with unshed tears.

  She lifted her gaze to his, and his heart pounded in his chest. If they were pretending to be a family, they better make it believable. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Hers trembled beneath his. He wanted to take all her fears away, but that was impossible. So he wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her close.

  Fourteen

  “Mommy, we’re landing.” Eva pointed out the window and turned worried eyes to Kiki.

  Eva played her part perfectly, calling both Derrick and Kiki by parental nicknames. Kiki couldn’t imagine the turmoil her young niece was going through. Well, maybe Kiki could since she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about what kind of horrible deeds were planned for them since their abductors had grabbed them.

  “It’s going to be okay.” So stupid. Couldn’t she think of something better than that lame platitude?

  More than likely, it would not be okay. More than likely, they’d end up dead or sold into slavery. How could she keep Eva from being another statistic of sex trafficking when Kiki was so inept at pretty much everything but making money? She trembled as she stared at her hands wringing in her lap. She hadn’t been able to save Eva from Garrett when he’d tried to kidnap her, and Kiki certainly wouldn’t be able to save Eva now.

  “Hey.” Derrick’s large hand covered hers. “Be strong, sugar. We’ll get out of this, but you need to stay calm.”

  She glanced at their captors as they played cards at the conference table like they hadn’t just ruined lives. All her insides quaked. Could one die from extreme internal vibrations? She looked up at Derrick, pressing her lips together in fear she’d start blubbering incoherently. She couldn’t show Eva how scared she was, but she also couldn’t keep the fear at bay.

  “I know.” Derrick leaned his forehead on hers. “I’m scared too.”

  His calm demeanor didn’t show it. She gripped his fingers in her hands. He must think she was completely pathetic. The airplane slowed, pulling Kiki’s insides to her spine. Eva whimpered. Was her fascination with the window overshadowed by the unknown of what was to come next?

  “Come here. I’ve got you.” Kiki dragged Eva onto her lap.

  Her niece wrapped her legs and arms around Kiki like a spider monkey. Derrick rubbed Eva’s back with one hand and secured Kiki to his side with the other. The plane lurched as it contacted the ground, and Kiki’s pulse thundered in her ears. She didn’t want to get off of the plane.

  Couldn’t Derrick beat up the bad guys and steal the jet? He was a pilot. She peeked up at him. A muscle clenched in his cheek as his gaze darted from one guy to the other. Her heart kicked into overdrive at the hope of escaping. Was he thinking the same thing, figuring out a way to get them out of here? He sagged back into the couch and pulled her closer. Guess not. She squeezed her eyes shut to keep the stinging tears at bay.

  She sniffed and straightened her spine. There’d be other opportunities to get free. She had a stinking special ops soldier by her side, for Pete’s sake. He’d get them out of this, and she’d be ready to act when he said go.

  When the plane came to a halt, Edgar walked up to them and motioned with his gun. “Let’s go. Vamanos.”

  Derrick stood and helped Kiki stand, placing himself between her and the gun. He gave her a small smile and then, with his hand on her lower back, ushered them toward the door. The door popped as the pilot unlocked it and pushed it open.

  “Welcome to Columbia.” He chuckled, a cruel sound that had Kiki gulping.

  The hot, thick air hit her like she’d just entered the sauna at the local spa. Eva clung tighter to Kiki, making her chest and stomach even stickier in the heat. Sweat pooled between them and ran down her stomach. She watched the steps, worried she’d trip and hurt Eva as she carried her from the plane.

  “I hate the rainforest,” Derrick muttered behind her.

  Kiki stopped a few feet from the stairs, ignoring the men that leered at them, whispering and elbowing each other. Buildings made of cinder blocks and rusty roofing clustered past the runway, leading like a cheerless trail to an opulent beach house nestled in the jungle just past a pristine beach. A giant yacht bobbed at a dock seemingly too small to hold the large vessel.

  The house wasn’t huge, not even as big as their place back at the ranch, but the co
ntrast between the cinder block structures was so sharp, Kiki swallowed in disgust. What kind of person lived in a house as beautiful as that, yet made their lackeys live in squalor? Or were the cinder block buildings for something else? She shivered despite the stifling heat.

  What looked like a roof to a large building peeked out of the jungle behind the cluster of buildings. Handfuls of men meandered or loitered here and there. Only the group by the plane gave the new arrivals any notice. Just how often did this place get fresh captives?

  “Take them to the row.” Matias’s quick Spanish was hard for her to follow as he motioned to Edgar. “I’m going to see the boss.”

  The stench of unwashed bodies and rotting vegetation wafted over her as she followed Edgar past the men still ogling. She stifled the urge to hold her nose. Instead, she leaned her head closer to Eva’s, inhaling her sweet scent. Derrick stepped up next to her and wrapped his arm around her lower back. The action gave her the strength to walk tall and not react when the men whistled and bantered between themselves.

  They followed Edgar to a long, single story building with at least eight rusty red doors interrupting the gray face like an old-time motel. This structure wasn’t inviting, though. It exuded foreboding, like if they stepped through a doorway, they’d never come back out. As they got closer, more insidious details separated from the dreary facade. Large padlocks hung from each entryway, and what looked like a long window covering with a handle on it graced each door at the bottom. It was the perfect size to pass a tray of food inside like they did in some prisons.

  Kiki’s muscles weakened, and she adjusted her grip on Eva. Could Derrick knock out Edgar so they could dash into the jungle and escape? She turned her head to whisper to Derrick when a man stepped out of the shadows of the building, a machine gun held loosely in his hands as his gaze bounced between Kiki and Derrick. He shifted the toothpick held in his mouth from one side to the other. His eyes weren’t hard like the other men there, more assessing with a slight look of surprise when his gaze settled on Derrick.