She giggled against his neck. “Negotiating room?”
“Yeah, where each of us has to give and take in the negotiation.”
He carried her to the bedroom and set her down. “Now, down to some serious business.”
She held out her arms and he followed her onto the mattress.
The next morning, after a rather spirited debate, Bailey marched to her truck, her keys clasped in her hand.
“You call me if you see or hear from that bastard,” Levi said as he followed her to the truck.
“I’ll be fine.” She kissed him. “You go spend time with your mother. She misses you.”
“Okay, but you and I have dinner plans. Just us. No family. Got it?”
She smiled and kissed him. “I scheduled a light day so I could go see Cherry for the afternoon. I’ll see you at the house by five. Okay?”
“Five, it is.” He kissed her. “Don’t let it scare you, but I love you.”
“I love you too, Dutch.”
He laughed. It was the first time she’d used his nickname, but she kind of liked it.
As she pulled from the drive, she felt like she was being watched, because she was. Levi stood in the driveway, no shirt, no shoes, and wearing only a pair of cargo shorts. She knew for a fact there was no underwear under those shorts. And honestly, he was only wearing shorts because she wouldn’t let him follow her outside wearing nothing but a smile.
The man had no modesty.
For good reason. Damn! He was too good to be true.
She drove to work, singing along with the radio. Last night had not been about sex. It’d been about making love. Saying more with their touches and kisses than mere words could. She flipped down the visor to look in the mirror. Yep. She wore a stupid grin. She couldn’t help it. She was happy.
Their future was uncertain. She knew that. Love now didn’t mean love next year. They would be living in different parts of the country. Who knew what would happen? But today? Right now? She was so high, her butt didn’t touch the truck’s fake leather seat.
She was singing along with Faith Hill as she turned into the rear parking lot of the clinic. As usual, she was the first one here, but it was only a little after six. The quiet time before everyone arrived was one of her favorites.
She leaned over to retrieve her purse from the floor in front of the passenger seat. A tap at her window startled her and she sat up with a grin. Worrywart Levi had followed her to make sure she got to work.
When she turned toward the window, her smile fell from her face. Her heart leapt into her throat. Her stomach pitched to her knees. But she refused to be intimidated by anyone.
She flung open her door. “What the hell do you want?”
The needle jab was quick like a snake bite. Her eyes blurred as her head rolled back on her shoulders.
And then, her world crashed around her.
Chapter 16
Levi whistled as he and his mom cleaned out the garden area for her summer planting.
“You’re in a good mood,” she observed. “It can’t be because you were called back early from your leave.” She tipped her head to the side. “Something tells me it’s all about a woman.”
“You’re being nosy.”
“Yes…yes, I am,” she said with a smile. “I haven’t gotten to play mom to you in quite a while.” She tossed a clod of dirt at him. “Spill.”
Instead, Levi said, “I talked to Doug the other day.”
“I know. Macy told me.”
“Yeah? What happened?”
“Apparently, someone, and I’m putting my money on Bailey Brown, finally made you understand about marriage proposals. Your talk with Doug had him hot-footing it over to Macy’s house last night and refusing to leave until she heard him out.”
He smiled. “Good. Doug’s a good guy. I think he really loves her, and honestly, she could do a lot worse.”
“Levi Van der Hayden! That’s your sister you’re talking about. And, well, yeah. She could do worse.”
With a laugh, he chucked a clod of dirt her way. “So, what happened? And how do you know he went over there last night? Sometimes, I wonder if you should have been a spy.”
“Every mother is a spy,” she said. “Didn’t you know?”
He snorted.
“Anyway, she called me at close to midnight last night.” Her face brightened with a wide smile. “They’re getting married.”
“That’s great.” He grinned at his mother and flexed his muscles, but he was thrilled for Doug and Macy. They should be together. Couples who loved each other should be together. A pit bore into his gut with that thought. Was walking away from Bailey a mistake? He jostled the thought from his head and asked, “Do they know when?”
“There’s a three-day waiting period for the license, which I think they might be applying for today. So maybe this week? Next weekend? Doug is determined to marry her before that baby comes.”
“Damn. I hate that I’ll miss it.”
“Can’t you ask to stay for it?”
He shook his head. “I wish, but no. We’ve got a couple of new guys starting on the team, so we’ve got some heavy training ahead. I’ll get by to see them before I leave.”
“So, that only leaves you.”
His gaze rolled over to his mother. “Only leaves me what?”
She batted her eyelashes. “Why, the only one I need to marry off.”
He pointed the shovel in her direction. “You keep your grubby hands off my love life.”
Her responding laugh was so gay, he had to laugh.
They took a break at nine and headed into the house for coffee and some of his mother’s coffee cake. His cell was buzzy and jumping across the table like a bee between flowers. His first thought was that something had happened with the team. He grabbed his phone and saw that he’d missed eight calls and had six voice messages.
8:15 a.m. Levi. This is Molly Longley, Mark’s sister. I work with Bailey. Her truck is in the parking lot, but she’s not here. Probably nothing to worry about. She might have caught a ride to the hospital or something, but thought I’d check.
8:30 a.m. Hi Levi. It’s Molly again. Patients are here, and I can’t find Bailey. Do you know where she is? I left a message for her on her phone.
8:45 a.m. Levi. Molly. Where is she? She’s not answering her phone.
8:50 a.m. It’s Molly. I’m getting worried. Now you aren’t calling me back. What’s going on?
8:55 a.m. I’ve called the hospital, and no one has seen her up there. Same with the coffee shop. Call me. Should I call the police?
9:00 a.m. Since you haven’t called, I decided to call the police. Call me.
“Goddammit,” he muttered and called Molly back.
“What’s wrong, honey?” his mother asked.
He waved off her question as Molly answered, “Homer Medical Clinic.”
“Molly. It’s Levi. Did Bailey show up?”
“No,” she whispered into the phone. “The waiting room is full, as are all the exam rooms, but Bailey is nowhere to be found.”
“Did you call the police?”
“No. I just said that so you’d call. I thought maybe you two, well, you know, slept in and she’d left her truck here last night for some reason.”
“We didn’t, and she didn’t. I’m calling Chief Donahue and then I’m on my way there.”
As he phoned the chief of police, he washed the best he could in the kitchen sink and dried his hands on the small towel his mother handed him. He’d told her about Curtis one morning this week, but she’d agreed with Bailey that he was probably long gone. Now, her face was etched with worry.
“We’ll find her,” she said. “How can I help?”
“Get the plane ready in case I need to take to the air to look.”
She nodded. “Good idea. I’ll call your dad home. He can help, too.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He hugged her. “I love her.”
“I know, honey.” She caught his face b
etween her hands. “I could see it on your face whenever you look at her or even mention her name. Now, go find your woman. Dad and I are here if you need us.”
His drive to Homer and Bailey’s clinic didn’t take long because he ignored any mention of a speed limit. His tires threw up dirt as he wheeled into the rear lot. He heart slammed against his ribs when he saw Bailey’s truck.
Chief Donahue was parked beside the truck with the passenger door open. “Her keys are in the ignition,” he said as a way of greeting. “No purse. No personal papers.”
“What about a bag in the backseat? One with clothes?”
Donahue shook his head. “Nope.”
Levi slapped the side of the truck with a loud bang. “He’s got her. I know it.”
“I’d love to argue with you, but you might be right. She’s only been in town a couple of months, but the staff says she’s always the first one in the door every morning.”
“You talk to Mrs. Ellis yet?”
“I called her. I didn’t want to alarm her, but I thought maybe she was ill, and Bailey was there. She’s fine and hadn’t seen Bailey since late yesterday afternoon.” He eyed Levi. “You two have a fight? Disagreement? Some type of falling out that might have upset her enough that she ran away?”
Levi frowned. “Fuck, no. I’d never—”
“I know, son. But I had to ask.”
“Now what?”
“I’ll put out a BOLO on that truck he was driving.”
“That’s not enough.”
“Alaska is a big place. There’s a lot of places he could hide. Having my guys on the lookout is the first step. I’ll reach out to the other police departments and sheriffs’ stations along Sterling Highway. If he’s driving, that’s his only route.”
“And if he had a boat? A plane? Then what?”
“I’ll put out the alert, but who knows how long of a head start they have. It’ll take a while, but I can probably get an Alaskan State Police copter in on the search. We’re a small department, but I’ll make some calls.”
Levi looked at his watch. “I’d say he has about a three-and-a-half-hour head start or so. She left me at close to six.”
Donahue nodded. “Fits with what the staff reported. Okay, let me get some balls rolling.”
“I’m going up. Want to come with me?”
“Give me fifteen to make those calls, then yep. I’ll fly with you.”
Donahue made his calls from Levi’s truck as he drove back to his parents’ house. He’d already lost too much time. He knew Donahue was right. There were a ton of small roads Madden could have taken, but Levi’s advantage was that he was a native. Madden didn’t know the state. He would stick to the main roads.
The biggest question in Levi’s mind was, would Curtis head to Steward or would he keep going up to Anchorage?
Chapter 17
The drug was supposed to knock her out for four hours. Curtis checked his watch. She’d been out for around three hours. Fine with him. She was breathing, and her heart was beating. That’s all he needed.
They were still a couple of hours outside of Anchorage. Pastor Black wouldn’t land until close to two-thirty, so that gave him time to get Bailey prepared for her wedding.
His heart was light, as was his mood. Bailey was everything his mother told him he needed in a wife. Beautiful. Rich. Politically connected. Texan. Check. Check. Check. And check.
It was unfortunate that his family had hit a little financial rough patch, but Bailey’s family would put that all to rights. Everyone would prosper from their union.
His family would regain their financial footing with Bailey’s money and her family’s influence.
The church would get their rightful ten percent of her thirty-two million dollars and grow larger, which was as God wanted.
Pastor Black would get to retire from the daily grind of running a church and do his good works in places like the Bahamas that needed to hear The Word.
His seed would fill Bailey’s belly with children who would serve him and help spread The Word. Golfers needed to hear about God, too, right? They’d have homes in Hawaii and Colorado and Texas. They’d travel in their own private jet…them and their growing family.
Bailey would see the wisdom of his vision for their future. It would be glorious.
He kept an eye on her as he drove. He had another injection should she wake before they reached the condo he’d rented through an online vacation rental site, but he’d already given her two. The first one knocked her out fast, but not long. The second he gave in her vein, so it was longer acting. He could do both again, but he’d rather not. The Rohypnol was all he would need, or at least that’s what he hoped.
He pulled into a gas station to fill his tank while she slept. Once she woke, she’d probably be a little upset with him, but she’d get over it. At the station, he picked up a couple of bottles of water and a six-pack of beer. Back on the road, he cracked the top on one of the brews and saluted himself for a job well done.
As the scenery flew past, he could understand why she’d come here. Alaska was quite wild and untamed, like his little woman. He chuckled at the thought. Maybe once they were married, they’d have a place up here, too, somewhere they could vacation and visit the site of their union. He was sure their children would love to see where their folks had married. Yes, that sounded like a great idea.
He sang “I’m Getting Married in The Morning”, except he changed the words to “this afternoon”. His life was back on track, and it was about fucking time.
Bailey kept her eyes shut and tried not to let her breathing change, her body shift positions, or do anything that might alert Curtis to the fact the drug was wearing off. Her body screamed from muscles being frozen in the same position for hours. She didn’t know where they were, or where they were going, but she was sure her best chance was to continue playing dead until an opportunity for escape presented itself.
Had anyone even noticed yet that she was missing? Why had she been so stupid as to insist to drive herself this morning? For all she knew, Levi driving her to work every day had been the only thing that’d kept this abduction from happening before today.
Curtis had obviously gone around the bend mentally. If he thought she was going to marry him, well, he had another think coming. She couldn’t be forced into a wedding, and she had to be conscious enough to say the vows. No one would marry a couple where one participant was unwilling or so out of it she didn’t know what was going on.
A cell phone rang. Her personal phone in her purse. She wondered how many times it’d rung since he’d taken her. Then another phone rang, but she didn’t recognize the ringtone. When he pulled to the side of the road to take the call, she tightened her muscles ready to make a run for freedom, no matter where she was. However, with the first flex of her hands, she realized they were tied, as were her feet.
Curtis said, “Hello, Pastor Black. How is the trip going?”
In the silence as Curtis listened to the person on the other end of the phone, her heart raced. His church preacher was on the line? Why? And what trip?
“That’s great, sir. God’s plan is a good plan. Everything here is perfect. What?” Pause. “Oh, yes. Bailey was surprised to see me, but thrilled, too.” Pause and a chuckle. “Yes, sir. We will do good works with our new infusion of funds.” Pause. “She’s anxious to get married as quickly as you arrive.” A quiet laugh.
Chills ran down her spine. For the first time, his laugh sounded evil, almost possessed.
“No, sir. We don’t have to marry at the airport. I have the perfect place picked out.” Pause. “That sounds wonderful. I’ll pick you up at two-thirty.”
He clicked off the phone and hummed the wedding march. It was all Bailey could do not to claw his eyes out.
“Sorry, darling,” he said. “I hated using the ropes for this, but we need to talk, and I knew you’d be unreasonable. Ropes were the only way I knew to keep still while I explain what is going to happen today. An
d don’t continue pretending to be asleep. The drug I gave you doesn’t last that long. Your breathing has changed, so stop the opossum act.”
She opened her eyes and glared at him. “I’m going to kill you.”
He laughed. “No, you’re not. You know you love me and want this as much as I do. Your parents have filled your brain with all kinds of nonsense. But we belong together. You know it, and I know it. I’ve gone to a lot of trouble and expense to bring us back together. You should appreciate all I’ve done.”
“Exactly what have you done? You’ve beat me, kidnapped me, drugged me, and now you have me bound with rope. What part of that should I be appreciating?”
He chuckled. “You are being sooo dramatic, just like your parents.” He patted her shoulder. “I hope our children are more like my side of the family.”
“Curtis, untie me. Let me out here. It doesn’t matter where we are. Just let me out. I won’t tell anyone. You can run.”
“Why would I want to run? We’re getting married this afternoon. I have the license. I’ve got your dress hanging in the bedroom ready for you to put on. I even flew in Pastor Black to perform the ceremony.”
“And when I refuse to put on a wedding dress, then what? And I’ll tell your stupid, asshole preacher that I’m not marrying you, then what?”
His answer was a brutal slap to her face. “Do not use such foul language about a holy man. Once we’re married, you’ll learn to watch your words.” He stroked her hair lovingly. “You’ll be a loving wife and mother. You’ll never again have to leave the house for work. Your life will be devoted to your family—and the church, of course.”
“Curtis, are you listening to yourself? This is crazy.”
He roughly slammed her head against the passenger side door window. White lights filled her blurry vision. Pain ricocheted through her brain.
“You’re not listening, darling. I have our lives together planned out. It’s going to be wonderful.”
Hot SEAL, Alaskan Nights (SEALs in Paradise) Page 14