“Are you okay, Monica?” she asked keeping her voice low. The man who’d kidnapped them was nowhere to be seen and she didn’t want to alert him to the fact that she was awake. A priority was to wake the other girls and have them be alert enough in order to plan a way out, or fight their abductor off if need be.
“I am,” Monica stated groggily. “How’s Fiona?” she asked looking at Fiona’s form crumpled on the floor a few feet away. When she didn’t see movement, a cold fear swept through her.
“I’m awake,” murmured the third woman who shifted and then began to try to sit up.
Monica tried not to cry. “Girls, I’m so sorry. This man, the one who kidnapped us, he is the same man who raped me when I was seventeen. I never reported the rape. It seems he has found me and that’s why he kidnapped you.”
“Don’t go there. Remember we are survivors and we will survive this,” Fiona muttered harshly. She was also testing the ropes tying her arms. They were tight. “Can any of you get loose?”
“I think I can,” said Julie. She pulled on the bands of rope as hard as she could and felt them give a little. “I think I can . . . slip . . . my hand out.” She pulled one more time and like magic one of her hands slipped free. It took a couple more shakes to get the coiled rope off from her other wrist. “Thank God for dainty wrists,” she murmured, scooting closer to Monica.
She shifted her position, got behind Monica, and began to work the knots on the rope fastening her wrists.
“Wait. I hear something,” Fiona hushed and Julie stilled.
“Maybe we should pretend to be asleep and he’ll go away,” Monica suggested.
“But I haven’t finished untying you yet?” Julie whispered, worried that her friends were still tied up. But the noises were getting louder and someone was clearly approaching.
“If you get a chance to get away, Julie, take it,” Fiona whispered fiercely. “Then send for help.”
“I’m not leaving you. Ever. Again,” Julie murmured as loud steps could be heard. Someone was climbing stairs.
“Get out if you get a chance,” Fiona stated as she lie back down and closed her eyes feigning sleep. “I understand why you did what you did in the jungle, Julie. I forgive you. I really do. But this time, if you can get out. It’s okay. I know you’ll send help. I trust you.”
“No,” she whispered back quietly. She mouthed the next words more so for herself than anyone else. “I’m. Not. Leaving. You.” She saw the door begin to open.
Both Julie and Monica resumed their positions on the filthy floor and shut their eyes. The only hope they had left, it seemed, was the element of surprise.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
It had gone off without a hitch. The girls hadn’t even stirred when he’d taken them out of his small motorboat. He’d parked the van in a way that he’d been able to carry the girls into the boat wrapped in tablecloths without any worry of being seen. At the fish camp, he didn’t need to worry. No one was in sight.
Once he had them locked away in one of the two rooms of the fish camp, he went to cover the boat in old nets that had been in the cabin when he found it. Anyone within sight distance wouldn’t even see the boat hidden beneath the old cabin on stilts.
But now it was time for some fun. And the pretty one with the long hair was going to be first.
“Hello, girls,” he chirped happily. He saw the three bodies prone on the floor and hoped he hadn’t given them too much chloroform. But when he heard Fiona groan softly he knew everything was okay.
“Perfect,” he murmured. “You were going to be first anyway.”
Monica sat up. She couldn’t let him hurt her friends. Her hands were still tied behind her back. The rope felt looser but Julie hadn’t had time to finish. “Leave them alone. You came for me.” It came off as a challenge.
“I know. I came for you,” Burt laughed evilly at the woman who had made him this way. “And I’m glad you’re awake to watch. Because I want you to see the monster you created.”
“You always were a monster, Burt. Don’t blame me for that.”
Monica was trying to distract him. Anything to buy them time, but he was ignoring her and still heading in Fiona’s direction. He stood over her and began to reach for her legs. She tried to kick him away.
He grabbed ahold of her legs just as a loud screaming banshee tore across the cabin. Julie picked up a broken chair that had been lying in the corner and smashed it across Burt’s back. It stunned him long enough for him to let go while Fiona dealt him a solid blow to the groin that had him incapacitated and on his knees.
Monica took that as her cue and quickly got up using the wall to aid her. She ran towards the moaning Burt and begin to kick him while he was down. She landed one to his back that had him fall face first onto the floor. Fiona scrambled back and pushed herself up and joined in on the kicking.
Burt was dazed, but was seeing stars when the next kick landed on his temple. The pain was excruciating. He tried to protect himself from the three women, but foot after foot kept him squirming on the floor as each hit made contact in vulnerable places. The one named Julie got him in the groin again and all heard his scream of pain. It was Fiona’s second kick to the head that stopped him cold. He passed out from the sheer force of it.
“Quick, he’s unconscious. Untie us, Julie.” Fiona was breathless. She couldn’t believe the three of them had overpowered him. Together.
Julie acted. She finished untying Monica and then set to work on the rope that still bound Fiona’s wrists together.
“Thank you, Julie. For staying,” she smiled at the smaller woman. Julie dropped the cords that had been around Fiona’s wrists as the woman turned.
“You’re welcome,” Julie gave her a smile. One filled with tears.
Fiona pulled her into a bear hug, and Julie hugged back. The past was behind them now. They both knew it in that moment. Both had survived, and both had worked together to do it.
Seeing Monica across the room beaming at them, made them separate enough to allow her entrance into their circle. All three women hugged and laughed. They had done it. Together.
When the moment passed, Julie took charge. “Okay, ladies, let’s start tying him up in case he wakes up.” Monica immediately set to that task. She was breathing hard and didn’t know what would have happened if the other two women hadn’t been there with her. All three were acting on adrenaline.
Fiona and Julie joined Monica on the floor in tying up their captor. They bound him with the three chords that had been used to tie them.
“What next?” Julie asked as she got up from the floor, dusting off her hands.
Fiona used the back of her arm to mop the sweat from her brow. “Now we lock him up in this room and we get the hell out of here. Wherever here is?”
They were safe for now, but they weren’t completely out of the woods.
The three girls together retreated to the door that Burt had come through just minutes earlier. Julie slammed the door closed and Fiona picked up the large piece of wood that he must have used to lock them in. With Monica’s help, they slid it into place and felt confident that when he woke up, and if he managed to untie himself, he wouldn’t be able to open that door for some time. And hopefully, by then they would have the authorities there to arrest him.
They walked outside another set of doors and found themselves on a deck surrounding a cabin on stilts in the water.
“We’re in a fish camp. I saw a show on it on The History Channel. It’s one of those old ones that were used by fishermen fifty years ago.” Julie spoke those words.
“Look, I see a boat down there,” Monica stated peering down the stairs.
“Yeah, but I don’t think we’re going to need it. Look!” Fiona pointed across the sound. In the distance, a speedboat was racing towards them, and in the sky, a helicopter could be seen to the east.
“Who do you think that is?” Monica asked in confusion.
Julie and Fiona gave each other a quick smile of
relief. They knew who it was. “Patrick and Cookie. Probably Victor, too.”
“How did they know we were here?” she asked.
At Monica’s perplexed expression Julie and Fiona smiled again at one another. “We’ll explain later. For now, just wave, so they know we’re safe.”
And that’s what they did. With one arm hooked around Julie’s back, Fiona waved at Cookie who stood at the helm of the speedboat. The anxiety on his face faded as his boat roared up to the old cabin.
Patrick and Victor had that same expression as the chopper they were in circled above the cabin. Relief. All three girls were alive and well.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Everyone was gathered at the terminal to see Monica and Victor off. The last two days had been a whirlwind for Julie, Fiona, and Monica. They were questioned by the police for several hours and the media had been hounding them for interviews since the story broke. It seemed Burt was responsible for a series of rapes and murders across the country. The police investigation and the sample DNA they collected from him during his arrest connected him to at least eight crimes though the police suspected there were many more.
The guilt creeped up on Monica though she tried to brush it off. Her mind kept trying to tell her that not reporting him in the first place had led to this, but her new friends told her he had always been a monster. Still, it weighed heavily on her. “Monica, you know you have been through this before and you can’t blame yourself. Sadly laws protect the criminals in cases of rape and the stigma of rape makes women stay quiet. And remember, you were just a girl when your rape happened?” Julie kept trying to keep her together emotionally.
“I know. But you know how it is. Your mind plays tricks on you and tells you one thing even though your heart feels a different way. The head and heart. Always at odds.”
“Not always,” Fiona reminded her. “You’ll get there.”
Victor’s heart broke for the emotional roller coaster his wife was going through. He spoke to Cookie about it the previous night. Cookie and he had agreed that Monica should see someone when she returned to Tampa. He was making sure Fiona saw someone, even though she seemed to be coping better than anyone else. Patrick was making Julie talk to someone, too.
“If you need to talk to someone, we’re both here for you. We’re just a call away.” Julie’s words were a comfort and Monica knew she would be calling both of them. And not about what they had been through. Both of these women had become important to her and she considered them friends.
“I’ll call,” Monica promised. “And please. If you ever come to the Tampa Bay area, I would love for you guys to visit and stay with us.”
There were tears and hugs exchanged among the women, and manly handshakes and back slaps for the guys.
Victor took Monica’s hand and pulled her towards the gate. Their week had been blissfully pleasant for the most part, but he was ready to go home. They both needed the normalcy after the last 48 hours. They needed to see their boys and hold them. He needed to see his daughter, too.
Both turned once more for a final wave to see all of their new friends who had come to see them off. Monica was pleased to see Fiona and Julie’s hands clasped. Behind each woman was their father, and beside each, their husband flanking them.
As horrible as it was, what they had been through, Monica was glad it pulled these two women together. For Julie, it had given her the chance to prove she wasn’t selfish, and she could put others first. For Fiona, it had made her stronger. She’d fought and survived, again. And it proved to her that people loved her; they always had her back, and she was worthy of it.
And for Monica, it had been life altering. It reiterated to her something she’d known for some time, and that was the value of friendship. True friendship was a gift. And you could only get that great reward when you were willing to open yourself up to others. Her husband pulled her to his side, and feeling safe and loved she went with him. Home was waiting.
And if she was lucky, Victor had promised they could become members of the mile high club.
* * *
Cookie pulled Fiona to him. He was so incredibly proud of the stunning woman before him. It had been a crazy ass week for her, but here she was in his arms, not only surviving but thriving. So incredibly strong. “I’m one lucky SOB,” he ground out before claiming her lips in a tender kiss. He didn’t care if her father was there to witness it. He knew her first.
She pulled back briefly, and with eyebrows raised, confirmed his claim. “Yes, you are and don’t you forget it.” Confidence. She had it in spades now. Cookie pulled her in to finish what he’d started despite all the eyes on him. He’d show her more when he got her home later.
* * *
“Dinner tomorrow night, senator,” Patrick confirmed as they walked to the parking garage together. Julie’s father was returning to Virginia and they wanted to see him off at their house before he went.
“Yes, I’ll be there. With bells on.” He shook his son-in-law’s hand and then reached for his daughter. “I know I don’t say it enough, darling, but I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you, daddy.” Julie squeezed back the tears that threatened. Hearing her dad tell her he was proud meant so much. Half her life she’d spent waiting to hear those words. He let her go and got into his chauffeured vehicle.
Patrick took his wife in his arms after the senator’s car was out of sight. “I’m proud of you too, Julie. I’d take you on a mission any day.”
Julie laughed hard, and not because of his words, but because of the serious expression on his face. “No, you wouldn’t.”
Patrick smiled down broadly at his pixie of a wife. “Well, maybe not. Not because I didn’t trust you, but because I wouldn’t want you in harm’s way. I’ll admit, I was terrified for those few hours. It must have aged me ten years.”
“I was scared too, but I kept my focus on getting us all out,” she admitted.
“And you did. Your actions, quick thinking, and Fiona leaving us a trail to follow. Brilliant. Both of you. Hmm, maybe I could use you on a tactical mission,” he teased, one eyebrow quirking up mischievously.
“What mission?” she asked, perplexed by her husband’s words and facial expression. He looked like he was contemplating something.
“Let’s get you home. But, I’m thinking of . . . a missionary position to start.”
Julie snorted. “Omg, Patrick that was a horrible joke. But, I’m game if you are,” she skipped ahead to their waiting vehicle, but stood by the door until he caught up and opened it for her.
“I’m definitely game,” he called after her. “My little SEAL.”
“I’d rather have a SEAL in me,” she teased and was pleased by his snort of laughter.
He reached for her. “I think that most certainly can be arranged,” he teased as his face inched closer to hers. He claimed her lips then and gave her a taste of what was to come later.
Julie slid into her seat when the kiss broke. “I look forward to it, Commander,” she purred seductively just before he shut her door.
Her words and tone put a pep in his step as he hustled around the vehicle. He needed to get his wife home.
The End
Message to Susan Stoker Fans
I really hoped you enjoyed my third contribution to Susan Stoker’s Kindle World. I am a huge, huge fan of hers, too, and I hope you think I did her world and her character’s justice in this book. I wanted to do her proud and did not want to disappoint you, her readers. If you enjoyed this book, I would love it if you could leave a review. It doesn’t have to be long.
Please. Reviews help authors so much.
Also, I hope my characters interested you enough that you will want to read more about Monica and Victor. Their story can be found in my very first book, Fire in His Eyes. Fire In His Eyes
But they appear in all three books of my Secrets & Seduction series. That series is free for KU subscribers as of the time of this publication. But they are also available to pu
rchase in a discounted boxed set.
I also mentioned Victor’s cousins in this book. They are the Marino Brothers in My Bounty Hunters series. The Bounty Hunters: The Marino Bros. has four parts, but they are all standalones. They are free if you have Kindle Unlimited as of the time if this publication. If you don’t have KU, you can purchase the boxed set at a discounted price at the link above.
If this is your first Kindle world book in Susan Stoker’s series by me, I have written two others, and I hope you will consider checking them out.
You’ll find my spin on Tex and Melody in Protecting Beauty.
And, Benny and Jessyka have entered a Cooking show competition in Betting on Benny.
I appreciate the chance you gave me in buying this book, and the chance to earn you as a new fan.
Keep reading to learn more about my other books and what is coming next for me. Happy reading!
Books by MJ Nightingale
Fire In His Eyes
Afraid to Love
Afraid to Hope
Beautiful Bounty by MJ Nightingle
(Book 1 in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.)
Beautiful Bounty is the first book in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.
Beautiful Chase by MJ Nightingale
(Book 2 in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.)
Beautiful Chase is the second book in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.
Beautiful Regret by MJ Nightingale
(Book 3 in The Bounty Hunters – The Marino Bros.)
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Protecting Secrets (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Secrets & Seduction Book 4) Page 8