by Aycart, Elle
That didn’t seem to matter to them. “I’m glad our Audrey’s Audrey had a friend like you. So what’s your name, dear?” Greta asked. “Nicky?”
“Yes. What do we call her now?” Wilma wondered.
“Nicky is my real name. Con calls me ‘fake Aud’ sometimes,” Audrey answered. “Especially if we’re talking about the real Audrey and it gets too confusing.”
“Connor knows?” Greta’s eyes grew big. “Is that why you’re fighting?”
“He did figure it out, but we’re fighting because of something else.”
“There’s more?” Rebecca asked.
Audrey nodded but kept quiet. The matter was too personal to talk about with them, especially before Con knew.
“Does it have to do with you being pregnant?” Greta inquired casually.
Oh God. They knew? “How did you know I’m pregnant?” she almost yelled.
Greta let out a yay, hugged Audrey, and, smiling, turned to her friends. “I told you so.”
“How did you know?” Audrey repeated.
“Dear, you shouldn’t buy pregnancy tests in Alden if you want to keep it a secret,” Greta explained. “Some people saw you. Besides, buying six was a bit overkill, don’t you think?” Before Audrey could say anything, Greta continued. “So, what’s the issue? Does Connor disapprove?” Now she was looking dead serious.
“He doesn’t know yet,” Audrey confessed. “I didn’t have time to tell him before he dumped me. Please don’t tell him.”
“Dumped you?” Greta asked, her voice rising. Then she scoffed. “Please. He’s been absolutely miserable. Whatever reason he gave you, I can already tell you it’s bullshit. Let’s get out of here and fix it.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Wilma stated, patting Audrey on her hand. “And as far as I’m concerned, you can continue being Audrey. You did nothing that any one of the OGs wouldn’t have done in the same circumstances.”
Audrey looked at the three grandmas, her eyes filling again and overflowing. “I’m so sorry I got you into this mess.”
“Please, don’t be sorry. We walked into the mess by ourselves. We weren’t going to leave you alone. Besides, being kidnapped is the mother of all bucket list items. We couldn’t have gotten it even if we paid for it.”
“And we tried,” Wilma added. “We called one of those companies that prepare whatever dream adventure you want fulfilled, like being a spy on a mission and things like that. But apparently heart attacks are too common among clients over the age of fifty, especially when the dream adventure includes strong emotions, and they wouldn’t consider us, no matter how many waivers we signed.”
In spite of the situation, Audrey broke into laughter. “You offered to sign waivers?”
They nodded. “We even offered to take the physical tests, but they wouldn’t budge,” Greta said.
“And thank God for that, really,” Rebecca added. “The part about running at full tilt on a treadmill, with a mask on? We would have flunked it, at best. At worst, we would have flown backward and ended up sprawled on the floor.”
“Or against the wall,” Greta finished.
“Now.” Wilma rummaged in her purse until she produced her cell phone. “Let’s see if there’s any bars.”
“You’ve got your cell?” Audrey squeaked.
“Of course, dear. Old people come across as harmless. Ancient ones like us are almost invisible. No one frisked us or inventoried our purses.” Wilma raised her cell and began pacing the room. Then she stopped. “Got it. Smile, girls, we’re livestreaming.”
Chapter Fifteen
After Connor and Mike took Adrian aside and Con told the sheriff the truth behind the woman he knew as Audrey Fleming, Adrian grew very still. He threw a glance Mike’s way.
“He sort of found out,” Con said. “I know I should have told you, Adrian, but I didn’t want to get you involved. The less you knew, the better for you. And I didn’t think the guy would find her. Everything indicated they thought Nicky was dead and they had moved on.”
“Okay, let’s see if I got this right,” Adrian started. “Audrey Fleming is in reality Nicky Rubin, who got involved with the golden boy of the Trat family. When she finds out about the human trafficking, she turns him and the whole operation in to the cops. During the raid, Andy gets wounded. She escapes, taking their money—accidentally, or so you say. She tries to leave town with Audrey, but before she can get home, some hired guns waste the roommate and burn the apartment. Nicky sees her chance to disappear. Steals her friend’s identity and bank accounts, and comes to Alden to impersonate Audrey and run an inn, which supposedly was her friend’s dream.”
“You don’t need to make it sound so grim,” Connor grunted.
“Fraud, identity theft, faking one’s death, manipulating a crime scene, leaving a crime scene, failing to report a murder, money theft,” Adrian said, ticking them off on his fingers. “And that’s just off the top of my head. If we don’t believe her story, then we can add murder and arson to the list.”
“Her story checks out,” Con assured him. “I got some friends to dig around, and it’s true.”
Adrian sighed heavily. “She’s been impersonating a dead person for months. Acquiring property under her name.”
“Acquiring debt, you mean. I checked fake Audrey’s bank accounts. She’s deep in debt, although she wasn’t before. She used all her savings and Audrey’s to buy and renovate the B&B, which was a total wreck. Got bank loans and private ones too. Audrey’s money didn’t even make up 20 percent of the total.”
Adrian didn’t budge. “You know it’s theft, regardless of the percentage. I understand you love her, but she’s going to be in deep shit with the police. These are serious charges.”
“She was in an impossible situation and did her best to survive,” Con argued. “She could have taken the money and Audrey’s identity and moved somewhere else, taken it easy. She didn’t have to come here and work her ass off while doing her damnedest to make the OGs happy. She’d been wanting to come clean for a while now, but I forced her to continue with the ruse.”
“Fuck, Con. Don’t tell me shit like that. I’m a police officer. You’re accessory to her crimes, for Christ’s sake.”
“Whatever. Book me if you want—but after we get Audrey and the OGs back.”
Con’s cell rang with an incoming call. He checked the screen. “It’s Rachel. Did you guys tell her anything about the kidnapping?”
Mike and Adrian shook their heads. “She would be here freaking out and demanding we call the National Guard if she knew,” Mike said.
True.
“Not a word to her about this,” Adrian warned them. “Not yet.”
Both Mike and Con nodded. Then Con turned on the speaker and answered. “Rachel?”
“Con, is Mike with you? He’s not taking my calls.”
“Rach, I’m here. I forgot my cell,” Mike said.
“Guys, have you seen that the OGs are livestreaming? Something about being kidnapped? To me it looks like they went into an escape room and got trapped. Which one of you was on duty today?”
Oh hell. They’d gotten kidnapped with their cells on them? “We’re on it. Who’s streaming?”
“Wilma,” Rachel said. “Audrey is with them.”
“Right. We’ll call you later. It’s all good.”
“Wait, Rach,” Mike interjected. “Is that tracking app activated on their cells?”
Tracking app? What tracking app?
Before Con could ask, Rachel said, “Yeah. The geofence alarm went off some time ago. I thought they’d gone to Boston.”
“Fantastic. Send the location to Con’s cell.”
“You got it, but please go get them out of that damn escape room before they run out of air and lose it completely. They’re already talking some nonsense about armed guards outside. I’m very busy at the garage. This one’s on you.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Adrian was already checking for Wilma’s livestream while Con tapped ou
t his grandma’s number. Greta answered on the second ring.
“Oh hello, my boy,” she said, as perky as if she were at home, drinking lemonade. When his dad found out about this, he was going to freak out.
“Grandma, are you okay? Where are you?”
“We’re fine.”
“Found their live feed,” Adrian said, holding out his cell for the other two to see. The OGs were in what looked like a bedroom, windows boarded up.
“Why the fuck are you livestreaming instead of calling the cops?” Adrian roared.
“Hmm, we decided no cops,” Greta explained. “Audrey has several… unpaid parking tickets. We don’t want her to get into trouble.”
Con smiled. Clever, his girls. He watched the live feed. It showed the three OGs and a slightly less perky Audrey waving from the cell’s screen. Con’s insides turned upside down when he saw her. She looked so frail, and he wanted to hold her in his arms so badly. Reassure her that everything was going to be fine.
“Unpaid tickets, my ass,” Adrian muttered.
“Mike, hello,” said Rebecca.
Wilma interrupted, “Tell my future grandson-in-law,” she said to Greta while live streaming, “that we would never have gotten kidnapped if he hadn’t confiscated our Tasers and self-defense flashlights. We would have knocked them all out. We’re livestreaming to get your attention so you can rescue us.”
“Wilma says—” Greta started.
“Don’t worry, Grandma. We heard it loud and clear on the live feed.”
“How many men are there?” Mike asked.
The OGs started counting, but they couldn’t agree. Given how many fingers they had up and the numbers they were debating, there seemed to be over a dozen.
“Grandma, give Audrey your cell so she can hear me. And Ask Wilma to point hers at Audrey. I want to see her while I talk to her.”
Greta complied, and soon Connor was staring at a rather whitish Audrey. She seemed to have dried blood on the side of her throat—from the blow to the head, probably. Fuck. And she’d been crying; he could see the tear tracks on her face.
“Baby girl, are you okay?” Connor said. “The loan sharks said you were knocked unconscious.”
She nodded. “I’m okay. Just a bump on the head. Please tell them I had an emergency, but that I will pay them.”
Wilma began talking over the livestream. “There has to be a clause in the contract she signed about being late with payments on account of forceful detention.”
Jesus fucking Christ. They were all nuts. “Fuck the loan sharks. Just make sure you stay alive until we arrive. Do you hear?”
Audrey nodded. Then Con heard the beep of a message coming in. Rachel sending him the location, probably. “Listen, we just got your location. Sit tight. Don’t give them any reason to get nervous.”
“Connor?” she called out as he was about to hang up.
“Yeah?”
“I love you. And I’m sorry.” Her voice broke. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
He hated that her words sounded like a goodbye to him. “Don’t you dare talk like we aren’t going to see each other again. I love you, baby girl. I’m coming for you. Count on it.”
Con closed the call and checked the location. “They’re near Boston’s port. We need to get there fast, before the gang moves them.” And shipped them to God-knows-where.
“Let me call in reinforcements,” Adrian said, reaching for his radio. “They’ll be there in a second.”
Connor stopped him. “Don’t. If Andy Trat’s men see or hear the cops coming, they’ll kill the girls and flee. We can’t risk it.”
“I’m with Con on this one, Sheriff,” Mike stated.
Adrian cursed under his breath. “There are three of us. There are at least four times that number of them.”
“We’re highly motivated,” Con said, already heading out to the car. “We need to stop at Greta’s basement, check my gun stash.”
Mike stared at him warily. “Con, will you be okay actively engaging in an armed conflict?”
“I’ll have to be.”
* * *
As soon as Con ended the call, Audrey heard the lock turn in the door. Someone was coming into the room. She sat on top of the cell she’d been holding. In her haste to hide her own device, Wilma dropped it on the floor.
An armed guy walked in. “What the fuck is all that chatter?” The second he spotted the cell on the floor, he gestured for his partner to come in. “Close the door behind you.”
A second armed man came in, this one shorter but much meaner looking. “What’s up?”
The taller one pointed his gun at the cell on the floor. “You weren’t hallucinating when you said you heard a phone ringing. One of these bitches was using it. Who frisked them?”
The shorty scoffed. “Not me.”
“Sorry,” Greta interjected. “But we strongly object to the term ‘bitches.’ That you are detaining us against our wishes doesn’t mean you shouldn’t observe proper etiquette and manners.”
Both men blinked. For a second Audrey feared they were going to charge, but they just broke into laughter. “These old hags are hilarious.”
“Again,” Wilma said, taking a step toward Greta. “Manners.”
Rebecca followed them. Another couple steps, and the three grannies were in front of Audrey. So that was their game. They were protecting her, keeping her from catching the guards’ eye.
At the moment, though, the guards seemed more interested in the cell on the floor. The shorter gunman took a step forward and bent down. “Fuck! They’re livestreaming!” He stomped on the device and broke it into smithereens. “Wait till the boss hears about this. Someone’s gonna pay.”
Shit. Lying low and waiting for reinforcements, as Connor had asked them to do, wasn’t going to work. They had to somehow stop these goons from revealing that their position had been compromised.
“It was my fault,” Audrey said, standing up and grabbing her cell as if trying to clumsily hide it behind her back.
The OGs turned around, their eyes big, shaking their heads ever so slightly. “Don’t listen to her,” Greta said. “She’s still out of it from the hit.”
The gunmen ignored the grannies. “What are you hiding?”
Bingo. Audrey pretended to feel disheartened, as if she had gotten caught. “It’s a cell phone. But we didn’t use it, I swear.”
“Hand it over,” the taller one ordered.
The OGs kept making faces, but Audrey stepped forward. She needed to get close to these guys if she wanted a chance in hell of taking them out.
Connor had never taught her to fend off two opponents. The premise had always been that he alone would be attacking her. Well, she’d have to wing it.
The OGs might have caught on, because they shuffled toward the shorter guy, who was totally ignoring them. Typical—he didn’t expect them to be any threat whatsoever.
Audrey walked as slowly as possible, playing the part of a defenseless, totally terrified girl, and the tall gunman bought it. “Move it,” he said, running out of patience and lowering his weapon to hold out his hand. He probably would never have allowed a male prisoner to come that close to him, but she was just a scaredy-cat little girl, and the OGs were a bunch of old ladies.
The second he reached for her hand to grab the cell, Audrey attacked, the same way Con had taught her—fast and hard, going for his balls, then his throat. Once he was bent over, she disarmed him. From the corner of her eye, she saw the shorter man reaching for his weapon, but the OGs were on him, two kicking his balls and Wilma punching him in the throat. Audrey smacked the tall one with the butt of his own gun and then dealt with the other man, who was writhing on the floor, knocking him out too.
“Thank you, ladies, for the help,” she said, disarming the shorty.
“Mike’s self-defense course for seniors,” Rebecca said proudly. “We’re quite the coordinated fighting team. Ask Rachel’s kids. They have the bruises to prove it.�
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“What about you, dear?” Greta asked. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“Connor.” She frisked the men and found another holstered pistol on each of them. She took the tall one’s radio and earbud too. “Now ladies, we need to make sure these men don’t tell anyone that we had contact with the outside. Let’s tie them up, in case they come around too soon.”
The OGs grabbed linens from the bed and made strips. Greta even donated her turban to the cause. The grannies were handy because, in no time, they had the men tied and gagged.
“What do we do now?” Greta asked.
Audrey picked up the pieces of the broken cell phone and hid them in a drawer. “Connor asked us to sit tight…” He, of course, didn’t know that the guards had found out about the cells, or that she and the OGs had had to improvise. “On the other hand, if we run, then by the time the gang discovers these two and realizes their location has been compromised, they’ll have to waste precious time searching for us—or just split without us.”
“We run,” the OGs said, almost in unison.
“Right.” Audrey grabbed a pistol and offered the rest of the guns to the grandmas.
They faltered, looking at each other. “I think in the spirit of full disclosure, we should tell you we’ve had several misfire incidents with some Tasers,” Wilma said.