by Jaime Lewis
“We’re hearing a lot of laughter coming from in here,” Ace said as he and the rest of the gang piled into the room.
Cody had a big smile on his face, and he looked at everyone and shouted with excitement. “Mom and Frost are getting married, and I’m going to have a dad again!”
The cheers went around the room, and Frost set Autumn back on her feet. She was immediately surrounded by Alex and Tenley. They were looking at her ring and welcoming her officially into the family with hugs. Cody even got hugs from the ladies and fist bumps from the team.
Who knew that a few days later, their happiness and future would be put to the ultimate test.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cecil was sitting outside on the main deck of his yacht. It was a few minutes before noon. His staff had just delivered his lunch to him. As he took a bite of the tender French dip sandwich, he felt the yacht rock gently from the waves on the open ocean. He was anchored about a mile off the beach.
He thought back to a few days ago and how furious he was when Skinny called him and explained what this woman Carlie had done to Autumn and her son. Skinny heard through the neighborhood boys that Carlie had hired a local boy to do her dirty work.
Her mistake was not noticing the tail Cecil had put on her. He knew where she was staying, and every move she made. She had been surprised when Skinny and Roscoe knocked on her door at the extended hotel she was holed up at. She tried pleading with them to spare her life. She offered everything she had, money, cars, even her body for sex. But there was nothing she could do or say for him to have mercy on her. Skinny ended her life with one pull of the trigger.
The focus had been on where Autumn had disappeared to. He had been in luck when a couple of his men came across some information while they were at a local restaurant having dinner one night. They happened to be sitting at the bar when two women were talking to a man named Paul. Paul had asked the woman how Autumn was doing. At the mention of her name, his guys had a feeling they just hit the jackpot. And, indeed, they had. They eavesdropped on the entire conversation. Autumn and her son were staying at a condo on the beach.
He tried being nice, but with the looming contract signing just a few weeks away, his patience had worn off. He didn’t give a rat’s ass that she was seeing someone. After he whisked her away and showered her in his wealth, she wouldn’t look back at her old life. He would give her anything she wanted, as long as she did her part and helped this deal go through. But he needed her now as time was ticking. She had to be groomed to learn how she was expected to act as his wife. He would not allow her to screw up this deal with Vadim. If she showed any sort of defiance, he would hit her where he knew it would hurt her the most, her son. His dilemma had been how and when he could grab her. The SEAL she was living with never left her side unless he was working. The easiest plan was to snatch her while she was on her way to work, but since she had taken a few days off from work, that hadn’t been possible. He thought about just going to the condo and breaking in, but the security around that place was exceptional. However, he and his men put their heads together and came up with a plan.
He relaxed in his seat and lifted his glass of red wine, smiling as he scanned the shoreline. He looked down at his expensive Rolex Submariner watch. Skinny and a few others should be executing the plan right now, and in less than an hour, Autumn would be his forever.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cody was sat on the floor in his room with Alejandra. The two were playing Call of Duty on his new XBOX that Potter and Tenley gave him as a thank you gift for saving Alejandra from getting bitten by the snake. His ankle was still sore and swollen around the bite, and he was still taking some medications, but he was glad he was able to come home.
Alejandra was over because Potter was at the base with the team for work, and Tenley got called into the hospital. His mom was going to be taking them out for ice cream in a little while. She just needed to finish up some chores she was doing around the condo.
As he and Alejandra battled each other, he heard a knock at the front door and wondered who it was. He tried tuning out the sound coming from the game as he heard his mom talking to someone. Then he heard a man’s voice and his mom raised her voice. He knew right away that something was wrong. He turned the sound to the TV down and held his finger up to his lips in a silent move, telling Alejandra to be quiet. She nodded her head in understanding.
When the guy raised his voice and asked where her son was, Cody knew his mom was in trouble. He wondered if his Aunt had sent this guy to get them.
He thought back to a few days ago when his mom and Frost explained to him that if he ever came in contact with his Aunt, he needed to get away from her as quickly as possible and call for help. He had everyone’s phone number programmed into his phone.
His bedroom was the first door on the right in the hallway. He peeked his head around just as his mom told the stranger that she was alone, and Cody was at a friend’s house. What made his body fill with fear was seeing a gun pointed at his mom. She looked scared, but he knew she would do anything to keep him and Alejandra safe.
While the guy and his mom shouted at each other, he quietly ducked back into his room and closed the door until it was almost latched. He didn’t want to make a sound. He walked over to the TV and turned it off. He grabbed hold of Alejandra’s hand and whispered to her what was going on. He pulled her into the closet and shut the door. She went to say something, but he held his finger to his lips in an attempt to quiet her. Again, she gave him a nod of her head in understanding. He listened carefully as the shouting grew louder. The man was yelling at his mom, telling her that she needed to go with him and that the boss was waiting for them. He mentioned another man was down on the beach, waiting in a boat to take them out to a yacht. He never heard his mom talk about anyone with a yacht. But right now, he didn’t have time to wonder; he needed to help his mom.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed 911. He explained everything to the dispatcher. The dispatcher wanted him to stay on the line until the officers arrived, but he knew that if he didn’t help his mom, it might be too late. After he disconnected the call, he handed the phone to Alejandra. Call your dad and tell him that a guy came here and took my mom. You heard what I told the 911 operator. If you can’t get hold of him, just start going down the list until you get hold of one of them. Okay?”
“Okay, Cody. Where are you going?” She whispered, and Cody could hear the fear in her voice.
“I have to help my mom.”
He went to leave, and Alejandra grabbed his arm. “No, stay here with me. I’m scared, Cody.”
He hugged her tight.
“It’ll be okay. Just start calling. Tell them where you are and that you’re safe.”
She looked at him as tears spilled from her big brown eyes. “Okay...be safe, Cody.”
◆◆◆
Autumn didn’t know what to do as she faced down the barrel of a gun. She didn’t know what kind it was, and she really didn’t care. A gun was a gun, and she knew her life depended on her keeping calm, though she felt she could be sick. She didn’t know who the guy was that forced himself into the condo. All he kept saying was that they had to go because his boss was expecting them. He was tall with dark blonde hair that was slicked back. He was wearing a set of coveralls that the maintenance workers at the condo complex wear. That was the only reason she had opened the door when he knocked on it. She thought there was a problem. Whoever he was, he knew she had a son because he had asked where he was. Thankfully, she was able to think before answering him and lied, telling the guy that Cody wasn’t there, that he was at a friend’s house. She had to do whatever she needed to do to get this gun-wielding guy out of the condo and away from the kids while finding a way to alert the police. Her phone was on the table in the kitchen. She tried moving that way, but he cut her off and threatened to shoot her if she tried anything stupid. There was absolutely no way she’d be able to get to it. For a second, she th
ought about throwing something at him, hitting the panic button on the alarm, and bolting out the door. She dismissed the idea as quickly as it had come to her. One, she wasn’t the fastest runner, and two; if he started shooting, he could hit her or possibly someone else. Her heart sank as she knew her only option was to go with him.
He grabbed her arm and led her out the door. Once they got down the stairs, he led her onto the beach, and she wondered where he was taking her. Then she spotted the little rubber boat sitting at the shoreline. There was another tall guy standing by it, watching them as they walked toward him. He was on the phone. When they got closer, she heard him say that Skinny had her, and then he placed the phone in his pants pocket. She looked around, hoping that the few people enjoying the day at the beach would notice something was wrong.
The guy pressing the gun to her back, who she now assumed was Skinny, shoved her into the boat, and she fell face-first, scraping her legs and arms on the rough seams of the rubber boat. The other guy reached for her, lifted her up, placed her on one of the little seats and told her not to move. Like she had a choice with a gun being pointed at her.
Once the three of them were seated, the tall guy started the motor, and they pulled away from the shoreline. The motor wasn’t very big, so they weren’t able to go fast, but the further away from the land they got, the more nervous she became. She glanced around the boat, hoping to see a life jacket, but there were none. They hit a large wave, and the little boat went airborne. When it came back down and smacked the water, she lost her balance, but Skinny grabbed her arm before she fell.
He grinned at her. “We don’t want you to get banged up. The boss would be pretty upset if you got injured.”
She gave him a dirty look, and he laughed. She glanced at the other guy, and he was in a dead stare with her. His evil eyes roamed over her body, and he licked his lower lip, sending a shiver down her spine. These guys were bad news. She thought about jumping into the ocean, but they were already too far out, and with the rough waters, she wouldn’t be able to tread water. Since the day Frost found out she couldn’t swim, he’d been taking her to the community center pool and teaching her. In a short time, she had learned several new strokes; however, she knew she wasn’t that strong of a swimmer to tackle the open ocean, especially in rough waters.
She turned and glanced over her shoulder and saw the giant yacht in the distance.
She looked at Skinny. “Is that where we’re going?”
The way he grinned at her, she wanted to cringe. What did they want with her? She closed her eyes and tried not to think about the worst. She opened her eyes when she heard him speak.
“That beautiful boat is your new home.”
She jerked back like he had slapped her. “What?” He just nodded his head, and the other guy started laughing. She looked back toward the shoreline in the distance, and her thoughts went to the kids. She wondered if Cody heard what was taking place and called for help. Her eyes started to fill with tears. Would she ever see her son again? And Frost? Oh, god, what was happening here?
A few minutes later, they pulled alongside the yacht. It was massive. She’d seen some like these when she’d passed the marina and always wondered what one looked like on the inside. But now she had no desire to. They circled around to the backside, and a door opened, then a ramp lowered. The guy steered them up the ramp and into a little boat garage of some sort. Jesus, this thing had all of the bells and whistles. She was looking around not paying attention when Skinny grabbed her arm again. She was going to have bruises from him yanking her around. He pulled her out of the boat and walked her through another door, then up two flights of stairs. When they entered a living room, he told her to wait here. She gave him a look like where else would she go.
She scanned the room. It was decorated in a modern art deco theme and fit for a king. Pristine white leather sofas that looked as if they’ve never been sat on before. Black and gold pillows were scattered around. The coffee table and matching side tables were stainless steel. Black and gold artwork adorned the walls.
She was so enthralled, she hadn’t heard “him” enter the room.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
She jumped and turned with her hand against her chest. She could feel how fast her heart was beating. But what was more of a shock was the guy staring at her was Cecil. The creep who kept showing up places. He stood there, holding two glasses of what looked like champagne. He was dressed casually in khaki shorts and a white polo shirt.
He walked toward her. “Before we set sail for our future, I thought we could make a toast. Come here, Autumn,” he demanded, but she took a few steps backward, and he tsked at her, then set down the glasses on the coffee table. He took another step toward her. “Rule number one, when I ask you to do something, you do it. No questions asked. You will obey me; you will show me respect. You belong to me now.”
Her head was swimming with thoughts. What was he talking about obeying and belonging to him? It had pissed her off, and she should have considered the consequences before she opened her mouth. “Obey you, belong to you? Are you crazy? I will never belong to you. You can’t do this to me!” She shouted at him. All that did was earn her a swift backhand across the face that she never saw coming. Pain exploded along her cheek, and she fell to the carpeted floor.
Cecil took advantage of the situation and jumped on top of her and straddled her body. She moved to strike him with her fist, but he caught her hand before she landed her punch. He gripped both of her wrists with one hand and held them over her head. She tried fighting him and bucking her hips to get free, but he was too heavy.
His face was red and angry. “You will learn that when I want something, I always get it. I thought maybe we could enjoy each other’s company before moving into the bedroom to get more acquainted with one another. But I see we need to get right to the discipline aspect of this relationship.
She gave him a look of astonishment, and he grinned. “Oh yeah, darling, discipline. You disobey, and you suffer consequences.” She shook with fear. This man was off his rocker. She needed to get away from him. If she could get outside, maybe she could find some sort of floatation device and jump overboard. She’d rather take her chances in the open sea than hang around here and be his wife. She wasn’t going to leave behind her son, Frost, and all of her new friends. No way in hell was she going to give up now.
She should have seen this coming. All of the coincidental run-ins she had with him over the last couple of weeks, she should have seen the signs. But why? This guy obviously had a lot of money and was attractive. He could land a woman with no problem. Why her? What could she give him that any other woman couldn’t?
He eased his body lower on top of her, using his weight to keep her place. He used his free hand and tugged on her blouse, causing it to rip and exposing her breasts. He lowered his head and licked her cleavage. She screamed for him to stop, and he just laughed at her.
“You can scream all you want; nobody is going to hear you. In fact, I want to hear you scream.” He licked her again.
“You are one sick bastard,” she said through clenched teeth.
He gripped her jaw and squeezed. “You will shut this pretty little mouth of yours if you know what is good for you.” Then he sneered at her. “Or maybe since you like to use your mouth so much, I’ll fill it with something.”
He reached down and started to undo his belt. Oh, hell, no!
She jerked her knee upward and nailed him in the groin. He screamed and released her hands as he gripped his crotch. She didn’t hesitate. She got to her feet and ran toward the set of stairs. As she climbed higher, she heard him swearing at her, saying she was going to regret doing that.
She made it to the upper deck and looked around for anyone who could be waiting for her. When she saw the coast was clear, she ran toward the starboard side, then made her way toward the bow. On the way, she spotted a flotation ring hanging on the wall. She felt a little relief and grabbed it
, knowing this could be her only option to escape. She was going to have to jump. She put the ring over her one shoulder and climbed over the railing. She closed her eyes and said a prayer. When she finally got the nerve to release her hand, Cecil appeared, and he wasn’t alone.
“Don’t you do it?” He shouted. “Think about it, Autumn. If you jump in that water, I’ll leave you there. You are too far out to swim to shore. Nobody will find you.” He reached for her. “Come with me now, and I’ll forgive your lack of obedience.”
Autumn was crying and shaking. There was no way in hell she would go with him. She gathered all the courage she could and looked him in the eye.
“Go to hell, you son of a bitch!” Suddenly, the boat lurched, and her foot slipped. She lost her grip on the railing, and her head hit the metal, instantly knocking her out, and she fell into the water below.
◆◆◆
Derek was in his office at the base and was getting ready to head out to meet the team at one of the training facilities when his phone rang. He picked it up from the desk and saw it was Cody calling. He smiled. He loved that kid and was happy for Frost and Autumn.
“Hey, Cody…”
But it wasn’t Cody on the other end of the line, it was his granddaughter, and the fear he heard in her voice put him on edge, and his protective instincts kicked in. “Pop, it’s me, Alejandra.” She whispered.
“Honey, what’s wrong? You sound frightened. Is everything okay?”
He heard her sniffle and knew she was crying. “Some guy just came here and took Aunt Autumn.” She started sobbing.
Fuck! Knowing his guys were out on the obstacle course, he took off out of his office in a sprint while talking to Alejandra and trying to get information from her. His feet pounded on the asphalt as he ran across the parking lot.