by Alexia Adams
***
Anna ran a brush through her hair for the tenth time, finally convinced she’d gotten all the tangles out. She stared at herself in the mirror. Aside from a rosy glow to her skin, which she could put down to a vigorous rubbing after a third shower that day, she didn’t look much different.
She felt different, though. She felt amazing. Like she had everything she’d always wanted at her fingertips. All she had to do was reach out and grab it.
The morning bath had been followed by a naked feast. That had resulted in another shower. Tiago’s water bill would be through the roof this month.
A nap had followed, but she’d awoken to Eduardo’s lips making a leisurely tour of her torso, then her lower half.
Thank goodness the children were outside in the pool, making their own noises. Because with the way she had screamed Eduardo’s name as he’d initiated her into the intimate act of cunnilingus, she might have frightened them. Eduardo hadn’t been satisfied, however, till he’d made her scream his name one more time as he took her over the side of the bed.
Muscles she’d never known existed in her body ached. Each movement brought her back to the pleasure she’d experienced in his arms. No wonder both Maya and Vivi has secret smiles that crossed their faces from time to time.
Loving was done for the day, however. It was time to join the others. Raul had started an asado earlier in the backyard. The smells wafting up from the Argentinian barbecue were enough to lure even Eduardo from their love nest.
She pulled her hair into a high ponytail and added just a dash of makeup and a bit of lip moisturizer before pulling on the bright patterned maxi dress.
As she was about to leave the room, her cell phone rang. She found it under a scarf on the dresser but hesitated to pick it up, Eduardo’s warning ringing in her ears. But according to the caller display, it was Janet, her personal assistant.
“Hello?” she answered, deepening her voice to disguise it.
“Angel, are you okay?” Janet’s slightly panicked voice sounded as though it were coming from next door.
“I’m fine. Just being cautious. What’s up?”
“I could ask the same of you. When do you expect to return? I’m fielding calls from everyone. But the real reason I’m phoning is because Devin had a slot open up in his schedule and is interested in producing your next album.”
Whoa. Talk about hitting the jackpot. Devin was a rising star in the music industry. The last two albums he’d produced had gone diamond in the United States. He was a genius when it came to turning a good song into one that touched the heart and left a lasting impression. She got the tingles imagining what he could do with ‘Hurricane Heart.’ That he could resurrect her career in the process was an added bonus.
“When’s his availability?”
“In five weeks.”
“Five weeks? I’ve only got six new songs written.”
“You had only two last time I asked. The fact that you’ve written four more in two weeks shows that you’ve got your spirit back. It’s what Simon would want, you know—for your light to shine upon the world once more.”
“I’m not sure…”
“Of course you are. I’ve told Devin you’d be delighted.”
Anna had hired Janet because she wasn’t overawed by Angel’s fame and treated her as a human being. But sometimes, the lack of deference was a bit of a shock. Who worked for whom?
But before Anna could protest, Janet continued, “And I’ve promised that you’ll appear at the Starlight Gala to benefit the children’s cancer charity. You won’t have to sing, just show up and look stunning. That’s in six weeks. Let me know if you want me to find you a date, but given Simon’s recent passing, going solo is fine too. The rest of your schedule I’ve left free for now, but I’ve got invitations stacked up almost as tall as me.”
“Decline them all. I’m not in the mood to socialize. And if I’m going to be in studio soon, I’ve got my work cut out for me.” Devin might be a genius, but he was also a taskmaster, demanding total commitment from his artists. She’d have to ramp up her vocal exercises and her cardio program. It was one thing to sing for a couple of hours a night. Once she began recording, she’d be expected to put in eight-hour days, and more if she was as distracted as she’d been lately.
Two men’s voices came to her through the closed bedroom door. She couldn’t hear what they said, but Eduardo’s answering laugh was unmistakable. Dios, he’d been so wonderful the past couple of days, like the Eduardo she’d known before but with the added sexiness of experience.
“… a problem.” Janet’s serious tone brought Anna back from her fantasies of Eduardo in the shower.
“What problem?”
“We made a major screw-up. We forgot to check the local weather when we were releasing photos of you in Europe. The last one we issued was taken in Budapest on a glorious sunny day. Problem is, it’s rained nonstop in Hungary for the past three weeks. So the media knows you’re not there. Now rumors are flying that you’re in rehab. Or my personal favorite: you’ve been abducted by aliens, and we’re covering until you’re returned.”
The alien thing wasn’t far wrong. Except she hadn’t been kidnapped: she’d willingly surrendered and submitted to the experimentation. And liked herself better for it.
“Say nothing for now. When I’m back next week, I’ll explain that I returned to my homeland to bury my grandmother and took a few weeks to reconnect with my muse.”
“Do you have a return date and flight times yet?”
“No. And don’t tell anyone where I am. But you can stop issuing photos of me in Europe. Anything else?”
“Oh, yeah, your record label sent over an intern. She’s the niece of some bigwig on the marketing side. Her name is Marsha Smith and she’s really friendly and helpful. I’m sure you’ll love her. At the moment, she’s mostly just answering the phone and logging appearance requests. I thought I should let you know in case you called and didn’t recognize the voice.”
Mierda. Paranoia sent tingles racing through Anna.
“We’ll talk about that when I get back. Hasta luego, Janet.”
The knock on her bedroom door came as she put down her phone. Eduardo didn’t even wait for her call to enter.
“Who was that?” he demanded.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I was talking to my personal assistant.”
“I told you not to contact anyone.”
Well, that was a quick transition from lover to custodian. “I didn’t. Janet called me. Shall we go down to the others, or do you need a few minutes to get that pole out of your ass?”
He caught her wrist as she walked past him. “I’m trying to keep you safe. If something happened to you—”
“Look, I trust Janet with my life. But if I stay here, I have no life. I can’t turn my back on everything just because some lunatic wants to scare me. Or is it you? We still haven’t positively identified which of us is the target.”
“The easiest solution to that is for me to go back to BA with Tiago tomorrow while you stay here in safety. If nothing happens, we’ll know it’s you they want. And we can then come up with a plan to resolve this once and for all.”
“Meanwhile I just sit here and look pretty? That’s not how it works these days.”
He ran an agitated hand through his hair. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. You’re just trying to pick a fight so that when you walk away from me again, you can do it with a clean conscience.”
Was he right? Was she subconsciously sabotaging what they’d shared so she could go back to her old life without a backward glance?
Now wasn’t the time to sort it out.
“They’re waiting for us downstairs.”
She tugged on the arm still held in his grasp. But instead of letting her go, he laced his fingers with hers. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you.”
“And I shouldn’t have jumped on the defensive.” She smiled up at him. “Look at us, bei
ng adults, resolving our differences right away.” Except they weren’t really resolved, only postponed.
“As we’re both over eighteen now, we can make up properly,” he said, lowering his head. His lips brushed hers, lightly at first then with more insistence. He released her just as she was forgetting how to breathe. “But since we’ve already ignored everyone for most of the day, we should show our faces now.”
It took a moment before she could respond. “You’re right. But remember where we left off. And you also promised that after we discuss our security situation, we can talk about us.”
He nodded, but a hint of sadness flitted through his eyes.
Everything was in limbo. But when the situation was resolved, would she be reaching for heaven or staring down hell?
***
Eduardo scanned the crowd, searching for Anna. The children had dragged her away from him as soon as they’d set foot on the grass. Miranda had a new idea for a song and needed Angel’s input.
He might as well get used to it. In the off chance they could somehow continue their relationship, there would always be people demanding her time and attention. And they wouldn’t all be as cute as an eight-year-old, tiara-wearing, princess-dressed leader of two small boys.
Tiago had invited a few of the commandos who’d been guarding the place to the barbecue. One happened to be Vivi’s father, who had recently transitioned to civilian life after years in the French elite army corps. It was easy to spot the military men among the fifteen or so gathered for the asado. Despite being dressed casually, they were still alert to any potential danger.
Which should mean that Anna was completely safe. Only a lunatic would venture this far onto a private estate surrounded by armed forces.
“Partnership meeting Friday at ten o’clock,” Tiago said beside him. He’d been searching for Anna so intently he hadn’t noticed his friend approach.
“That sounds ominous.” He spotted the children, who were now pestering Jacques for rides on his shoulders. But still no sign of Anna.
“I need to know if I should keep my eye out for another partner. Vivi thinks Mendoza will be a better environment for Miranda’s schooling, so we’ll be spending the bulk of our time here soon. If you’re going to be in LA or somewhere else in the world…”
“I’ll be in Argentina.” He saw a blonde head next to a tall, older man, but it was Vivi talking with her father.
“Will you? I won’t think less of you if you follow your heart. I’d do the same in your position.”
“Anna doesn’t need me. She has people.”
“Not one who loves her like you, who wants what’s best for her, even if it doesn’t make any money.”
The itch up his spine grew more insistent. “Have you seen her recently?”
Tiago searched the group as well. “She was with the children a few minutes ago. They were singing a song Miranda wrote about a cat that drove a car.” He signaled to Vivi’s father, who was beside them in an instant.
“We can’t see Anna.”
With one hand gesture, all the commandos converged on their location. Vivi’s father, Pierre, gave rapid instructions in French before they began to fan out around the grounds. Dusk was settling in, and shadows loomed large and eerie around the area where the barbecue had been set up.
Jacques, who was passing nearby with Max on his shoulders, stopped. He and Tiago exchanged a couple of words, again in French.
“Jacques is going to take the women and children inside,” Tiago explained. “You and I will check the house. Maybe Anna’s just gone back up to her bedroom to get a wrap or her guitar.”
If she had, she was going to be pissed that he’d basically mobilized an army to find her. On the other hand, it would prove how seriously he took her safety.
The niggle up his spine had now turned into a raging torrent. Eduardo took the steps two at a time. Anna wasn’t in her room, although her guitar still held pride of place on the chair next to her bed. She wasn’t in his room either. Hope began to slowly bleed out of his heart.
The next thirty minutes were the longest of his life. He and Tiago searched the rest of the house in tandem. Jacques had taken up a defensive position on the stairs to the upper floor, where Tiago’s home office and a hidden panic room were located. Vivi’s father found them on the back terrace.
“One of my men has failed to check in. There are indications of a scuffle at his position. But no body or blood.”
“And that’s a good sign?” Eduardo could barely get the words out.
“Yes. It means whoever is doing this isn’t after a body count. They want Anna alive.”
How long that would last was the question no one wanted to answer.
Chapter Thirteen
Anna shifted, and a shaft of pain shot from her head down her shoulder, numbing her left arm. The noises she could hear were muffled. Everything was black. She tried to scream, but all that escaped was a hoarse mmph as the gag bit into the side of her mouth. Fabric pulled tight across her nostrils as she attempted to drag in a lungful of panicked air.
Her brain scrambled to come up with the who, what, where, when, why, and how of her situation. Start with what you know, girl. She’d been at the asado in Tiago’s backyard. The children—Madre de Dios, the children. Were they okay?
A loud bang sounded beneath her, and a microsecond later her head connected with something hard. Her senses were sharpening, but everything was still fuzzy around the edges. Have I been drugged? The urge to slip back into oblivion was strong.
Focus on the facts. It felt like she was lying in the back of a moving vehicle, not one particularly well made. She struggled to sit up and knocked into a solid object. Another body? It was too large to be a child. Although at this point, she wasn’t sure if that was good news or bad. She’d figured out the where, sort of. Now to figure out the how.
Back at the barbecue, the children had sung her a song and asked if she’d sing it with them after they’d all eaten. She’d promised, and then they’d raced off together to tell the other adults.
She’d lingered next to the rotunda in the rose garden where the children had put on their audition. She’d wanted to absorb all the feelings: the familiarity of an Argentine national past-time, the love and friendship of being with people who knew her as Anna and expected nothing more than kindness from her. And Eduardo, always Eduardo. He was so handsome in his jeans and light blue polo shirt that she wanted to stride over to him and claim him for the world to see. He’d consumed her senses, overthrown her world, awakened her to new possibilities. A song had popped, fully formed, into her brain.
She’d taken one step towards him…
Then woken up here.
The lump next to her moved again. “Are you okay?” it whispered. A man. Speaking French-accented English.
“Mm hm.” She tried to mumble an affirmative.
“You are gagged, and there is something over your head. We are both tied up. We are in the back of a van, headed, it seems, up a gravel mountain road.”
She tried to ask who he was, but all that came out was “ooh ahh ou?” Was he one of her captors, trying to make her feel better? But why?
“I am one of the commandos who didn’t do his job very well. They got me first: a needle in the neck while I was distracted. I am not gagged and bagged like you. But I am tied up like a badly wrapped Christmas present.” He sounded almost insulted that he hadn’t merited harsher treatment. “These guys must be amateurs. Professionals would have blindfolded and muted the trained soldier, not the singing superstar. I’m a big fan, by the way.”
Well, at least she wasn’t alone. That would be more terrifying. Had Eduardo noticed her missing yet? Was he frantic? Angry that she’d wandered off when she knew her life was in danger?
Would she ever see him again? Hold him? Love him?
Her heart pounded in her chest. Panicking wasn’t going to help, but it seemed all she could manage.
The vehicle took a sharp turn and she s
lid against the side of the van, which winded her.
“If you can, swivel your body so our backs are against each other. Then if we brace our feet against the sides, we won’t slide around so much.”
Must be nice to be so calm after being drugged and kidnapped. But she did as he suggested.
“Don’t worry. Help is on the way,” he said reassuringly.
She wanted to believe him, but since she still had no idea who was behind all this, it was hard to work out how they could be saved. Were they going to ransom her? Her money was mostly tied up in trusts and long-term investments. It would take weeks for her team to liquidate enough assets to pay a decent amount. Would her kidnappers agree to a payment plan?
A hysterical giggle welled up inside her. Imagine the press report if she were released for $250,000, three supercars, and six pairs of Manolo Blahniks, with an IOU for the rest.
“My name is Paul, by the way. May I call you Anna?”
“Mm hm,” she replied.
He continued to talk softly, telling her that he’d been in much worse situations and they’d all turned out okay. She knew he was trying to reassure her, but from her point of view, it seemed like she’d been kidnapped with someone who routinely got himself in trouble. For a second, she wondered which of them had been the true target.
But she was no closer to figuring out who wanted her taken. Simon’s children must know that even if she were out of the picture, their father had named two alternates to head up his foundation. The bulk of the money would never come to them. And despite what Eduardo had suggested, her mother couldn’t be involved. Sure, they’d never really seen eye to eye, and the normal familial bond had been reduced to a monthly stipend.
Dios. Could her mother really want her dead? She was a beneficiary of Anna’s will. Was this just a way to a bigger payout? Why didn’t she just ask me for the money? Would I have given it to her? It was so screwed up. And now Paul was caught up in the middle of things. Although, in truth, he seemed happier about the current situation than she was.
“And then this one time I was in… Well, I guess I shouldn’t tell you where I was. Let’s just say the country name ended in -stan—”