She hung up and braided her hair while she waited. She always felt ready to face the world with her hair braided back in pigtails. For her, it was the equivalent of rolling up her sleeves. Within minutes he was knocking on her door.
“What’s going on?” he asked as she let him in.
“You wanted to know the truth before? You wanted to know what I was hiding from you? Here it is: Daphne has been kidnapped.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
She had him sit down and for the next ten minutes she told him everything, from Daphne flirting with the parasailing operator to her disappearance, from her efforts to track her down to Ryker’s shady dealings with the CIA. The only thing she left out was how intimate she had gotten with the Dutchman. She made him sound like a friend more than anything.
“Jesus Christ…” Greg whispered when she finished the story.
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for telling me all this. I knew something wasn’t right. So now what do we do? Why not go to the embassy?”
“Consulate and no, that’s useless. I have to put pressure on the only person who can fix all this and I want you to come with me.”
“Your Dutch guy?”
She nodded. “Will you help me?”
“And he’s dangerous, surrounded by dudes with guns all the time?”
“Yes.”
“Awesome, let’s go!”
He winked and grinned as he stood up. Jessica knew she’d made the right decision calling him after all.
* * *
On her way to the warehouse, Jessica called Ryker and he informed her he was actually spending the afternoon at home. She changed directions and crossed the island, heading to his house.
“You’re getting mighty familiar with the place, uh?” Greg commented.
“I’ve had a crash course lately.”
She didn’t say more and focused on keeping the Range Rover on the road. The curves were trickier than what she was used to back home in Virginia. There was silence in the SUV and she refused to turn on the radio. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She wanted her anger to boil over because she didn’t trust herself for the next phase; she needed her emotions to guide her actions, to give her courage.
She missed the exit on the first pass but then she correctly sped down the sinuous driveway, coming to a screeching halt in front of the mansion.
“Nice pad,” Greg said. “Whoever said that crime doesn’t pay?”
She stepped out of the car and Hubrecht met her at the door.
“Who is he?” he asked, pointing Greg with his chin.
“Is Ryker here?”
“Yes but…”
It was too late, Jessica was already walking past him with her ex-boyfriend in tow. She did a quick survey of the main floor and only encountered servants going about their business. They looked at her as if she was mad and it wasn’t far from the truth. She was possessed like never before, for once acting on impulses instead of reason.
She went up the wide staircase so fast that Greg had trouble keeping up. There was music coming from upstairs – Duck and Run by 3 Doors Down – and she headed toward it. She came face-to-face with Vurnon, his dreadlocks flying around his head as he whipped toward her.
“You have no business here, woman!”
“Is he in there?” she asked.
“You have to go right now.”
“Get out the way, Vurnon.”
She moved past him and walked into Ryker’s office. She found the Dutchman bent over his desk as he went over some paperwork. She couldn’t see what it was but he swiftly covered everything with a nearby newspaper when he spotted her.
“Jessica, you did not return my calls.”
“Yeah,” she replied enigmatically.
She moved further in and Greg followed her, crossing his arms when he stood next to her.
“I see you have brought a friend.”
“You got a problem with that?” Greg asked, his head high in defiance.
Ryker grinned at him and shuffled some papers on the desk until the silver-plated pistol became impossible to miss amid the documents, one of which being a topographic map.
“Any friend of Jessica’s is a friend of mine.”
“Oh yeah? And you kidnap your friends, that’s what you do to them?”
“I know,” Ryker said, relaxing and sitting back against a low filing cabinet. “I see that she has shared with you some of the drama that has transpired over the last couple of days.”
“That’s right.”
“And has she gone into the more specific details of what went on between us?”
Jessica tensed up at the prospect of him revealing their torrid affair. She wasn’t ready for that to come out in the open yet.
“Has Jessica told you it was nothing but a misunderstanding, a case of mistaken identity?”
“That doesn’t change the fact that you held her hostage for two goddamn days and that sumbitch over there knocked her over the head!”
He pointed toward Vurnon who stood guard behind them. The henchman took a step forward and Ryker waved him down.
“You are correct…”
“Greg.”
“You are correct, Greg. I was not on my best behavior this week and for this I apologize.” He turned his gaze to Jessica. “Is your friend here the reason you have not returned my calls?”
“I’m tired of waiting, Ryker. I did what you told me to do, I spoke to that CIA woman and she laughed in my face.”
“Yes, she has some personality issues.”
“That’s an understatement. She said you have to do what she wants or she won’t help get Daphne back.”
“Daphne is dead, according to her.”
Jessica froze. “What?!”
“’The hell you talking about?” Greg barked, taking a step forward and putting a hand on Jessica’s shoulder.
“That is what Tollefsrud told me. She came to see me earlier at work.”
“Daphne’s dead? She’s really dead?”
Unable to breathe, Jessica leaned forward on the desk and her eyes filled with unshed tears. It was all her fault, she hadn’t done enough. She should have insisted on a more forceful approach. She should have badgered the cops, the consulate, anyone in a position of authority.
“Jesus, Jess…” Greg whispered as he stroked her back to comfort her.
This had to be a nightmare, it couldn’t be true! Who goes on vacation and gets murdered for no reason? She would never live down the guilt.
“Of course, this is what our CIA friend said. I do not believe a word of it.”
Her head snapped up. “What? She’s not dead?”
“I think Tollefsrud wants us to believe that she is so that I can focus on her operation. Personally, I do not see the point in Bernardo Baiz killing her, not after two days anyway.”
“So she’s alive?” Jessica asked hopefully, wiping her tears with the heel of her hands.
“It is my belief, yes. The CIA has to be bluffing.”
“And you couldn’t say that the first time, asshole? Why you gotta play us like that? Come on, Jess…”
Greg took her hand and pulled her away. Jessica wasn’t prepared and she stumbled. She regained her balance after holding onto a chair.
Ryker’s eyes became black as fury invaded him. Fast as lightning, he sprang forward and steadied Jessica. Then, he pulled her hand out of Greg’s and shoved him backwards.
“Hey!”
Without pause, Ryker punched him in the face and once more in the stomach when he didn’t fall down right away. Greg found himself sprawled on the floor, too shocked to fight back.
For her part, Jessica was genuinely paralyzed. She understood why the Dutchman had done this: Greg had acted roughly. Just looking at Vurnon’s bandaged face was enough to remind her that Ryker had done the same thing when she had been knocked unconscious.
She was strangely touched. This was his way of showing he cared. It was doubly moving b
ecause he tried so hard to appear like he didn’t. Yet, his actions spoke louder than words.
“You son of a bitch,” Greg snarled as he got up.
Everyone looked at him and the bodyguard had one hand on his weapon, ready to draw it. Jessica came forward and put a hand on Ryker so he stepped back.
“That’s enough, all of you.”
“Let’s go, Jess.”
Greg took her hand again and this time he pulled her more gently and she didn’t have a choice but to follow. She could have resisted but she didn’t want any more violence around her.
“I have a plan, Jessica,” Ryker said. “I will get Daphne back to you.”
“Don’t listen to him,” Greg ordered as he continued dragging her back.
“Trust me.”
She stared into the smuggler’s eyes and was overwhelmed by their honesty, their openness. The last time she had seen this in him had been when they’d shared a bed.
“I know,” she mouthed.
She kept her eyes on him all the way until she reached the stairs.
Chapter 21
After they’d left, Ryker spent another five minutes going over his plan and then headed downstairs to the living room. In the corner was an elegantly carved bar with alabaster trim and he went straight for it. He grabbed a bottle of Crown Royal Black and poured himself a double as Plumb’s Damaged played in the background.
Both Vurnon and Hubrecht stood at the entrance watching as he drank half the glass. They were like two Dobermans responding to their master’s movements.
“Everything okay, boss man?”
Ryker looked up at his men and nodded.
Vurnon took that as a sign to dismiss but Hubrecht stayed put. He hesitated and then came forward.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked in Dutch.
“I suppose, yes. Have you become my mother without my knowledge?”
He smiled to take the sting out of it and poured a drink for his bodyguard.
“It’s just… You’re different.”
“Different? How am I different?”
“Can I speak truthfully?”
“As you wish,” Ryker said as he handed him his scotch.
“There was a time when you were at once fire and ice.”
“Are you becoming a poet, Hubrecht?”
“What I mean is,” the short man paused while he sat on a stool. “Before, you could be putting the fear of God into a man one minute and the next you would be dancing at the Governor’s ball. You could beat a man into a coma and it would never affect you in any way. I have seen you take a crowbar to a thief’s car in front of 50 witnesses without batting an eye, and shortly after you, that same evening, you attended a charity dance.”
“And you think things are different now? You think I am no longer this man? You think I am no longer capable of doing the things that need to be done.”
Hubrecht swirled the alcohol in his glass and took a long gulp before answering.
“It’s like… It’s like you’re going soft.”
Ryker stared at him, his eyes narrowing almost in menace. A second later he put on a boldly fake smile.
“Soft. How have I been soft? Did I not punch that man down today?”
“Yes, but you didn’t do it for business reasons. You did it for a woman. That woman is making you go soft.”
“That is ridiculous,” the smuggler sneered before drinking the last of his whiskey.
“I’m sorry, it’s not my place to criticize you. However, it’s my duty to point it out to you. That American girl is changing you, boss. I’ve never seen you like that.”
Hubrecht avoided his employer’s gaze and set his drink down on the countertop before getting off the stool.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have said anything,” he continued sheepishly. “I apologize.”
“No, do not apologize, Hubrecht. I trust you with my life and I trust your honesty. You are definitely wrong in this matter but I appreciate your input. I assure you, this woman, she means nothing to me.”
Hubrecht nodded, turned around, and walked away. Ryker waited until he disappeared and refilled his glass. He was infuriated that he wasn’t as transparent as he used to be.
* * *
Jessica was grateful that Greg kept quiet on the way back to the hotel. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hear him speak but rather she didn’t know what she would say to him if he did. She was sympathetic to him getting punched, obviously, but on the other hand she could see how he had it coming.
They got to the hotel and when they walked in both of them were in a trance. Jessica was oblivious to the tourists around them, to the happy people smiling and laughing. Only a few days ago she had been just like them. Now, she didn’t think she could ever be carefree ever again.
“Are you heading to your room?” he asked.
She shrugged. “What else am I gonna do?”
Even if she could technically do nothing to help Daphne, she couldn’t see herself going to the beach. It would make her feel disloyal to have even a smidgen of fun while her friend was God knew where, most likely tied up and perhaps even tortured. She certainly didn’t want to think about the things the abductors could be doing to her right now.
“I’m gonna go clean up and I’ll meet you in your room, all right?”
“Sure,” she replied, not thinking of anything else to say.
She wondered how she looked walking to her room, slouching like she had lost Game 7 of the World Series. Yet, she couldn’t care less. A few people gave her odd looks and an elderly man even appeared as if he wanted to ask her if she was okay, but she made the trip unscathed.
She checked her messages all over again before crashing on the bed with a bottle of water. She sipped it absentmindedly thinking of nothing and everything. The situation somehow reminded her of her profession, the study of earth and it peculiarities. Both were mysterious and both were explored in tiny increments. The difference was that she was a trained geologist, and when it came to Daphne’s disappearance she was at a loss as to how to handle the situation.
Fifteen minutes later, Greg knocked on her door. She took her time answering because, really, what was the point? He came in and looked much livelier than she was.
“Let’s go, let’s get you packed up.”
“What?” she asked as she sat down back on the bed.
He yanked the closet door open and pulled out the empty suitcases which he put on the bed next to her. They almost came flying at her and she had to stand up again.
“What are you doing?”
“We’re getting the hell outta here.”
“To go where?”
He went back to the closet and took the clothes that were hanging there. He removed the wire hangers and hastily folded garments without care.
“Answer me, Greg!”
“I booked us a flight to Miami, it’s leaving tonight at seven. From there we can book something else north.”
“Miami?” she said in bewilderment as he stuffed the clothes into a suitcase.
“We’re not staying here, it’s not safe.”
“Not safe for you or not safe for me?”
That made him stop and look at her. “You, of course. I don’t give a shit about getting beat up by that asshole. But you? You’re in danger, okay? I don’t trust that man.”
He went to the dresser and pulled the drawers open before taking handfuls of her underwear.
“Greg, stop! I’m not leaving here without Daphne.”
“Stop being childish. I went along with you, we waited, there ain’t nothing we can do. What’s the point of staying here if we can’t do nothing?”
“She’s my friend. She’s your friend! You just wanna abandon her?”
“If it’s between you and Daphne, Jess, I choose you. I ain’t gonna lie, I love you and I’m taking you away from this place.”
He turned back to the task at hand and did the worst packing job in history.
“You love me? T
hat’s your big declaration that’s supposed to make me swoon and follow you like a puppy dog?”
“Jessica, I’m sorry I’m not good with words, all right? But what else am I supposed to say? I do love you and I don’t wanna see you get hurt.”
She stared at him and didn’t know how to feel. She knew how she was expected to feel but she wasn’t sure it matched her real emotions.
“Are you telling me this because you can see that Ryker likes me too?”
“That guy is just after one thing, he wants to own you. He doesn’t love you, he doesn’t like you, he just wants to dominate you. Christ, he had you locked up for two days and you already went full Stockholm syndrome on him! Maybe I’m too late but I still have to get you the hell away from him.”
He disappeared into the bathroom where she heard him gather up her toiletries. She was about to yell back but took a deep breath.
“And you’re the best judge of this? You’re the one who’s gonna decide what I can and cannot feel?”
“One of us has to look after you, Jess,” he said when he came back.
“I see.”
She was flooded with bad memories. The day with him had gone well so far and she had recalled all the best times together. Now she remembered the other things, the reasons they had eventually split up. He was demanding, bossy. He kept confusing his feelings for her own.
“Get out, Greg.”
“I’m almost finished and then I’ll go with you to check out.”
“Greg,” she said calmly, putting a hand on his arm to stop him. “Get out of my room right now. I’m not going with you. I’m not leaving this island without Daphne.”
His brow creased as he looked down at her. “I’m doing this for you.”
“I know you think you know what’s best but it isn’t your place. Please, just go.”
“But…”
He stared at her blinking dumbly, failing to comprehend what was happening.
“What you want and what I want are two different things and whatever you say won’t make me change my mind. Do you get that?”
“Jess, I love you.”
“I… I need time to process my own feelings, okay? Right now is not the time.”
He nodded soberly. “Right, of course. I’ll go to my room. I hope you think about what I said though.”
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