The van comes to life, taking the men to jack cars, but Marcus and I stay in the warehouse tonight to monitor. Also, I’m waiting on my kidnapping shipment and I’m slightly nervous. I’ve never done anything like this, but Richard is right. I need to give Birch and Hamilton a distraction, and this will be the trick. Once their precious daughters are gone, I’ll be the last thing on their minds. We will have to be careful about those two, though. Their disappearance will be a big deal. These aren’t my typical warehouse employees. I’ve stolen from a lawyer and cop. Shit. What have I gotten myself into?
I hear the buzz for the garage door and see Richard’s car advance inside. The warehouse is alive with activity since we have ten cars going and everyone is working. Richard and Big Ale step out of the car. Big Ale is Richard’s right hand man when he’s working for me. He’s humongous, black, and has tattoos covering almost every square inch of his body. I had always thought Marcus was scary looking, but Big Ale almost has him beat.
“We have your delivery,” Richard says as he steps around to the trunk.
“Good. I’ve been waiting. I also have one for you.” I point to Nick lying on the floor, and Richard nods. He knows exactly what I mean.
From his trunk, he pulls two bodies that are clearly women with sackcloth over their heads. Damn, they have some good-looking bodies. Carlos is going to shit a brick when I show him what he gets to “take care of” for the next couple of weeks. I turn two barrels over upside down and place them beside each other. All the employees have stopped their work, and now all the attention is on the two females being lead to the barrels. I signal to Richard to let them sit. He sits them down. They are deathly still. Their hands are handcuffed together in the front and they are both in jeans and designer tops.
“Looks like we’ve hit the jackpot. Maybe we shouldn’t kidnap, but we should ransom,” I say looking over at the designer clothes and shoes. I raise my voice for all the workers to hear. “Let this be a lesson to all of you. This is what happens when you cross me. This is what will happen to your wives and daughters. Got that?” I yell it loud, and I notice one of the girls starts to tremble. Good. I need to instill the fear of God in these two as well. A few of the employees nod, but most look down at the ground in fear. “I didn’t hear any of you. YOU GOT THAT?”
I hear a low grumble throughout the warehouse, and I know that I have their attention. “Okay, Carlos. Do the honors since I’m putting you in charge.” He walks over to the girls with a sick grin on his face and I can only wonder what’s going through his deranged mind. He steps up to them and lifts off the sackcloths simultaneously.
The first sight I see are those blue eyes; the ones that look into the depths of my soul. Next, it’s the blonde hair.
Sitting right in front of me is Claire.
I FREEZE. HOW did this happen? She’s Hamilton or Birch’s daughter? She has to be Birch’s daughter because now that I think about it, I recognize Birch’s blond hair and blue eyes. The other girl is a redhead and she’s younger. Much younger. I hope she’s over eighteen.
Why the hell is Claire’s last name Peters?
I feel sick to my stomach. Now I have really done it. If she hated me before, she really hates me now. She stares back at me with those blue eyes, and I see fear. I hate myself again that I have allowed this to happen. She looks like an angel sitting on the barrel. Who kidnaps and scares an angel? Only a total asshole would do this.
“Damn,” I say, more to myself than to anyone else, and I run my hand down my face. I put my hands on my hips and look at the ground.
“What did you say, boss?” Carlos asks. His voice travels throughout the entire warehouse since no one is making a sound.
“I said DAAAAMMMMNNNN!” I scream the words. I have never been so upset with myself. I’m also mad at Claire for being here, even though I know this isn’t her fault. I wasn’t really a hundred percent sure about this whole kidnapping thing. I should have followed my instincts. I walk to a workbench and pick up a drill. I scream obscenities and throw the drill with as much force as I can. It explodes into millions of pieces on the wall. I start to pick up everything in sight. When there’s nothing left to throw, I rake my hands down my face and try to breathe. The warehouse has gone eerily quiet, and when I turn, I see the fear in everyone’s eyes.
“Cuz, I just did what you said to do.” Richard’s voice is pleading, and I notice the fear in his eyes, too. My anger has never been at this magnitude before.
Richard motions towards the two girls. It’s only now I really notice the second girl. She’s beautiful with long red hair and light green eyes, but her beauty is still nothing compared to Claire. Claire sits patiently on the bucket and looks right through me with those big blue eyes. I run my hand down my face again. I’ve got to make a decision and quick. Everyone is staring at me, awaiting my next move. I walk to the girls and stand right inches in front of their feet.
My voice is calm and my instructions are firm. “The blonde is with me. Take her to my office and let her wait in there. If anybody, and I mean anybody,” I say, looking directly at Carlos, “lays a finger on her, there will be hell to pay.” I pause for a second and glance around. “Does everyone understand that?” I look into all of their eyes, and I see a few nods. Carlos nods, too, but you can never trust him. This is a dangerous place for women. Especially two women like Claire and the redhead.
“I’ll take them to your office, boss.” Marcus steps up and grabs Claire’s elbow.
“No, just the blonde goes. Carlos can take the redhead.”
Claire gasps, and I see fear and worry in her eyes. I’ve only spent a few hours with her, and I know what she’s thinking. She’s worried about the redhead. Shit. She’s going to be the death of me.
“Carlos, I take that back. These girls are no longer your concern. Marcus, take the redhead upstairs and tell Sally to watch her.” I watch as Marcus grabs both their elbows and leads them towards my office. As Claire walks away, she looks back at me for a second and our eyes meet. I can’t believe I have done this to her.
I collect my thoughts and look to see everyone still staring at me. “Seriously? GET BACK TO WORK! What’s everyone standing around for? Show’s over!”
Everyone disperses like cockroaches, making their way back towards their cars.
“I’m not sure what just happened here. I thought this is what you said you wanted to do?” Richard has walked over to me and he’s worried he messed up. Well, he did mess up, but I did, too. I should have found out more information about these girls first.
“What did you do to get them here?” My voice is rough and I’m staring straight into his eyes.
“Nothing, Cuz. We took them while they were trying to get into their cars after work. Nobody saw us take them. We made sure security cameras were off and then we threw them in the van and put the sackcloth over their heads. They might have a few bumps and bruises, but that’s it. What’s the problem?”
“Nothing, Richard. There’s no problem.” I pause for a second to collect my thoughts. “You just stick to your job of getting their fathers off my back.” I walk away from him and head towards my office. I don’t look back but I feel the eyes of Richard and Carlos watching me. I want to yell at them, too, but I don’t. Carlos is a good enough man, and Richard is my cousin. I’ll save my yelling for the employees.
My pace slows the closer I get to my office door. What am I going to tell Claire? For some reason, I think “I’m sorry” won’t do the trick. I slowly turn the handle and walk inside. My office is a dump. There’s a computer in the corner and papers everywhere. I have one chair, which she’s sitting on. One of her hands is cuffed to the arm of the chair. Her eyes are red and swollen, and I see remnants of tears on her cheeks. I lean myself against the desk and cross my ankles. I look at the floor because I’m not really sure what to say.
“You’ve been following me, haven’t you? That entire lunch was a ploy for you to kidnap me.” She breaks the ice by speaking first and I’m
taken back by what she’s saying. “Why didn’t you take me that day?” She screams this last sentence, and instead of fear, I now detect anger.
No one has ever spoken to me like this. No man and especially no woman raise their voice to me. Part of me wants to slap her. I need to show her my dominance and keep her in her place, but the other part wants to wrap her in my arms and apologize with kisses. This girl has some crazy affect on me. I hate it and love it all at the same time.
“Claire.” I start trying to find the words, “I’m so sorry.” As I say this I look into her blue eyes. She’s sitting there reading me like a book. I sense the tension in the room and feel as if she has laid me open and bare to read my inner soul. She sees more of me with those eyes than anyone else has ever dared to see. I’ve never even apologized to anyone before, and here I go and apologize to a woman.
“You’re sorry? That’s what you have to say? You’re sorry for kidnapping me?” Now she’s frustrated and I think she might cry. I can’t let her cry again. I want to explain the truth, but I’m not sure in this moment she will even believe me.
“Claire, will you let me explain? That lunch…that lunch was never suppose to happen. I had no idea of the kidnapping then. I had no idea you were Birch’s daughter. I didn’t know.” So, now I’m babbling and I can’t seem to tell her what I really want to say. “Why is your last name Peters and not Birch?”
She sniffs and wipes her eyes with the hand that’s not cuffed. Her eyes have turned blue like the ocean, and I can’t seem to break the stare. “My father wasn’t married to my mother when I was born. I was given her maiden name and I’ve never had it changed. I don’t like people knowing my dad is Peter Birch because then they treat me differently.”
I say it again, but I don’t know how much progress I’m making. “I’m sorry, Claire. I didn’t know.”
She’s silent for a minute, and I know she’s pondering my messed-up words. “You were right. You’re not a good guy and that lunch never should have happened.” Her words are venom, but they’re true. Why did I even come in here? Did I think she would forgive me?
“Claire, I never meant to hurt you.” I run my hands down my face and take a deep breath. “While you’re here, I’ll do what I can to make it up to you. I promise to protect you. You need to be with me at all times. You’re not to leave my side.”
“When do I get to leave? When do I get to go home?” She asks the loaded question, and I don’t have an answer.
I look at the floor when I answer her. “Your father has a file that I need, a very important file. I can’t let you go until I have that file.” I don’t mention that I really can never let her go. She would rat out our location and be a serious liability. I can’t tell her that she’s my prisoner until I decide otherwise and then we will have to send her away with Richard, that she will probably never see her family again.
“Why did you kidnap me? I could have found the file for you without going through all of this.”
“Because your father is working with Officer Hamilton and they want this car theft ring disbanded. We need to give both your father and Officer Hamilton a distraction. We figured this was the best way.”
She lets out a huge breath, and I try to say something, anything, that will make this situation better. “I’m sorry, but you have to stay with me until I have that file.” Okay, it’s a lie, but the truth is too painful. She’s not ready for the truth yet, and I sure as hell am not ready to mention the truth. We don’t say anything for a moment and I hear the second hand on the clock ticking its rhythm.
“You’re an asshole.” She breaks the silence. She has no idea what her words do to my soul.
I would have slapped any other woman across the face. But since it’s Claire, and I know it’s true, I let her vent her wrath.
“I’m sorry. That’s all I can say.” I lift off from my desk and see Marcus has left the cuff keys on the back of the door. I take them and uncuff her from the chair. As mush as I hate to do this, I cuff her hands back together. I can’t have her running away tonight and giving out our plans and our location to her father. I hold her by the elbow and direct her back out into the warehouse. I sit her down on a couch next to one of the workbenches and lace her cuffs to the couch arm. The entire time, she looks me in the eyes. I try to avoid her glare. It wouldn’t take much for me to let her go, but I must remain strong.
“Sit here tonight while we work.” I’m about to ask her if she needs something to eat or drink, but I’m pretty sure she would tell me to go to hell, so I don’t. I leave her there and walk over to one of the cars. We seem to be right on schedule for the dawn deadline. I bark orders at some of my employees and the night resumes as normal. As normal as it can, considering I am constantly trying to ignore a pair of blue eyes sending daggers at my back.
DAWN IS UPON us and the cars are lined up for the first buyers. We are shipping them out two by two. The cash in my hands becomes thicker and thicker. I glance at Claire and see her curled in a ball on the shabby couch. Her small hands are still cuffed together, and I feel terrible she’s sleeping in this condition. I hurry to finish the job and check in with Simon to make sure they’ve had a successful night as well. I distribute the cash and stuff the rest in my pockets.
Then I walk over to Claire. I don’t want to wake her. She sleeps so peacefully, yet I know she’s got to be uncomfortable. I uncuff her hands and sweep her up in my arms. She doesn’t wake.
Marcus eyes me as he walks towards the door. He swings the door to the steps and waits for me to walk through. I carry her up the stairs and hear Marcus turning all the bolts to lock us in. I walk her to my room and gently lay her on the bed.
I hate to keep her cuffed, but I know she will run off if I don’t. I uncuff one of her arms and cuff the other to the bed. I remove her shoes, but decide to leave on her jeans. She’s already freaked out, I would hate for her to think I touched her. I wrap her up in my blankets and change into pajama bottoms. I usually only wear boxers, but I decide to go more conservative with her in the bed.
I make sure my bedroom door is locked, and I crawl into bed beside her. I stare at her sleeping and the desire to touch her is strong, but I know she’s off limits. I make myself comfortable and try not to think about having the world’s most beautiful girl sleeping right next to me. I put my mind on other things, like cars and getting my hands on the files at Birch’s office. Before I know it, I have drifted off to sleep, still fighting the urge to put my hands all over Claire.
I AWAKE TO a sniffling nose. I crack open an eye and see the sunlight pulling itself through my window. I’m guessing it’s about eight am.
I glance over to Claire. She’s lying beside me, her free hand over her face, and she’s crying. Shit, I’ve done it again. I want to reach over to touch her, to comfort her, but I know my touch would have the opposite effect.
I don’t know what to do. I have really gotten myself into a mess this time, and I’m not sure how to make this better. I don’t think I can ever make this better.
“Why do I have to sleep in the bed with you?” She cries through her question. She must know I’m awake.
“Because you’re safest with me.” I pause for a minute and then realize what she’s really asking. “Don’t worry. I won’t touch you.”
She seems satisfied with my answer At least she doesn’t ask me anymore questions.
I sigh and turn on my side, away from her. I’ve never had a woman not want me. Most of them throw themselves at me and I can have my pick. It’s been that way since high school. It’s ironic that I will never be able to have the one woman I want so badly that it hurts.
This story won’t have a happy ending, and I wonder why I’m protecting her. Why do I have her in my bed, and why have I kept her away from Carlos?
This is the worst predicament I’ve gotten myself into yet, and not just me. The only possible outcome is that Claire is going to be hurt and separated from her family. I really should have thought more about this enti
re kidnapping thing before I agreed with Richard.
All I had thought about for three straight days was getting this girl into my bed, and now that I have her here, I won’t touch her. I even won my bet and got her here in four days.
But it’s different when she’s here by force. It’s a new story all together.
I turn over on my back as she lays her hand down on the bed. She’s staring at the ceiling, and tears run down her cheeks. I long to comfort her, but reality out-weighs the urge. I gently place my hand over hers and interlock our fingers. She doesn’t look at me but only cries more. I’ve made things worse. She closes her eyes, but she doesn’t pull her hand away. She allows my hand to rest on hers as the tears softly fall down her face.
What I really desire is the connection that passed between us that day in Birch’s office. That connection that was ours, and ours alone, has disappeared. I know I’m the reason it was broken.
At this point, I’m pretty sure it will never again resurface.
“SALLY, I NEED your help…again,” I say as I fix a pot of coffee. Tommy and Sally have always been there for Marcus and me, but I feel like I’ve been asking too many favors of them lately. First, I asked them to watch the redheaded girl – whose name turned out to be Sarah – and now this.
“What do you need, Brandon?” Sally is standing there in a tank top and jeans. I have a great view of her ink running up and down her arms and neck. She’s told me the stories of all her ink and why she has what she has, but it’s her demeanor that throws you for a loop. One look at her and you think hard ass, but when she speaks, her voice is soft and soothing. Almost like the mother she never was.
“Can you purchase some clothes for Claire and Sarah? They’re going to be here a while, and they have nothing but the clothes they’re wearing.”
“Sure thing, Brandon.” She looks at me with a worried expression in her eyes. “Brandon, what are you planning on doing with these girls? They’re scared. Sarah’s about to have a heart attack, and I’ve done everything I can to calm her.” She releases a deep breath. I know she’s angry with me.
The Thief Redeemer Page 5