by Alexa Davis
"Then tell me what happened, dammit!" I shouted as I grabbed his arms and held them down against his sides. As quickly as the outburst had begun, it was over, and Beck melted back onto the cot without a fight. I covered him with a blanket and stuck my head out of the back room calling, "Kesh, what's Javi's ETA?"
Javi walked through the door just as Kesha had returned to tell me he was on his way. He took one look at Beck and nodded, then pulled out a series of vials and loaded a syringe. He prepped Beck's left arm and told me to hold it steady as he pushed a cocktail of drugs into Beck's arm.
"What did you give him?" I asked.
"It's a special mix that I created to work off the effects of a couple of drugs," he explained. "I'm not sure the medical community would approve, but it's worked more times than I can count and no one's died from it."
"How long will it take?"
"Shouldn't be more than a few minutes before he starts to come around," Javi said as he carefully monitored Beck's pulse and respiration. "I've watched too many of these club kids mix more drugs than I can count, and I knew that we needed something to counter their stupidity. Haven't seen one of them die since I started using it."
"Why aren't you in a chemistry lab?" I asked.
"With my felonies?" he grinned. "What school or lab would have me? Nah, man, I'm doing just fine right here. Maybe better than I would be in that world."
I nodded as we watched Beck start to regain consciousness. He coughed a little and then sneezed in rapid succession before he opened his eyes and looked back and forth between Javi and me.
"What the fuck?" he muttered. "Dax, where the fuck am I?"
"Dude, you're at the club," I said. "You wandered in off the street and Kesha found you."
"Wasn't I supposed to be ass up in rehab?" he asked.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," I laughed. "You squirreled your way out, as usual."
"I didn't leave, Dax," he said with a serious look on his face. "I was pissed at you for putting me there, but then I realized that I didn't have any control over the drugs anymore. I needed help, but I didn't want to give up the feeling."
"Isn't that always the case?" I asked as I looked at Javi and nodded. He did one more survey of Beck and then got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Beck, what the hell happened?" I asked as I sat down next to him and searched his face for answers.
"You're not gonna like it, Dax," he said shaking his head. "And, I'm not entirely sure you're gonna believe me, and I don't know that I'd blame you."
"Just tell me. You're my brother, we'll figure it out," I said.
"She hates us, Dax," he said in a very small voice. "She always has."
"Who hates us?" I was genuinely confused.
"Riza," Beck whispered. "She fucking hates us."
"Beck, what are you talking about?" I demanded.
"See, I told you that you wouldn't believe me," he said sadly.
"No, I'm listening, I just want to know what evidence you have that one of my best friends hates me," I said defensively.
"She pulled me out of rehab," he said. "She came and got me and pulled me out, even though I said I wanted to be there. She said it was a pussy move and that she couldn't have a bunch of pussy boys running her father's business. She told me I needed to man up and learn to do drugs the way men do them, like you and her father."
"What the fuck?" I was stunned. "I don't do that shit, I never have, and Papi didn't do it, either. Not ever! I was pissed as hell when you started doing it, but aside from not letting my guys sell junk to you, there wasn't anything I could do."
"They didn't sell it to me, Dax. She gave it to me for free," he said as he looked up at me. "She's super pissed at you for taking Papi's business away from her. She wants it back and she wants you out of the way so she can have it."
"I didn't take her damn business!" I shouted. "Papi told me that she didn't want to run it, so the burden fell on me to take care of things so that she'd have what she needed. That's what he told me before he died! Dammit!"
"I think something's really wrong with her, Dax," Beck said. "It's like she wants you for herself, but she wants you so she can punish you."
"Why do you say that?"
"She said she had taken care of the lawyer and that she'd take care of this one, too," he said. "She took me out to the boat at the marina and locked me in the galley while she got it ready to sail. She was going to get rid of the second lawyer, but the lawyer's friend, Roger, came snooping around. He found me locked on the boat and got me to the dock manager's office before Riza realized I was gone. Then, he went back to get the evidence, but I didn't see him again."
"How the hell did you get here, then?"
"The dock manager put me in a cab and told the driver to take me home, I must have given him this address," he shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know."
"Wait, she's got the lawyer tied up on the boat?" I asked. All of this sounded too crazy to be true.
"I think so, but I don't know. Maybe he got away and went home," Beck said. "I think he would have come back and gotten me if he had been ready to leave, though."
"This is insane," I said shaking my head. "Let me call Brooke and see if she's heard from Roger."
I grabbed my phone and dialed Brooke. It went to voicemail before she answered, so I tapped the screen and dialed the office. I waited as the phone rang and rang and rang, just before I hung up someone answered.
"Lewis, Lee, and Raines at Law, how can I assist you?"
"Is Brooke Raines in?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, she's away from her office," the man replied.
"Is this Jordie?"
"It is," he said.
"Jordie, this is Dax Malone. Do you know where Brooke went?" I asked, knowing that he had every right not to tell me anything about his friend and colleague.
"She said she was headed over to the marina to try and find Roger," he said. "We haven't been able to get him on the phone and she had some questions for him, aside from wanting to check out the dock."
"Have you heard from her since she left?" I asked as the panic began to rise.
"Nope, not yet," he replied.
"How long ago did she leave?"
"A couple of hours ago, she should be at the dock by now," he said.
"Jordie, listen, I need you to call the police and tell them to haul ass down to that dock," I said thinking ahead and trying to figure out how I could get help to Brooke as quickly as possible. I wanted to warn her, but if she wasn't picking up her phone, then it was entirely possible that Riza had already gotten to her. "Don't ask any questions, just tell them to get out there and find the Isabella and find Brooke."
"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.
"Don't fucking argue with me, man," I shouted into the phone, "Her life may be in danger right now! Do it!"
I hung up and just trusted that Jordie would do what I had asked. I looked down at Beck who had curled up on the cot and was now fast asleep. He'd be safer here than with me, so I left him sleeping and went to find Kesha.
"What's up, boss?" she asked as she stocked the bar for tonight's reopening.
"Kesha, we have a problem," I said. "I can't tell you what it is right now, but I need you to keep an eye on Beck and not let anyone near him. Not anyone but you and me and Javi are to go anywhere near him, got it?"
"Yeah, boss, but..."
"No buts, no nothing," I said holding up a hand. "Just don't let anyone near him. I don't care what they tell you or how convincing they sound, no one but you, me, and Javi."
"Uh, okay, got it," she said giving me a strange look. "What about..."
"NO ONE!" I bellowed. She saluted before I turned and marched out the front door and got in my car.
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
Brooke
I pulled up to the marina, parked Jordie's car, and checked my phone before getting out. There was a message from my father telling me that he was still waiting to hear from the cit
y desk about the questions he'd posed to the report about Lydia's law firm dealings, and there was a call from Dax with no message. I assumed he must have butt-dialed me, so I deleted it and got out of the car.
Roger's car was parked over in the far corner of the lot, and it was locked. I knocked on the trunk, feeling foolish for my detective show suspicions, but thought that it was better to be safe than sorry. "Roger?" I called a couple of times, and when no one answered, I moved on.
It was a cool evening and the sun had just begun to set. The water glowed with pinky-orange light that reflected on the sails of the boats in the harbor. I walked down the path to the manager's office and knocked on the door. When no one answered, I peered through the window to see if there was any movement. I saw nothing, so I decided to explore on my own.
As soon as I set foot on the dock, I cursed myself for not having gone home and changed clothes. The heels of my stilettos, while great for indoor surfaces in an office, stuck between the weathered boards of the dock and made it difficult to move quickly. I had the urge to take them off, but it didn't seem like a good idea to walk barefoot on the rough wood. I settled for walking a little slower than I wanted to.
Surprisingly, there didn't appear to be much activity on the dock. I would have guessed that on a day as nice as this, there would have been a lot of people out using their boats. Since I'd never owned or even sailed a boat, I assumed that my knowledge was lacking. It was peaceful in the harbor as I walked around, looking for a sign of Roger.
"Roger?" I called as I walked down the dock. I wasn't sure if he was still around or if he'd gone off with some woman he'd met. For all I knew, he had hitched a ride down the coast with some hippie surfer and was catching a wave in Malibu after marrying her at a little chapel. I silently cursed him if he was doing those things because it would prove once and for all that he was an irresponsible jerk who couldn't be trusted to run a business – and it would make me feel like an old fuddy-duddy who was boring and predictable.
I checked out a few boats and quickly saw the difference between ones that were actually being used and the ones that sat in the harbor for show. I walked down the second offshoot on the dock and saw a boat with its sails still up and its deck wet from what looked like someone scrubbing it. The name on the side read Isabella and when I called out, "Roger? You in there?" I heard some kind of noise coming from the boat. I waited a few seconds and then called again, "Roger?" Again, I heard a noise coming from what sounded like the interior of the boat.
I looked around to see if anyone was watching and then stepped up onto the deck. It took a moment for me to get my footing, as the water made the boat rock back and forth and the heels I was wearing didn't help matters. I quickly reached down and pulled them off, pushing them off to the side where no one would trip over them if there were others on this boat.
"Roger?" I called. "You on this boat?"
This time, I heard a distinct pounding coming from someplace under the deck. I looked around and saw a door that most likely led down to the cabin below. I knocked and then pulled it open and descended down into the belly of the boat.
"Roger?" I called quietly. I heard a pounding sound on the other side of the door at the opposite end of the cabin. I tiptoed over and listened to the door before turning the knob and pulling it open. Out fell Roger, wearing nothing but his boxers, bound and tied with orange rope and gagged with a bikini top that was tied behind his head. I burst out laughing because he looked like part of a porn flick gone horribly wrong.
"What the hell happened, Rog?" I laughed as I reached around and untied the bikini so he could talk.
"Brooke! Look out!" he yelled, just before everything went dark.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Dax
I put the pedal to the metal and hauled ass to the marina, hoping that Jordie had done as I'd asked and called the cops. Riza was on the loose and she was dangerous, and I didn't want to take any chances that she was actually going to harm Brooke.
"Foolish!" I yelled as I slammed my fists against the steering wheel. "Foolish and stubborn and reckless!"
I could feel the panic rising in my chest as I thought about what Beck had told me and how I'd entrusted everything to the one person who was intent on bringing me down. I couldn't understand why Riza was so angry and resentful. I'd done everything her father had ever asked, and I'd made sure that the business stayed intact, despite the fact that running drugs had never been my choice for how to make a living.
But Papi had saved us. He had made a home for us when no one else could or would, and I owed him. I was loyal and I did what I said I would do! Now, I was being punished for decisions that hadn't even been mine to make? It wasn't fair!
I was furious with Riza. Why hadn't she talked to me about how she felt? Why hadn't she said she was mad that Papi didn't leave the business to her? I would have found a way to make it right! Instead, she spent years nurturing an unnecessary grudge that now threatened to end in violence. My heart felt heavy just thinking about it.
And, poor Beck had been the pawn in her game. He hadn't wanted to be a junkie, but she'd made it so easy for him and encouraged his habit, even when he'd wanted to quit. What kind of person destroys the people who love her?
"Dammit, Ri! You should have told me!" I yelled in the empty car. I felt angry and sick, and my feelings were bouncing back and forth between rage at Riza for what she'd done and worry over what she might still do. I had no idea where Brooke was or if she was okay. Come to think of it, I had no idea if Ri was working alone or with others. She might have an entire posse of people who were helping her pull this off. I slammed my fists on the steering wheel and pushed the car up to the outer range of acceptable speed on the highway, hoping that the cops wouldn't stop me.
I pulled into the parking lot at the marina in record time and was frustrated when I didn't see any cop cars. I saw several cars, but none looked familiar. I wondered how Brooke had gotten to the marina since she didn't own a vehicle. I peeked in the windows of the cars in the lot and quickly found the one that Brooke must have borrowed. Her briefcase was in the front seat and next to it was her cell phone. I cursed her for leaving her phone in plain sight in a locked car and made a mental note to scold her for it.
I walked over to the manager's office and pounded on the door. When no one answered, I went around back to the door that Mick, the manager, used when he didn't want to deal with people. He'd let me in on the secret because, as he'd said, "You're not an annoying asshole."
I pulled open the door and cursed under my breath when I saw Mick lying next to the backdoor out cold, bound and gagged. I pulled him off the floor, put him on his bunk, and untied the ropes around his wrists and ankles before I removed the gag. Mick started to come to as I went to grab a glass of water for him.
"Wha…what the hell?" he said in a groggy voice as he reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "Who the hell are you?"
"It's me, Mick, Dax Malone – you know, the one who's not an asshole?" I grinned as I handed him the glass of water.
"What'd ya hit me for?"
"I didn't hit you," I said. "I came out to the marina and when you didn't answer the front door, I came around back to check that you weren't having a heart attack or something."
"Somebody hit me," he said as he raised the glass and sipped gingerly. "Man, my head fucking hurts!"
"Yeah, that'll happen when you get smacked," I nodded. "Any idea who hit you?"
"Nah, I was working the front desk and I came back here to grab another cup of coffee and whammo!" he said slapping his free hand down on the bunk next to him. "What time is it?"
"It's about half past six," I said. "Why, you got a date or something?"
"Actually, yeah, I do," he grinned. "Good looking chick with long black hair said she wanted to take me to dinner and a movie."
"You sure that didn't happen while you were out?' I asked as I quickly pulled together the missing pieces and decided that it was most likely Riza who'd k
nocked him out.
"Nah, she was a real live girl all right," he grinned. "She's been coming by here every couple of days for the past few weeks and working on your boat. Hey, I thought you'd hired her! She said she was there to clean things up and get it ready for some kind of trip."
"What else did she tell you, Mick?" I wanted to get as much information as I could before I confronted Riza. She was angry and knew her way around a lot of different kinds of weapons. At this point, I wouldn't have put it past her to have stocked up the boat for a long trip straight out of the country. What I was worried about was who she might, or might not, be taking with her.
"She said she was looking forward to a big dish of rice and beans and a cold Dos Equis down on the coast," he said as he drank a little more water and swung his legs over the edge of the bunk.
"Take it easy, sailor," I said. "You've suffered a blow to the head and you might want to get that checked out."
"Eh, I've had a lot worse in my day," he smiled as he rubbed the spot where she'd nailed him. "This is just gonna be a good goose egg and little bit of bruised ego."
"Mick, I need you to do me a favor," I said as I quickly shifted tracks and thought about Brooke. "I need you to get up and call the cops and have them come out to the Isabella."
"Why? What's up?" he asked. "You done something illegal, son?"
"No, not me," I said. "But I think your dark-haired beauty is about to, and I need to stop her before it's too late."
"Aw, man," Mick groaned. "I hate the cops."
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Brooke
When I came to, I knew Roger and I were in some serious trouble. I looked over and saw him lying next to me, re-bound and gagged, and it looked like he was in pain. I raised an eyebrow and he tipped his head toward the front of the cabin.
Whoever had done this to us was still on board, and I could hear him moving around outside. It sounded like he was readying the boat to leave the dock, but since I couldn't see anything, I couldn't be sure. The back of my head ached from the blow, and my arms and legs felt cold where the ropes had cut off the circulation. I started to feel the panic rising in my chest, but I quickly calmed myself by remembering all the times that Teddy had locked me in small spaces when we were kids. I had become a regular Houdini out of necessity.