“Got it. You think she’s going for half of everything now?”
“Why else?”
We’d been at this for hours. Tyler paced the room, rubbing the stubble on his face. “The five thousand dollars was to give Valentina the illusion that she could save Max. They gave her an amount they knew she’d have access to.”
“Bridget knows exactly how much money I keep around the house. She went low on purpose, to give Valentina an easy task.”
Tyler met the guard’s gaze for a beat. “So we know Valentina went after Alex to pay him off and Bridget will be there waiting for her.”
“That’s got to be it. Who left the note?” I glared at the guard. None of this was his fault, but I still wanted him to have all the answers already.
“We’re working on that. We believe Ms. Bridget left it in the gardens for someone to deliver it for her.”
“One of the guests?” Of course, no matter how much they all smile and make polite conversation, I couldn’t make everyone turn their backs on Bridget. Some of them were her friends once.
“Possibly. There are too many people with access to pretty much every room in the house.” Tyler’s tone said he didn’t agree with parties that left us wide open.
After I ran into Alex earlier today, I doubled security. But Tyler was right. What good were a hundred guards when someone inside our circle of trust was ready to betray us?
“We need to go now. You don’t understand. This guy isn’t right. Bridget isn’t right. If they’re working together…I don’t know what they’ll do to her.” I had a pretty good idea, but I couldn’t get myself to say the words aloud. “I’m not going to sit here and wait for a plan to magically appear in front of me. We’re going to Valentina’s last known location and work from there.”
“Yes, sir.”
As soon as the guard left, I picked up the phone on my desk. I made a mistake before, assuming Bridget needed a second chance and Alex could be bought out. The only way to get them to leave us alone was to get the proper authorities involved and make sure they went to jail. I couldn’t exactly call 911 and ask them to send one police car to help me find my missing fiancée who’d left the house of her own accord with five thousand dollars.
Even if I showed them the note, it wasn’t enough to prove kidnapping, extortion, or any other kind of crime. No one gave a shit, and I didn’t want just one cop. I wanted a fucking army. I was done playing nice. Bridget and Alex were about to find out how far I was willing to go to protect my family.
I called the governor’s office instead.
19
I Wasn't a Stupid Little Lamb
Valentina
The car hit a pothole as it merged onto I-85. We were leaving the city? I faced Bridget, and she put away her gun.
“I trust you're smart enough not to jump out of a moving vehicle. At this speed, you’ll die,” she deadpanned.
“Where are you taking me? Derek can get you more money tonight. Why leave Atlanta?”
“Because the amount I’m asking for is going to take a few days to pull together.”
When and how did she send a ransom note to Derek? She had to know the minute she logged onto the network or Wi-Fi, Derek would find her. By now, Derek knew I’d left the house of my own volition. I hoped he would understand why I did it, that I did everything for Max because I thought he was in trouble. No doubt Derek would be mad at me for not trusting him, for leaving him out of it. I’d survived all this time without him. I would survive this too.
If he’d told me the truth from the beginning, maybe we’d be in a completely different situation, though I couldn’t think of a scenario where I wouldn’t run out the door to save my son from someone like Alex. I had no doubt Alex would have put Max through hell just to get his hands on a few thousand dollars.
“Where are we going?”
“Savannah. We’ll lay low for a few days.”
Alex sniggered from the front seat. I ignored him and glanced out the window instead. The more I reacted to his taunting, the more he liked to push me. After all these years, not much had changed about him. How much was Bridget paying him to earn this level of respect from him? Maybe it wasn’t the money. I simply didn’t inspire his respect.
I hugged myself. I had wasted so much time doing what he wanted to prove to him I was smart and capable. Nothing had worked. Regret. Shame. That was all I felt for Alex now.
Next to me, Bridget sat all proper with a laptop in front of her. When she hired me to work at Derek’s company at the start of the year, before I even graduated from college, I thought she was the smartest woman I knew. A part of me, a huge part of me, wanted to be just like her. I only knew her from the work she’d done managing logistics for Derek and her stint as acting CEO, not the shitty human being she could be.
I rubbed my temple to keep the tears away. I was wrong about them. But they were wrong about me too. I wasn’t the nineteen-year-old who was easily manipulated by a charming smile or the fresh-out-of-college girl begging for an opportunity, for her first job.
By their calm demeanors, they were sure I’d be a good girl and stay put while Derek turned his company upside down to come up with the money they asked for. Wrong again. I was done playing nice with both of these assholes.
“I thought we said no internet?” Alex switched lanes with an angry look on his face. “I can’t have my phone, but you’re online?
Bridget rolled her eyes. “Do you not know what Derek does for a living? If you’re on the network, he’ll find you. Keep your phone off. Why did you even bring it?”
“For emergencies.”
“What?” She slow-blinked. “Stick to the fucking plan.”
“So he can find me but not you?” His whiny tone said he wasn’t happy about not having internet access.
Some priorities he had.
“No, Alex, not me, because I know what I’m doing. Just do your job and let me worry about the logistics.”
Three and a half hours later, we drove past the Welcome to Savannah sign. The streets were nearly empty this late at night or almost early morning. Alex drove straight to a Victorian-style home. He’d been here before. How long had they been planning to come after Derek and me?
As soon as the car slowed down and pulled up to the curb, Bridget pointed her gun at me again. “Whatever you think you can do, trust me, you can’t. Get in the house.” She waved her weapon in front of me.
More than anything, I was afraid Bridget would shoot me in the face by accident. The way she handled the gun, with so little regard, made me nervous. I climbed out of the car and followed her inside, like a stupid lamb on her way to the slaughterhouse.
Inside, Bridget gripped my elbow and pushed me onto a chair in the entryway. The place had been fully renovated with an open-space concept that made the downstairs feel bigger than it was. The rectangular living room was furnished with upholstered sofas and plush area rugs. Velvet curtains dressed the floor-to-ceiling windows.
At the other end of the room, a small eating area had a six-chair table with dirty dishes on it. They’d been living here for days. As soon as Alex locked the door behind him, Bridget climbed the steps to the second floor, gesturing for me to follow.
I glanced behind me at Alex, who stood by the front door with a nasty smirk on his face. The door only opened and closed with a punched-in code. With his back to me, he entered the number on the keypad to activate it. His fingers were too fast for me to catch the sequence.
“The door won’t open or close without the code. So don’t get any ideas into that little head of yours.” His voice boomed in the small entryway at the bottom of the stairs.
“Walk.” Bridget snapped her fingers at me the way she used to do when I worked for her about three months ago. It felt like a lifetime ago. So much had changed since then.
“You’ll be in this room.” She pointed to the room at the end of the hallway.
The bedroom next to it had a pair of jeans on the rumpled bed and a pair of
men’s shoes strewn by the door. This was Alex’s room.
Bridget followed my line of sight. “You’re more than welcome to stay in that room with him.”
I shook my head and trudged to the bedroom at the end of the narrow hallway. I leaned on the banister before I went inside. It was a long way down from up here. Alex waved at me from the bottom of the steps and chuckled when I pushed myself off the rail.
The bedroom had a double bed and a nightstand, no windows. I sat on the mattress, letting images of Max’s smiling face flood my mind. I had to get out of here. Not once had Alex given me reason to trust his word. Bridget hated me so much there was no guarantee she’d return me home after Derek delivered the money.
My heart raced, pumping hot blood through me. They treated me like a stupid lamb. They were so sure I wouldn’t fight back. My gaze snapped up toward the door. Alex leaned on the threshold as he took a long swig of his beer. I looked away and pretended he wasn’t there.
“Don’t look at me that way.” He sauntered in and set the can on the nightstand. “This is why we didn’t work out, why you’re here. You walk around like the world should be laid at your feet. Like you’re better than the rest of us, me. But look at you. Even in your fancy clothes, you’re still you, scared of everything, weak, and so dumb. It didn’t take much to get you here.”
I wasn’t weak. Or dumb. Though he’d said it so many times before, for a long while, I believed all of it.
I sat very still, rubbing the inside of my wrist. When Alex and I were together, I’d do the same when he was in one of his moods. I’d stare at the wall and not move. I’d thought if I stayed quiet and not do anything to make him angry, he would be nicer to me or not hit me. That strategy had worked maybe once. He convinced me that it was my fault. That he lost his temper because of something I’d done: a look, a tone, the wrong word. It was always my fault.
“Sure. Pretend I don’t exist.” He grabbed a handful of my hair and made me stand to meet his gaze. We were about the same height, but he yanked me toward his feet so he could look down on me.
Look at me. Don’t look at me. Which one was it?
The first time Alex hit me, he claimed it had been an accident. He said it so convincingly that eventually I believed him. The second time he hit me, it was a playful slap on the face. He accused me of being overly sensitive, and again, I believed him. Before I knew it, every encounter we had left a mark. I was too ashamed to tell anyone.
I fisted my hand. After the first time Alex hit me and left a mark, I’d asked Dad to teach me a few boxing moves. I made it look like it was all for fun. He’d been more than happy to train with me. He’d even enlisted a couple of my cousins to spar with me.
Alex was the reason I learned how to throw a punch, though I never mustered the courage to fight back. Lucky for me, he wanted nothing to do with me after I told him I was pregnant. But the few months we were together left a scar that stayed with me all this time.
For years, I lived in fear he might come back. And now, here we were. It was all how I thought it would be. He hated that I existed, that I drew breath. Like before, his behavior didn’t make sense. No matter how much I tried to read into his words, none of it made sense.
He slapped my face, then snapped his fingers the same way Bridget had done in the car. They were not that different. “Look at me when I talk to you.”
I met his gaze. How in the world did I ever find that smirk charming? How did I let things escalate so fast? Maybe that was it. He’d done it so fast I had no time to see him for what he really was.
“You’re a coward. Weak. Small.” My words weren’t above a whisper, but my tone was firm.
His eyebrows went up as he pursed his lips. He made to leave, then turned and struck me across the face. A thousand stars exploded in my head. My ear popped along with my jaw. The throbbing began immediately. I didn’t think. I didn’t stand still. I didn’t do any of those things because Alex’s actions were never my fault. He was nothing more than a coward.
I fisted both my hands and threw a jab and then a cross. The way I’d practiced for so long. The way I’d fantasized about doing for so long. He was stronger, but I was faster. I punched him in the throat next, then the soft spot below his rib cage. Mouth slightly open, he fell to the floor.
If he was surprised or knocked out, I didn’t care. I didn’t have time to find out. My legs jerked into a run. I ran down the stairs and slammed against the door. I flipped the deadbolt, but nothing happened. I needed a code.
I ran toward the dining room and tried the door there. When I entered a random number, the keypad there flashed red. Tears streamed down my face as I looked around the room for a way out. With trembling hands, I picked up a dining chair and threw it against the window. The heavy velvet curtains muffled the impact, protecting the glass.
When I spun around, Bridget stood there, red face, lips pursed into a single line. “You just made things way more difficult for yourself. I told Alex you’d try something. But he didn’t listen. Now we go with my plan.” She smiled at me, a creepy gesture that sent a spasm of fear down my spine.
She stomped around the kitchen island and opened the door next to the fridge. It looked like some sort of broom closet. Alex gripped my hair again. Using his body to block me, he shoved me toward Bridget and into the dark room. The door shut behind me. While I tried to regain my balance, my foot slid down a step and I tumbled down the stairs. Not a broom closet, a basement. I sat on the landing, clutching my arm to myself.
I’d played my only card. I got away from Alex because he never expected me to retaliate. The element of surprise was gone now. I had no other way to escape this place. I drew my knees to my chest and rested my cheek on them.
I was in the middle of God knows where, in a dark basement, with two sociopaths who didn’t care if I lived or died. At this point, I wasn’t even sure Alex agreed to play Bridget’s sidekick for the money. He’d done it for the chance to mess with my head again. I hoped my fists had left a mark. For the next few days, he’d have to look at himself in the mirror and be reminded that I didn’t stand still, that I fought back. I wasn’t a stupid little lamb.
I would have guessed he’d be furious that I hit him, but he hadn’t been. He stayed on the floor, hugging his stomach, but the look he gave me when he yanked me away from the back door wasn’t any different. I’d always assumed he’d beat me to a pulp if I ever defended myself.
The small victory didn’t help much with my current situation. I was still stuck here with no way out. Well, no way out upstairs. I braced my hand on the wooden banister and propped myself up. When I stood, the side of my head pounded in protest.
I trudged up the steps, running my hand along the wall. There had to be a light switch around here somewhere. Please don’t let this be one of those creepy basements. My hand touched the plate, and I immediately flipped the switch.
The room below was the typical unfinished basement with beams and cabling showing. In one corner, a DIY shelving unit leaned against the wall. Boxes and boxes were piled on it. An exercise bike, a TV, and a bunch of other trinkets that were basically trash littered the space.
Just in case, I gave the doorknob a jiggle. Of course, it was locked. Bridget hadn’t hesitated to throw me in here. She didn’t even tell Alex this was where she wanted me. He already knew. The basement was their plan B to keep me contained.
It annoyed the hell out of me that they both thought they could keep me in the upstairs bedroom and I wouldn’t try to escape. I went down the steps to survey the area. Maybe there was a door down here that led to the outside. One that didn’t require a keypad. Had those keypads come with the house, or did Bridget and Alex install them just for me? I shuddered at the thought.
Small windows with steel bars lined the wall. I stood on my tiptoes to peer out, but everything on the other side was pitch black. I glanced down at my watch. The sun would be up in a couple of hours. My eyes itched from the lack of sleep, but looking around the place,
I couldn’t imagine relaxing enough to fall asleep. Shit. I stuffed my hands in my hair.
I returned to the stairs and sat near the landing. In the morning, I’d try my luck with the windows again. Maybe if I broke one of them, I could get someone's attention. All I needed was a phone. One phone call to Derek would fix the mess I’d made when I left the house without telling him. Did I regret it? Yes. Would I do it again if Max’s life was in danger? Hell yes.
Leaning my head against the sheet-rocked wall, I let my eyes close. My body weighed a ton as I sat there, half dreaming, half awake. When I opened them again, it was bright daylight outside. The sunrays touched every corner in the small room.
And then I saw it, a white metal box hanging next to the shelving unit. My mouth felt dry from thirst, and the pounding on the side of my face had turned into a full-on headache. I took a deep, calming breath and forced myself to get up and look inside the case.
I sobbed when I removed the cover and found the cellular system the alarm used to alert the call center of any intrusions. Either Alex and Bridget didn’t know this box was here, or they completely forgot I had programming experience. Writing code and wiring weren’t the same thing at all, but I’d worked at Derek’s company long enough to understand how the two fed into each other.
Could I rig this box to call for help? But I couldn’t just send out an alarm to the call center. They would call the owner of the house. For all I knew, that could be Bridget.
Derek had mentioned Savannah to me before. The day he took me out on a picnic and fed me brie cheese topped with Savannah honey. He mentioned his mom had sent him that stuff because she knew he loved it. Jesus. Was this Derek’s house?
I grabbed a box off the shelving unit and dumped the contents on the cement floor. There were textbooks, trophies, and a bunch of golf magazines. I flipped through the books, but nothing in them showed they belonged to Derek. Sitting on my haunches, I rested my head on my hands, then looked up at the tall unit in front of me and the number of boxes.
Unravel You: A Hot Billionaire Romance (Cole Brothers Series Book 1) Page 18