Leap of Faith (Iris Boys Book 3)

by Lucy Smoke

  After the fifth door, I was about ready to slam my face against the wall in frustration and anxiety. Every time Bellamy left me in the hall, I experienced a minor heart attack—worried that in those brief seconds someone else would come around the corner and discover me. We got through the entire hall without finding a single person and, when we reached the kitchen, I was starting to wonder if maybe everyone else was up top.

  "This is getting ridiculous," I muttered.

  "Have patience," Bellamy replied. "There are some doors—"

  "Hey, what the hell are you doing in here?"

  Both of our heads jerked up as a deep voice spoke from the doorway behind us. I froze, a deer caught in headlights as the man—tall and slender, in dark slacks and a black button-down shirt—reached for me. I spun away, narrowly avoiding his reach as Bellamy dove across the room. I blinked, and Bellamy's fist slammed across the other man's chin. The man grunted and then reeled back and punched Bellamy as well.

  "Go!" Bellamy snapped. "Find Erika!" The other man cried out as Bellamy grabbed him by the back of the shirt, ramming his knee into the man's solar plexus.

  I nodded and whirled around towards the hallway on the other side of the kitchen. Bellamy was the one who had helped train me in self-defense. He was good. I knew he could handle himself. I jerked open the first door, not even bothering to use the same stealth Bellamy had before, and was greeted, surprisingly, by a familiar face—though it was decidedly less tan than I remembered.

  "H-Harlow?" Erika stared up at me from where she sat on the bed—her back pressed against the bolted down headboard. I hadn't expected that I would find her so quickly, but I hurried to shut the door behind me and rushed across the room.

  I wrapped my arms around Erika and squeezed. "Oh my God," I said. "I'm so glad you're safe."

  "What are you d-doing here?" Her voice broke in the middle of the sentence.

  "I'm here to rescue you," I answered, pulling back and examining her bindings. Handcuffs? Jeez. "Where are the keys?" I asked.

  Erika shook her head, and I noted visible tear tracks on her cheeks. My throat tightened with sympathy. "Bernard has them."

  I paused. "Bernard?"

  She nodded. "He's the guy Josh owes money." She sniffed hard. "Oh Harlow, they want me to..." she hiccupped, "they want me to sign a contract and they want me to—" She cut herself off on a sob as if the mere thought terrified her. I rubbed her shoulder soothingly, but we really didn't have time. I looked around the room, for something, anything that could help me uncuff her. Trying to run while handcuffed might hinder things. It certainly would if we had to jump overboard. She wouldn't be able to swim, and I was not taking my best friend out there only to drown her in our escape.

  I moved to the side, opening one of the drawers at the base of the bed frame. Nothing. I opened the next one and only found an extra set of sheets.

  "What are you looking for?" Erika asked, sniffing hard.

  I shook my head, tearing the sheets out. Come on, there had to be something. But there wasn't. There was nothing. "We need something to break you out of those cuffs," I said.

  "Come on, let's just go," Erika said, sounding strained. I lifted my head. She looked at the door longingly, her hands shaking.

  "What if we need to swim?" I asked. "You could drown."

  She inhaled and released a shuddering breath before her eyes met mine. "You didn't come here alone, right?" she asked. "I mean, you wouldn't...do that?"

  "No, I'm not alone. My friends are here with me."

  "Then let's go," she said. "Please, I can't stay here any longer and, Harlow, if they catch you, they'll do the same thing to you that they're planning on doing to me. These are bad guys, Harlow. We can't stay."

  "Are you sure?"

  She nodded once more, her eyes flicking to the door.

  I bit my lip and then decided she was right. At least her hands were in front and not tied at her back. Maybe I could find something along the way or maybe Bellamy or Knix had something in their backpack that could at least snap the chain holding her hands together.

  I went back to the door and cracked it open. Down the hall, I heard nothing but silence. The fight had either moved or was over entirely. My wet, bare feet slid across the wood flooring of the hallway as I crept back to the kitchen area. Grimacing at the mess of supplies—utensils and food alike strewn across the ground—I tiptoed around the shattered glass bits. A smear of blood on the floor caught my attention. My head jerked up as we reached the bottom of the stairs—our only way out of here—and the door opened.

  "Aww, I didn't know you were ready to leave Erika." The man above us stood with his legs shoulder-width apart. He grinned down as Erika cowered at my back.

  I grimaced, steeling myself. "Bernard, I presume?" I said, sharply.

  The guy's gaze moved from Erika to me, just as I had intended. He grinned, a cruel twist of his lips as he leered down at me. "I'm afraid not, but don't worry, I'm sure he'd love to meet you." He stepped to the side. "Why don't we get introductions started. I do believe your friend has already made his."

  With little choice, Erika and I made our way up the stairs and out onto the open deck. The first thing I noticed was Bellamy's face. Blood dripped from a cut somewhere in his hairline. I couldn't see where exactly, but the trail of red spilled down his temple as someone stood behind where he was collapsed on his knees. The second thing I realized were the guns pointed at him…and Erika, and me. The short barrels were threats all their own, but what I really focused on were the fingers that hovered over the triggers. One wrong move, one misstep, and someone's shaky hand could end my life. My heart jumped into my throat and choked me.

  "Sweetheart," Bellamy called before the man behind him punched him on the side of the head, cutting him off.

  "No talking," the man snapped.

  Despite the fact that Bellamy didn't say anything more, the man placed a foot on Bellamy's back and shoved hard, causing Bellamy to jerk forward and slam his face into the floor. He couldn't stop his downward descent, I realized, because he, too, was cuffed—his hands, though, were bound behind his back.

  I bit my lip as rage boiled up inside of me. It hurt to watch Bellamy struggle back up onto his knees, but he did shoot me a look that told me not to do anything about it. These men kidnapped my friend, scared her, and now they hurt Bellamy. I wanted nothing more than to run at them, screaming and scratching their eyes out. But that's not how we would win this. Plus, I noticed that Knix and Grayson were nowhere in sight and the man who had caught Erika and me—the one standing to the side of the door we had just come from—said that he had found my friend, singular. Knix and Grayson remained undiscovered.

  "Erika, who have you brought us?" An older gentleman stepped forward. I blinked in shock, especially when Erika pressed harder against me in an effort to stay as far from the man as possible.

  I looked this man over; he didn't seem particularly threatening. In fact, he looked like he should be someone's grandfather. Instead of the black suit with the garish yellow tie at his neck, I pictured this man in khakis and a good vintage-looking sweater vest. He smiled as he neared, revealing a row of pearly whites. It was that smile, though, that gave me chills. Though he approached slowly and in a non-threatening manner, Erika's trembling against my side gave me pause. This man was a shark in sheep's clothing.

  "I'm sorry, Bernard, please, I—"

  The man held up his hand, stopping Erika's rushed tirade. I reached down and squeezed her hand, trying to comfort her as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. I narrowed my eyes at the man.

  "It's alright Erika, I can understand that the decision you're about to make can be trying for some. It's always easier with a friend nearby." His dark eyes moved to me and I finally realized why this man reminded me of a shark. His eyes were cold. His smile and warm voice couldn't hide that. "I'm Bernard Holding," he said, reaching out with his hand. "And you are?" I let his hand hang between us.

  "Harlow," Erika hissed, jer
king her eyes from my face to Bernard's.

  "Your name is Harlow?" He let his hand fall away, but the smile remained. "A pretty name for a pretty girl."

  "I'm sure you've met girls prettier than me," I said coolly.

  His smile widened. "The prettiest girls are the ones who understand politeness and respect of their elders," he said.

  "Harlow," Bellamy called, shaking his head.

  Even as the man behind him punched him in the side of the head again, causing me to flinch, Bernard kept his gaze on me. "Your friend over there seems to be warning you," he said casually. "You should listen to him."

  "Or what?" I snapped, the anger boiling over. "You'll force me to sign one of your contracts too? Or you'll kill us, is that it?"

  Bernard stared at me for a moment before stepping closer. "Our contracts protect our girls," he said quietly, "from any distasteful decisions they may make. If your friend here had had a keeper before she made the unlucky decision to get involved with the wrong Caruso brother, then maybe things would have turned out better for her. As it stands, she has a debt to settle. You, of course, can leave." He gestured to the side of the boat. "I'm just wondering, however, how you expect to get back when there's no other boat around for miles."

  From behind Bernard, Bellamy's lips quirked, and his eyes told me to remain silent. They had no clue about Marv or Texas either. I didn't know how Texas had been able to cloak the Bowrider because even though I knew very little about boats—I knew Bernard was a man who probably covered all his bases. He probably thought that he knew, for sure, that we were stranded out here. Maybe he thought we had been stowaways without a plan or with a plan that had failed. Something else occurred to me though: Bernard had said "the wrong Caruso brother," meaning he knew about Grayson and, unless I was mistaken, Grayson and Josh were the only two Caruso brothers. If Josh was the wrong one, then Grayson was the right one.

  "What if I could pay off that debt," I offered.

  Bernard's eyebrows quirked, and he tilted his head down as he dropped his arms back to his sides. "Oh? And how would you do that?"

  "What if I convinced the right Caruso brother to pay off his brother's debt?" I asked.

  A shadow appeared in my peripheral vision, creeping across the deck, behind the backs of Bernard and his men. Seeing them, Erika gasped, squeezing my hand tight when Grayson lifted a finger and held it to his lips. Thankfully, Bernard's eyes never left my face.

  "What would make the Golden Boy of the Vandersen-Caruso line do anything you asked? To my knowledge, Joshua Caruso has been outcast from his entire family. His brother dropped him off at one of my facilities and hasn't been seen since."

  My lips lifted. "He hasn't been seen since because he's been with me," I said. "Or at least he was. I'm sure when I manage to get home safe and sound," I stressed the last bit, "my boyfriend would be more than happy to lend me...how much did you say Josh owed you?"

  "That would be upwards of fifty grand, darling," Bernard said with a sly smile.

  Erika's eyes widened. "B-but I thought it was just forty!" she cried. "You said if I worked off the forty-thousand-dollar debt, I could go home!"

  Bernard scowled as he moved his gaze to her and I reached over holding her arm with my other hand. "There's interest, girl," he snapped, his true colors finally showing through. I was glad. It was really difficult to look at this man, who I pictured sitting in someone's living room with doilies and tweed furniture, and knowing he was responsible for coercing women like Erika into a life they didn't want, all for his gain.

  He flipped his gaze back to me, effectively cutting off his interest in Erika in favor of me. "So, you're dating the heir to the Vandersen-Caruso line?"

  Grayson ignored us and moved silently until he disappeared around the yacht's side. "Yes," I said. I had no clue what that meant. Heir? How rich was Grayson? More so than Marv? I thought his last name was just Caruso.

  "Well," Bernard's eyes positively gleamed, "that does change quite a bit. Why don't you step into my office, young lady and we can talk."

  His hand hovered over my arm and he gripped my wrist, removing it from Erika. I didn't know what to do. I knew for certain, however, that I did not want to go anywhere with this man alone. My breath caught in my throat as he half led, half dragged me away from Erika and Bellamy. My mind was racing so fast, I almost didn't hear Grayson until it was too late.

  "Harlow! Duck!" Grayson had climbed atop the piece that led down into the cabin area and leaped from it. I didn't know what he was thinking, but I hit the deck hard. Bernard grunted as he landed behind me.

  Whatever Knix and Bellamy had planned, it was happening now. I rolled away, rising to my knees and then to my feet. Knix rounded the corner and tossed his bag my way as he joined the fray. Grayson sucker punched one of the guys as a gun went off. Erika screamed, and I spun. She was unharmed but pale and trembling as she backed away from the fight. Grayson had managed to provoke the two guys holding guns to swing towards him with the firearms when he had jumped from the ledge of the cabin's roof. I hadn't seen it then, but he must have been aiming for them. Both guns were on the floor, strewn several feet away.

  I saw what Erika was going to do just before she did it and I started cursing her before she even made it over the edge. "No!" I screamed, dropping the bag and diving for her as she rushed to the side of the yacht and flung herself into the ocean. Where the hell did she think she was going?

  My abdomen slammed into the rail and I looked out at the water, only seeing a vague spot where ripples spanned and bubbles erupted from the depths. I cursed again, grabbing the rail and climbed up. My bare feet slipped against the wet surface. Squeezing my eyes shut, I pinched my nose shut, but before I could jump two hard arms wound around my middle and dragged me back.

  "What are you doing?!" I screamed, spinning to look back at Bellamy.

  "I'll go!" he said. "Stay here! Send the signal!" With that, Bellamy dropped me and then swung over the edge of the railing. I didn't even know what the hell 'the signal' was!

  Chapter 19

  Trusting that Bellamy would save Erika from her own stupid decision to dive into the ocean while wearing handcuffs, I scrambled across the deck, diving for Knix's discarded backpack. The teeth of the zipper scraped and caught as my fingers—wet from both the water spraying up and from my own sweat—slipped. I nearly tore the bag open.

  "Signal. Signal. Signal." I repeated the mantra. Surely there'd be a giant box in here marked Signal, right? Wrong. Of course, there wasn't. That would be way too convenient.

  My fingers closed over something long and cylindrical, though. Quickly I yanked it out and gasped in excitement. A flare! This was it. This was the signal. The cylinder I held in my hand was red and about a foot in length. It was just a handheld flare though. How far would it be seen? Why hadn't the guys packed one that actually shot out? There wasn't time to think of that now. I had to find a way to let Marv and Texas know that we needed help. Knix and Grayson were busy. Bellamy was rescuing Erika from herself. I looked up. The cabin roof was there, just exactly what I needed.

  I took the flare and rushed to the side I had seen Grayson go to earlier. How had he gotten up? I couldn't find a ladder, but there were some extra stacks of yacht seat cushions. Climbing onto the railing alongside it, I leaped from the edge to the cushions, scrambling up to the roof. The yacht rocked back and forth. My nails bit into the sides of the roof as I tried to keep myself from rolling right off. How the hell had Grayson managed to do this? I wondered briefly as the yacht finally calmed enough for me to rip the cap off the flare. It blazed a bright red. I screamed, holding it up and waving it in triumph as smoke billowed from the end and the bright light emitted.

  In the distance—what seemed much farther than we could have swum—Marv and Texas' Bowrider cranked to life. The sound of the engine echoed over the surface of the water.

  I laughed, tears of relief rolling down my cheeks. Looking down over the edge of the roof, I called to Knix. "They're coming
!"

  Knix lifted his head, punched a guy in the face, and called for Grayson to get out. My eyes traveled across the deck. Grayson didn't argue, he simply ran for the railing and threw himself over the ledge. Knix followed, stopping at the railing and turning back.

  "Let's go!" he called.

  "Go!" I yelled back. "I'm coming."

  We had Erika. Bernard's security was demolished. Just as I was about to step back, to descend and follow them, a hand wrapped around my ankle and jerked. This time, I screamed for a different reason. My back hit the roof and the flare flew from my hand, rolling off the side and to somewhere unknown.

  "You little bitch!" Bernard yelled.

  My eyes widened as the grandfatherly old man climbed up, reaching for my neck as if to throttle me. I had no doubt that those dead eyes did, in fact, intend murder.

  "Harlow!" I heard Knix call from the water, probably wondering where I was.

  "You're not going anywhere!" Bernard seethed as I tried to roll away. I didn't care if I broke something at this point. I just wanted to get as far from him as possible. "You think you can get away from me?" Bernard reached for me as I rolled. I didn't have anything to cushion me when I fell, so when my side hit the hard deck, I cried out as all the breath in my body rushed out. My back hurt. My side hurt. My damn hands hurt and...was that smoke?

  Bernard crawled down from the roof and advanced on me. Clambering to my feet, I backed up to the railing. A strong wind whipped against my face as Bernard approached, rosy-cheeked, anger broiling in those snake-like eyes of his.

  I coughed as the wind blew smoke into my face. Where was it coming from? I glanced over, my eyes catching on the cushions several feet away engulfed in flames. The flare must have landed on them when it went over the side of the roof. I watched, slack-jawed, as the fire from the cushions spread up the wall they were stacked against. Bernard didn't even notice as he came for me, hands outstretched. I ducked and moved away again.

  "Harlow!" This time Grayson's voice rose above the wind and fire and ocean. I would have given anything to follow it. The entire front end of The Hold was on fire. I needed off this ship now!