Smokescreen

by Ahren Sanders

  “I’ll take care of sweet lips. You worry about the other stuff.”

  “The plane will be ready tomorrow night. After the photo shoot, we’ll all go back. On Tuesday morning let’s meet with Chris and then we’ll move forward. I’m ready for this to be done.”

  Unbelievable. My brain runs on overdrive trying to process everything Max has told us. Laci is extremely calm despite the fact that she just found out Max is a part of an international corruption scandal and Jake is a federal agent. Surprisingly, they tell her everything. I’m guessing it’s more because she will be helping me represent Hurst & McCoy when the investigation and charges against Edward are announced, most likely later this week. Jake is currently reviewing the email Marshall sent intently, so far it’s uncovered nothing.

  “You know there was a time when we shared everything,” Laci’s voice tremors slightly, hurt evident in her eyes. “Chris and Sara knew, why didn’t I?”

  “I’m sorry, Lace. You have to understand the position I was in.”

  “So what now?”

  “We hope Jake finds something. We go home and wait for the announcement of the charges against Edward. We formulate a plan.”

  “No more secrets, Stels. I mean it.”

  “Don’t be too hard on her, sweet lips—”

  “Shut it! You don’t get to tell me what to do. If we were at home, I’d kick her ass. But as it stands, her boyfriend owns my form of transportation home. I’d don’t want him to leave me. And for the love of God! Why do you call me sweet lips?”

  “Cause I suspect the minute I taste them, they’ll be sweet.”

  Both Max and my head’s snap up at his statement. Laci’s eyes bulge as her face turns a shade of scarlet. “You did not just say that!”

  “Sure did, as soon as I’m clear of this case, I’m taking advantage of all the sass you serve up. Get ready.” Jake winks at her and turns back to the laptop.

  “I need a drink. No, let me rephrase, I need a few drinks. Does this place have a wine menu?”

  “It’s not the Ritz, but it has a very decent room service menu.”

  “Order at least two bottles of wine. I’m going to change.” She stands as if she’s leaving, but instead jumps on me, forcing me back on the couch. Her hands come to my sides and she tickles me until I scream.

  “Stop, please stop!” I thrash, trying to push her to the ground.

  “Never, ever, ever, ever, keep things from me. Promise!” Her legs pin me down and she continues to torture me with her wiggling fingers.

  “Promise! If you don’t stop, I’ll pee on the couch.”

  “I’ll stop, but only because it would suck having to sit on the floor tonight while I get ridiculously drunk.”

  “I love you, Lace. Sorry I hurt your feelings.”

  She doesn’t say anything but gives me a small smile as she gets off me. “See you in a few.”

  “I’ll walk with you. I need to get some notes from my room. Stella, will you order me a beer?” Jake asks walking to the door behind Laci.

  Max’s phone rings while I’m on the phone with room service and relief washes over his face. “Please tell me you’ve got something, Dana.” He listens and looks at his phone several times. “Wait, hold on. I can’t hear you.”

  “Babe, I think the phone is interfering with my call. Are you almost done?”

  I confirm my order and hang up.

  “Okay, Dana, go ahead.” He walks towards the window. “Dana, the reception is shit. I’ll call you right back. Stay where you are.”

  “What’s going on?” I ask.

  “Not sure, I’ve never had problems before. But it sounds like she has some news. I’m going to call her from downstairs. Be right back.” He kisses me lightly and leaves.

  Less than ten minutes later, there’s a knock on the door. I answer and step back to let the waiter pass by. Immediately I see a problem because the cart is filled with food trays and I only ordered drinks.

  “Excuse me, I don’t think that’s ours.”

  The man mutters something and I realize he doesn’t speak English.

  “Sir, there’s been a mistake.” My hand touches his shoulder and he jumps. When he turns to face me, a chill runs through my entire body.

  “No there’s no mistake.” An evil smile spreads across his face and he grabs my arm roughly.

  Before I can scream, a syringe is plunged into my arm and darkness takes over.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I push the button constantly for the elevator. What the fuck is the hold up? Now would be a really good time to have a round with a punching bag. Actually, I’m not sure anything will take away the wrath I have fuming inside.

  “I think Stella’s in danger.” Dana’s words ring over and over in my mind

  “What’s wrong with the fucking elevators?!” I scream.

  “Sir?” a small man with a nametag comes to me. “What’s the problem?”

  “Is there some sort of engineering malfunction? First my phone wouldn’t work in my room and now the elevators are stuck.”

  Confusion crosses his face and he talks in rapid Spanish into a headset. Understanding every word, I hear the respondent say there is no known problems. Something hits me hard and I dial Jake. When he answers, his voice is crystal clear.

  “Jake, where are you?”

  “About to head to your room. Why?”

  “Something’s not right. Get to my room now, I have to take the stairs. Get Laci and keep her and Stella in our suite until I get there. Dana just called with disturbing news.” Not waiting for a response, I run to the stairs and sprint two at time until I reach my floor.

  Laci is pacing the room when I throw open the door.

  “Where’s Stella?” I demand.

  “We don’t know. She’s not here. The door was cracked and the place empty. What the hell is going on?”

  I punch in Stella’s phone number and hear it ringing in the bedroom. When I find it in her purse, my stomach sinks. She doesn’t go anywhere without her phone.

  “Jake! Call your people. Stella’s gone.”

  “What do you mean?” Laci shrieks.

  I ignore her questions and call the operator, requesting the manager immediately.

  “Want to tell me what’s happening?” Jake questions.

  “There’s no time! Stella’s gone. Someone’s got her.”

  His entire body stiffens and he raises one eyebrow to me.

  “I got a call from Dana and had to go downstairs to get reception. What she told me is not good. She confirmed Edward is intentionally avoiding Rita and Erica. Exactly like Saturday, as soon as she was alone with him he opened his eyes. He didn’t hold back or resist talking to her. Nor did he insist on seeing me. His voice was still hoarse but she taped their conversation. He’s aware I know about his involvement in illegal business activities. He knows he’s caught. But he was insistent on not having anything to do with Stella’s sabotage. Dana said his face was full of regret and sorrow. Then he went on to say that he’s so sorry, he tried to stop everything.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “She didn’t know but he started chanting Stella’s name softly. Then he grabbed Dana’s hand firmly and said tell Max to save her. It spooked her and she called me immediately.”

  Laci whimpers and tears fill her eyes.

  “Stella never leaves her phone, ever. But her whole purse is in the bedroom. Someone’s got her. We need to fucking find her! Every second we stand here talking is another second she’s in danger.”

  Jake doesn’t question anymore but puts the phone to his ear and disappears out the door. I follow him and look around for anything out of the ordinary. A light buzzing sound coming from the elevator gets my attention and I push the button, hoping they are working again. When the door opens, my heart drops.

  “What the fuck?” Jake hisses beside me.

  A man in a room service uniform is lying on the floor with broken bottles surrounding him. H
is cart overturned. Jake reaches for his throat.

  “He’s got a pulse.”

  “Fuck!” I roar.

  The second elevator opens and a man, whom I presume is the manager, walks out looking flustered. When his eyes land on the unconscious employee they grow wide and his face pales.

  Before he can talk, I cut him off. “He’s alive but knocked out. I have reason to believe my fiancée was taken from this hotel less than ten minutes go.”

  “What?” he asks in disbelief.

  “I’m a U.S. Federal Agent and I need all video feed from the hallways, entrances, and exits for this hotel the last thirty minutes. Close all exits and don’t let anyone leave this building. And call an ambulance for this guy,” Jake barks and the man starts speaking into a walkie-talkie.

  Within ten minutes, local and federal law enforcement swarms every floor, asking questions to see if anyone saw Stella. Jake, Laci, and I crowd around the video monitors in the security office. My fear consumes me as I watch the man posing as a room service waiter walk into our suite and roll his cart out a few minutes later.

  “I don’t understand? Where’s Stella. She’s not with him,” Laci questions.

  “Yeah, babe, he’s got her.”

  “But where?”

  “Laci, maybe you should go up to the room and wait for us,” I try to coax her. This isn’t going to be pretty and I’m barely hanging on.

  “Never in a million years.”

  “Sweet lips,” Jake says gently. “That’s not a cart he’s wheeling. It’s a box disguised with a white cloth.”

  “But Stella would never get in there. She’s terrified of small spaces. She’d put up a fight.”

  “Unless she was unconscious.”

  Realization sinks in as Jake confirms what I already know. My girl would have been kicking and screaming. No way she’d let this man stuff her in a box. Laci inhales loudly and her body starts shaking.

  No one speaks as we watch the kidnapper walk towards the back hallway and then disappear.

  “What’s in this hallway?” I ask the manager behind us.

  “That’s the service elevator. But we have no feed from that time period because our system went down.”

  “Does that happen often?”

  “Never. This is the first time. Actually the elevators were stalled for almost ten minutes.”

  “Agent Freed?” an officer walks in holding a black device. “We found this in the hallway near Mr. McCoy’s room.”

  Jake takes the object and then blows out a frustrated breath. “Goddammit!” he slams his hand on the desk. “Fucking scrambler. No wonder you had to go downstairs to call Dana back. This was a set up. He’s been watching us.”

  “But how’d he know Stella would be alone or Max would get a call?” Laci asks.

  “He was waiting for any opportunity. This was a professional job, he probably had some tricks up his sleeve. My guess is he jammed the elevators. It was just a coincidence with the room service.”

  “I don’t do coincidences,” I interject. “He had a plan.”

  “Well, when we find his ass, we’ll get answers.” Jake gives me a hard look.

  “Look!” Laci points to the monitor and we see the same man wheeling the cart into a white van. Jake stops the video and blows up the screen. It’s poor quality but you can see the man’s face.

  “Let’s get this printed and ask around to see if anyone knows him. We’ll run him against the system too.” Jake directs the officer in the corner and then gets up. We follow him back to the suite and he clears the room.

  “What are you thinking?” I question, knowing he’s got something on his mind.

  “I’m an officer of the law and I believe in the system to do its job. Even in a foreign country, sworn officials take their jobs seriously.”

  “Jesus Christ, Jake. This isn’t the time to give me a dissertation on your work ethic and the brotherhood of the legal system.”

  He shakes his head and stares at Laci. “Sweet lips, I think you should call your dad.”

  Understanding slams into me. He’s calling in the big guns.

  This is not fucking happening. Two days have passed and nothing has transpired. Every official and civilian within forty-five miles has been looking for Stella with no real leads. Her parents and Amy, along with my family will be here within the hour. They want answers. I have none. Even though I’ve been at this police station for the last forty-eight hours, I still know nothing.

  “Here you go.” Laci hands me a cup of coffee and sits down. I pull her close and hear her throat catch. The silent tears fall and she trembles in my arms. This isn’t the first time she’s broken down since Stella was kidnapped, but in public, she’s a force to be reckoned with. She stays on top of every officer that walks into the station.

  I set my coffee down and embrace her tightly. “We’re gonna find her, Lace.”

  “Max, you don’t understand. I’m scared to death, but it’s more than that. I need her. She’s not just my best friend, she’s so much more. Stella has been my rock for most of my life. Every single life-changing experience, she’s been by my side. If anything happens to her it will devastate me. It’s hard to comprehend because you’re a man.”

  “I understand completely. She’s my fucking lifeline. Every second that passes, a little piece of me dies. I need her Laci, I need her so much. My mind is trying to telepathically feel where she is. I can’t explain it, but even though I can’t find her, I know she’s okay. If she wasn’t I’d know.”

  She looks at me with tearstained cheeks and gives me a shy smile. “I believe you.”

  I start to say more but Laci’s eyes grow wide and she jumps up running. When I turn, Marshall has his daughter in a tight embrace and she’s sobbing again. His eyes meet mine with warmth and he gives me a slight chin lift.

  After a few minutes, I lead them to a small room that has been designated as ‘ours.’ It’s not much but has a small couch and table with chairs.

  “This room wired?” Marshall asks.

  “No, Jake had them shut down surveillance and wires when we came. He explained we were cooperating thoroughly.”

  “Let’s sit for a minute and then walk around the building. Fresh air will do you both good.”

  His intention is clear—he has news and doesn’t want to take a chance of being overheard if the authorities have ears on the room.

  We chitchat for a few minutes about what has happened since we arrived. Once an acceptable amount of time has passed, we leave and go out the back door. I walk ahead until we’re in a secluded area.

  “Before you tell me anything, you need to know, everyone thinks Stella is my fiancée. I did that on purpose to emphasize the importance of finding her. The McCoy name has become respected down here and the term fiancée carries more clout than girlfriend.”

  “That was a wise decision.”

  “What have you got?”

  “Max, you and Laci need to know very little here because I don’t want you involved if things go badly.”

  “Bullshit! Stella was taken under my nose, my business partner is giving subtle warnings, and I’m sitting here with nothing. Not a fucking thing to help find her. My involvement is the least of my goddamned worries!”

  His eyes light up at my outburst and then soften. “Very well. I have a team in the field now. I will know more by tonight. These guys are good, the best. They do search and rescue for some of the most elite in the world.”

  His words hit me like a ton of bricks. “Mercenaries?”

  “I prefer the term hostage rescue.”

  “I want in. Tell me everything.”

  “Max, you’ll know what I do. But these guys are trained. I trust them.”

  I start to argue for more information until my phone rings.

  “McCoy!” I shout in greeting.

  “It’s Jake, get back to the station now. I’ve got a lead. But I gotta warn you. Fucking be prepared.” He hangs up and I look at Laci and Marshall.


  “We need to move.” I take off running and only stop when I reach the back door and Jake puts hand to my chest.

  “Man, I need you to hold your shit together tight. This is not going to be easy. Every agent and cop has tried to talk to this woman, but she’ll only talk to you. I think she knows what the fuck is going on. We’re close to a lock on the money trail and the kidnapper but no location yet. You may be able to get that for us.”

  “What the fuck? I’ve been here for days with no information and now you tell me there’s been movement in the case?”

  “Tone it down. I have to work by their rules. But guaranteed, if this leads us to Stella, you’ll be involved.”

  I want to argue but Marshall puts his hand on my arm and tightens it. “Stella.” That’s all he has to say and I nod.

  We walk through the station, now filled with people and everyone stares at me. Jake leads me into a small interrogation room and leaves me alone. Tension, stress, and anxiety fill my every nerve. This woman better have some solid information or I’m going to go fucking ballistic.

  The door opens and my heart starts racing. Erica walks in with Jake closely behind her. She never looks to me until she sits down and then her eyes meet mine. I’m too furious to say anything.

  “It’s my mom,” she says softly. “She’s behind all of this.”

  I stay silent and Jake’s head jerks at the window behind me.

  “My dad finally woke up. He told me a lot of things. Max, it’s really fucked up. He’s fucked up, my mom’s fucked up. Things are really bad.”

  I sit back and cross my arms over my chest, staring at her with hatred and disgust. She swallows nervously and continues.

  “Apparently my mom has known forever about my dad’s philandering ways. She overlooked it because of the money, prestige, and lifestyle he provided for her. According to my dad, about ten years ago, a woman came forward claiming to be pregnant. It would have destroyed my mom’s social status and she threatened to divorce him, taking everything. She was going after his shares of Hurst & McCoy as well.