by Jessa Eden
“You will, Mom. I promise.” His voice was optimistic.
It was good to hear my boy be so strong in a crisis.
We hung up and I prayed this wasn’t the last time I talked to my son.
But I couldn’t lose it now.
I immediately called emergency services. “911. What’s your emergency?” the female operator asked calmly.
“Some guy named Bryant kidnapped me.” I tried to state in a clear voice, even as it shook.
“Can you tell me where you are?”
“I’m in the trunk of old dark Sedan, somewhere on the streets of Baltimore.”
“Okay, we’ll try and locate your phone. Just keep talking to me. What do you notice?”
I peered through the darkness. “I don’t really see anything. Oh wait.” I caught a glimpse of something in the far corner by my feet.
The trunk was mostly empty, except for a dark duffel bag. It was in the back corner, but I kicked it forward with my feet until I could reach it with my hands.
I opened it up, hoping I could find something useful to use against my abductor. From the feel of each item, there was duct tape, rope, and some kind of camera.
This was his kit to hurt someone.
I suddenly knew where I had seen him. The day I went to the pier after Charlie and I got into that fight. He was the man who had offered me his hanky. I got a creepy vibe from him then and now I remembered the abducted girl on the news, who looked a lot like me.
Everything made sense now.
He was the Renaissance Rapist.
I was in the trunk of a rapist.
Who had been watching me for god knows how long.
Oh, my fucking god.
“I think I’m in the trunk of the Renaissance rapist. He has a bag of stuff,” I told the operator.
There was no reply.
“Hello?” I asked when I didn’t hear anything.
Shit, we got disconnected.
I tried not to panic as I focused on seeing Beau and Charlie again. I wanted to see them again, whole and happy.
They kept me grounded as I redialed emergency services. “911, what’s your emergency?”
“Hi, I just called. I’ve been kidnapped and you were trying to locate me because I’m in the trunk of the Renaissance Rapist. I need your help, right now. I don’t know how much longer I have,” I pleaded as the car dipped low and came to a squeaky halt.
“We’re trying to locate you. Hang on tight. Don’t hang up.”
I realized we weren’t moving anymore. “Oh, dear God. We’re stopped. I can’t talk anymore,” I whispered before I shoved my phone back into my bra strap.
Ten seconds later, the trunk opened and I flinched from the sunlight streaming in as the madman loomed over me. Grabbing my arm, he hauled me up, not caring if I was hurt.
“I thought you were a gentleman, Bryant,” I challenged as he clutched my arm and drug me across a beat up driveway.
His grip was fierce, digging into my arm. “I am always a gentleman, my lady.”
“Then do you want to be a little more gentle?”
“I will strive to be all things to you, my lady.”
Even though I was scared, I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. This my lady crap was getting on my nerves. There was nothing chivalrous about holding a woman hostage with a gun. My fighting spirit started to overtake my fear.
I glanced around, looking for anyone to help me, but all I saw were some boarded up, abandoned houses. No one was around.
Shit.
He pushed me forward, leading me into one of the run down houses as he thrust the gun into my back. Through the ragged front door was a house of horrors.
A junkie’s paradise.
Pop cans, old food and clothing, beer bottles, and used needles littered the orange shag carpet. Each room we passed was full of garbage and graffiti, stinking to high heaven as a foul, rotting smell filled the air.
I half-expected a drug addict to jump out at us as we walked the hall, but no one popped up as we came to the master bedroom in the back of the house.
I glanced around and spotted a bathroom. I needed to get in there. Alone.
Trying one more time to appeal to his humanity, I begged to use the bathroom as I turned toward him. “Please, let me use the restroom and then I’ll do whatever you want. Don’t you want to be together, lover?” I persuaded sweetly, hoping he would believe me.
He liked that. “Okay,” he relented. “Take all the time you want,” he said calmly, before he whipped out a syringe and stuck it in the side of my neck.
Oh, shit. He was drugging me.
I knew there was a reason he didn’t tie me up.
Holding my neck, I booked it to the bathroom and locked the door, hoping he wouldn’t try anything with the gun.
My neck throbbed as the drug spread through my bloodstream. But it didn’t matter. I didn’t have time to wait for the cavalry to arrive and save me.
They would be too late.
I needed to save myself.
I was already dizzy. It was only a matter of seconds before I was out cold. I had to do something.
“Come on out, my lady.”
His voice sent a cold shiver through me. “I’ll be done in a minute,” I called out, stalling for more time.
Opening the white laminate cabinet underneath the sink, I searched through the grody trash, determined to find something to fight with. But all I found were old newspapers, empty plastic bottles, and mouse droppings. Disgusting.
Feeling woozy, I stood up and frantically looked around for some kind of weapon. That’s when I noticed the toilet lid was still intact.
Perfect. It was heavy, but I could swing it like a bat. With any luck, I would knock him out. I gently lifted the lid off, trying not to scrape it against the tank as I struggled to stay alert.
“Okay, I’m ready,” I announced, hiding behind the door, my world growing fuzzier as I unlocked the doorknob.
I was determined to hold on and fought against the blackness clawing at me.
My heart thundered in my chest as he walked in, holding the gun out. After he got past the door, I surprised him and swung the lid as hard as I could. It cracked against the back of his skull, shattering as he fell to the ground.
I grabbed the gun out of his hand and quickly escaped out of the room.
But the drug kicked in, bringing me to my knees and the world went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Beau:
My phone beeped with a message as I got into my car to drive home. I picked it up and listened to Marla’s panicked message.
It scared the piss out of me.
No, this wasn’t happening.
I didn’t want to lose her.
I couldn’t lose her now.
For a stunned second, I did nothing as my heart clutched in my chest in absolute terror. She was everything to me and if I lost her...I swallowed hard, I couldn’t think about that.
The phone rang in my hand, spurring me into motion. “Marla?” I asked breathlessly.
“No, it’s Charlie. Something’s wrong with my mom. She called me and told me some guy kidnapped her.”
“I know. She’s in trouble.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Sit tight. I’m gonna make some calls and make sure we get your mom back.”
My gut instinct told me she didn’t have much time. I raced through the streets of Baltimore, flying to Casa Oschun, the only place I could think to go, as I called Mitch, my head of security.
I quickly explained the situation to him and he promised to get on it.
“Good. I’m calling you back in two minutes. You better have a location on her phone,” I demanded.
“On it, boss.”
I hung up, out of my mind with worry. Marla was out there with some deranged lunatic, doing god knows what to the love of my life.
Fuck! I hit the steering wheel and drove faster.
I tried to reach her, but all I got
was her voice mail. “Oh, Sunshine. I’ve been a goddamn fool these last few days, but I promise I will find you. I love you. Don’t give up on me. I won’t rest till I have you back.”
I ended the call, hoping I was right as I weaved in and out of traffic.
I hit Mitch up again. “Did you get a trace on her cell phone?”
“Yeah, it’s triangulated from a cell tower located in Cherry Hills.”
“Can we track her phone?”
“Yep, we’ve got a team headed to the location already.”
When you’re rich, a highly trained security team is a necessity. I always had a team on call, twenty four-seven. They were already in pursuit with the help of the Baltimore PD.
“Good. Give me the address.”
“I don’t know, boss. You should let us handle it. I promise to call when we’ve safely secured Ms. Matthews.”
“Just give me the goddamn address!” I growled, not messing around.
He sighed into the phone. “All right. You’re the boss. It’s one eight...” I pressed down on the accelerator as he rattled off the rest of the address, not caring which traffic laws I broke.
I couldn’t lose Marla...not now...not ever.
Damn me and my stupid pride.
I had kept her at bay, for no fucking reason.
JESUS!
I would never forgive myself if something happened to her.
I phoned Charlie, anxious to give him the news. “Where’s my mom?” he asked as he answered in a small scared voice.
“They’ve pinged her location to an address in Cherry Hills. There’s already a security team in pursuit and I’m on my way.”
“Give me the address. I’m coming too.”
I wasn’t going to argue with him. I spouted off the address and told him to meet me there. Praying all the way there that we would get to Marla in time, I pulled up as a security team in full SWAT gear was breaking through the door of a boarded up house.
I screeched to a stop in front of the house, ran across the yard, and followed closely behind the team as they breached the hellhole filled with rank trash and dirty needles.
Within thirty seconds, a call went out on the operatives’ radio in front of me. “We have the female. She’s alive, but appears to be drugged.”
I slumped against the wall in the hallway, the relief so strong, I could barely stand.
She was alive.
Tears sprung up and spilled over before I could contain my emotion.
Marla owned me, heart and soul.
I was kidding myself, thinking I could hold myself back from her. As soon as she woke up, I was making her mine. Pronto.
I walked outside as one of the men brought her out over his shoulder.
She was pale, but alive.
The man placed her on the ambulance gurney as she was examined by the EMTs, who had arrived. They checked her vitals and hooked her to an IV as I held her hand. It was warm and I willed her to wake up.
She looked so peaceful lying there. I could only pray she was okay and that the fucker who had taken her didn’t have a chance to hurt her. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands.
Glancing up, I watched the Baltimore PD bring out the mad man, who had terrorized Marla, in handcuffs.
Seeing him made me shake with rage. “You son of a bitch!” I yelled, making a beeline for him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I loved her. I wanted her to love me,” he mewled in a deranged voice.
“You’re fucked up and I will make sure you rot in prison,” I promised, trying to control my need to kill him. He would pay for his crimes. I would make sure he would never harm another woman again.
He bowed his head, unwilling to meet my eye.
Fuckin’ animal.
It enraged me more. “Get him out of here before I do something I’ll regret,” I growled at the officers.
They escorted him to a squad car, which would take him to jail, and he would never see the light of day again.
Good riddance.
Walking back to Marla’s side, I saw Charlie hop out of his car at a full run as the EMTs were about to load his mom into the ambulance.
“Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Is she okay?” he cried in a panic as he ran to the stretcher.
“Hey, hey, Charlie. It’s all right.” I put my arm around him. “She’s been drugged and they are giving her something to wake her up.”
She stirred at that point as her eyes opened. “Charlie?”
He wiped his eyes. “Yeah, Mama. I’m here.”
“Oh, Charlie Brown. I’m so glad to see you.” She held out her arms and he readily bent down and hugged her.
“I love you, Mama. I’m so glad you’re okay,” he said lovingly, lifting back up.
“Me, too...me, too.”
That’s when she noticed me. “Beau?” she asked as if she was seeing a ghost.
I grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “I’m sorry, Marla. I should have been there.”
“I thought it was you,” she said, staring through me.
“What?”
“I got a package at the salon and when I opened it, I thought it was from you. So I ran outside...it wasn’t you.” She started to cry, big heaving sobs erupting out of her. “It wasn’t you...”
Her words twisted a knife through my heart. “Marla, look at me. I’m not going anywhere. We’ve been through enough shit. I’m staying, Sunshine. You’ve got me for life.”
“I do?” Her watery glance went wide.
“You do. We’re gonna do it right. Marry me, Marla.”
“What?”
“I’m done wasting time. You’re the love of my life. The mother of my child. I need to be with you. Marry me.”
Tears coursed down her cheeks as she tried to answer me. “Yes, Beau Shepard, I’ll marry you.”
“For real? No backing out?”
“No backing out. You and me forever.”
“Tomorrow, we’re gonna go the courthouse.”
“The courthouse?”
“Yeah, I’m making you mine as soon as I can.”
She smiled weakly. “What about celebrating? Letting our friends see us get married?”
“We’ll do it twice. Once, tomorrow, and then you can have a big to-do with as big a budget as you want. But, I’m not waiting anymore, Sunshine.”
“God, I love it when you call me that.”
“You are my sunshine. The light of my life. My beacon home.”
Leaning down, I let my mouth find hers in a combination of desperation, hunger, and comfort. She melted against me and I knew I would never let her go.
I put my forehead against hers as we broke apart. “I’m not going anywhere. Never again. You can break-up with me a hundred times, but I’m never leaving you.”
“Even if you get mad at me or we fight?” she asked, holding my face close to hers.
“I’ll still be here. You can call me on my shit. I need that,” I admitted reluctantly.
“If it makes you feel any better, you can call me on my shit, too.”
“Oh, I will,” I promised.
“Forever?” she asked.
“Yes, my beloved Sunshine, forever.”
EPILOGUE
Six months later
Sunshine poured through the car window, hitting my arm as we drove to some secret location. Blindfolded, I was wildly curious about this little excursion planned by my husband. He hadn’t said much except, “Put on this blindfold. I’m taking you somewhere cool.”
I loved surprises and played along. Grateful for the chance to embrace life again. I fought hard to be okay after my kidnapping. I was spooked for a while, but I had worked with therapists to regain my sense of wellbeing and heal.
Of course, Beau had helped immensely. He made me feel safe again and his constant presence in my life had been nothing short of amazing.
“We’re here,” he announced as he parked the Porsche.
I listened closely, making out the sound of water
. I figured we were at the beach or the harbor. I didn’t have to wait long.
Moving quickly, Beau came around the car and let me out. Looping my arm around his, he escorted me down closer to the water.
“Surprise!” he said, removing my blindfold.
“Whoa. What is this?” I asked as I stared at a large majestic sailboat bobbing up and down in the water, next to the dock we were standing on.
“Let’s go see the world,” Beau professed excitedly. “This beauty will take us anywhere we want to go.”
“You wanna travel the world in this?” I pointed to the boat again.
“Yep. Just you and me. I named it after you.”
I almost groaned aloud. “What is it this time?”
“Sunshine’s Journey,” he said, kissing me on the neck.
Now, that got me. In the best sense of the word.
I turned toward him. “I’m touched. I like it.”
“I knew you would. Come on, let’s board.” He grabbed my hand.
“Do you even know how to sail?” I asked, my practical nature getting the best of me.
“Yeah, it was one of the few things my father taught me. Plus, it has an engine and a satellite phone, if we get in trouble. ”
“What about our businesses? Your hotel project?”
“I’m a billionaire. I buy the best people to oversee things.”
“Buy?” I cocked an eyebrow.
“You know what I mean. I hire the best people to manage our businesses.”
“Better. Does Emma know about this?”
“Of course. I have your sister’s enthusiastic approval for this trip.”
“What about Charlie?”
“Are you kidding? He can’t wait for us to be gone. I’m a little worried actually, leaving him alone at the house.”
After we were married, we bought a rather modest dwelling. I didn’t want to live in a big, empty house where I couldn’t tell if someone else was around.
I was interested in a more intimate and cozy home. Happily, Beau agreed and we had settled into a four bedroom mid-century ranch. It was a cool house surrounded by twenty serene acres and a lake.
We had turned the basement into a sweet apartment where Charlie lived. He had his independence, but could still be close to us. This arrangement also allowed him to spend lots of time with Beau. Even though they were working together, now.