by Mel LeBrun
Jeff was intrigued by his reaction. Instead of shame and crushing guilt, he exuded indignation and frustration. His quite observations were interrupted by a guard, who entered the stable and whispered in his ear.
Appearing agitated, Jeff pulled the phone from his pocket. He tapped on the screen and a video feed of Jessica's room came up. She was tearing it apart. Clothes were scattered everywhere. Mirrors were broken, artwork pulled from the walls and she was still going.
Jeff sighed heavily. “Bring her here.”
The guard stepped out and radioed to the men outside her room. Jeff watched the screen as the men tried to grab her. She put up quite a fight and he couldn't restrain a slight grin as she gave his men a run for their money. Eventually they subdued her, escorting her from the house. He put the phone away and looked back at Michael who was now intently watching him.
“Am I correct in assuming you taught her self-defense?” Jeff asked.
“Wouldn't you?” was all he replied.
JESSICA WAS dragged into the stable kicking and screaming. When she saw Michael she immediately calmed. Composing herself, she glared at Jeff who then gestured permission to approach Michael.
Her presence made Michael uneasy. He feared they would hurt her to make him talk or vice versa. He stood as she approached. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest trying in vain not to cry. He kissed her head and told her he loved her in Russian, as he had done when he first realized he loved her but couldn't tell her yet. It was his way of saying it without her knowing it. She eventually figured it out and the relationship blossomed. While she quietly sobbed into his shirt, he felt the rope around his wrists being cut. Burning pain radiated through his arms and chest as his muscles protested their new-found freedom. He winced as he tried to hold her.
Jeff watched the tender moment with fascination. He let a few more minutes pass before ordering his men to separate the pair. Three guards nervously approached them. With Michael unrestrained, no one dared touch Jessica. They politely requested that she step away while keeping their eyes on Michael. Their fear was understandable.
She didn't comply so Michael gently pushed her away. He knew things would get ugly real fast if they had to remove her by force. She looked at him as though he were betraying her. He simply shook his head and said, “Not now.”
Understanding he didn't want to start a fight, she reluctantly stepped away. He gave her a reassuring smile as his wrists were tied again, this time in front of him, alleviating some of the discomfort.
Jeff turned to the guard next to Jessica. “Take her back to the house. I'll deal with her after.”
His tone made Michael nervous. “What's that supposed to mean?” he asked.
Jeff turned back to him as Jessica was being led out of the stable. “Nothing you would object to,” he replied. “I think we've talked enough for now. You can rejoin your friend.”
As Michael was being returned to his cell, Jeff took out his phone and pulled up the video feed for it. He tapped another button giving him sound. He saw and heard the door open.
Upon entering, Michael noticed Josh's hands were tied in front, like his.
Josh raised his hands to him. “What's with the upgrade?”
Michael shook his head and sat next to him on the floor. “I don't know.”
“So what happened?” Josh asked.
“Very strange,” he replied, almost in a trance.
“Stranger than being fed seasoned steak and roasted vegetables?” Josh said, making reference to the dinner that was served to them. The food had been cut into bite sized portions, making it possible to eat without using hands. It was top quality and it was warm. Unusual treatment for captives, to say the least.
“About the same I guess. He asked me how long we've been married. Then he brought Jessica in, unrestrained and in different clothes.”
“So she's being treated better than us then?” Josh asked.
“It appears. She was strange too though.”
“How so?”
“She didn't look afraid, she looked pissed. Even though she could see I was being questioned, when she had the chance she didn't ask me what was going on. I think she knows.”
“You think she lied to you about hacking his computer?”
“Before, I would have said no. Now,” Michael sighed, “I don't know.”
“Wouldn't be the first time,” Josh remarked. Michael just looked at him.
JESSICA SAT in the trashed out guest room on the edge of the bed wondering what her father would do to her. She didn't have long to wait. A knock on the door startled her. She didn't respond.
“Jessica?” her father called through the door. “I'm coming in.”
She remained silent while the door opened and Jeff stepped in. He shut the door behind him and looked around at the destroyed room, then at her. “Well, you certainly made a statement.”
She smirked but didn't say anything.
“Let me make a statement in return.” He stepped toward her. “Have this room cleaned by morning or your husband's friend will die.”
Her smile vanished. “You wouldn't dare.”
“Test me.” He looked dead serious and she grew afraid.
“You do that and I'll tell everyone,” she threatened back.
“Tell them what? That you're my daughter?” Jeff crossed his arms, disheartened by the anger and hatred in her eyes. “You think that's to protect me?”
She didn't respond.
“My boss trusts me to handle this situation,” said Jeff. “What do you think he would do if he found out you're my daughter?” He waited for a response, not really expecting one. “You would be removed from here to start. Having no use for your husband or his friend, they will eventually both be killed. And you, he won't care that you're my daughter. Once he's tortured what he wants from you, he'll send you to work in one of his brothels.”
“I hope you get dental,” she quipped, mocking his employment.
Jeff wasn't amused. “Hardly.”
Her face softened, anger turned to distress. “Why are you doing this?”
Instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own. “Why did you hack my computer?”
“I don't want to talk about it.”
“You won't leave here until you do.” He turned to leave. “I meant what I said.” He opened the door and looked back at her. “Clean this up, or suffer the consequences.”
She glanced around the disaster of a room she was in, regretting what she had done. She didn't know if he really would kill Josh but she wasn't going to risk it. She just hoped she could finish by morning.
Chapter 16
The morning sun rose while Jessica was still trying to clean up the mess she made the night before. She returned the items to the drawers, cleaned up as much of the broken glass as she could without a vacuum and folded nearly half the clothes she had torn from the closet. Exhausted, she struggled to continue.
Jeff knocked on her door, asking if she was decent. Given permission to enter, he opened the door and stepped in. He surveyed her progress, noting the damaged paintings were returned to the walls, most of the mess had been cleaned up though she clearly had far to go organizing the closet. She looked absolutely exhausted. She made a valiant effort and he wasn't going to punish her for it.
“What would you like for breakfast?” he asked.
“To go home with my brother and husband,” she answered, trying to impress on him how important Josh was to her.
He sighed. “Guess you'll eat whatever I give you then.”
“About Josh,” she called out to him as he was about to leave. “What are you going to do?”
He looked back at her and smiled. “You did well enough. Get cleaned up for breakfast. James will be by to escort you down.”
She assumed James was the butler. Sure enough, twenty minutes later he was there to escort her to the dining hall again. She took her seat at the table as Jeff entered. He frowned when he saw h
er wearing the same clothes from the night before, not having showered or even combed her hair.
He remained silent while their food was being served, obviously stewing over something. Once the servants left, he vocalized what was on his mind. “You are going to shower at some point?” He pecked at his food without looking at her.
She just sat watching him eat, not touching her plate until he finally looked at her. “How long do you plan on keeping us here?”
“As long as it takes.” He stared back.
She pushed away from the table and crossed her arms. “Fine. What do you want to know?”
“Why did you hack into my computer?” He resumed eating.
She gritted her teeth and shook her head. “I was curious. I wondered what you and Mom were doing, what happened after I left,” she finally admitted.
He stopped eating and looked at her. “So you're not with any law enforcement agency?”
“If I was, don't you think they'd come for me by now?”
He pursed his lips. “What did you learn?”
“The only thing I found curious was your insane security. Since being kidnapped, however, I've learned you're even more of a monster than I remember.” Her icy stare revealed the resentment she still carried.
He took a deep breath, suppressing a flash of anger from her intentionally hurtful remark. “I know I was hard on you as a child ...”
“Hard on me!” she interrupted loudly. “I spilled a glass of milk when I was six and you gave me a black eye!”
“Keep your voice down!” he growled.
Lowering her tone only a little she continued, “When I was ten you beat me and grounded me for a month because my bike got stolen!”
“All right, enough!” He glowered at her. He took a moment to compose himself before speaking again. “Is that why you left?”
She crossed her arms and looked away, fuming.
“Answer me!” he shouted.
“That was part of it,” she spit out through clenched teeth.
“But not the only reason?”
“I'm not going to discuss it with you.”
“I want an explanation, Jessica.”
“You don't deserve one and you're not getting one.”
He huffed, clearly frustrated. “Your mother and I divorced one year after you disappeared.”
“I know,” she replied smugly.
“Do you know why?” he then asked. Her silence was his answer. “We didn't know what happened to you,” he continued. “The police labeled you a runaway. Your mother couldn't cope. She blamed me, even accusing me of killing you at one point. She was convinced something terrible happened to you. It destroyed her.”
Her legs crossed and arms closed up tight against her chest, Jessica looked like she was collapsing in on herself. Her face radiated the pain and anger that was consuming her. Tears welled in her eyes. Even though her mother was never much of a mother to her, she still loved her and always felt guilty about leaving her.
“Do you want to know where she is?” he asked her.
She brushed away a lone tear that rolled down her cheek. “She lives in Boca with her second husband.” She barely got the words out.
“Have you seen her?”
She shook her head. “I never intended to see either of you ever again.”
Jeff took a moment before responding. “Were we that terrible?” he asked.
As the words left his lips, she broke down sobbing. His calm voice and demeanor were not what she expected from him. He was not the man she grew up with. She saw flashes of his temper, but he controlled it. Not like when she was a child and he let loose his unbridled rage upon her. She was torn between her desire for a father and being unable to overlook who he was and how he made his money.
Jeff felt ill-equipped to handle the fragile mental state his daughter was in. Seeing her in such emotional anguish distressed him greatly. He moved from his chair, wanting to hold her. She bolted to the other side of the room before he could get near.
“Don't touch me,” she warned. Her arms tightly crossed, tears flowed steadily from her eyes. Her whole body shook. “You disgust me.” She looked him right in the eyes when she said it. “You sell girls, women, like me.”
“No, Jess.” He stepped toward her. “I don't have anything to do with that.”
“You work for Meier!” she shouted, infuriated that he thought he could lie to her.
He gritted his teeth, trying to keep a grip on his temper. “I handle his money, I don't have anything to do with the sales.”
“You might as well.” The contempt in her voice was unmistakable.
He sighed, running his hand down his face. “Go back to your room.” He turned away from her.
She gladly left returning to her room to find it had been cleaned while she was gone. The damaged paintings, replaced. The rest of the clothes, returned to the closet. The room had been vacuumed and the trash removed. The bathroom also was spotless.
Starving, exhausted, and emotionally overwhelmed, she threw herself on the bed and cried herself to sleep.
JESSICA'S SLUMBER was wrought with bad dreams of her childhood and mother. She woke in the dark to a loud knock on her door. Taking a moment to remember where she was, she felt a sickening dread as she did. She stumbled to the door and was greeted by James on the other side. He informed her that dinner would be ready in ten minutes. She told him she wouldn't be coming down and closed the door in his face. She pressed her back against the door and slid to the floor. Clutching her knees, she wept inconsolably.
Jeff sat in the study listening to the scene play out on his laptop, as it was too dark to see anything. He listened to her weeping for a minute before shutting it off. James entered the room and relayed what Jessica had said. Jeff simply nodded and waved him off. He leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. Any hope he entertained of reconciling with his daughter was quickly fading.
Jessica returned to the bed where she continued crying. Another knock came at her door, which she didn't respond to. After a minute the door opened and James entered with a tray of food. A guard turned on the light as he carried the tray to her on the bed. She remained curled up in a ball, not even shifting when he placed the tray next to her. He asked if there was anything she needed. She closed her eyes and shook her head. He left quietly, followed by the guard.
In turmoil over what to do about Jessica, Jeff declined dinner for himself. He continued checking on her from his laptop in the study, hoping she would eat something, but she didn't touch the tray of food that sat just a foot away from her. At a loss for what to do, he slammed his laptop shut. He knew time was running out. He couldn't hold Pierce off forever and the longer he kept her there, the more suspicions would be raised. The guards were already beginning to whisper among themselves.
Feeling his options running out, he went to her room to try and talk to her again. He let himself in and stood for a minute while he tried to gather his words. Though her back was turned, she seemed to know it was him.
“Your mother wasn't the only one who blamed me,” he spoke, unable to hide the nervousness in his voice. “I blamed myself. I know what I did to you. It took losing you to realize it. I changed from that.” He cleared his throat, fighting back his emotions. “I'm sorry, Jessica.”
She sat up and turned to him. There was nothing that could stop the flood of tears flowing from her eyes.
“All my life.” She spoke slowly and deliberately, filled with such intense emotions it was difficult to speak. “I have dreamed of hearing those words from you. And if that was all there was, I could probably forgive you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and fought to keep control. Her hands noticeably trembled as she wiped her tears away. She forced herself to look at him. “But what you've become, I can't forgive.”
He knew it was coming, but still wasn't prepared for it. He felt like he just lost her all over again, and again it was his fault.
Jessica sat staring numbly at the fl
oor. Jeff gazed at her, trying to soak up every moment, knowing it was about to end. He wished things could be different. He wanted to repair their relationship but was painfully aware it wasn't going to happen. He gave himself a few more minutes before taking the step he wished he could avoid.
He walked to the door and looked back at her as he rested his hand on the doorknob. She was lost in her thoughts, staring at the floor. “I love you, Jessica.”
She said nothing in return.
“Goodbye.” He turned and walked out the door.
Chapter 17
Martin conducted surveillance on Gaudreau for nearly twenty hours before receiving Jeffrey Bowen's file. He sat in his car listening to Gaudreau making arrangements to smuggle two women across the border from Mexico while he read up on Bowen. As he carefully looked over the documents and photos, he cursed in disbelief. He started the car and drove off while dialing Gatti.
“First off, thanks for taking an eternity to get this to me,” Martin said sarcastically. “Second, did you actually look at his file?”
“I read it,” Gatti replied. “Why? What did you find?”
“It says here his daughter disappeared fourteen years ago. She was fifteen. Did you look at her picture?”
“I didn't think it was relevant.”
Martin waited while Gatti pulled it up on his computer.
“Oh my God.” Gatti stared at the photo with his jaw open, feeling sick for having missed it. “That's Jessica.”
“You still think he's not involved?” Martin derided him. “Get me on a plane there now.”
“It'll be waiting for you,” Gatti assured him.
WITH JOSH sound asleep, Michael was starting to doze when he heard the sound of footsteps on concrete. They echoed through the vast cellar as they grew closer. They stopped outside his door and he could hear talking. A few seconds later the door opened and Jeff stepped in, flicking on the light and waking Josh.
Josh quickly got his bearings. Michael's attention was focused on Jeff wondering what he was going to do. To both of their surprise, he tossed a pocket knife on the floor in front of Michael. Michael looked at the knife and then back at Jeff.