by Tonya Coffey
It figured there was a ransom. Why else would someone kidnap a key person’s daughter? “Ransom?” I wondered about the motive.
“No.” He straightened. “Just a pic with the words we’re even written on it.”
The news of the fire broke about an hour before the picture was sent. I wanted to kick the life out of Abbott. “The plan was to kill her in the shed.”
Luca sighed. “Looks like it.”
The best part was the unknowing of where Cora really was. The man, who tried to run her down didn’t get the message out. “They don’t know she’s alive.”
“That’s a good thing.”
I nodded but I had my doubts. Something was fishy.
We walked over to the pool table, watching Cole defeat Reid with an eight ball in the corner pocket. Reid cussed but Cole tossed his cue on the table with a smile.
“Now that I’ve beaten you, I’m outta here.”
Reid refused to let him go. “Where the hell you think you’re going?”
Luca added, “It’s barely past two.”
“Gotta get my beauty sleep.”
I frowned. “What about Sheila?”
He shrugged. “There’s always tomorrow.”
Reid groaned, “Whatever.”
As Cole walked out of the club, I wondered why after two years he decided tonight was the night he didn’t stay until dawn. Not to mention his alone time with Sheila.
Chapter Sixteen
Cora
My dreams were filled with the moments I spent with Dante; him rescuing me from the shed and protecting me from the crazy driver. His lips. His hands holding me tight. Not one time after he pulled me close did I think about being kidnapped or almost road kill. It was only him being my knight in shining armor. It was nice feeling important.
I stretched, rolling over to look at the clock. It was early the sun hadn’t shined through the window yet. There was only a small glow that radiated from the left corner. Even though it was dawn, I hoped Leah was here. I’d been awake for a while so I was ready to get up. I was tired of looking at the white walls. With a sigh, I went to the bathroom.
When I stepped out into the hall, I was surprised at how silent it was. No music played in the quarters. The material of my shirt stretched, filling my ears as I turned. My shoes squeaked lightly on the linoleum with each step. My ears seemed to be invaded by the thump of my heart. The walls appeared to be whiter and the air wasn’t filled with as much smoke. It was so different than the night before.
Am I in the same place? I wondered if I had stepped through a portal into a different dimension or when I slept I was taken to a different reality.
The moment I stepped into the main room, my eyes widened. Yes, I am definitely in the same place. There were girls and men lying all over the place. Some women were topless, some naked and I didn’t want to think about who was at the bottom of the pile on the pool table. All you could see was his boots. I so don’t belong here.
Averting my eyes, I fast walked to the kitchen. Swinging the door open, I was welcomed by a dark room. I quickly found the light switch, sighed when the light flickered on. I’d hoped Leah was here. I stood there for a minute looking at the half a dozen cabinet doors then decided to make some hot chocolate. I did what Dante had done before and waited for the milk to boil. Please don’t burn…
It was a miracle. I had managed to boil milk without it sticking to the bottom of the pan. For some reason, I felt like a winner.
With my hot cup in hand, I sat at the table and waited for someone, anyone to walk into the room. Well not anyone, I told myself. I sipped the liquid, pausing when muffled voices came from the other side of the door. I was frozen to the chair afraid to go out, afraid of who would actually come in.
The door swung inward. Darin walked into the small room. He paused in the doorway when his eyes fell on me. I smiled lightly at him. He was a big man, similar to Dante’s height but he was wide in the shoulders. His face was trimmed with whiskers that held patches of gray.
“Morning, Cora,” he quickly managed before continuing inside.
“Morning.”
“Sleep well?” he asked as he grabbed a cup of coffee from the pot that started brewing.
Timer, I thought then nodded. “I did.”
I took another drink and asked, “Mr. Black have you talked to my dad?”
“Last night.” He poured another cup and left it on the counter. “He wants you to stay here for a few more days.”
“Why can’t I go home?” I knew he was worried but couldn’t I be guarded there? I felt like a sore thumb here.
He sighed as he sat next to me. “The men who took you believe you’re dead. Your dad is trying to flush out the boss man with that news.” He smiled lightly. “Without worrying about you, he can do that.”
How did Dad trust the motorcycle club? He’d never spoken to them before. Not that I know of. He even warned me about being here. I was so confused. How could he trust them?
I liked being here for some reasons but not all of it was good. “I’m going to need some clothes.”
“Your dad’s bringing your things over today.”
I smiled as I took another drink. I’d never had hot chocolate with milk in it until Dante fixed it for me. It was delicious and rich.
“Good god, Kurt. Get up.” Leah’s voice echoed behind the door.
Darin smiled as he shook his head and it made me grin. A moment later, Emily, Dante’s younger sister walked in.
“Daddy.” She kissed his cheek. “Hello, Cora.”
“Hi.”
Emily looked so much like her mom. She had blonde hair and a good figure. We were the same age but Emily acted as if she were older. She was co-captain of the varsity cheerleading squad and the first girl to be on varsity as a freshman. She was pretty impressive, intimidating even.
She sat on the other side of me. “Mom said you were being held, hostage.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Did you see the colossal mess outside the door?” She laughed. “I’m surprised they don’t have orgies in the street.”
“Emily,” her dad scolded.
“What?” She looked all innocent. “It’s true.”
“Just because it could be true doesn’t mean you talk about it or even know what it is.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Oh please, Dad. I hear all about the carnal sins here, school and on the TV.”
“Leah,” Darin called when he didn’t like her answer.
“What?” She came through the kitchen door and glanced at me. Then her eyes widened as she said to Darin, “Go clean that up.”
He stood. “I will if you can explain to me how our daughter knows about group…stuff.” The tops of his checks where no hair grew flushed pink.
I tried to hide my smile behind my mug. It shouldn’t feel so natural sitting here with them but it does.
Leah looked at Emily who was smiling from ear to ear. She then took a breath and patted his chest. “Listening to all your stories I suppose.”
He didn’t say another word. He walked out the door and started screaming at the member—who I supposed was on the pool table—and the women to get up and out. His voice sounded like the radio the night before, booming against the walls.
Leah frowned at Emily. “Don’t do that to him.”
“He’s too serious.” She rolled her eyes and began tapping her fingers against the table as if she were playing the piano with one hand.
Leah sighed, taking the coffee Darin had set to the side. She sat in his old seat. “How was your night, Cora?”
“Good.” My face felt hot remembering it. “Dante and I watched a movie then when I went to bed, he made sure I locked the door.”
“I’m glad.” She took a drink then stood. “I’ll fix some breakfast. Why don’t you two go to the game room.”
Emily sighed as she stood. “Fine.”
Emily and I walked into the TV room. That was what I called it. We didn’t talk s
ince I had a million things on my mind. Besides, we hadn’t spoken like friends at school. We said hi and how are you but nothing more. Even though we were in the same grade we were in different clicks. She was popular and smart. I wasn’t. So it was kind of odd.
“What do you think of the club?” She asked as we sat on the couch.
“I like this room.”
She let out a soft laugh. “I get it. But you get used to the vulgarity outside this door.”
I didn’t want to sound like a prude or be mean to the people who were helping keep me safe so I kept my mouth shut and smiled. If you can’t say something nice don’t say something at all.
“When this is all over you should come around more often,” she said. “It’s nice having a girl around.”
I was surprised by the invitation. Did she not have all her friends from school over? Then I realized when Dante talked about growing up here, he never spoke of friends outside the club. It was sad they couldn’t share it with them.
I nodded. “I’d love to.”
“It’s usually me, Luca and Dante in here.”
At Dante’s name, I wondered about him. Who was he in his sister’s eyes? A boy could pretend to be something he wasn’t to impress a girl so I wondered if he was pretending for me.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” She smiled. “Is it good?”
I wanted to bounce up and down in my seat, to grab Emily’s hands and talk to her about the crush I had on a boy. For some reason, I imagined it to be like in the movies when girls had slumber parties, spilling their guts about the boy they liked or just kissed. I wanted to experience that.
“Tell me about your brother.”
Chapter Seventeen
I had an amazing day with Emily, Dante, and Luca. We played the PS4 and ate our weight in food. I’d never hung out with friends or done absolutely nothing on a Saturday before. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Well, except the part of someone trying to kill me.
Leah kept cooking stuff and bringing it to us as the day went on. I ate so much that my stomach felt like it would explode but the smile on my face was stuck there.
We were sitting on the couch, Dante picking out the next movie we would watch when the door of the game room opened. I expected it to be Leah, bringing nachos because that was what the boys ordered for our next snack. Instead, it was my dad.
“Cora,” he called.
I exploded off the seat and ran into his one arm that shot out to welcome me. “Daddy.”
He held me to his chest. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here last night.” He glanced at my arm. “How is it?”
“It’s OK.” I didn’t want him to worry about me. I was in good hands.
Dad held the bag up. “I brought you some clothes.”
My smile faded some. “How long am I going to have to stay here?” I knew the dangers out there and I was having a good time but there was no place like home.
“A few more days.” He tried to smile. “The bright side, you don’t have to go to school.”
School, I thought. I would be here a while. As I looked at him, I could tell he was worried. The lines around his eyes were worse than the other day when he made me promise to go straight home. I stressed him out with my actions.
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
He sighed. “Don’t be.”
“It’s my fault.”
“No, it’s not.” He inhaled deeply. “No more blaming yourself.”
I wanted to. I deserved it. But instead, I nodded. “OK.” I couldn’t put him through anything else. I wouldn’t.
He nodded and kissed my cheek. “Good. I’ll try to come by later. If I don’t, I’ll call you in the morning.”
I smiled at him. He then turned from me. I watched him walk out the door, down the hall and when he turned the corner, my chest felt as if I couldn’t breathe. I was all alone again.
Dante
While Cora talked to her dad I waited for her. I tried not to ease drop on their conversation so I went to the back of the room. When the sheriff said his goodbye, I went to Cora.
“You OK?”
She looked up, surprised I stood there. “Yeah.”
Her eyes fell to her bag, causing me to ask, “He brought you your stuff?”
She smiled lightly, holding the bag with both hands. “Yeah, I won’t be ruining any more of Emily’s clothes.”
I smiled at her attempt at humor. “Is he leaving?”
She took a breath and exhaled hard. “I’m going to put this in my room.” She didn’t wait for me to say anything. She just turned and hurried off.
Did I say something? What was wrong? Wanting an answer, I headed after her. At Cora’s door, I raised my hand up to knock but Luca hurried up to me.
He motioned for me to follow him. “Come with me.”
I frowned at him and glanced at Cora’s door. Instead of seeing what was wrong, I followed him down the hall and to the left into my room. He waited for me to enter then he shut the door.
“I overheard Dad and the sheriff talking,” he started.
“Don’t be obvious that your eavesdropping.”
He smiled. “Me?”
I grinned because he was that confident.
“Someone’s watching his house,” he continued.
“Why?” I wondered. “This is a small town. He doesn’t have much money.” What was going on? “What did the sheriff do that warranted his daughter to die?”
“I don’t know.”
“There’s gotta be more to it than drugs.” I tried to think but nothing came to mind.
“Why not kill the sheriff?” Luca asked.”If it was about the drugs then why not get rid of the problem? He is the problem.”
I sighed. “That’s why I think there’s more to it.”
“From what Dad’s said, Abbott’s from Florida. He thought he could escape his troubles there up here.”
That’s something I was wondering. “But why here? In this little town.”
Luca frowned. “Maybe there’s nothing to it. Maybe you’re looking into it more than you should.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.” But something wasn’t right with any of it.
As I paced the room, a million thoughts worked around in my brain. However, one thing was for sure, I wouldn’t let Cora be involved in it anymore. Over my dead body would she get hurt, again.
Chapter Eighteen
The more I thought about the reasoning behind Cora being taken and the kidnappers wanting to hurt the sheriff, I felt there was definitely more to it. Nothing was making sense. If it was about the drugs, then they would kill the sheriff and pay the new sheriff to let them run their cookhouses. It wasn’t about the drugs.
Luca and I walked into the game room. Cora hadn’t come back yet. I had the urge to go back to her room, to see if she wanted to talk. But maybe she just needed to be alone. Emily was on the couch so Luca went over and sat next to her. While I waited for Cora to come back, I grabbed a can of pop and stood next to the door, hoping she would return soon. If she didn’t I’d go find her and make her talk to me.
A heartbeat later, the door opened and Cora came in. She smiled when she saw me standing next to the door.
“Hey,” she said. “You waiting for me?”
“Maybe.” I smiled. She had changed her pants and probably her shirt but since she was wearing my hoody I couldn’t tell.
Cora glanced at Emily and Luca then smiled up at me. Her eyes quickly dropped as her cheeks flushed and she began twisting her foot on the carpet.
I smiled, taking her hand. “How was your visit with your dad, truthfully?” We walked to the couch and sat down.
“It was good.”
I wanted to ask her if he had told her anything. Would he? I wondered. Probably not. So instead, I wondered if she knew who took her or if she had any idea what was going on in the sheriff’s office. How did I start that conversation?
“Is something wrong?”
I glanced at Cora.
Her brow was furrowed as if she was trying to figure out what was on my mind.
“No,” I told her. “I’m just thinking.”
“What about?”
I was worried about asking her. I promised myself I wouldn’t hurt her. If I asked about the kidnapping, it might. Yet I had to take that chance so I could figure it all out. “Do you know who took you?”
She took a deep breath and nodded. “Daddy called him Abbott. The one who started the drug houses in the county.”
“Did he say that?”
She nodded. “Did Daddy find him?”
“I don’t think so.”
Cora took my hand, causing me to look at it. “What is it? I can tell something is wrong.”
I shrugged. “This whole kidnapping thing, to hurt the sheriff doesn’t make sense to me.” I sighed. “I think there’s more to it.”
“I think you’re right,” Luca added from the other side of the couch.
Emily scooted closer to Cora with Luca next to her. “Do you remember that night the sheriff came over, a few years ago? It was late, dark and it was the first time he’d come to the house.”
I nodded, glancing at Cora. I remembered that day. Mom and Dad kept us at home for days. Mom had cried and I remember asking her why but she just said she was sad. When we went to the funeral, I understood. “When Cora’s mom was murdered.”
Cora’s eyes widened. “What?”
I looked at her. “You’re dad came to the house in the middle of the night. He was upset…” I didn’t want to be the one who told her. “Dad left with him and he didn’t come home until the next night.”
“Why?” she asked, “What happened?”
We all shrugged but I had an idea. I would do it if something happened to Cora. I would make sure the person responsible paid. The more I thought about it I realized the sheriff got his revenge.
“They never found those men,” Luca added.
Cora informed us, “There are still warrants out for their arrest.”