The TAKEN! Series - Books 13-16 (Taken! Box Set Book 4)

by Remington Kane

  Beck turned around in his seat to look at him, and as he did so, he moved a hand closer to the gun strapped to his ankle.

  “What’s your part in this, Mr. Smith?”

  “I’m just another investor, same as you. I put my money into it, and if you don’t, well now, that would be almost like you saying I was stupid to invest in the project. Do you think I’m stupid, Mr. Martin?”

  “No,” Beck said. I think you’re dangerous, but not stupid.

  Angie, who was wearing a bikini, rubbed her breasts against him once more and whispered in his ear.

  “Sign the contract, Johnny, and then we can go below and be alone.”

  Beck smiled.

  He was tempted to try to string things along until he could have Angie, “persuade” him one more time, and signing the contract meant nothing, since he would be doing so under the false identity of John Martin, but he also suspected that Angie’s offer of sex would mysteriously disappear once he had signed.

  Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.

  Beck rose from his seat with his gun in hand and spun around to point it at Boone. When Roberts saw the gun, he let out a whimper and moved closer to Boone, while Angie merely raised an eyebrow.

  “What’s going on, Johnny?”

  Beck smiled.

  “My name isn’t Johnny.”

  “You’re a cop?” Boone growled.

  “No, but I’m here to get the money you three stole from Herbert Dyer.”

  “Who?” Boone said.

  Angie answered.

  “Dyer was the stiff we conned before the last one; you never met him because he signed right away. Hell, I barely had to give him a blow job.”

  “Oh, that one, yeah, that was a nice bit of change, but hell, what’s he to you mister, a friend?”

  “A friend of a friend, but never mind that. All I want is the money you stole from him, so why don’t we take this boat back to shore and finish our business.”

  Boone placed an arm around Roberts’ shoulders, and Beck saw the older man cringe from the touch.

  “Roberts here is the money man. Angie and I are just hired muscle and ass. This whole con was all his idea.”

  Beck saw Roberts’ eyes widen in shock as he shook his head, but he remained silent, and Beck suspected that the man wouldn’t dare utter a word without first getting Boone’s permission to do so.

  “Enough talk, someone head this boat towards shore.”

  Boone moved his hand to Roberts’ back.

  “You heard the man, go get the anchor.”

  Roberts nodded, stepped in front of Boone, and was lifted off his feet and thrown by Boone as if he were a toddler.

  Beck barely had enough time to marvel at the man’s strength, when Roberts’ body slammed into him, causing the gun to go off.

  Roberts gave a strangled cry of pain before tumbling over the rail and into the water.

  Beck was down on one knee from the impact, although he still held the gun, but when he looked up, he saw Boone Smith towering over him.

  As he tried to bring the gun around to fire, Boone grabbed his wrist and squeezed. The pain was excruciating, but Beck had felt worse, and he knew that if he released the gun he would lose all advantage.

  When the sound of breaking bones came, Beck let out a scream of pain while feeling the gun slip from his grasp.

  He kicked Boone in the knee to try to break his grip on his wrist, but the Cajun was inhumanly strong and just kept squeezing, and so Beck leaned back, raised his leg a second time, and kicked Boone in the throat with the toe of his shoe.

  That stunned the big man for a moment, and Beck freed himself and picked up the gun with his left hand. As he was bringing it up to fire, Angie slammed one of the folding deck chairs against his arm, causing him to not only drop the gun, but to nearly fall overboard.

  As he regained his balance, Angie gave him a shove with both hands, and the last thing Beck saw before hitting the water, was the gleeful look on Angie’s face.

  Beck fought off the pain of his broken wrist, swam beneath the boat, and seconds later, he saw bullets pierce the water where he had fallen in, as Angie fired the gun. Beneath him, in the murkiness of the deep, he could see Roberts drifting downward, while leaving behind a trail of blood.

  He dived towards the man and managed to grab his collar, but then saw that he had suffered a fatal chest wound. He released the corpse and headed up, as his lungs burned for air.

  He had barely taken a breath when he heard the anchor rising on its chain as the boat’s engines started up, and after a quick gulp of more air, he dived again, fearful that the propellers would find him.

  By the time he surfaced, the boat was heading away at a high speed, and he knew he had failed.

  When he removed his phone from his belt, he found it dead from exposure to the water, and so was unable to call for help.

  He was far from shore with a broken wrist and night was just a few hours away.

  With a heavy sigh, Jack Beck began swimming for Key West, knowing that it would take everything he had just to stay alive.

  CHAPTER 8

  At Maggie’s third mention of Cole, Jessica couldn’t help but smile and wondered if her young sister-in-law might be falling for the boy.

  When she looked over at her husband, she saw him staring at Maggie with one raised eyebrow, as if he too were pondering the significance of Cole’s repeated name.

  After they placed their orders for dessert, Maggie’s phone rang, and she asked to be excused while she took the call.

  “It’s Cole, but I’ll be right back.”

  As Maggie walked off towards the restrooms, Jessica’s husband watched her.

  “Do you think she’s interested in Cole?”

  “I don’t know,” Jessica said. “But she does like him.”

  “When she goes to Harvard, Cole will likely be there too.”

  “Yes, but what about Jace?”

  “You mean will he follow her to Massachusetts? I don’t know, but I do know that if it’s serious between them he will.”

  Jessica reached over and took his hand.

  “The way that you followed me there?”

  “Yes, and I would have followed you anywhere.”

  “I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens, and whether she goes to Harvard or not, she plans to go away for college, so Jace will have a decision to make.”

  “It might be best if they break up.”

  “I thought you liked him?”

  “I like him well enough, but that doesn’t mean he’s right for Maggie long-term, but anyway, I don’t care who she winds up with, as long as she’s happy.”

  The babies became restless, but dessert arrived, and soon they were smiling as they were given a taste of their mother’s chocolate pudding.

  When Jessica got a faraway look in her eyes, her husband asked her what was bothering her.

  “Nothing, I was just thinking about Keri Taylor. I hope she finds her daughter soon.”

  “You really took a liking to her, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but it’s more than that, I feel her pain at not knowing where her child is, I’ve become very aware of that particular sorrow because of our search for Michael.”

  “Speaking of which, Michael Wheeler should be returning from his business trip soon, and when he does, I may have finally found my brother.”

  “What about the DNA test? When do we get the results?”

  “That should be soon as well, and don’t forget, there are three of them, besides Michael Wheeler, two other men seemed to be likely candidates.”

  Jessica looked thoughtful for a moment.

  “I know we planned to visit Michael Wheeler when we returned from our vacation, but what about the other two men, where are they located?”

  “One man is in New York, and the other is in California.”

  “Maybe we should go see them as well, and then, when the DNA results return, we’ll already know what the real Michael is
like.”

  “That’s not a bad idea, but you know, there’s a chance that none of the men are really Michael.”

  “No, one of them will be right, I can feel it.”

  Maggie returned with a big smile on her face, and the news that she would be going to see a movie with Cole after dinner.

  Jessica and her husband shared a knowing look.

  ***

  Shortly after they returned to their vacation home, Jessica put the babies to bed, and afterward, she joined her husband in the living room, where she found him staring at his phone.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Jack said he would call me tonight when he finished his assignment, and he hasn’t.”

  “I thought what he was doing wasn’t very dangerous?”

  “It wasn’t, which makes me think that something unforeseen happened.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be all right. Lawson says he’s as resourceful as you are.”

  “Yes, but he’s not as young as I am.”

  “Is there any way we can look for him?”

  He smiled.

  “He’s down in Key West, and I’m probably concerned about nothing. Colonel Beck was going on missions before I was even born. If the worst came, he’d find a way to survive.”

  ***

  Just after two a.m., and miles to the south, a lone figure emerged from the water and stumbled onto the sand. He attempted to stand, did so, but then collapsed once more after only taking a step.

  There were lights ahead, and the sound of voices and music, but he no longer had the strength to reach them, and after crawling only a few more feet, fatigue overwhelmed him, and he was swallowed by exhaustion and passed out.

  His right wrist was broken, he’d been stung twice by jellyfish, and had spent a harrowing nine hours in the water, but he was alive.

  Jack Beck had survived.

  CHAPTER 9

  San Diego, California

  Summer sat out on the balcony of her hotel room, sipping wine.

  She had spent the last hour thinking about Todd and wondering what to do about him. While he could be bluffing about confessing their crimes to the police, she couldn’t be sure of that, and it was that uncertainty which drove her crazy.

  Todd would have to be handled, likely with violence, and in the past, that meant that she would find another “Todd”, or someone just like him to do her dirty work.

  But Summer was sick to death of “Todds.” Violent, greedy, and ultimately, stupid men, starting with the first one, her father,

  Thinking of her father made her remember that her ghostwriter, Robert Weaver, wanted to know about her past, specifically her childhood.

  But no one needed to know about that, about what her parents were like, and about all the things they made her do.

  She was so close to having what she wanted, money, celebrity, freedom, so close, and Todd, yet another “Todd” wanted to ruin it all for her.

  Summer wiped away a tear as a thought occurred to her.

  Have I ever been happy?

  She smiled.

  Yes, she was happy once, at least for a little while, and it was also the only time she ever had a real friend.

  That was when her father was released from jail the second time and decided to go straight, or so she thought.

  That was the summer they traveled with the carnival, the summer she met him.

  She got up and went into her closet. Over the years, she had lived in countless motel and hotel rooms, had crashed with many acquaintances, and traded sex for food and a place to sleep, and through all that, she had kept one item safe and considered it her most valuable possession.

  She carried the small object back to the balcony and placed it atop the table, where she stared at it as memories passed through her mind.

  Yes, she was happy once, and even innocent, so innocent,

  Summer finished her wine, tucked her legs beneath her, and drifted off to sleep while thinking about the only friend she ever had.

  A boy who was much older than the eight-year-old child she had been at the time, but still a boy, and the only person who ever just loved her without wanting or taking anything in return.

  Little did she know that she would soon see him again, but only after everything she cared about was ripped away.

  CHAPTER 10

  Kitamura Key, Florida, 6:42 a.m.

  Keri awoke from a bad dream and realized that she had a kink in her neck.

  She was in the parking lot of a supermarket. The market had closed at ten p.m., but there was a night crew stocking shelves and the store was bright with lights.

  She was sleeping in her car in order to conserve her dwindling funds, but knew that she couldn’t continue searching for Rachel much longer.

  She’d lost her job. They were understanding the first month, but when her search dragged on, her supervisor called her and said that they needed her back, or they would have to hire another nurse to fill her slot.

  Then, the rent was overdue and her bills weren’t getting paid, but she needed every dollar if she were to continue to search. When the landlord spoke of evicting her, Keri called a good friend, and the woman and her husband moved everything out of her apartment and stored it in their barn.

  And so now, she was technically homeless, nearing bankruptcy, and what money she had was evaporating like dew.

  There were tens of thousands left in Rachel’s college fund account, but she was determined not to touch it. To touch that money would be like giving up on ever finding Rachel, and that, she would never do.

  She couldn’t go back.

  How could she without knowing where her daughter was?

  Keri stretched as best she could in the tight space and watched as a man stepped outside the brightly lit store and looked around, while smoking a cigarette. The man glanced her way, but didn’t notice her, because she was parked at the rear of the lot, in the shadows.

  Outside the store was a display of doghouses, some were wooden, but most were plastic. Keri watched as the man approached them cautiously, and when he reached the one in the middle, a wooden one, he stood up straight, as if something had shocked him.

  A moment later, the man bent over and stuck a hand inside the doghouse.

  That’s when the scream came, and then a girl scrambled out of the doghouse on her hands and knees, stood, and backed away from the man.

  “What were you doing in there?” the man said, his voice carrying clearly despite the distance, because the night was silent otherwise.

  “I’m sorry,” the girl said, and then she ran away from the man, who called after her.

  “Hey! Come back. Hey kid, are you all right?”

  The girl kept running and disappeared down a side street, the man looked after her for a few moments, before stamping out his cigarette and going back inside the store.

  Keri started her engine and drifted out of the parking lot slowly, then, she turned down the residential street that the girl had run down.

  She caught sight of the girl, but saw her run off to hide when she heard the car’s engine. Figuring that the girl would be skittish and not come to her, she continued past the last place she saw her, drove another block, and pulled to the curb, and after lowering her windows, she turned off her lights and engine.

  Just as she’d began to think that the girl had walked down a cross street, she saw the girl drifting along, looking lost, as behind her, the sun began lighting the night to day.

  As the girl came even with the car, Keri spoke.

  “Hello?”

  The girl jumped, swiveled her head around wildly, and saw Keri smiling at her from inside the car.

  “Hi honey, my name is Keri, what’s yours?”

  The girl just stared at her and Keri could see that her face was clean, but her clothes were dirty, and if her sunken cheeks were any indication, she hadn’t eaten well lately either.

  The girl was black, with light brown skin, straight dark hair and gray eyes, and Keri gu
essed that she was about sixteen.

  The girl said nothing and turned to walk away.

  “If you’re hungry I can feed you,” Keri said.

  The girl stopped walking and spoke without turning around.

  “You have food?”

  “Not with me, but there’s a diner out on the main road, we could go there.”

  The girl turned and looked her over.

  “Why are you out here so early?”

  “I was in the supermarket parking lot and saw you run away. I was sleeping in my car.”

  “You’re homeless?”

  Keri sighed deeply.

  “I guess I am, but I have enough money for food.”

  The girl stared at Keri for long seconds before easing towards the car.

  “Hop in,” Keri said.

  The girl did so and Keri started the car and pulled away from the curb.

  “I’m Keri, honey, what’s your name?”

  The girl hesitated, but then spoke.

  “I’m Autumn,”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Autumn,” Keri said, while feeling better than she had in weeks. Maybe she couldn’t locate and help her own child, but she could help this one.

  Keri drove along in a rising sun and welcomed the new day.

  ***

  Keri smiled as she watched Autumn wolf down an omelet, and decided to put off asking questions until they were done eating.

  When Autumn was on her second glass of orange juice, she looked over at Keri and smiled.

  “Thank you for this, I was starving.”

  “You’re welcome, honey.”

  “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. I’m not a runaway. I’m an emancipated minor.”

  “Emancipated? How old are you?”

  “I’m sixteen, but my mom agreed to emancipate me when she was dying of cancer.”

  “I’m sorry you lost your mother, but don’t you have someone else?”

  “I have an older brother, but he’s stationed overseas, and up until a few weeks ago, I had a house and a business.”

  “What sort of business?”

  “I make jewelry and sell it on the Internet, or I did, until my shop burnt down along with the house my mom left me. There was a fire in my neighbor’s house that spread, and the fire burned down my house and two others. They said it was because it was so windy that day.”