Forever a Stallion

by Deborah Fletcher Mello

  Struggling to his feet, Mason braced his hand against the stone wall to hold himself upright. The floor was cold and damp beneath his bare feet, grime and sludge the floor covering of choice. He was still wearing the sweatpants he’d slipped into when he’d heard the speedboat earlier. He was bare-chested and grateful for it since the temperature in the room was sweltering. A glass of ice water and a cold shower would have been a welcome comfort if he had a choice. He felt as if he’d been run over by a Mack truck, the throbbing across his temples making him nauseated. He gently pressed his fingers along his forehead, his hand coming away with streaks of drying blood. He tried to take another deep breath, wishing for just one breeze of fresh air.

  As he expected, the door was locked and there was no doorknob on his side. Moving slowly to the window, he stepped up on his tiptoes to peer outside. He was somewhere on the eastern seaboard, the sun setting in the distance behind the building. Wherever he was, he was right on the coastline of one of the fishing villages, the salt air spraying the scent of the day’s catch. He didn’t bother to call out, knowing that if there was anyone outside, they were not there to do him any good.

  Moving back to the bed, Mason eased his body down. He couldn’t begin to fathom why he was there or who was responsible. The two men from earlier had spoken to him in Siamese, the gun that was pointed at him announcing their intent. And then he’d been slapped with the butt of the weapon, the strike rendering him helpless. In that moment there had been only one thing on Mason’s mind and it was still haunting him. Where was Phaedra and was she safe?

  Chapter 16

  Phaedra was pacing the room when the Stallion brothers finally arrived, knocking at the entrance for her attention. Pulling the door open, she could only have been happier if it had been Mason himself.

  “Thank you!” Phaedra cried, throwing her arms around John’s neck first and then Mark’s. “Thank you so much,” she said as she hugged Matthew in greeting.

  “Have you heard anything at all from Mason?” John questioned, moving into the suite as he looked around.

  “Nothing. I called the police station a few hours ago and they weren’t able to tell me anything more than it was still being looked into.”

  “I don’t think they’re going to be of any use to us,” Matthew said.

  “And you can’t tell us anything else?” Mark asked, his eyes meeting Phaedra’s.

  “I can do better than that,” she said, reaching for the manila folder on the glass coffee table. “I can show you.” She passed the folder to Mark, cutting her eyes from him to John and Matthew, then back. “I was on the far end of the beach when the boat pulled up to the dock. I was taking pictures of the landscape. I kept taking pictures.”

  Mark was flipping through the images, his brothers peering over his shoulder. “These are good,” he said, turning to look at Phaedra. “Really good. They should help.”

  Before Phaedra could respond the telephone rang, startling them all. She moved to the other side of the room to the oak desk to answer it.

  “Hello?”

  “Yes, miss. This is Lina at the front desk. I’m trying to reach Mr. John Stallion, please,” a woman with a soft voice said on the other end.

  “One moment,” Phaedra answered, gesturing toward John. “It’s for you, John,” she said, eyeing him curiously.

  John moved to her side and took the receiver from her hand. “This is John Stallion,” he said as the others stood waiting.

  Phaedra chewed nervously on her bottom lip, her heart beginning to race. Sensing her rising stress, Matthew moved beside her, wrapping a warm arm around her shoulders. The gesture caught Phaedra off guard, but she was grateful for the compassion. She blew a soft sigh.

  “Send them up,” John said just before he set the receiver back onto the hook. “We have company,” he said, looking from one curious face to the other. “The cavalry has arrived.”

  Matthew nodded, a wide smile pulling at his lips. “Just in time,” he said softly as he gently hugged Phaedra to him.

  Almost as quickly as Matthew had spoken, there was a knock on the door, a heavy rap, rap, rap looking for attention. He moved to the door and opened it, greeting their visitors warmly. “Please, come in,” John said. “It’s good to see you again. I just wish it was under different circumstances.”

  Three men and a woman stepped through the door and for a brief second Phaedra was certain that Mason Boudreaux had been cloned at least once if not four times over.

  John made the introductions. “Phaedra, allow me to introduce you to Mason’s sister Kamaya and his brothers, Donovan, Guy and Kamaya’s twin, Kendrick.”

  The woman smiled warmly. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. We’ve heard a lot about you,” she said, reaching to give Phaedra a warm hug.

  “It’s nice to meet you, too,” Phaedra responded.

  The brothers all echoed their sister’s sentiments as they moved around the room shaking hands and reacquainting themselves with the family they’d first met at their sister Katrina’s wedding to Matthew.

  Guy Boudreaux was most anxious to get down to business. “So, where are we?” he said as they all settled down in the living room space. “What’s the game plan?”

  Mark pulled one of the images from the folder. “We need to track down these two,” he said, passing the photo to Guy, who passed it on to his siblings. “And that means we need to hit the streets.”

  “Do we even know why someone would do this?” Phaedra ventured to question, feeling as if she was missing something.

  Donovan Boudreaux leaned forward in his seat. Of the brothers he looked most like Mason, the resemblance almost eerie. “Phaedra, Mason has a lot of history here in Thailand. Building this hotel required him to deal with a lot of people, some who might have been a little unsavory. And as I’m sure you already know, the political climate has some challenges. Although he made some great friends, there were just as many who didn’t want him or the hotel here and who haven’t been overly accommodating.”

  Guy nodded. “He owes a lot of his success here to Daniel Kasam. Daniel helped him navigate the political waters. The man pulled some strings that many thought were impossible.”

  “I met Daniel. And his daughter. We all had dinner the other night,” Phaedra noted.

  “He’s a great guy but he’s rumored to have some ties with the Bangkok crime syndicate,” Guy said, adding the disclaimer, “not that we’re sure that’s true. He might not be a Mafia lord.”

  He continued. “I do know, though, that there were some who were not happy about the connection between them or that Mason was able to do what he did because of Daniel’s help.”

  Phaedra stood up in frustration. “This is crazy. A crime syndicate? A Mafia lord? Really?”

  Both Donovan and Guy shrugged.

  “It is crazy,” Kendrick interjected, “but they do things differently here. Traditionally, high officials were given gifts for rendering their services. In addition, they benefited from getting a percentage of their expenditures even if they didn’t do anything. Obviously, the bigger the gifts they received, the bigger the payoff for the giver. The practice bred corruption. Unfortunately, Thailand has had a long history of dishonesty, from extortion and bribery to the use of insider information to even buy land. For many reasons, although it’s not talked about, those practices are still deeply embedded in Thai society.”

  “So, do we need to speak with Daniel?” Phaedra asked. “To see what he might know?”

  “Our first stop in the morning,” John said. “Phaedra, you, Kamaya and I will pay Daniel a visit right after breakfast tomorrow. I’ve already called to schedule an appointment with him.”

  “Tonight, though,” Mark interjected, “we need to hit the streets.”
He gestured with the picture in his hand. “Unsavory characters tend to keep their heads down during the day.”

  Kendrick stood up, reaching for the briefcase he’d arrived with. When he popped the lid, Phaedra was stunned by the amount of cash inside.

  “We knew we were going to have to grease some palms to get some answers,” he said, answering the question Phaedra was thinking but didn’t want to ask. “We were able to exchange it for Thai baht at the airport.”

  Kendrick tossed two wrapped stacks of currency toward Mark and two toward his brother Guy, the men depositing the money in the breast pockets of their suit jackets. “Are you coming with us?” Kendrick asked, looking toward Donovan.

  The man shook his head. “No. I need to follow up on some leads here in the hotel.”

  “I’ll give you a hand with that,” Matthew said.

  “I’d appreciate that, brother-in-law,” Donovan said as Kendrick closed the case and handed it to John.

  John crossed over to the other side of the room. Sliding back a painting on the wall, he revealed a large wall safe. He pushed a series of codes on the digital panel, then depressed his thumb against the security guard. When the door swung open he deposited the case inside, closed the door, secured it and slid the painting back in place. “Everybody good?” he asked, turning to the other men in the room.

  They all nodded.

  “We ready to bounce?” Mark asked as he moved toward the door.

  Kendrick and Guy were close on his heels.

  “Stay safe,” John admonished, pointing his index finger in their direction.

  Kamaya then repeated John’s wishes but with a hint of worry in her voice.

  Guy leaned to kiss his sister’s cheek. “We got this.”

  Donovan gestured for Matthew to follow him. “We need to move, as well,” he said, winking at Phaedra.

  Matthew and John slapped palms as the two men exited the room. When the door was closed behind them, John blew a deep sigh, tossing his head back against his shoulders. It had been an exceptionally long day and it was about to get even longer.

  * * *

  Phaedra was still wide-eyed awake, believing that she would never be able to sleep until they found Mason alive and well. On the other side of the king-size bed, his sister Kamaya was snoozing easily, seemingly without a care in the world. But Phaedra knew she was worried, too. They were all worried.

  Much like with the Stallion family, there was no escaping the Boudreaux lineage. Their distinctive features hinted of an African-Asian ancestry, with their slight angular eyes, thin noses, high cheek lines and full, pouty lips. Donovan could easily have passed for Mason’s twin, the low lines of their closely cropped haircuts complementing their facial features. Kendrick had the same facial features but had a full afro, boasting a retro, bad-boy facade. Guy was more bohemian in his look, rocking dreads that hung well past his broad shoulders. He had an artistic aura about him and even if she hadn’t already known that he was in the entertainment industry, Phaedra would have easily taken him for a musician or an artist.

  Like her sister Katrina’s, Kamaya’s features were soft, more delicate than their brothers’. But where Katrina’s demeanor was exceptionally conservative, Kamaya was hard-core and edgy. And unlike the Stallion men who all boasted the same rich, dark, coffee-with-no-cream complexion, the Boudreauxes were a kaleidoscope of colorations that ranged from burned umber to milk chocolate.

  Although she would have preferred to meet Mason’s family under very different circumstances, it was what it was. Kamaya had emphasized that they’d heard a lot about her, and Phaedra couldn’t help wondering what and from whom. Had Mason been there she knew it would have been a delightful laugh between them. She then curled her body into the fetal position as she clung to her side of the bed.

  In the other room John was sleeping comfortably on the couch, snoring easily. Phaedra was grateful for him, and for Mark and Matthew, the trio coming when she called without blinking an eye. Mark was still cautious, dealing with her at arm’s length, but there was nothing hostile in his demeanor like before. She hadn’t asked about the test results and no one had volunteered the conclusions. The question of her paternity and the familial connection between them still lingered in the back of her mind, but in that moment Phaedra wasn’t interested in hearing the answers until Mason were there with her as he had been since she first came to Texas.

  Chapter 17

  Daniel Kasam rushed to greet them, almost pulling John and the two women through the front door of his home. Concern painted his expression, the man seemingly distressed to learn Mason was missing.

  “This is very serious!” Daniel bellowed as he gestured for them to take a seat. “Very serious!”

  “Obviously, you understand our concerns,” John said.

  “More than you know,” Daniel said. He reached for an envelope resting on the table and passed it to John. “This was delivered to my office right after I spoke with you yesterday.”

  Taking the mailer from the man, John lifted a typed letter from inside and read its contents. He looked up to meet Daniel’s gaze, then dropped his eyes back to the letter to read one more time. He took a deep breath as he passed the document to Phaedra and Kamaya to read.

  “A million dollars!” Phaedra yelled. “They want a million dollars in ransom?”

  “I’m afraid so, Phaedra. Unscrupulous, it is,” the man said as he rose to his feet and paced the floor.

  “Why did they send it to you?” Phaedra queried. “Does this have anything to do with Mason’s business dealings?”

  Daniel shook his head. “There are some people Mason had to do business with who were not good people. I’m sure with him selling his business one of them thought this would be a good opportunity to take advantage. However, I assure you it has nothing to do with any transactions Mason and I had between us.”

  John cut his eye at Phaedra, his stare moving her to reflect on the other man’s tone. Daniel seemed insulted by her suggestion and Phaedra was cautious not to offend him further.

  “Well, we should take this to the police,” she said.

  Daniel nodded. “I have already given a copy to Officer Niran. I was made to understand that he is handling this case? Is that correct?”

  John nodded. “That’s correct. I’ll touch base with him as soon as we leave.”

  “You should do that,” Daniel said. “The sooner you pay the ransom, I’m sure the sooner they will let Mason go.”

  Phaedra took a deep breath. “Do you think Mali might be able to give us any information about Mason’s acquaintances? Is she here by chance?”

  Daniel turned his back to the conversation, reaching to pass each of them a glass of fresh-squeezed mango-and-papaya juice. “I’m sure Mali knows nothing. And unfortunately, she has already left Thailand. She’s gone back to school,” he said as he gave Phaedra a slight smile.

  Phaedra’s face skewed with confusion. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, shooting John a quick glance as she bit back her words.

  John smiled politely. “Well, we certainly appreciate your time, Mr. Kasam. You’ve been a big help to us.”

  “Of course,” Daniel said. “If I can do anything else to assist you, please just ask. Everything I have is at your disposal.”

  “We greatly appreciate that,” Kamaya added.

  “Where did you say Mali was going to school?” Phaedra asked as Daniel clasped her hand beneath his.

  “Design school in London,” he answered matter-of-factly. He kissed the backs of Phaedra’s fingers. “I’m sure Mason will show up before you know it,” he said, adding, “As soon as you pay their demands. I’ll call you as soon as they contact me with the details of the exchange.”

  Phaedra lifted her mouth in a slight smile, her expression not as certain. “Thank you,” she sa
id, biting back what she wanted to say. “You’ve been a good friend,” she added for conversation’s sake, not believing one word.

  Daniel waved his goodbyes as their driver pulled the car out of his driveway. As they headed in the direction of the hotel, Phaedra met John’s curious stare.

  “What is it, Phaedra?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “What are we going to do? They want one million dollars!”

  John nodded. His tone was consoling. “The money isn’t the problem,” he said. “We have the money. What we need to figure out is if we should pay it. The fact remains that we might pay and they might not let Mason go. We need to keep trying to figure out who did this and where they might be holding him.”

  She blew a deep breath, trusting that John knew best. She thought about their meeting with Daniel, everything about their conversation bothering her, and she said so. “Daniel never said why he thought they sent the ransom note directly to him. And he also lied. Daniel lied to us.”

  “What do you mean?” Kamaya asked, leaning forward in her seat.

  “Mali didn’t go back to school. At dinner the other night Mali told us she quit school. She had no plans to go back.”

  “Interesting,” John pondered. “And something else. I spoke with Niran this morning. He didn’t say anything about the ransom note or that he’d spoken with Daniel.”

  “I don’t like that man,” Phaedra said, “and there’s nothing about him or Daniel that I trust.”

  “But why do you think Daniel would lie about his daughter?” John questioned.

  Kamaya answered before Phaedra had a chance to. “Mali Kasam is obsessed with Mason. That girl has been like fungus since the first day Mason stepped foot in Thailand, and her father indulges her every whim.”

  Phaedra nodded. “What Mali wants…” she said, not bothering to finish the statement as she turned to stare out the window.

  * * *