by Dale Cadeau
Watching though the slit of her eyes, she took in both men, one laying a tray down on the table and the other at the door with a gun. Glancing up after the door closed, she took in a frustrated Grant standing beside the bed, running a hand through his hair. He had a very serious expression on his face. When she moved he turned his gaze her way and a smile came over his face. At that moment, she knew that things were more serious than what Grant had been letting on. She loved that he was trying to protect her with his nonchalant attitude that everything was okay, but she knew deep down that this was serious, anything could happen at any time, and she should be prepared.
Grant sat down on the bed beside her as she moved to sit up. Pushing the hair away from her face, she looked up at Grant. “Did our jailer have anything more to say today?”
“No, just that he contacted my brother.”
“Do you think James would have said anything?”
“No, James thinks on his feet, is too smart to say anything. He would have just listened to them and try to find out everything he could. Our capture did not seem to think anything was unusual or out of place. I could tell by the sound of his voice.”
“Well that’s good. At least James and the guys are aware of our situation.” Charlie swung her legs out of the covers and sat up beside Grant.
“Well they know something is up. That’s a start. But they’ll probably track down CB before they do anything.”
“Who’s CB?” Charlie asked. She was never at the top of her game first thing in the morning before coffee.
“CB…JB…James?” Grant said, giving her a look. To keep up the ruse that he was Chase, they would have to be careful, and that included talking in code. They would use “CB” as a code word for Chase.
Charlie clued in. “Oh, sure, CB. He might be hard to track down. If he’s anything like he was before his venture, he could be out partying for a day or two.”
“That’s right, you haven’t seen him since his stint with Sam. He’s acting and looking like a different man. More serious, not so playful. I don’t think we have to worry about him being out of sight long.”
“Well that’s something to our credit, anyway.” Charlie got off the bed and went to the table to explore what the man had brought them this morning.
“We can’t be too far from civilization. They brought us McDonald’s. We have coffee and an egg sandwich. Do you want me to bring you yours?” Charlie asked.
“Just bring me the coffee,” Grant told her. He didn’t think he could stomach anything else right now.
“Do you think it’s okay for us to eat and drink what they bring us?” Charlie said, ignoring the food but picking up both coffees and returning to sit beside Grant.
“I think they went to a lot of trouble to get us here and haven’t make any move toward violence, so I don’t think they are going to poison us,” Grant said, taking the lid off of his paper coffee cup and taking a sip.
Charlie did the same and sighed as the hot beverage started to wake her brain. “This is good. I’ve never been one to frequent fast foods chains, but this hits the spot.”
Grant held his cup in one hand, resting it on his knee. “I just hope that the guys find us sooner than later.”
“I thought you said the guys would be on our trail ASAP.” Charlie took another sip of coffee.
“Oh, they will be, but none of us had a clue that anything was in the works, against us or Chase. I noticed that both of our cell phones are missing. I’m hoping that they were left in the alley and not picked up by the men out there.”
“I didn’t even think of my cell last night. I was too worried about you when we were jumped. I didn’t give a thought to my purse or cell. I must have dropped my purse when the man grabbed me and threw me in the van. But how will it help us, even if the guys find them? It won’t give them any clues as to who took us or where we are.”
“No, but I’m counting on the cells pinpointing where we were taken. When they know that, they can connect with the security system at the restaurant and hopefully have a view of who snatched us.”
“But we were in an alley almost a block away from the restaurant.”
“Yes, but what they probably didn’t count on is that the restaurant is owned by James and he is a security freak. He has cameras up and down the block. Even if they tried to disable them, they couldn’t have got them all. James is the type of guy that always has to overdo everything, just to be sure. If one camera is fine, well, five would be better in his books. So I would bet that I don’t even know where all the cameras are hidden.”
“Why is he so paranoid? I know your jobs are security, but isn’t that a bit much?”
“After James almost lost Avery and us guys in an explosion, he doesn’t take any chances. There is no way that he would be blind around anything he owns.” Grant got up and walked to the small table and put his coffee cup down and picked up their morning sandwiches and handed one to Charlie.
“We might as well eat. I don’t think there is much we can do at this end, except pay attention to the two guys and hopefully they will let something slip that we can use.” Grant sat down and opened his sandwich and took a bite.
“It’s pretty good, you should eat.”
“I don’t think I could eat right now, not with our lives in danger. We have to look around and see if there is a way out of here. We just can’t do nothing.”
“I already took a look around while you were sleeping. The bathroom has no windows and the window in here has steel bars on the outside. All we can do is wait for a break.”
“Well I’m going to go crazy just sitting around wondering. How do you stay so calm?” Charlie got up and started pacing with her coffee in one hand and her sandwich forgotten in the other.
“All of us learn quickly in the army that worrying and pacing doesn’t help. It just wears a person out, so that when they have to act they’re not ready. The best thing to do is just wait and think things through calmly. Don’t get worked up over something you have no control over.” Grant patted the bed beside him.
“Sit down and eat, after, we’ll go through everything we know to date. I’m sure between us we’ll think of something,” Grant told her, trying to calm her down.
“Okay, but I hope we come up with something, or your friends get here quick.” Charlie sat down, and after putting her coffee on the floor in front of her, unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite, her mind whirling a mile a minute so that she didn’t even taste the food.
Chapter Six
Tony and Gabe arrived down at the restaurant and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place and the restaurant was still closed.
Tony held up a hand gadget and looked at it. The signal was from close to this place.
“I don’t see Grant’s car. Let’s split up and work both sides of the street. Maybe he just dropped his cell phone.”
“I can’t see Grant doing that and not noticing within the hour. He always seems to be looking at it,” Gabe said as he darted across the street.
“Me neither, but you never know,” Tony said, walking down the sidewalk away from the restaurant.
Tony kept his eyes between the pinging of the gadget in his hand and on the ground as he walked up the sidewalk. Coming up on an alley, he glanced in. There, near a garbage bin in the center of the alley, he saw what looked like clothes dropped on the pavement. Tony yelled at Gabe, “Come over here, there might be something in this alley.”
Gabe ran over and met him at the opening to the alley. Gabe pulled out his gun from his holster concealed under his jacket and nodded at Tony. “Let’s go.”
Both men took cautious steps into the alley. With the bin situated halfway up, they didn’t have a clear view of the whole alley. As they got closer to the bin, both saw blood on the ground. Gage darted around the bin and yelled back at Tony.
“All clear.”
Tony crouched down and looked at the clothes pushed up against the side of the bin. It was a man’s jacket. Turning it
over, he found the pocket and dug in it. Sure enough he found a Blackberry, Grant’s choice of phone, and some keys. Picking up the jacket, he looked at Gabe.
“This has to be Grant’s. I don’t like the sight of the blood near here.”
“No, I don’t either, but we don’t know anything yet, and we can’t jump to conclusions.”
“You’re right. Let’s see if we can find anything else.” Both Gabe and Tony started clearing the leaves that had blown to the side of the alley. Not far away, Gabe’s foot hit something under a pile. Bending down, he picked up a small black purse. Opening it he found a cellphone, keys, tissue, and a few other miscellaneous items. Picking up the small wallet, he opened it and found the driver’s license.
“Whose is it?” Tony asked, looking over his shoulder as he came to stand beside Gage.
“It’s an Amber Charlie Stone’s. It has to be Charlie’s. She must have been with Grant. Let’s call Clay and tell him what we found.”
Tony pulled out his cell and called Clay.
Clay picked up on the first ring. “Well, anything?”
“Yeah, Clay, we found Grant’s jacket and Charlie’s purse in the alley not far from the restaurant.”
“Well that doesn’t sound good. Anything else?”
“There was some blood in the alley, but with the alley being paved there are no tire tracks or anything that could help us.”
“Shit, did you have time to check the cameras from the restaurant yet?”
“No, the restaurant is still closed.”
“Well I think we can hack in the restaurant’s feed from Grant’s computer at the office. So come back, it’s almost eleven. I would like you both around when the guy calls back at noon.”
“We’ll be back shortly. We’re going to search the parking lot a little further down to see if we can find their cars.”
“Good, shortly.” Clay ended the call.
Tony put his cell away. “Let go see if we can find their cars. Then Clay wants us back at the office before noon.”
Both men walked out of the alley and down another block to the public parking. Only two cars were in the lot. One they knew was Grant’s, and they assumed the other car was Charlie’s.
“Let’s call a tow truck to bring them to the office. We better hurry if we want to be back to hear what the asshole wants at noon.”
Chapter Seven
After what seemed like hours, the men finally returned. Like before, one stood in the doorway holding a gun and the other went to the table. Moving the tray out of the way, he put a recorder on the table. Looking at Grant, he jested for him to come to the table.
“Tell your brother that we have you and the woman. That if he doesn’t listen to what we want, that both your lives are in danger.”
When Grant didn’t jump to do their bidding, the guy in the doorway moved forward and pointed the gun directly at Charlie.
“Move, or you can tell your brother that you’re next.”
“Okay, but take the gun away. I’ll do what you want.” Grant got up and moved to the table and sat in a chair. Looking up at the guy near him, he could only make out his brown eyes, nothing else.
“What do you want me to say?” Grant asked him.
“Just tell your brother that you and the girl are okay. He is to listen to our instruction to the letter. No contacting the police or anybody else. If he does, we will put a bullet into one of you every day, until we get what we want. Not enough to kill you, but just enough to get his attention. I think four bullets, so four days.”
Grant looked at Charlie, who still sat on the bed but had gotten paler as she listened to the man speak.
“We’ll be okay, Charlie. James will come through for us.”
“Quit your talking.” The guy moved the recorded nearer to Grant and pointed a handgun he had pulled from his pocket. Nudging Grant with the barrel of the gun, he gestured again to the recorder.
Grant turned in his chair and nodded to the guy. The guy turned the recorder on and stood back, pointing the gun at Grant’s head.
Grant cleared his throat. “James, this is Chase. As you now know, I have gotten into a fix again. I need you to listen to these guys and do what they say. Both Charlie’s and my life depend on it. The accommodations aren’t that great either. The cabin is rustic and the view is nothing but trees.” Grant stopped as the guy took the gun and backhanded him over the mouth with it, knocking him out of his chair.
“That’s enough.” The guy grabbed the recorder and walked back out the door with the other, closing and locking it.
Grant wiped the blood from his lip and pushed himself off the floor and righted the chair. Charlie was at his side as soon as the door closed.
Grabbing on to his arm, she asked with concern in her voice, “Are you okay?”
Grant smiled down at her. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Taking her hand from his arm, he led her back to the bed and sat down, making her sit beside him.
“I’m fine, Charlie,” he told her again, as he noticed the tears gathering in her eyes.
“I’m so scared right now, Grant.”
“Call me, Chase, Charlie. We don’t want to take any chances.” Grant wanted to gather her up in his arms, but knew that he couldn’t baby her. He needed her strong in case they had to get themselves out of this situation.
Reaching out, he cupped her chin in his hand, making her look directly at him. “I know you don’t know the Braden Security guys, probably just heard of them from Chase and me. But you know Chase pretty well.”
At her nod, he continued.
“Well, you know how Chase is when he wants something. He is not deterred by anything and he is single-minded until he accomplishes what he wants.”
“Yes, he is that way, but what does that have to do with this situation?”
“James is ten times more intense than Chase when he is on a case or after something he wants. So you don’t have to worry. He will keep digging until he finds us. I have complete faith in him.”
“I want to believe you, but I am finding it hard. You’re used to this cloak-and-dagger stuff. I’m not. I’m a very boring person with an everyday life and family.” Charlie moved her chin out of his hand and put it almost resting on her chest as she looked down at her hands in her lap.
Grant got up and poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the table and brought it back for Charlie.
Holding it out to her, he told her, “Have a drink and let’s get to know one another better. I sure would like to know why you call yourself Charlie.” Grant sat down beside her as she took the glass and had a sip.
“Do you really think this is the time to get to know one another?” Charlie asked him.
Grant finally couldn’t resist holding her, so he put his arms around her and brought her closer to his side.
“I think it’s a great time. We can’t do anything right now. It’s light out and I’m sure our guards are just waiting for us to make any move. So tell me about yourself, beside what you do at the office, Charlie.” He emphasized her name.
Charlie gave a little laugh and cuddled closer to Grant. “Okay, I’ll start with my name. You might think my family is crazy after I tell you this.”
“No, I won’t. I could tell you some secrets about mine, but that’s for later. You first,” Grant said as he reached up to stroke her hair. He couldn’t seem to get himself to stop touching her.
“My full name is Amber Charlie Stone. My mother, being a bit eccentric, thought that since our last name was Stone, that we should be named after all the different stones or rocks that she works with. My dad didn’t like the ideal of naming his children after rocks and told her so. That if she got the first name, he was having the second name and he was naming us after his brothers. Well Dad thought she would back down, but she didn’t. So, she named us girls after different stones for our first name and Dad named us after his brothers. So I’m Amber Charlie Stone. My other sisters are Jade James, Ruby Stuart, Topaz John.”
“It is a bit eccentric, but I kind of like it,” Grant said with a smile in his voice.
“But how come you don’t go by Amber?”
“Well that’s Dad’s fault and his twisted sense of humor. He insisted on calling us by our second name at home, to bug Mom. He even enrolled us in school under our second name. Mom didn’t clue in to what he had done until she came home from one of her digs. By then it was too late and everyone called us by our second name.”
Grant laughed. “Didn’t she clue in after the first kid?”
“Oh, she did, but it seemed that she would have to be out of the country on a dig every time school started. Dad promised every time to register the next kid the right way and straighten up the others. But he never did and kept calling us by our second name. After the third kid, she gave up and started calling us by our second name, too. We were kids and it didn’t matter to us. Dad brought us up to be strong and be proud of our names and heritage.”
“So your mother was gone most of the time?”
“Yes, she’s a geologist, pretty well known in the field. Dad loves her to pieces and ended up staying at home and raising us kids.”
“I think you have a very interesting family and can’t wait to meet them,” Grant told her, still stroking her hair.
Charlie pushed away from Grant’s chest, where she had rested her head just above his heart.
“What about you?”
Grant sat back on his elbows on the bed. He didn’t like to talk about himself, but looking up into Charlie’s eyes, he knew he couldn’t refuse her anything. She looked at him with her bright gray eyes and he caved.
“You sure you want to hear this? Your life is much more interesting.”
Maybe to you, but I want to hear about yours. Take your time, I’m not going anyplace.” Charlie lay down on the bed beside him.