Taken

by Janet MacDonald

  “You double crossing son of a bitch!” Gregory snarled.

  “Don’t worry, some friends of mine are on the way here and they’re bringing some boys in blue to have a word with you. Now tie your wrist to one another using the zip ties.”

  After the two men stepped into the homemade chain-link cage, Caleb clicked the padlock into place and shut the wooden door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he walked into the small laundry room and opened the door.

  “Time to go,” he said. He uncuffed Kitty from the pipe on the wall and led her upstairs at gunpoint.

  He guided her outside to the pickup truck and made Kitty open the door. He got her inside and cuffed her wrist to the door handle before rushing around to the other side and thrusting the keys into the ignition.

  “Kitty, I’m really not going to hurt you. Please trust me,” he said as they sped off down the driveway and out onto the road. As they hit the main drag, he tore his cell phone apart and discarded it along the road as they drove off.

  “Caleb, please let me go,” she said, still sounding upset.

  “That I can’t do,” he said as she looked at him. He could tell she was still afraid.

  “Are you going to kill me?”

  “No, I’m going to take you someplace safe and far away from those two.”

  “But they can’t do anything. Please let me go.” Her tears fell again.

  Caleb didn’t know how he was supposed to tell her he had no intention of ever letting her go. That all he wanted to do was treasure her, protect her and love her. He didn’t care about the money, just his brother’s freedom and her being their mate.

  “Get some rest, Kitty, it’s a very long drive to where we’re going.” He sped toward Costa Rica. They would have to make several stopovers for him to sleep before they finished their journey to his father’s home.

  * * * *

  They pulled into a junkyard before they left New York City, and Caleb passed the man he met there a small wad of cash. The man then handed him a set of keys, and as he made her get into the car the other man looked her over almost approvingly and smiled at Caleb. His gray eyes looked a lot like her kidnapper’s. As they pull out of the area, she wished she knew what Caleb’s intentions with her were, but he’d refused to tell her anything.

  Kitty barely talked to him over the next six hours as they drove toward the south. Caleb hadn’t told her where he was taking her or why. Just before dawn he slowed and pulled to stop in a darkened area by a sleazy-looking motel. He cuffed both her hands to the door handle. He was careful to make sure they weren’t too tight on her bandaged wrists before he got out and headed to the run-down establishment.

  Kitty tried to tug on her restrains, but it hurt way too much on her already injured wrists. While watching for Caleb’s return, she attempted to kick at the horn, hoping to alert someone to her plight in this desolate-looking place. As her foot beat on the center of the steering wheel nothing happened. She saw Caleb returning at a hurried pace. She managed to get her feet down before he got back into the car.

  He eyed her for a moment after he started it and then drove to the very far end of the nearly deserted motel.

  “Come on, I need some sleep and so do you,” he said. After he undid her cuffs, he led her into the room in front of where he’d parked the car.

  “Lay down, Kitty. I’m sorry I have to do this, but if you run now there’s still a chance they can get to you.” He pulled both sets of handcuffs from his coat pocket. She did as he told her after she took her coat and boots off. He very carefully cuffed her to the bedposts.

  “Caleb, I’m hungry,” she said as he pulled a long scarf from his other pocket.

  “You can eat soon. I need a shower first, and so do you.” He slipped the gag into her mouth. “Be quiet. I’m just going to get our stuff out of the trunk,” he told her and then left, returning after only a few moments with three suitcases and a large duffle bag.

  She intently watched him as he pulled what looked like a prepaid cell phone from a bag and dialed a number.

  “Yeah, we’re here… Yeah, I know… Yeah, no problems yet.” He listened for a few long moments. Kitty caught only his side of the conversation. “Bring a pizza.” He turned and looked at her “The works, and cola okay with you, Kitty?”

  She nodded and stared at him. Caleb was up to something and she had a feeling he wasn’t planning on letting her go anytime soon. For some reason, although she was afraid, she didn’t think it was Caleb who caused the feeling. Some part of her knew he wouldn’t harm her, that he was trying to protect her, and it made her feel oddly good inside.

  She lay there watching him remove a pair of boxers, jeans, gray t-shirt and socks from one of the suitcases along with a toiletry bag. He’d had this all planned out. The phone and clothing were in the car he’d traded the truck for.

  “I’m going to go take a shower, and when I’m done, I’ll let you have one,” he said as he checked to make sure she was securely fastened to the bed by her wrists and ankles.

  He’d left the bathroom door ajar, and she happened to see him in the mirror, peeling his shirt off. She seemed compelled to watch him. God, why does he have to be so utterly handsome? Her eyes were heavy from not having slept in almost twenty-four hours, and as the steady drone of the shower echoed out of the bathroom, they closed for what felt like only a moment.

  They shot open as someone touched her face, and she stared into Caleb’s gray eyes as he ran a finger over her cheek. Kitty blinked. There was a scar over his right eye. Strange, she thought, she hadn’t noticed it before. The sound of the shower running also confused her, but it was soon forgotten as Caleb pulled the gag from her mouth. His thumb tenderly ran over her bottom lip, and he slowly leaned down, his face getting closer. Oh, my god, he’s going to kiss me. She trembled in excitement. Her heart pounded in her ears. His lips were so close she felt his heated breath on her face.

  “Kaiden!” she heard the deep bass voice growl from the bathroom doorway. She stared at Caleb and then back at his mirror image leaning over her.

  Chapter Eight

  Looking at her as Caleb untied her, he knew she was perfect. The small delicate woman had him yearning to kiss every inch of her body. There were no words that could explain his instant attraction, and there was no doubt Caleb had felt it too. The way he watched her, he could tell his little brother was falling fast and hard for this tiny woman. She was the one, and his heart did all kinds of strange things as he looked at her. It wasn’t something he was used to.

  As Kitty walked into the bathroom to take a shower, Kaiden waited until he heard the water turn on before he turned his attention on his brother.

  “So, does she know?” he asked.

  “No. I don’t know how to tell her,” Caleb replied, looking a bit concerned.

  “Straight out would be the best way.” Kaiden snorted. It was how he liked to do things, but Caleb wasn’t like him.

  “Yeah, that will go over well. I can imagine she’ll jump all over the idea of not just being turned into a giant furry beast and being mated to not one but two even bigger furry beasts,” Caleb shot back.

  Kaiden raised his gaze. He could tell Caleb was nervous about this. He had every right to be too. If Kitty didn’t succumb and die from the infection of the bite she’d be one of them, but that didn’t mean she’d accept them. When he first came in and saw her tied to the bed, he smelled her—rich, delicious and so very tantalizing. As he tried to kiss her, he’d also smelled her want and need. She’d already developed feelings for Caleb, whom she’d mistaken him for.

  Feelings didn’t have to be there. Mating was a primal thing, but if Kitty was already developing a bond with his brother, it would make it a bit easier on all three of them. Kaiden wasn’t sure if she’d like the idea of him having a claim on her as well. But the need would become unbearable for them both until they mated after she was turned.

  Caleb suddenly stood, drawing Kaiden from his thoughts as the cell phone vibrated
on the end table. His brother picked it up and answered it.

  “Yeah… Yeah, he made it here in one piece,” Caleb said, then looked at Kaiden with a smile. “I’ll tell him,” he told the person on the phone and then hung up. “That’s Uncle Tim…he just wanted to know if you made it here in one piece.”

  * * * *

  After Kitty had her shower and was dressed, they sat and ate pizza while Kaiden grinned and cleaned several of his guns.

  “You sure know how to make a mountain out of a mole hill, Caleb,” Kaiden retorted as he eyed Kitty again with a smile.

  Caleb could tell his brother was equally attracted to her, and that bothered him a little as Kitty may not want two mates.

  “Turn the TV on,” Kaiden said suddenly as he got a text message. The look on his face seemed angry.

  “Why?”

  “Because you, me and our little girlfriend here are all over it,” he said snappishly.

  Caleb turned on the older-looking machine and switched it to the all-news channel. There was a report about how Gregory Trites had reported Katarina Callaghan being abducted. Trites claimed he’d been attacked and beaten by an unknown assailant as he tried to protect the heiress.

  An image of Kitty flashed across the screen along with a toll-free number as well as a reward offer for any information about their whereabouts.

  “Fuck!” Caleb said and then started packing everything into the suitcases.

  “But why would he do that? I know he was involved. This doesn’t make any sense,” Kitty said as she stood abruptly.

  “Yeah, she’s got a point,” Kaiden agreed.

  “Well, we can’t stay here now. For fuck sakes, what kind of game are they playing?”

  “Why would he risk her being found if she can identify him as part of the kidnapping?” Kaiden asked as he placed his gun in its holster before he helped pack.

  Kitty stared at the news channel. To his surprise, she grabbed the remote out of Caleb’s hand.

  “Shh,” she said, and both he and Kaiden stared at her. “Gregory is giving a live statement.”

  They both turned and watched the television as Trites stood in front of a dozen different microphones. He was with three men who looked a lot like they could be Feds.

  The man had a black eye and a bandage on his forehead. It looked as if someone had roughened him up pretty good. The press bombarded the Feds with questions about a ransom, proof of life and how and when the kidnappers had contacted the family, and the Feds answered them very vaguely. When Mr. Trites got up to the podium, he had tears in his eyes as he made a plea to the kidnapper to return his beloved niece. To give him back the only family he had left. Trites explained he’d cared for Katarina since she was twelve and was like a daughter to him.

  Caleb’s blood ran cold. He hadn’t known Trites was her uncle. The man wasn’t only willing to kidnap her and have her killed, but he was going to sexually assault her as well. He turned and stared at Kitty. His heart ached at what her life must have been like. What Gregory might have already done to her.

  “Well, are we going or staying?” Kaiden asked.

  To Caleb’s surprise, Kitty grabbed her suitcase and turned and looked at him.

  “Let’s go,” she said, her eyes steely-colored and determined.

  “I still haven’t slept and neither has Kitty. Kaiden you’re gonna have to drive.” He tossed his brother the keys to the car.

  “All right. Kitty you get into the back with Caleb. Cuff yourself to her just in case. Take the pillow and blankets and cover up with them,” Kaiden ordered just before they exited the motel room.

  Kitty grabbed the pillows under one arm and struggled with her suitcase. Caleb took the bag and looked at her softly.

  “I’ll take this. You bring the pillows and blanket,” he said, wondering if this change of heart in Kitty was a ploy or not. A feeling of hope filled him as he looked into her pretty eyes.

  “Thank you, Caleb,” she said and smiled.

  After piling into the car, he and Kitty curled up in the backseat with the pillows and blanket as his brother sped away into the early morning light. The warmth of her body close to his and the smell of her hair had him smiling as he drifted off. His arms were wrapped protectively around the small frame of her as they slept.

  * * * *

  Two days had passed and the brothers took turns driving. They only stopped long enough to eat and get gas. Kitty wasn’t sure what they would do once they reached the Mexican border. It had her a little nervous. Her image had been all over the news, and there was no way they could cross legally. Caleb drove and had just entered Galveston, Texas. It was someplace she’d always wanted to go, but not quite under these circumstances.

  “Head for the port. There’s a ship called Morning Glory waiting for us at pier twelve.”

  “He’s here?’ Caleb sounded surprised.

  “Yeah, so are a few of his friends,” Kaiden said, and Caleb became very quiet.

  Kitty sat in the backseat, her hands cuffed to the door. Kaiden still didn’t trust her not to run. Both men, in fact, had become even more watchful of her and as they pulled into the marina. She saw them tensing up.

  “Why are we here?” she asked.

  “This is our trip out of the country, hon,” Kaiden said, looking at her from the front seat.

  “Stay with her…I’ll go talk to him,” Caleb told his brother as they parked in the dark nearly deserted parking lot.

  She watched Caleb as he headed for a large cigar boat where she saw four men stop him, frisk him and then two escorted him inside.

  “Who is this and where are we going on a boat?” she asked Kaiden.

  “You ask too many questions.”

  “Kaiden, please…” She stopped as he turned and looked at her. His gaze locked on hers and she felt cowed by the glare.

  Just last night as she’d slept in the backseat, she’d awoken to the two brothers discussing her. From the last bit of their conversation she’d gotten, it sounded as if Caleb and Kaiden both had designs on her. She felt the same way toward them. Both of them had qualities she found attractive, and it was hard to imagine them doing anything to hurt her.

  “We’ll be able to stop running soon,” he said as she saw Caleb returning. Caleb glanced nervously around before he headed from the boat to the car.

  “Come on, it’s all good,” he said, but his voice didn’t sound so sure.

  “All’s forgiven?”Kaiden asked.

  “Sort of…” Caleb replied. He still looked anxious.

  “Sort of? I don’t like the sounds of that.” Kaiden nearly snarled and it made Kitty more than a little on edge.

  “He says it has to be done tonight.” Caleb looked at Kaiden, and both of them gave her a sideways glance.

  “What? Is he crazy?” Kaiden asked, not sounding happy about whatever it was they had to do tonight.

  “We have no other choice right now,” Caleb said as he undid Kitty’s handcuff from the door handle and cuffed it to his wrist.

  He didn’t look at her, and his gaze never made it to her face as they walked from the car. She felt the tension in both of them.

  “Caleb, please tell me what’s going on,” Kitty said softly as they walked toward the boat. Two men came closer.

  “It’ll be okay.” He still wouldn’t look her in the face. Something was wrong.

  “Caleb, I don’t want to go on that boat,” she said as Kaiden’s hand firmly gripped her arm.

  “It’s too late for that, Kitty.” Kaiden steered her in the direction of the two men. Both looked Latino and carried guns in holsters she could plainly see in the light of the full moon.

  Fear seeped into her as she walked up the gangplank and was then immediately frisked by a rough-looking man with lots of scars on his face. They patted down Kaiden and Caleb, taking their guns before they were escorted inside. The three of them were brought before an older Latin-looking gentleman with white hair. He was tall and still very well-built for one who looke
d to be in his early seventies. He wore a crisp clean white light cotton outfit and smoked a cigar as he sat in an oversized armchair.

  He eyed her from head to toe and then back again. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but Kitty couldn’t quite place it.

  “This is the one?” the older man asked with a rich South American accent.

  “Yeah,” Caleb said.

  “Very nice choice, but why is she handcuffed to you? I thought you said she was here willingly?”

  “She is… It’s just for show,” Kaiden said.

  “Undo her then and come sit and have a drink,” he told them, not taking his gaze off her.

  The boat began to move, and Kitty eyed Caleb as he undid her handcuffs. His jaw line seemed tight and as he stepped away. She noticed the older man carefully watching them.

  “Well, now, little one…what is your name?”

  “Kitty.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” he asked with a light chuckle.

  “No. It’s short for Katarina,” she told him sternly, not seeing the humor in her nickname.

  “It’s beautiful as are you. Please sit.” He gestured to a place near him with a smile playing on his lips.

  “My name is Caesar Lazerath. You must forgive them their poor manners. My sons are a little uncivilized at times.”

  Kitty blinked. This was her abductor’s father.

  Chapter Nine

  Caleb waited for Kitty in the bedroom his father had assigned her. The shower stopped and he closed his eyes. Wearing only a pair of pajama bottoms as he sat on the edge of the double bed, he was nervous. He still hadn’t told her what would happen tonight. He wasn’t sure if she even wanted him. Her body did. He smelled her excitement every time they got close to one another. Yet that didn’t mean Kitty liked him.

  He lifted his head as she walked out of the washroom. She stared at him for a long moment.

  “Caleb, what’s wrong?”

  “We need to talk, Kitty.” He patted a spot beside him on her bed.