Fabian grabs the vodka, goes into the bathroom and pours it down the sink. “No more using alcohol as a crutch to get through my problems.”
Fabian can tell something is changing inside of him for the better. He now understands what people mean when they say that challenges in life make you stronger. He’s making a conscious decision about how to handle this matter. Today is the first day of the rest of his life.
Fabian climbs into bed and snuggles up next to Claire. He plans to get a few hours of rest before getting up and figuring out their next move.
*****
“We’ve gotta do what?”
“Claire, you heard what I said. We’ve got to kidnap Sloane and bring her back to New York.”
“Are you insane, Fabian?”
Fabian stands in the doorway of the bathroom watching Claire comb her wet hair. “Listen. I know this is extreme…”
“You think?”
“But, we don’t have any other choice, babe. The only way to stop Sloane from going to the cops acting like she’s my crime victim is to grab her and make sure it never happens.”
“So, we should kidnap Sloane to stop her from claiming that you kidnapped her.”
“Exactly.”
Claire pushes Fabian aside to get into the bedroom. She opens the closet and finds the sundress she wants to put on. Claire removes her robe, puts on her bra and panties and slips into the dress as Fabian watches.
“No. It’s way too risky. Come up with another plan.”
“I’ve racked my brain trying to think of another way, but I keep coming back to this one. We’ve tracked her all the way here. This is our only shot at keeping me out of jail.”
“There’s gotta be another way.”
“What? Tell me, Claire. I’m all ears.”
Claire slips into her sandals.
“Ugh. I don’t know! I don’t normally dream up illegal crime scenarios.”
“Then, you’re in?”
“This is crazy. How are we supposed to kidnap Sloane from a high-end resort without anyone seeing us?”
“I’ve already thought of a way to do it. I just need to know if you’re willing to help me pull it off. I don’t want you doing something you’re not comfortable with.”
“Fabian, kidnapping is a serious thing. There’s no way I’m going to be comfortable doing something like that. Can you honestly say you’re comfortable with it?”
Fabian goes to the closet and grabs his dark leather sandals. “No, okay. I’m not. But, I’m going to do what I have to do to save my ass. You’re either in or out,” he says as he slips his sandals on.
Claire sees the desperation in his eyes. She understands that they have a golden opportunity to stop Sloane before she has a chance to leave the resort. If they lose her now, who knows if they’ll get another chance?
Doing what Fabian is asking means that she is really pushing the envelope of her moral compass. Under normal circumstances she wouldn’t even entertain the thought of kidnapping Sloane. But, her life has already jumped the shark and the time to act is now.
Claire wraps her arms around Fabian’s bare waist. “You know I’d give anything for us to be able to hang out together without constantly looking over our shoulders. If this is what we have to do to get our lives back to normal, then I’m all in.”
Fabian strokes Claire’s face with his hand. “Thank you. I promise you we won’t get caught as long as we work together as a team.”
“It’s our team against their team,” Claire says with a sly glint in her eyes. “Let’s kick their asses.”
*****
Fabian strolls the luxury car lot looking for a suitable vehicle to drive back to the States. The English-speaking car salesman walks alongside hoping he’ll find something too. Fabian has already entered into a tentative agreement with the salesman to trade in the SUV for something roomier. Technically, the SUV isn’t his to sell, but that’s not going to be a problem down here. Legalities can be brushed aside if you have enough money. The sales guy is going to get a decent commission on an all-cash deal as long as Fabian finds something he likes.
“We have a nice van over here,” the salesman offers.
Fabian glances over the red minivan. “No, that’s not what I want.”
Fabian looks ahead and spots an RV parked in isolation from other cars. “The RV. Is that for sale?”
“Yes, sir. Wanna see it?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, I’ll go get the keys. Be right back.”
Fabian walks over to the late model used RV and knows in his gut that this is what he’s going to buy. It’s a mid-sized model that probably sleeps four to six people. Fabian checks out the tires. They seem to be in good condition. He can’t wait to have a look inside.
After several minutes, the salesman rushes up to the RV. “Okay, I’ll open her up and you can take a look inside.”
Fabian watches the man unlock the door. The salesman steps aside to allow Fabian to freely take a look around. Fabian immediately falls in love with the cream-colored leather bucket driver and passenger seats.
“Is this automatic?”
“Yeah, fully automatic drive. Has GPS, satellite radio, CD and DVD player.”
“Cool. I’m going to check out the rest.”
Fabian goes further inside and admires other features such as the tiled flooring, plush couch, 4-seat mini dinette, kitchenette with microwave, bathroom and plenty of storage space. He notices there’s a queen-sized bed above the front seating area. That’s where he and Claire will sleep.
The salesman peeks his head inside, smelling a potential sale. “I can give you a really good deal.”
Fabian knows whatever price the guy has in mind he’s going to wrangle him down until it really is a good deal. This is Mexico. Price haggling is expected. The key to winning this game is to be willing to walk away if the deal isn’t to his liking.
Of course, Fabian will be acting, because this is the only RV in the entire lot. He wants it bad, but knows he needs a negotiating angle in his favor.
“This is practically new, man. How’d you guys get it?”
The salesman’s eyes light up. “Honestly? A couple of guys that I suspect were drug dealers pretty much dumped it on us. They had no more use for it so they traded it for a sports car. We don’t normally sell RV’s but it was one of those deals we couldn’t refuse, you know?”
“Yeah, I gotcha. Okay, so what were you thinking of letting it go for?”
“Twenty thousand American dollars.”
Fabian whistles loudly. “No way.”
“That’s a great deal. Like you said, it’s practically new.”
“Yeah, but like you said, it’s been used by drug dealers. For all I know it could be stolen, or have been used to smuggle drugs over the border.”
Fabian just let the guy know that he’s not dealing with a naïve American sucker that doesn’t know how to play the game.
“Okay. How about seventeen thousand? I’ll take three thousand off for the SUV. So, you only pay fourteen thousand.”
“How about I walk out of here and take my American money and SUV with me? That offer is a joke.”
“Ah, man. You gonna play it that way? That’s a fair offer.”
“Not in my book. I’ll give you seven thousand with the trade-in.”
“Can’t do that, man. How about fourteen?”
“Hmm. We’re still too far apart. Tell you what. I’ll do eleven thousand five hundred tops. I’ll accept four thousand on the SUV, which leaves me paying seven thousand five to make up the difference. Deal?”
The salesman keeps his cool while calculating the numbers on his smartphone. Fabian is sure that the guy knows that the longer the RV sits in the lot the more it depreciates in value. There aren’t many people that are going to want it, a fact they both know. The salesman finally looks up and gives Fabian a broad smile. “Deal.”
“Great. I’ll need to have it ready for pick up later today.”
&n
bsp; “No problem.”
*****
Claire places the black wig with bone straight hair onto her head and adjusts it to fit snuggly. She stares at herself in the mirror. She’s wearing a pastel blue maid’s uniform that is standard issue for the Sun Paradise cleaning crew. With the aid of some false eyelashes and a dark eyebrow pencil she is transformed into a woman that she hopes passes for a member of the resort’s cabana cleaning staff.
“Wow. I look so different. I think this is gonna work.”
Claire goes into the living room where Fabian and the real maid are waiting. “What do you think, babe?”
Fabian looks impressed. “Wow. That’s a good disguise. I’d never recognize you.”
Claire goes into Fabian’s money pouch and pulls out a single bill. She hands a crisp, new $100 bill to the maid that just finished cleaning their cabana. The maid is wearing the t-shirt and sweat pants Claire gave her to wear as a temporary outfit. “You can hang out here until we get back, okay? Do whatever you want. Eat, drink, watch TV and relax.”
“Thank you, miss. You two are very generous. Feel free to borrow my uniform and cart anytime.”
“We just need it for this one time,” Fabian says. “Remember, there’s another hundred in it for you when we come back. To earn it you’ve got to swear that you won’t tell a soul about this.”
“Oh no, senior. I’ll keep quiet. Besides, I could get in big trouble if management knew I let non-staff use company property.” The maid sits down on the couch and turns the TV channel to a local Mexican soap opera.
Fabian climbs into the cart. Claire hands him a duffel bag. Claire covers him up with a bunch of towels. Claire slowly pushes the cart out the door and down the pathway towards the other end of the resort. It’s taking all her effort to push her 150-pound boyfriend towards their destination.
She is hoping that none of the resort staff can tell she’s a gringo. She noticed that the few gringos working here are bartending, running health and fitness classes or doing management jobs. If a cleaning staff person should talk to her she’d stand out like a sore thumb, because she doesn’t speak a word of Spanish.
Claire can feel the anxiety rising in her gut as she wheels the cart up to the front door of cabana number four. She takes a deep breath and knocks.
Sloane Cooper answers the door wearing black leggings under a hot pink top. She looks at Claire waiting for her to say something. Claire is so busy being afraid of being recognized that she almost blows it.
“Are you here to clean or to stand there staring at me?”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Claire says in a fake Mexican accent. “I’m here to clean up. Forgive me for staring. I’m new. This is my first day.”
Sloane opens the door wide and allows Claire to wheel her cart inside.
“That’s okay. There’s not much to clean. You can just tidy up a bit while I read my magazine.” Sloane reclines on the couch and picks up the Elle magazine she’s in the middle of reading.
Claire proceeds to clean up the room the way she thinks a maid is supposed to do. She takes a spray bottle and uses the dust cloth to wipe down the coffee table, entertainment center and a chair. She takes the mini broom and dustpan from the cart and sweeps the floor in a few spots. Claire goes back to the cart and wheels it into the spacious bathroom. It hasn’t escaped Claire’s attention that Sloane’s cabana is bigger than theirs. She wonders if Sloane gets to live here free of charge. Nathan could easily make those arrangements.
Claire shuts the door behind her. She removes the towels from Fabian’s head and gives him a thumbs up sign.
Fabian quietly climbs out of the cart and removes the duffel bag. He hides behind the bathroom door and nods.
Claire purposely knocks Sloane’s lighted vanity mirror and a bunch of cosmetics to the floor, causing a loud crash.
Sloane rushes into the bathroom. “What was that?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, miss. I accidentally knocked over your beautiful mirror.”
Sloane is not happy about this. “Shoot! How could you be so clumsy?”
“I don’t know. I’m really sorry. You can take this out of my tips.”
Sloane shoves the cart into the living room. “You damn right I will.”
Fabian reaches over and grabs Sloane from behind, which startles her. He muffles her screams by placing his hand firmly over her mouth. Claire quickly goes into the duffle bag and pulls out a roll of duct tape. She breaks off a long piece and holds it taught in front of Sloane’s face. Fabian removes his hand and Claire quickly slaps the tape onto Sloane’s mouth.
“Hold her steady,” Claire says as she takes the tape dispenser and runs it across her mouth and underneath her neckline. “There. Now you won’t be able to yell at me about your broken mirror.”
Sloane continues to attempt to struggle free from Fabian’s grip. “Wrap it around her legs!”
Claire quickly runs the roll of tape haphazardly around Sloane’s legs, which greatly limits her mobility. Claire knows her handiwork isn’t neat, but it’s getting the job done. “Hold her arms together so I can get the tape all the way around.”
Fabian uses his body strength to prevent the frightened Sloane from moving her arms too much. They end up on the floor after Sloane pushes against him.
Claire scrambles to get the tape around Sloane’s mid-section. She’s successful after expending considerable effort.
“Think we should wrap her up like a mummy?” Fabian jokes.
“Nah, that’s only for royalty. She’s not worth it.”
Fabian lifts Sloane up and holds her over the cart. “Okay, in you go.” He sits her in the cart. Sloane continues to struggle in vain to get free. Fabian grabs some towels and is about to cover up the captured woman.
“Wait,” Claire says. “One more thing we need to do.” Claire grabs a black ponytail holder from the bathroom counter and pulls Sloane’s hair back. She slips the holder around her blonde locks. “Okay, now you can throw the towels over her.”
Claire instinctively realizes it will be easier managing the duct tape around Sloane’s mouth with all that hair out of the way.
Claire and Fabian rush around Sloane’s cabana gathering up his stepmother’s clothes, a few pairs of shoes, toiletries, wallet, ID and passport. They throw it into her largest suitcase, the one with wheels, and zip it shut.
Fabian takes the suitcase and opens the door. He looks both ways to make sure the coast is clear before casually walking down the pathway.
Claire waits a few minutes. She pulls a blanket from the bed and arranges it in the cart over the towels—another layer to muffle any noises coming from the cart. Claire adjusts her wig and smoothes out her uniform. She’s got to appear as if nothing unusual is going on. She’s just a maid going about her daily routine.
Claire opens the door and looks both ways. She sees a couple walking towards her. She smiles as they pass by without even so much as a glance her way. Claire hurriedly pushes the cart out the door. She wheels it in the direction of cabana number twenty-two. Thankfully, this load of dirty towels is much lighter.
Fabian is waiting for her as she reaches their cabana. He helps her get the cart inside and shuts the door.
They both breathe a sigh of relief.
Fabian pushes the cart into the bedroom as Claire follows.
Claire hastily changes out of the maid uniform and into jeans and a t-shirt. She hurries into the living room where the maid is engrossed in watching The Price Is Right. “Sorry to interrupt you, but you’ve got to get changed and leave here quickly.”
“Si. I’ll go change.” The maid takes her uniform and heads for the bathroom.
Claire paces back and forth.
Fabian pushes the cart back into the living room. There’s nothing inside it but dirty towels. He too seems anxious for the maid to leave.
The maid comes back and hands Claire her clothing. Claire hands the maid another $100 bill.
“Thank you again for the big tip. I also enjoy a nice
break from work.”
Claire too is grateful. “Thank you for letting us borrow your stuff.”
“Let me know if you need anything else,” the maid says cheerily as she pushes her cart out onto the pathway. “Buenos tardes.”
“See ya,” Claire says as she watches the maid walk away. Claire steps back inside. “Phew! We did it.”
“Yeah, we did. That was one of the most intense things I’ve ever done in my life,” Fabian says while pouring himself a glass of ice water.
“What did you do with her?”
“Sloane? She’s hanging out in the bedroom near the closet. I made her a nice makeshift bed on the floor.
“I’m sure she’s loving that.”
“Nothing but the best accommodations for my wonderful stepmother.”
“When are we leaving?”
“As soon as the RV is ready to roll.”
“I’m going to miss Cabo, but I’m happy we’re headed back to New York with everything we need to squash that warrant.”
“Hopefully, Sloane will realize the gig is up and confess everything to Gray. If not, we still have the recording.” Fabian says.
Although, the kidnapping went well, Claire is uneasy about driving all the way back to New York with a hostile Sloane in tow. There’s no telling what she’ll do to protect her own hide, and the wealthy lifestyle she currently enjoys as a trophy wife. Another concern is that Nathan is a complete wildcard in all of this. They have no idea how he’ll react when he finds out they know he’s involved.
There’s a lot at stake for all the players in this game. Claire doubts that Sloane will voluntarily confess all to Gray. Maybe she can reason with Sloane and get her to a place where she’ll at least consider making a deal to help clear Fabian’s name. Maybe she’ll change her tune if they promise to keep quiet about her and Nathan’s affair.
Such a deal, of course, would depend on Fabian going along, and she’s not sure he’d go for it. But, she’ll give it a shot.
Chapter 3
Fabian looks cool in his aviator shades as he drives the air conditioned RV down this first stretch of Mexico Highway 1, headed for San Diego. He volunteered to do all the driving over the next three days, which means they’ll have to take periodic rest stops along the way. At least they won’t have to worry about renting a hotel room. They took sheets and a blanket from their cabana and fixed the upper deck bed, making it nice and comfortable for whenever he’s ready to crash and get some shuteye.
Fugitive Millionaire Revenge (Fabian Cooper Book Two) Page 5