“I’m not accusing you of attempted seduction, and I’m grateful for your help.”
Blue looked at her carefully.
“I hear a ‘but’ there somewhere.”
“How do you feel about my husband?”
Blue put her cup down.
“I’m not sure how to answer that. I mean, we’re friends, nothing more, just friends.”
“He likes you... as a woman, as an attractive woman, and that’s rare for him. The two of us are extremely close, and I truly believe that he’s never been tempted to stray.”
“Jessica, where is this coming from? Please tell me that you don’t believe that anything is going on between us.”
Jessica reached over and took her hand.
“I don’t, but I wonder if there could be someday. I’m sure you’ve heard that it’s suspected that I was Jeffrey and Hanna’s first choice as a victim, and not my mother-in-law?”
“Yes, and it sent a chill up my spine to think of those two murdering you and having access to your children.”
“A twist of fate is the only reason I’m not dead right now, and if I were, my husband would need someone to look after him. He’s a strong man in so many ways, but I don’t believe that he would do well on his own, he would need someone.”
Blue slipped her hand from Jessica’s and sat back in her seat.
“If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, well then, I’m flattered, but I’m sure you two have a long life ahead of you together, and in any event, I’m with Ramón now.”
Jessica smiled.
“You still haven’t answered my question. How do you feel about my husband?”
Blue broke eye contact, and answered as she stared into her teacup.
“When we all first met in Vermont, when I was chasing after Sebastian Rojo... I’ll admit it, I had a serious crush on him. Your husband, he’s like no one I’ve ever met, but believe me, I’ve gotten past the schoolgirl crush, and I truly think of him as just a friend.”
Jessica reached over and took her hand again.
“Thank you for being honest, and... if fate is ever cruel to me, and you’re available, know that you have my blessing, and I can’t think of another woman that I would say that to.”
Blue withdrew her hand again, but this time it was to wipe away a tear.
A sound came from the hall an instant before he appeared in the doorway.
“There you are, Jessica. I thought that you had just gone to check on the babies?”
“I did, and then I came across Blue and we had a nice chat.”
“About what?” he said, as he poured a glass of milk.
Jessica sent Blue a smile.
“Just girl talk,”
TAKEN! T – THE NAME
(The events in TAKEN! T took place before the events in TAKEN!)
The list was over a dozen names long.
1) Jonathon Black
2) Mortimer Digby
3) Zane Grant
4) Moe Lester
5) Schuyler Robinson
6) Garrett Marks
7) Ben Dover
8) Rudolf Chase
9) Joseph Rose
10) Xavier Blake
11) Harry Balls
12) Ian Nye
13) Remington Kane
14) Larkin Lode
15) Chip Colt
16) Brock Razor
17) Calvin Gunner
18) Willoughby Jones
19) Donald Wells
Rookie FBI agent Karla Reade took a sip from her coffee before starting in on the list of first-time visitors scheduled for the next day.
There was a separate list for female visitors as well, containing the name of Dr. Jessica White, and both lists had to be given second-tier security checks, before they would be allowed to enter the inner recesses of the FBI Field Office in Washington D.C.
Karla begun by pulling up each file in a separate window, and when they were all up on the large monitor atop her desk, the face of one of the men caught her eye.
“Hello, good lookin’,” she said under her breath, as she reached up and touched the image of his eyes. After collapsing the other files, the man’s face filled the screen.
“Sexy, but oh, those eyes spell danger.”
Karla brought up the data on the man, and when she came across the word, MARRIED under the heading of marital status, she made a frown of disappointment. However, she also made a memo on her phone about the time and location that he was to visit the next day, so that she could at least get a look at the man in person.
She finished her task nearly two hours later and was leaning back in her seat to stretch, when a knock came at the door.
“Come on in.”
Another female agent entered and handed Karla a slip of paper with a name on it, along with other info.
“What’s this?”
“That name was left off your list; you have to check him out too.”
“Okay, and hey, let’s get a drink later?”
“I can’t, I have a date.”
“Lucky girl, see ya later,”
Karla entered the name into the computer, and when the man’s face came on the screen, she paid it little attention, performed the security check, and signed off her computer.
TAKEN! U – THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS
(The events in TAKEN! U took place before the events in TAKEN!)
SEVERAL YEARS AGO
He saw Jimmy sitting on their porch steps when they arrived home, and the first thing he noticed was the bruises that marred his brother-in-law’s face, while the second thing he noticed was the suitcase.
Jessica met Jimmy at the foot of the steps and gave him a heartfelt hug, but then moaned with concern at his injuries.
“Jimmy, who did this to you?”
“I... can we talk inside, Sis?”
***
“Five thousand dollars? Jimmy, that’s a lot of money,” Jessica said, before looking over at her husband.
“What’s this loan shark’s name?” he said.
“Vinnie D, and I don’t know what the D stands for, so don’t ask.”
“We’re not the ones asking, Jimmy, you are, and you’re asking a lot.”
Jimmy looked down at the floor, and as he did so, his long blond hair fell forward, covering his face.
“I’m sorry, Bro, I really am, and I know I was stupid to borrow money from a loan shark to try and save my business, but I can’t go back and undo it, and I need your help.”
“Where is this Vinnie D?”
“He’s just the next state over, in a town called Monticello.”
“How did you get here? I didn’t see a car.”
“It died about a mile from here, and then I walked the rest of the way.”
“And you’ll need money to get that fixed too?”
“Yeah,”
“And the suitcase means that you also need a place to stay, right?”
“I’m broke, Bro, dead broke,”
Jessica reached over and took her brother’s hand.
“Go into the kitchen and start a pot of coffee, and we’ll follow along shortly.”
“Right, you need time to talk.”
After Jimmy left, Jessica got up and began pacing.
“If we don’t help him... something bad could happen to him.”
“I know that.”
Jessica gestured helplessly towards the kitchen.
“I know what I said the last time we helped him, but, he, he’s my brother.”
He stared at her.
“The bank closes in an hour, so you’d better hurry.”
“Thank you.”
“He’s your brother, and so it’s your decision.”
“But it’s our money.”
He sighed.
“Don’t ask me why, but I like him.”
“He likes you too, but I think you intimidate him, not physically, but because you’re successful.”
“He’ll make it someday.”
“Why do you say that? He’s failed at every business he’s ever had.”
“It’s part of why I like him, he doesn’t give up.”
***
The next day, Jimmy borrowed Jessica’s car to make the payment to Vinnie D, and when he didn’t return by midnight, Jessica grew worried.
“He should have been back hours ago, and he’s not answering his phone.”
“I know.”
“I want to go and look for him.”
“Where?”
“He told me that the man he owed money to, this Vinnie D, Jimmy said he owns a bar by the same name.”
“In Monticello?”
“I guess.”
“We’d better leave now if we want to get there before it closes.”
***
The drive turned out to be a long one, as the town of Monticello was some distance across the neighboring state.
As they drove along a county road that led to the bar, Jessica suddenly jerked around in her seat.
“That was my car!”
“Are you certain?”
“I couldn’t swear to it, but I want to take another look.”
He U-turned and soon they were pulling up behind the car, which was parked on the side of the road at an angle.
“That is my car; those are my license plates.”
“Hand me the gun and I’ll check it out,” he said, and Jessica reached into the glove box.
“I want to come with you.”
“No, I don’t know what I’ll find, and we may need to get away quickly. Get in the driver’s seat.”
Jessica agreed, and then watched as he moved stealthily towards her car. Once he reached it and looked within, she saw the alarm spread over his face.
“Jessica, come quickly.”
She rushed over, looked at the bloody form slumped across the front seats, and almost didn’t recognize her own brother.
“Jimmy?”
“Do what you can for him, while I call for an ambulance.”
“He paid! Why did they beat him like this, he paid!”
“And soon they’ll pay,” he said, and then the voice of the 9-1-1 dispatcher came on the line.
***
A few miles away at Vinnie D’s Bar & Grill, Bob and Jenna Dawson stood huddled together, still stunned and frightened by the events of the previous hour.
They were in an area back behind the restaurant and watching Vinnie D’s men use a hose to wash away the blood that stained the ground, the blood of Jimmy White, whose savage beating they were forced to witness.
The two men washing away the blood were brothers and former professional wrestlers from Scandinavia. They were named Beck and Andor, and were each so big that they made the 225lb. Vinnie D look tiny in comparison.
Vinnie D was smiling at the Dawsons, the smile was twisted, and more like a sneer, as the muscles on the right side of his mouth no longer worked due to a knife wound he suffered while still a teen. Vinnie D was forty, six-foot-two, wore his black hair slicked back, and his ice-blue eyes were fierce and without mercy.
“Now you two know what will happen to you if you’re ever late with a payment. The man you saw get beaten tonight thought that he could just pay up whenever he felt like it, but he now knows better.”
Bob Dawson raised his head and glanced at Vinnie.
“We’ll pay on time, don’t, don’t, don’t worry.”
Vinnie smiled. He then walked over and touched Jenna Dawson on the cheek. She was a petite blonde with green eyes.
“Of course, we could renegotiate the loan to a lower rate, if your wife was willing to come into my office and... barter services?”
Jenna fought the urge to pull away from Vinnie’s touch, while her husband fought the desire to run away and hide.
“No, we’ll be paying the full rate, and on time.” Jenna said.
Vinnie smiled at her, and then winked.
“Still, it’s good to know there are other options, eh?”
A man’s voice came from the doorway.
“Vinnie, what’s going on out here?”
Vinnie turned and looked at his younger brother, Richie. While Vinnie had inherited his height and bulk from their late father, Richie had been gifted with the good looks and slenderness of their mother. Richie stood only five-foot-seven, and it was his intelligence and taste that made Vinnie D’s Bar & Grill a success.
“Richie, how many times I got to tell you to mind your own business? I’m working here, so just go back inside and close everything up.”
“We are closed, that’s why I’m wondering why these people are still here.”
“It’s none of your business.”
Richie looked over at Jenna.
“Are you all right?”
Vinnie rushed forward, grabbed his brother’s face with his hand and smashed his head against the cinderblock wall. When he released him, Richie slid to the ground with a dazed look on his face.
“Mind your own goddamn business,” Vinnie said, and then he spun around and spoke to the Dawsons. “Get out of here, and remember you have a payment due in three days.”
Jenna was staring at Richie, who was still sitting on the ground, but her husband grabbed her wrist, yanked her along, and was screeching out of the parking lot only seconds later.
***
After the ER doctor assured Jessica that Jimmy had suffered no major injuries, he also made it clear that they were keeping him overnight for observation.
Jimmy had two broken ribs, several broken fingers, and a face so badly beaten that he would need minor plastic surgery to repair his bottom lip, and his nose.
The two detectives assigned to the case took down what little they knew, and suggested that Jessica and her husband speak with them in the cafeteria.
The detectives were a man and a woman with the unlikely names of Smith and Jones. The female detective was Jones, and she knew of Jessica by way of her reputation, and asked her if she was there in an official capacity.
“No, no one asked us to come here. We’re here to look out for my brother.”
Smith sent her a smile.
“That’s good; it means that we won’t have to worry about you butting into our investigation.”
He caught Smith’s eye.
“We won’t interfere, but we will do whatever it takes to look out for Jimmy.”
“Who is just your brother-in-law, right?”
He corrected him.
“He’s family.”
Jones spoke to Jessica.
“We’ve been after Vinnie D for years, and if your brother agrees to press charges we’ll finally put him away.”
“That’s for Jimmy to decide, but an assault charge wouldn’t send this Vinnie D away for long, would it?”
“He’d get five years maybe, but we’re hoping for more than an assault charge. If he also gets convicted on loan sharking charges, he could get ten years.”
Before leaving, the detectives told them that they would be back the next day to take Jimmy’s statement, as Jimmy was sedated and wouldn’t awaken for hours.
After checking into a chain motel on the highway for a few hours sleep, they were back at the hospital in the morning, where they found Jimmy awake and sitting up.
His injuries slurred his speech some, but he was able to tell them everything that happened, and also admitted to lying to them.
The $5,000.00 he borrowed from them was simply interest on the $25,000.00 he actually owed Vinnie D.
Jessica gave her brother’s hand a squeeze.
“Jimmy, why didn’t you tell us before?”
“I didn’t want you to worry. The five grand should have bought me some time, and I figured that I would think of something else by then.”
He spoke to Jimmy.
“Who did this to you, Vinnie D?”
“He’s got two pet gorillas, huge dudes, and one held me from behind while the other one went to town on me.”
“This couple you mentioned, where can we
find them?”
“The Dawsons? They own a restaurant called Le Chic, it’s right on Main Street.”
“Have the cops talked to you?”
“They left right before you came here, and I told them that I would... press... charges,” Jimmy said, and Jessica saw that the medication he was receiving intravenously was making him drowsy.
She leaned over and kissed her brother on the cheek.
“You get some rest and we’ll be back later.”
Jimmy nodded, as he fought to keep his eyes open.
“I love you, Sis, Bro,”
“We love you too, Jimmy,” Jessica said, and watched as he faded off to sleep.
***
Bob Dawson pointed to the front door of his restaurant.
“Just leave us alone; like we told the cops, we don’t know anything.”
Although the upscale eatery had yet to open for the day, they had pushed their way inside when Jenna Dawson opened the door.
Jessica pleaded with Dawson.
“Please, my brother needs your help.”
“Lady, I’m sorry about your brother, but we don’t know anything,” Bob Dawson said.
He sighed, and saw Jessica do the same. There was no point in pushing the couple to come forward. He could see the fear in Bob Dawson’s eyes, while Jenna Dawson wouldn’t even meet his gaze.
Jessica reached out and gripped Jenna’s arm in an attempt to gain her attention, and the smaller woman winced in pain, before rolling up her sleeve and rubbing the point of contact. When she saw that Jessica had spotted the bruises on her arm, she lowered the sleeve and moved away from her.
“Do we have to call the cops to get you to leave?” Bob Dawson said.
Jessica shook her head.
“We’re leaving, but please reconsider and tell the police what you witnessed. This Vinnie D should be locked up before he hurts anyone else.”
As they were driving away, Jessica looked over at him.
“Did you notice?”
“The bruises on Mrs. Dawson’s arm, yes.”
“That poor woman, she surrounded by abusive men.”
He drove faster.
“It’s time to meet this Vinnie D.”
***
Vinnie D’s Bar & Grill was in a less fashionable section of town, and stood in the center of a large, gravel parking lot that was bordered by trees on three sides, but like the Dawsons’ establishment, it too had yet to open for the day. However, the front door was unlocked, and so they simply walked in.
Taken! Alphabet Series - 26 Original Taken! Tales (Donald Wells' Taken! Series Book 14) Page 8