by Nella Tyler
“Let’s hope it won’t be as dangerous as those episodes portray either,” Noah said.
Drake’s phone vibrated. He looked at it.
“I have a text from my foreman. He wants to see me right away. Says it’s important,” Drake said. That’s odd. I just saw him a little while ago. I wonder what he wants.”
Drake called him and he didn’t pick up.
“I’d better go see what he wants.”
“I think I’ll call it a night,” Meg said through a yawn.
“I’ll see you in our suite,” Drake said then walked away.
“I think we’ll stay out here a little longer,” Ash said.
“Okay. See you guys tomorrow. Goodnight,” Meg said.
Meg walked slowly back to the hotel. She crossed the lobby and got on a waiting elevator. She pushed the button for the tenth floor and the doors began closing. Just before they closed completely a hand stopped them and pushed them open. Doug entered the elevator.
“Meg! Fancy seeing you,”
Meg looked disgruntle at Doug’s appearance.
“Hello, Doug.”
The door closed and the elevator sped up to the tenth floor. As the doors opened Meg began to get off but Doug grabbed her arm and pulled her back onto the elevator. The doors closed and Doug pressed the button for the third floor.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Meg demanded. “Let go of me.”
“You’re no longer calling the shots, Meggie. Things are going to be done my way,” Doug snapped.
“This is insane. Let go of me,” she insisted.
“Spare me your hoity-toity airs. Drake isn’t here to protect you and your well-being is up to me. I suggest you change your tone if you want to survive the night,” Doug spat.
The elevator arrived at the third floor and the doors opened. He looked out the elevator to see if anyone was in the corridor. It was empty. He dragged her out of the elevator.
“I’ll scream this place down,” she threatened.
“And I’ll put a bullet through your neck,” he returned as he pressed the nozzle of a gun against her throat. “Now come on.”
He led her into the stairwell and pulled her down to the ground floor. Leading her to the back of the back of the hotel, they exited a door that opened to an alley. Hey then dragged her to a waiting van and pushed her in. Just as she opened her mouth to speak he cover it with a rag drenched on chloroform. Meg felt herself going under. She tried to fight the sensation but was soon out cold. Doug slammed the door shut.
“Let’s move,” he barked.
The van raced off.
*****
Meg woke up to a blinding headache. She opened her eyes and looked around her. She was in a small, sparsely furnished room and the door was partially opened. She could hear voices coming from the other room. She was lying on a cot with her hands tied in front of her. Her feet were also bound. She recalled encountering Doug in the elevator and everything that had transpired afterwards. She had truly been kidnapped, and by Doug of all people. She heard someone walking to the door and quickly closed her eyes. Someone looked in on her then walked away.
“She’s still out, Mister West,” she heard.
Mister West! That’s the name Beni had heard Larry and Moe used when they kidnapped her.
“Keep an eye on her. I won’t have her giving us the slip like Benita did.”
That was Doug’s voice. Doug was Mister West.
“Yes, sir,” a man said.
Meg assumed that it was either Larry or Moe.
“This had better work, Doug. Cause if they catch us, we’re done for.”
Denise!
“Don’t worry, NeCe. We won’t get caught. I have it all worked out,” Doug replied.
“That’s what you said when you came up with the grand scheme for me to be napped. And look where that got you. Nowhere,” Denise scoffed.
“But this is guaranteed to work. Old Drake will do anything to get his precious Meggie back. He’ll come up with the loot,” Doug laughed harshly. “Or she’ll be toast.”
“You wouldn’t really kill her, would you?” Denise asked. “I ain’t comfortable with killing anybody.”
“Well, you don’t think she can live, do you? She saw me.”
“Well, she hasn’t seen me. I’m getting out of here before she does,” Denise said.
“It’s too late for a conscience, NeCe. If I go down, you’re coming with me. So you may as well stay put,” Doug sneered.
Meg could hear Denise flop onto a couch and put her feet on a table noisily.
“I’m not for any killing, Doug. I won’t have it.”
“You don’t have a say in it, NeCe. You wanted the treasure. Well, to get it, you have to make sacrifices. And Meggie is the sacrificial lamb,” he chuckled.
“Maybe we should forget about the treasure. It ain’t worth it.”
“To you it may not be. And that’s all right. It will just be more for me. Now shut up and let me think,” Doug barked.
Meg realized that she was in real trouble. Doug had lost all sense of rationality. And Denise really had gotten in over her head with Doug. Meg was now seeing just how unstable and irrational Doug was. He really believed that he could get away with kidnapping and murder. She had to believe that Drake would save her. Maybe she could call him. She felt the pocket in her shorts and found it empty. Doug must have taken it from her while she was unconscious. Drat! Doug wasn’t as bumbling as his henchmen were.
She knew that the text Drake had gotten from his foreman was bogus. It was just a ruse to get him away from her. Doug had his goons assault the man and used his phone to send the text. But was Drake attacked as well? If so, it was only to give Doug enough time to grab her. Doug needed Drake alive and well to give him what he wanted. Meg heard footsteps. She pretend to still be asleep. This time the person entered the room and stopped by her cot. He pushed the cot with his knee.
“Open your eyes, Meg. I know you’re awake by now.”
Meg did so and stared belligerently at Doug.
“How I hate you,” she said scornfully.
“Hate me all you want. I have no love for you either. I never did. You were just a passing fling until I could do better,” Doug replied.
She laughed harshly.
“Denise?”
“Oh yeah. You see, she and I want the same things. And will do whatever we must to get them,” he said. “You, on the other hand, are too self-righteous and honorable to swat a fly. I got hardily sick of your namby-pamby ways. It was nauseating.”
“I must have been crazy to think I ever loved you.”
“It was quite difficult to pretend that I loved you. And downright galling to have to put up with those friends of yours,” he retorted. “I would have liked nothing better than to whack Beni when we grabbed her. But these fools allowed her to get away. That will not be your good fortune.”
“You’ll never get away with this. Drake will find me and you’ll have hell to pay,” she said.
“Not before I send you there. Of course even the devil may not want you and kick you out into the eternal black abyss. It would serve you right to have to wander endlessly in nothingness forever,” he laughed.
‘You are such a horrible man.”
He shrugged.
“Perhaps. But in a few hours I will be a very rich man. And you will be dead.”
“Not if I can help it,” she snapped.
“But you can’t help it. You have no control here; I do. Get used to it for the few hours you have left.”
“You disgusting prick.”
He slapped her hard.
“Say something else. I would take great pleasure in beating the hell out of you,” he snarled.
They heard a gasp. Doug turned to see Denise standing in the doorway.
“Take note, NeCe. You wouldn’t want to receive the same kind of treatment, now would you?” Doug smiled evilly.
“Why did you have to hit her?” Denise asked.
/> “What difference does it make? I soon will kill her,” Doug spat.
“I’ve been thinking, Doug. If—”
“I’m not with you for you to think. There’s nothing inside that brain of yours worth hearing,” he sneered.
“Remember whom you’re speaking to. I’m the one who got you here.” Denise’s tone was sharp as she walked into the room and stood at the foot of Meg’s cot. She glanced at her. “Are you all right?”
Meg nodded slowly. Denise then turned her attention to Doug.
“Curb your tongue when talking to me, Doug. You may think you’re in control, but you’re not. You may think you’re going to kill Meg, but you’re not,” Denise snapped. “You are indebted to me and you better start acting like it.”
Doug glared at Denise but said nothing. Meg was glad to see that there was conflict between them. That would work in her favor. She was also glad to see that Denise wasn’t in agreement with Doug’s plan to kill her. Maybe she could talk Denise into letting her go.
“Now take those two fools to see if Drake has recovered. I want his every move watched,” she ordered.
“Moe and Larry can go on their own,” Doug objected.
“Do as I say,” Denise shouted.
Doug tucked his head and left the room. Denise paced the small room for a moment then turned to face Meg.
“I’m sorry he hit you. That was not called for.”
“I’m okay. Denise, please let me go. There’s no good ending to this story,” Meg pleaded.
“I came here for a reason. I want the treasure. I know it is here on the island and I think you and that gang of yours know of its existence. Tell me where it is and you can go. I promise no harm will come to you,” Denise said.
“It’s just a myth, Denise.”
“It may be a myth to some, but it is very true. It’s real and the treasure is here. You know exactly where. And if you want to go free, you will tell its location.”
“I don’t know where it is,” Meg sighed and turned her head to the wall. She hated lying but she couldn’t tell Denise. At least not yet. She had to give Drake time to come up with a plan to rescue her and protect the treasure.
“You’re lying, Meg. You and your friends have been snooping around that hotel ever since you’ve been here,” Denise said. “You found more than alcohol in that storage room. Tell me what else is there.”
“Nothing.”
“Then why did you put a padlock on the door? If nothing is there, why lock the door?” Denise pressed.
Meg shrugged.
“The alcohol is expensive. Drake didn’t want just anybody having access to it.”
“You have an answer for everything, don’t you? Well, we’ve got time for you to change your mind. And you will.”
“Why do you want the treasure? That is if it exists,” Meg asked curiously. “You come from a wealthy family. You have plenty of money.”
“You can never have enough of it. And the treasure would be mine to do with as I please. I wouldn’t have to ask my father for every dime. He begrudges every cent he gives me and taunts me for asking,” Denise grimaced. “I would be free of his tyranny.”
Meg didn’t know of the dynamics between Denise and her father. She only knew that Denise’s father was a Texas oilman and was extremely wealthy. And Denise always behaved as a spoiled, rich girl. Meg turned her head to look at Denise.
“I’m sorry your relationship with your father is not a good one. But trying to steal a supposed treasure will only land you in legal difficulty,” Meg responded. “You could go to prison for your part in my kidnapping.”
“Only if I am caught. And I don’t intend for that to happen. Think about my offer. Your freedom for the treasure,” Denise said. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Perhaps by then you will see things more clearly.”
She left the room, leaving the door slightly open. She was stuck in the stuffy room for several more hours. Well, at least that would give Drake more time to plan her rescue.
Chapter 23
Drake pounded on the door of Ashlee and Beni’s suite. The pounding in his head seemed to match the noise he made on the door. He’d received a hard knock once he’d entered his foreman’s office and had been unconscious for several hours. When he woke up to an empty office, he realized that the text had been a trick to get him away from Meg. As he stood up, a piece of paper fell to the floor. He picked it up and read it. It said:
“If you want Meg and Denise back, find the treasure then tell us where it is. Call this number 808-555-9292 in forty eight hours.”
Holding the back of his head, he’d stumbled from the office and ran as fast as he could to his suite. Meg was not there. He knew that she wouldn’t be, but had to look. Now he was banging on Ashlee’s door, hoping against hope that Meg was there. The door opened.
“Drake! It’s the middle of the night. What are you doing here?” Ashlee asked sleepily.
He moved into the suite.
“Is Meg here?”
“Meg. No. She’s sleeping in your suite,” Ashlee answered.
“She’s not there.”
“Not there? She must be. She left us on the beach to go to bed shortly after you left to see your foreman.” Ashlee was bewildered.
“What’s going on?” Beni wandered into the living room. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.
“Meg is missing,” Drake announced.
“Missing? How? When?” Beni said worriedly.
Drake told them what happened when he went to see his foreman.
“My God! Are you all right? You should see a doctor,” Beni exclaimed.
“I’m fine. Just a headache,” Drake muttered. “We have to find Meg.”
“Tell them where the treasure is. It’s the only way,” Ashlee said
“We have to let Lono know what has happened.”
“I will call Kai right now. He will inform his cousin,” Ashlee said. She ran back into the bedroom to get her phone.
Beni gave him aspirin and a glass of water. Drake swallowed the aspirin and water, then set the glass on the cocktail table.
“Thanks. Lono can trace the call to the kidnappers and find out where they are holding Meg,” Drake said.
“I hope Meg is all right,” Beni said worriedly.
“They won’t harm her until they know where the treasure is. And I won’t tell them where to find it until she is safe with us,” Drake replied.
“We hadn’t seen the Two Stooges for a while and we relaxed our guard. That was a mistake. I should have known they wouldn’t give up,” Beni sighed.
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re human. I think this thing with Doug changed our focus a bit,” he said.
He sat on the couch and rubbed the back of his head.
“Are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor,” Beni said as she examined the back of his head. “You’ve got a fairly large bump back here. I’ll get an ice pack for it.”
She went into the kitchen as Ashlee came out of the bedroom.
“I told Kai what has happened and he’s coming over. He will pick up Noah on his way,” Ashlee said. “How your head?’
“Beni is getting an ice pack for it. I’ll be fine,” he answered.
“As much as we’ve been warned to avoid danger, it still found us,” Ashlee muttered. “Now Meg’s life hangs in the balance.”
“She’s going to be okay. We just have to be meticulous in our plan to rescue her,” he said.
“Do you still think Doug and Denise are involved?” Beni asked as she came back with the ice pack. She carefully laid it over the lump on the back of Drake’s head and held it there.
“I do. Although the note included Denise’s name as a victim, I still think she in on it. It’s her way out if things go south,” he said.
“She can play the innocent when she’s probably the mastermind behind it all,” Ashlee responded.
“She’s a lot smarter than she lets on. There’s a sharp mind behind that dumb-blonde mask,”
Beni remarked.
There was a knock on the door. Ashlee moved to answer it. After looking through the peephole she opened the door.
“Kai. I’m so glad you’re here.” She hugged him and he kissed her neck.
“Of course I would come,” he murmured.
He and Noah came into the suite. Noah moved to Beni’s side and gave her a quick kiss.
“Thank you for coming,” Beni smiled at him.
“You knew I would be here,” Noah replied.
“I will tell Lono when we’ve decided exactly what we want to do,” Kai said.
Noah sat beside Beni on the arm of the sofa while Ashlee and Kai sat on the floor on the other side of the coffee table.
“What are your thoughts, Drake?” Noah asked quietly.
“The note says I have forty eight hours to tell them where to find the treasure.” Drake pulled the note from his shirt pocket and gave it to Noah.
“Which means we have twenty-four hours to put our plan into place,” Kai said.
Drake nodded.
“Be still,” Beni scolded as she held the ice pack to his head.
“Sorry,” Drake smiled faintly. “It’s a matter of coordinating all of the moving pieces.”
“The curator, the FBI, and getting Meg back,” Noah said.
“Yes. We can’t have the FBI going in to detain Doug before Meg is released. Nor can we have the museum going in too early to collect the treasure,” Drake said.
“Lono will be able to help with that. It’s what he does. We’re going to have to rely on the professionals to do their jobs,” Kai said.
“That’s easier said than done when the life of someone you love is at risk,” Drake muttered.
“The best way to keep Meg safe is to let go, Drake,” Noah said. “Lono will get Meg out safely.”
“Maybe we don’t have to wait for Lono,” Drake said.
“What do you mean?” Ashlee asked warily.
“I’m supposed to call this number with the location of the treasure. Well, when I do so, I will insist that they free Meg before I tell them where it is,” Drake explained.
“It can be a simultaneous exchange at a location of their choosing,” Kai suggested. “Meg can be walking toward you as you tell them about the tunnel.”