by Alexa Davis
I checked out a few boats and quickly saw the difference between ones that were actually being used and the ones that sat in the harbor for show. I walked down the second offshoot on the dock and saw a boat with its sails still up and its deck wet from what looked like someone scrubbing it. The name on the side read Isabella and when I called out, "Roger? You in there?" I heard some kind of noise coming from the boat. I waited a few seconds and then called again, "Roger?" Again, I heard a noise coming from what sounded like the interior of the boat.
I looked around to see if anyone was watching and then stepped up onto the deck. It took a moment for me to get my footing, as the water made the boat rock back and forth and the heels I was wearing didn't help matters. I quickly reached down and pulled them off, pushing them off to the side where no one would trip over them if there were others on this boat.
"Roger?" I called. "You on this boat?"
This time, I heard a distinct pounding coming from someplace under the deck. I looked around and saw a door that most likely led down to the cabin below. I knocked and then pulled it open and descended down into the belly of the boat.
"Roger?" I called quietly. I heard a pounding sound on the other side of the door at the opposite end of the cabin. I tiptoed over and listened to the door before turning the knob and pulling it open. Out fell Roger, wearing nothing but his boxers, bound and tied with orange rope and gagged with a bikini top that was tied behind his head. I burst out laughing because he looked like part of a porn flick gone horribly wrong.
"What the hell happened, Rog?" I laughed as I reached around and untied the bikini so he could talk.
"Brooke! Look out!" he yelled, just before everything went dark.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
Dax
I put the pedal to the metal and hauled ass to the marina, hoping that Jordie had done as I'd asked and called the cops. Riza was on the loose and she was dangerous, and I didn't want to take any chances that she was actually going to harm Brooke.
"Foolish!" I yelled as I slammed my fists against the steering wheel. "Foolish and stubborn and reckless!"
I could feel the panic rising in my chest as I thought about what Beck had told me and how I'd entrusted everything to the one person who was intent on bringing me down. I couldn't understand why Riza was so angry and resentful. I'd done everything her father had ever asked, and I'd made sure that the business stayed intact, despite the fact that running drugs had never been my choice for how to make a living.
But Papi had saved us. He had made a home for us when no one else could or would, and I owed him. I was loyal and I did what I said I would do! Now, I was being punished for decisions that hadn't even been mine to make? It wasn't fair!
I was furious with Riza. Why hadn't she talked to me about how she felt? Why hadn't she said she was mad that Papi didn't leave the business to her? I would have found a way to make it right! Instead, she spent years nurturing an unnecessary grudge that now threatened to end in violence. My heart felt heavy just thinking about it.
And, poor Beck had been the pawn in her game. He hadn't wanted to be a junkie, but she'd made it so easy for him and encouraged his habit, even when he'd wanted to quit. What kind of person destroys the people who love her?
"Dammit, Ri! You should have told me!" I yelled in the empty car. I felt angry and sick, and my feelings were bouncing back and forth between rage at Riza for what she'd done and worry over what she might still do. I had no idea where Brooke was or if she was okay. Come to think of it, I had no idea if Ri was working alone or with others. She might have an entire posse of people who were helping her pull this off. I slammed my fists on the steering wheel and pushed the car up to the outer range of acceptable speed on the highway, hoping that the cops wouldn't stop me.
I pulled into the parking lot at the marina in record time and was frustrated when I didn't see any cop cars. I saw several cars, but none looked familiar. I wondered how Brooke had gotten to the marina since she didn't own a vehicle. I peeked in the windows of the cars in the lot and quickly found the one that Brooke must have borrowed. Her briefcase was in the front seat and next to it was her cell phone. I cursed her for leaving her phone in plain sight in a locked car and made a mental note to scold her for it.
I walked over to the manager's office and pounded on the door. When no one answered, I went around back to the door that Mick, the manager, used when he didn't want to deal with people. He'd let me in on the secret because, as he'd said, "You're not an annoying asshole."
I pulled open the door and cursed under my breath when I saw Mick lying next to the backdoor out cold, bound and gagged. I pulled him off the floor, put him on his bunk, and untied the ropes around his wrists and ankles before I removed the gag. Mick started to come to as I went to grab a glass of water for him.
"Wha…what the hell?" he said in a groggy voice as he reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "Who the hell are you?"
"It's me, Mick, Dax Malone – you know, the one who's not an asshole?" I grinned as I handed him the glass of water.
"What'd ya hit me for?"
"I didn't hit you," I said. "I came out to the marina and when you didn't answer the front door, I came around back to check that you weren't having a heart attack or something."
"Somebody hit me," he said as he raised the glass and sipped gingerly. "Man, my head fucking hurts!"
"Yeah, that'll happen when you get smacked," I nodded. "Any idea who hit you?"
"Nah, I was working the front desk and I came back here to grab another cup of coffee and whammo!" he said slapping his free hand down on the bunk next to him. "What time is it?"
"It's about half past six," I said. "Why, you got a date or something?"
"Actually, yeah, I do," he grinned. "Good looking chick with long black hair said she wanted to take me to dinner and a movie."
"You sure that didn't happen while you were out?' I asked as I quickly pulled together the missing pieces and decided that it was most likely Riza who'd knocked him out.
"Nah, she was a real live girl all right," he grinned. "She's been coming by here every couple of days for the past few weeks and working on your boat. Hey, I thought you'd hired her! She said she was there to clean things up and get it ready for some kind of trip."
"What else did she tell you, Mick?" I wanted to get as much information as I could before I confronted Riza. She was angry and knew her way around a lot of different kinds of weapons. At this point, I wouldn't have put it past her to have stocked up the boat for a long trip straight out of the country. What I was worried about was who she might, or might not, be taking with her.
"She said she was looking forward to a big dish of rice and beans and a cold Dos Equis down on the coast," he said as he drank a little more water and swung his legs over the edge of the bunk.
"Take it easy, sailor," I said. "You've suffered a blow to the head and you might want to get that checked out."
"Eh, I've had a lot worse in my day," he smiled as he rubbed the spot where she'd nailed him. "This is just gonna be a good goose egg and little bit of bruised ego."
"Mick, I need you to do me a favor," I said as I quickly shifted tracks and thought about Brooke. "I need you to get up and call the cops and have them come out to the Isabella."
"Why? What's up?" he asked. "You done something illegal, son?"
"No, not me," I said. "But I think your dark-haired beauty is about to, and I need to stop her before it's too late."
"Aw, man," Mick groaned. "I hate the cops."
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
Brooke
When I came to, I knew Roger and I were in some serious trouble. I looked over and saw him lying next to me, re-bound and gagged, and it looked like he was in pain. I raised an eyebrow and he tipped his head toward the front of the cabin.
Whoever had done this to us was still on board, and I could hear him moving around outside. It sounded like he was readying the boat to leave the dock, but since I couldn't see anything
, I couldn't be sure. The back of my head ached from the blow, and my arms and legs felt cold where the ropes had cut off the circulation. I started to feel the panic rising in my chest, but I quickly calmed myself by remembering all the times that Teddy had locked me in small spaces when we were kids. I had become a regular Houdini out of necessity.
I focused on dipping my head and slowly moving the gag out of my mouth. I needed to be able to talk to Roger and then yell for help when the time came. I made quick work of the gag and then turned my attention to the ropes around my wrists. Whoever had bound me had excellent training in rope tying. I knew this because the summer after Teddy had gone to Boy Scout camp was the roughest one, as I learned to undo the expert knots they'd taught him.
"Roger, do you know this person?" I whispered as I worked the knots. He shook his head. "Have you seen him?"
Roger nodded emphatically and then shook his head as he tried to speak through the gag, but whoever had tied it had made sure that his tongue was immobile, and that rendered his speech utterly useless.
"No, you don't know him?" I asked breaking down the question into answerable parts. Roger shook his head. "Does he know you?" Another head shake. "Have you ever seen him before?" Head shake, this time more emphatic as Roger continued to try and speak. "Hold on, hold on, I've almost got this undone," I said as I bit down on my lip and pushed the knot against a loose floorboard. That little bit of pressure was enough to loosen it so that my fingers could work it apart. It was tediously hard work, but I was afraid that if I didn't focus on getting us out of here, we were going to wind up on a ship out at sea.
I quickly undid the knot and then reached over and untied Roger’s gag.
“It’s not a man,” he blurted out. “It’s a woman. Young. Tall. Dark hair. She’s mad about something, but I don’t know what. I tried to talk to her and that’s when she knocked me out.”
“Roger, who the hell is she?” I whispered as I worked the knots around his hands before turning back to the ropes around my ankles.
“I’ll tell you who the hell she is,” a voice on the other side of the cabin said. “She’s a woman who is sick and tired of getting the short end of the stick.”
“Uh, hi,” I said, not sure how to approach the situation with a stranger who’d knocked me out and tied me up. “I’m Brooke, this is Roger.”
“I know who the fuck you are,” she said as she moved across the floor and stood over us.
“Riza?” I said in disbelief. “You’re Dax’s right-hand, aren’t you? You came to see me in my office.”
“Yeah, I was and I did,” she nodded as she looked down at Roger and me. I got the distinct feeling that we were being sized up, and that whatever she decided in that moment would determine how this whole situation played out. All the better to keep talking, I thought.
“Why did you tie us up?” I asked.
“Because I’m sick and tired of being the one who does the dirty work and never gets the credit,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’ve played second fiddle to Dax for most of my life, and I’m fed up. I’ve protected him and kept all the bad stuff at bay, and he’s never once thought about anyone but himself.”
“And you’re angry with him,” I said.
“Damn right I’m angry,” she scoffed, then as an afterthought, added, “You might not want to undo those ropes.”
“Why is that, Riza?” I asked.
“Because if you try to escape, I might have to shoot you,” she shrugged in a way that made me realize she might not be acting rationally. I had assumed that she knew exactly what she was doing and why she was doing it, but as I watched her, I wondered if she’d experienced a break with reality and was now living in some alternate world where her sense of justice made sense.
“Riza, why would you want to shoot two people you don’t know?” I asked. I didn’t want to provoke her, but I needed to know what we were dealing with so that I could figure out a way out of here. Roger sure as hell wasn’t going to do it, since he was still wrestling with the knots around his ankles and looked like he might fall over at any moment. “Tell me why you’d want to shoot me and Roger.”
“Because you’re going to destroy everything my father spent his life building,” she said as if I knew exactly what she was talking about. “You, or people like you, killed my father.”
“Riza, how could we kill your father? We’re lawyers who are trying to help Dax,” I said.
“Fuck him,” she said as she stooped down and opened a lower cabinet and started moving things around. “Fuck them all. I’m sick of being their go-to girl who does everything for them.”
“Who’s them, Riza?” I asked. My brain was spinning as I tried to figure out how I was going to get Roger and myself out onto the deck. It was the only way we were going to be seen or saved, but I couldn’t move fast or she’d suspect what I was doing and might decide we weren’t worth the risk.
“All of them,” she said waving an arm across her body to indicate everyone. “I’m sick of it, you know? Don’t you ever feel that way with this idiot?” She pointed at Roger and I took a deep breath and hoped he would forgive me for what I was about to do. If I saved us from being shot, I was pretty sure he would.
“Oh yeah, I know exactly what you mean,” I said rolling my eyes and then shooting Roger a hard look that said shut the hell up in any language. “They’re always making me do stuff that they think is beneath them. I get sick of it, too. That’s why I decided we were taking Dax’s case.”
“You decided that?” she said popping up from behind the cabinet to look at me. “You made that decision?”
“Yep, sure did,” I nodded. “I told them that they had to stop dicking around and get serious about our clients or we’d never make it.”
“And, how’d that go over?” she asked.
“About as well as you might guess,” I shrugged. I felt the knots around my ankles loosen and I knew that I was closer to being free. I looked at Roger and hoped that he understood I was providing cover so that he could keep working on his own ropes. He nodded slightly and I inhaled deeply, knowing he understood what I was doing.
“What made them listen to you?” she asked.
“I just told them my plan, laid out the map for how we were going to handle everything, and then said they had a choice,” I said. “They could get on board or walk out the door, either way, I was taking the case.”
“That’s pretty ballsy,” she said.
“Yeah, well, sometimes you just have to grab the bull by the horns and ride,” I replied.
“Too bad your story is total bullshit,” Riza said as she rose up from behind the cabinet pointing a loaded automatic rifle at us. My heart dropped into my stomach and I scolded myself for having been arrogant in assuming that she and I were on the same page.
Riza and I were definitely not on the same page. Not at all.
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
Dax
I walked along the dock looking for the Isabella and listening for sounds of life on the boats. I heard nothing until I rounded the corner and saw the Isabella sitting in the slip with the cabin door open. It looked like someone had been prepping her for a trip, and I was sure I knew who that someone was.
“Ri? You here?” I called out. I knew it was risky approaching like this, but I decided that it was better than sneaking up on her. Six of one, half dozen of another. “Ri, you out here?”
I stood still as I waited to see if she would emerge from the cabin or not. I patted the holster I’d put on before leaving the club and reassured myself that I had protection just in case I needed it. I didn’t usually carry a gun, since being arrested with one would present some problems given the fact that I didn’t have a license to carry one. Mostly, I’d just relied on Riza to do the dirty work of gun carrying.
A few minutes after I’d called her name, Riza emerged with her arm around Brooke. She was holding a pistol to Brooke’s head and had an arm around her waist as she moved them both forward.
&nb
sp; “Dax?” Brooke called. Even at this distance, I could see the terror in her eyes as she moved with Riza across the back end of the boat.
“Yeah, I’m here. Ri, what the hell are you doing?” I hollered.
“Taking control of my damn life,” she yelled back. “That’s what I’m doing.”
“This doesn’t seem like much control to me,” I observed. “Why don’t you let her go and we’ll talk about this?”
“Hell no, what kind of fool do you take me for?” Riza laughed. “I’m not an idiot, you know.”
“No one ever said you were, Ri,” I said. “But you need to tell me what the hell is going on.”
“I’m sick of all your shit, Dax,” she said as she pushed Brooke to the back of the boat and looked out over the water. “I’m sick of all the women, the drugs, the club. I’m sick of babysitting and strong arming and basically fighting all your battles so that you can sit up in your little safe room and rule the universe.”
“How in the hell am I ruling the universe?” I shot back. “I’m taking the heat for every fucking thing that happens. It’s my job to keep everyone on track and away from wars! Don’t you think I’m sick of it, too?”
“But you have all the glory, Dax,” she said. “You are regarded as the high and mighty heir to Papi D’Oro’s throne, and everyone fears and respects you. You’re the shit, my friend.”
“How do you figure? Everyone fucking hates me!” I yelled. “I make decisions that piss everyone off and you get to move around freely, going places and doing things however you like. Meanwhile, I’m confined to the six blocks around my club and apartment! I can’t venture out into other areas, because if I do, it starts a war!”
“Bullshit, you stay put because it’s easy and because you’re the king of the hill when you stay in your six block radius,” she yelled. I could tell she was getting really agitated and knew that if she got really worked up, she just might pull the trigger.