“I am your husband, and I cannot believe you even considered going on an assignment without me.”
“It was an emergency.”
“An emergency? What Xavier considers an emergency, or what Abraham called an emergency to trick you into going with him?”
“You are acting outrageous. Abraham needed me.”
“Never again, woman.”
“Never say never, Griffin. If Abraham needs my help, then I will help him, whether or not you approve.” The words were the spark to fuel Griffin’s temper into action. Before she realized what was happening, he’d crossed their bedroom, took her by the arm, and then sat down on the bench at the foot of their bed. She was flipped over his knee without ceremony, and her nightgown provided no protection at all from his hand.
“Stop!” she yelled at him, taking the hairbrush she’d been brushing her long hair with and whacking his leg. “You stop right now, Griffin Conway!” She whacked him again, and Griffin grabbed her arm and took the hairbrush from her. In the next instant he pushed up her peach colored gown and used the back of her hairbrush to spank her! It hurt, and she hollered.
“You asked for this, Victoria Conway. You know I don’t want you working with Abraham and you know why. You took the assignment to provoke me and it worked. This is what happens when you provoke your husband, Mrs. Conway.” He continued to spank her, over and over, using the hairbrush to cover her backside with bright red ovals that burned like fire.
“Enough!” she pleaded with him, but pleading never worked with Griffin. Finally, Victoria said, “I’m sorry, Griffin! I’m sorry!”
“What are you sorry for?” he asked curiously, pausing long enough to ask his question and to give her time to answer.
“I’m sorry I disobeyed you and worked with Abraham. He kept me safe, though, and it was a simple mission. I won’t do it again,” she added when she heard him growl. “Please don’t spank me any more! I hurt so much!”
“If I ever hear of you taking another assignment with him, Victoria, I promise you won’t sit down for a month. I will spank you each and every day to make sure of it!”
After the divorce there had been no reason to avoid Abraham’s calls. He was the one person from her past that she’d stayed in touch with. And the one person, other than Griffin, that she trusted with her life. The fact that Griffin was willing to turn to him frightened her.
Griffin found another small town and stopped at a gas station to fill up. “We’re just passing through; could you tell us a place to get a good meal?” he asked the attendant.
“That would be Claude’s, mister,” the young man answered with a smile. “He’s always got something good to chose from, plus all the regular stuff on the menu. I eat there a lot.”
“Thanks,” Griffin replied, paying for their gas. The young man gave him directions to Claude’s and Griffin drove straight there and parked on a side street, hoping to keep the car out of sight. Griffin took her hand in his and kept his eyes open for trouble as they walked the short distance to the small restaurant.
Claude’s was every inch a diner, and it was obvious they weren’t used to having many strangers come in to eat from all the stares they were receiving. The seats at the counter were full, and there was only one empty table in the whole place. Griffin walked Victoria across the room and they sat down, trying to read the menu that was written on several chalkboards scattered across the room. A server came over to take their order, asking all sorts of nosy questions.
Victoria did her best not to smile as Griffin lied through his teeth to the woman. By the time he was done spinning his web, there wasn’t a person in the place who didn’t believe they were on their honeymoon, and trying to hide from Victoria’s abusive ex-husband, who wanted to kill them. Victoria was very sure that the town would lie to anyone asking for information about them.
The food was delicious and they felt stuffed when they left the small town. Griffin did the normal check on the car and proclaimed it safe before they got inside and drove out of town in the direction they said they were going. Once they were out of sight, he drove west, taking another route, and passing through a couple more small towns without stopping.
“So tell me what you’ve been doing since you left me, Victoria,” Griffin ordered.
“Writing and building my house.” Her answer was short and to the point.
“Surely you can do better than that…?”
“It is none of your business, Griffin Conway. We are no longer married,” she stated.
“You are bound and determined to be stubborn. I know how to remedy that.”
“Griffin, I’m not being stubborn; we are finished.” She opened her mouth to say more, but the sudden ringing of a cell phone shocked them both. “It’s coming from under my seat,” she said, reaching around for the phone until she found it.” She didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
“Victoria Conway, it has been a very long time,” a raspy voice whispered.
“What do you want?”
“The answer is very simple. I want you. Your husband’s life depends on your doing as I say. You are approaching a rest stop and you will remain behind when your husband drives on. Thwart me and he will suffer greatly as will you.” The phone went dead.
“Who was it, Victoria?” Griffin took stock of her pale face and wanted answers. “Answer me, woman!”
“I didn’t recognize the voice,” she truthfully answered. “There is supposed to be a rest stop ahead and we are to stop.”
“We won’t be stopping at that rest stop, Victoria.”
“We have to,” she said quietly. “Your life depends on it.”
“I have no life without you,” he answered. “We aren’t stopping. He saw the sign for the rest area up ahead. The cell phone started ringing again, and he held out his hand.
Victoria reluctantly put the phone in Griffin’s outstretched hand. He immediately answered, “Who the fuck are you and what do you want with my wife?”
“I see she did not follow instructions. Very well. I will still have her and she will get the pleasure of watching you die slowly. You can’t hide, Conway. I know everything there is to know about both you and your lovely wife.” The phone went dead once more and Griffin promptly threw it out the window. He was aware that they were now being followed by two dark sedans that pulled out onto the highway from the rest area.
“Feel like some target practice, honey?” he asked with a grin.
“Tires or engine?” Victoria asked, shutting off the safety on her gun.
“Whichever one suits you, darling,” he replied. “Just wait until they get close enough we can make damn sure that one of them isn’t some unsuspecting innocent who is caught in the middle.”
Victoria nodded, and calmly watched as both vehicles came closer. She had excellent eyesight and it didn’t take her long to realize that neither of the cars was being driven by someone who didn’t know exactly what they were doing. In fact, each car had four men, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Eight men to handle just the two of us, Griffin; should we be flattered?” she asked, then opened the sun roof enough she could raise up and shoot. The tires she hit caused both vehicles to spin out of control. “We’re good,” she said, closing the sun roof and then fastening her seatbelt.
“Good job, Victoria,” Griffin praised her. “Our next step is to get rid of this car for something else.” He saw her sigh and said, “I’ll buy you a new car when this is all over, honey.”
They stopped in the next town, parked the car in a storage unit which they rented under a false name, and then they walked to a dealership that was about a mile away, and within the hour they drove off in a used jeep. The dealer was so happy to make a sale that he was only too willing to keep the purchase a secret in case someone came asking questions, especially since Griffin told him that they working undercover. Griffin asked for directions to Cincinnati, and once they were well out of site, he headed the jeep west toward Indianapolis.
“I think I should call Abraham, Griffin, and make sure he is okay with us coming there, or at least see if he’s heard from anyone looking for us.”
“We’ll call when we stop for the night. I want to put some distance between us and your car.”
“You still think it’s bugged?”
“Yes, I do.”
Victoria tried to search her mind for anyone who would hate her so much they would do their best to frame Griffin and see to it he found her, just so they could kill him and take her. She was still thinking when Griffin left the highway and drove until he found a motel that was a good distance from the Interstate. As usual, he took care to park where they could easily get away before he went inside to book a room. He pulled the same ‘light sleeper’ routine, and the desk clerk informed him that the rooms were all soundproofed. Griffin supplied a credit card for an identity that he’d never used before, just in case Xavier was involved in some way.
Once they were in the room Griffin said, “I need to go and pick up a phone, Victoria. I’ll get us a pizza, too. Why don’t you have a soak in the tub and try to relax. I won’t be gone long.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” she offered.
“I want you to stay out of sight, honey. You should be very safe here in this room. Just do not open the door unless I give you the signal.” He crossed the room, took her in his arms, and then lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. “You amaze me, sweetheart. Not one complaint about all the hours we’ve spent driving aimlessly. I love you, Victoria. Please think about that while I’m gone.” He didn’t give her time to reply, but hurried toward the door. “Keep your gun handy, and lock this door.” He waited in the hallway until he heard the dead bolt slide, and then Griffin hurried to take care of business.
Victoria quickly found herself wishing she’d gone with Griffin. It wasn’t like him to leave her alone when they worked together and she couldn’t help but worry about what he was up to that he didn’t want her to know about. She decided to take a shower and try to relieve the ache in her back that sitting so long had caused. Victoria made sure her gun was within reach, and she spent the time she was in the shower worrying about Griffin, and hoping he wouldn’t run into any trouble. Once she left the shower, she wrapped a towel around her slender body and another around her long hair. She quickly checked her watch and realized that Griffin wouldn’t return for at least another half hour, even if he hurried. She looked at the telephone in the room and wondered if she could make a call before he came back.
She knew that Griffin didn’t want her calling her editor or her agent, but Victoria felt a responsibility to call in and make sure there weren’t any problems with her latest release. She also had another book going through the editing process, and if she needed to do any rewrites, she would have deadlines to meet with those. Surely it would be all right to call Geneva…? Perhaps she should discuss the matter with Griffin first…? No, he would simple tell her no and probably forbid her to call anyone until they learned who was trying to kill them. Neither her editor nor her agent had anything to do with that, she convinced herself. They only made money if she was alive and well.
Her decision made, Victoria picked up the telephone and was ready to push the button for the operator when there was a tap on the door. She immediately realized it wasn’t Griffin’s knock, and she hurried to pick up her gun. Once she had it securely in her hand, she made sure she was out of range just in case someone shot through the door. Victoria’s thoughts were standard as she cautiously went to stand closer to the door. There was no way possible for her to look out the peep hole; she was too short and it was too high. The knock came again, louder this time, and much more insistent…
Chapter Four
The knock on the door of the hotel room was louder and more insistent and Victoria knew it was not Griffin on the other side. She only had a towel wrapped around her body for clothing, and she did not dare go closer to the door on the chance someone would fire through the door. Victoria heard someone on the other side of the door trying to pick the lock. Once that was successful, he pushed hard, but she had engaged the dead bolt. She heard muffled cursing. “Victoria Conway, you need to open this door immediately so we can talk. I’m with Xavier, and trying to save your life, and Griffin’s life, too. Please open up. I feel like a sitting duck standing out here.”
“What is your name?” she asked, knowing it wouldn’t make any difference. She didn’t recognize the voice.
“Jacobson,” he replied curtly. “Open up, Victoria.”
She wished Griffin were here to make a decision. What if she opened the door and there were several others out there? What if this Jacobson was part of the ones trying to find her and Griffin?
“Victoria, I swear to God I’m not here to hurt you. I’m one of the good guys, just like you and Griffin. We are wasting precious time with this.”
“Stand away from the door,” she ordered sharply.
“Okay. I’m away from the door.”
Victoria took a deep breath, and then slid the dead bolt, and opened the door with the chain lock still on. She could only see one man, and he was young. She reminded herself that a young person could kill as well as an older one. “Come inside, and don’t make any sudden moves or I will shoot to kill.”
“Understood,” Jacobson nodded. He slipped inside the room as soon as she released the chain lock, and once inside he hurriedly shut the door, and locked all three locks. “Damn, you and that husband of yours are in one hell of a mess!”
“Who are you, Jacobson?” she asked. He promptly provided identification, and since she knew what to look for, she soon knew he was legit. It didn’t mean, however, that he wasn’t ‘bad’ or ‘on the take’. “What do you want with Griffin and I?” she asked warily.
“You are sure gorgeous… for an older woman, that is.” His blue eyes were taking in as much of her body as possible, and she noticed the towel had slipped down and most of her breasts were on display.
“You stand right there and do not move.” Victoria got the robe from the bathroom and put it on over the towel. She dropped the towel after she loosely tied the ties on the robe. She felt much less vulnerable now. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t shoot you dead right here and right now.”
“Because I’m here to help you, Victoria.” The look in his eyes was sincere. “About ten years ago you had dealings with a General Weatherby. Does the name ring any bells?”
“Yes. I shut down his human trafficking business, and he went to prison.”
“He got out on a mercy release. He’s dying of lung cancer, and he wants to see you dead before he dies.” Jacobson did not mince words. “It took Xavier a while to figure out what was happening, and he found a mole in his office. The secretary had been working for him for seven years; he trusted her. Turns out she is Weatherby’s granddaughter. She kept tabs on Griffin all these years, and when Griff found you, she brought in her grandfather. The man is insane. He has oodles of money, and he doesn’t care what it costs to find you. He’s put out the word that anyone who brings you to him will receive a million dollars in an account in the Cayman’s. I’m here to bring you and Griff to safety while we track down the General and put out the word he is spending the rest of his life in solitary confinement, locked behind bars.”
“How did you find us?”
“It sure wasn’t easy. One woman smacked me with her purse and accused me of abusing you! I took what they said, and got lucky at predicting what Griff would do. I had trouble getting your room number, too. I bribed one of the cleaning ladies, and she told me. You need to get dressed so that we can get the heck out of here. If I tracked you, someone with a million reasons to do so, can find you, too. Where is Griffin?”
“I don’t know.”
“Great. We’ll give him ten minutes, and then we leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, Jacobson. You are a stranger and how do I know you aren’t working for Weatherby?”
; “I’m with the agency. Xavier said to tell you to ‘put your dislike of him on hold and grow up. He wants to protect Griffin… and you, too, since Griffin is stupid enough to love you!’ Don’t shoot me; I’m just the messenger.”
“I don’t like Xavier any more than he likes me.” Victoria was furious. “I’d like to peel the skin from his body and kill him inch by inch.”
“I believe he shares your sentiments. His was boiling oil, however.”
“He has no imagination.”
“Get dressed, Victoria. We can’t wait on Griff.”
“I’m not leaving here without Griffin, and he might not want to go anywhere with you.”
“I don’t know what else to say to you to prove I’m on the up and up,” Jacobson said, his blue eyes full of exasperation. “Would you like to call Xavier?” Victoria just stared at him. “I guess that was a foolish idea…?”
“We are waiting on Griffin. Sit down on the bed and don’t get up or move suddenly. I will shoot if you do.” Victoria thought that Jacobson was on the level; her instincts told her he was just the type to work for Xavier… But, she wasn’t going anywhere with him unless Griffin agreed. She continued to watch him as the minutes ticked by. Finally there was a knock at the door… Griffin’s special knock. He also called out in the way she knew he was alone and it was safe.
Griffin entered the room and stopped in his tracks when he saw Jacobson standing there. “Who are you?” he demanded, noting that his wife was holding a gun on the young man.
He claims Xavier sent him to get us to a safe house while they find General Weatherby and put him in solitary confinement for the rest of his life.”
“Weatherby is behind all of this?”
“He is dying of lung cancer, and his final wish is to see me suffer and dead.”
“Why should we trust you?” Griffin asked the young man sitting quietly on the bed.
“Call Xavier if you don’t believe me.”
“Get him on the phone.” Jacobson did as he asked, and then handed Griff the cell phone.
Of All the Luck! Page 4