"You all realize that he just drove off with our belongings, right?" I inquired.
"What the fuck?" a man groaned.
"He better be back," another man stated. "I need the medication in my bag."
"And if he doesn't?" Ashleigh asked again.
No one replied because we didn't know. Not only had a tsunami possibly washed away our bures, but we were now stranded on the side of the road on a mountain or some shit.
I pulled my cell out of my pocket, noticing that I had no service. "Anyone have cell service?"
There were head shakes and denials all around.
"They probably turned off power because of the tsunami," someone stated.
"For the entire island?" I questioned. "The driver had service when we left the hotel."
"That was before the tsunami hit," someone else pointed out.
That was true.
Since I didn't know how tsunamis worked, I wasn't sure if there were more of them than the one we saw, if the ocean had risen on every shore of the island, or if only our side was affected. Maybe they turned off power to the towers in case there was another wave and they didn't want it to cause some sort of fire.
"We just wait here?" a lady asked.
"That's what the driver said to do," someone replied.
"I'm not fucking waiting," I stated. "That guy just robbed us. He isn't coming back."
"Where are you going to go?" someone asked.
"The same way the driver went." I pointed in the direction.
"Do you know what's up that way?" a woman asked.
"No," I replied. "But I'm not staying here. I'm telling you, that guy isn't coming back."
"I agree," Ashleigh stated.
"Then let's go." I grabbed her hand and began to walk.
People started discussing what to do, and in the end, some came with us and some stayed behind. It didn't take long for a raggedy looking van to appear, coming toward us. If we were anywhere else, I wouldn't try to stop them because no normal person hitchhiked these days. But we weren't alone, and we were stranded, so I waved my arms to hopefully get them to stop. They didn't stop.
"Fuck," I shouted. This was definitely not how I wanted to spend our last day here.
I heard the screeching of tires, and I turned to see that the van had stopped. Reverse lights came on, and at that moment, I thought we were finally going to get somewhere. Until the van stopped in front of us, the side door flew open, and a few men piled out, placing a black bag over Ashleigh's head.
"No!" I shouted and reached for her, holding onto her arm with all of my might. She kicked and screamed, and I fought to pull her back.
Until a black bag was placed over my head, and I was thrown into the van.
I kicked.
I screamed.
I tried to fight, but the men overpowered me. They took my arms, bringing them behind my back and tying them together.
"Nick!" I yelled as I was thrown into the van and heard the door slam shut.
"Baby, it's going to be okay."
I didn't respond. I couldn't. The only thing I could do was shake as the tears rolled down my cheeks. I was relieved that Nick was with me but also terrified.
"Let us go!" Nick ordered.
There was no response other than tires squealing against the asphalt as they drove off. The movement made me fall against the side, and I felt a body touch me. I flinched.
"It's okay," Nick whispered, moving so his side was against mine. I didn't need to see that it was him. I could tell by his smell and the feeling of him touching me. "It's me."
"What's happening?" I whispered, not able to find my voice.
"I don't know."
The van turned, and I went flying hard against Nick's firm body, landing on top of him.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"It's okay. Everything is going to be okay," he assured. I didn't know how he could be confident.
We sat up, and with each turn, we would go flying. I felt as though I was some sort of rag doll. My cell phone was in my shorts pocket, and it dug into my leg each time I landed on it. I wished that I could take it out and call for help, but my hands were tied behind my back, and I was almost certain the tsunami had knocked out cell service.
I wasn't sure how long we drove for, or where we were going, but eventually, we came to a stop. I heard the front doors open, slam, and then the side door slid open. A hand forcefully wrapped around my arm, squeezing and tearing me from Nick's side.
"No!" I shouted.
"Out," a man with a Fijian accent ordered.
I was thrown to the ground, small rocks or gravel slicing into the skin on my knees, and I groaned from the pain. I heard Nick grunt, and a thud echoed next to me as though he had been thrown to the ground too. I waited to hear more people, but there weren’t anymore. Did that mean we were the only two who had been taken? If so, why?
"It's going to be okay," Nick stated again.
"How do you know?" I asked.
Before he could respond, a hand wrapped around my arm again, and I was yanked upward to my feet. "Please?" I begged.
"Don't hurt her," Nick warned.
"Or what?" A man laughed.
We started walking as Nick responded, "Or I will kill you."
"You can try." The man chuckled again.
The black bag was still over my head as we continued to walk. I wanted to see where we were or who these guys were or know anything. Was it better to be left in the dark or face the kidnappers and plead for my life?
After several minutes, we walked down numerous stairs, and then I was pushed only to hit my face against a wall. I groaned from the pain before I felt Nick crash into me. Hands patted my body, and then I felt a hand slip into the pocket of my shorts and take my phone. Once they were sure I had nothing else on me, the black bag was ripped off my head, and my hands broke free of whatever restraints they had used. I'd expected that I would need to shield my eyes from harsh light after being in darkness under that hood, but quickly realized we were in a dim cellar. The door shut with a bang before I could see anyone's face, but there was enough light that I could see Nick. I rushed to him, our bodies colliding as we wrapped each other in our arms.
"Why is this happening?" I cried.
"I don't know."
"What are we going to do?"
"I don't know."
I thought the worst thing that could happen while I was in Fiji was my sister marrying my ex. Little did I know that there would be a tsunami that sent us running, and now I was locked in a cellar probably about to be killed.
Nick held me for several minutes, and then we sat on the dirty cement floor and waited. There was nothing else to do. There were no windows, and the only way out was the door we had come in through, which was locked.
"Did you see who the guys were?" I questioned.
Nick shook his head. "No, but not like it would matter. I don't know anyone here."
"Me either."
"The only thing I can think is that we were just random targets for thieves."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "Not sure, but they target tourists."
"But we were the only ones taken."
"In that van, yes, but maybe there was another one that came after ours had left."
"You think so?"
Nick lifted a shoulder again. "I really don't know."
"Do you think … Do you think they're going to kill us?"
"I don't know that either." He sighed.
We were silent again, my head spinning with every question and possible scenario I could think of. "I'm sorry," I finally said.
"For what?" He looked up at me.
While I knew getting kidnapped after a tsunami wasn't my fault, I had hired Nick, and now we were both probably going to end up dead. "You might die because of me."
"Baby." He pulled me against his side, wrapping me in a tight hug. "This isn't your fault."
"If I hadn’t hired you, you would be safe in Vegas." He snickered,
and I looked up at him. "That's funny?"
"No. I'm laughing because it's ironic."
"What do you mean?"
"All of my Saddles & Racks buddies have been in some sort of danger in Vegas. I never thought that I would be in danger—in paradise, no less."
"Oh, right," I replied, remembering the stories he'd told me on our flight to Fiji. But as he'd told me then, they all had some sort of background that would lead to danger: an abusive ex, working undercover for the FBI, a brother who was a criminal. Well, most of his friends. His teacher friend didn't have that same background, but the girl he married had worked for a notorious drug dealer. "Too bad they aren't here to help us."
"Yeah," he breathed. He stood and hit the wall with the palm of his hand. "Fuck!" It was the first time I'd ever seen Nick angry, and I didn't blame him.
The door opened, and I jumped. Nick came to block me as though he was my shield. It wasn't the first time he'd tried to protect me, though before it had been more of a security blanket against my family. I would give anything to be fighting with them again, rather than fearing for my life, scared of the three dark-skinned men with guns. I swallowed and waited, clinging onto Nick's T-shirt as though he could really shield me.
"Where is your new husband?" one of the men asked.
I didn't respond, but Nick did. "What new husband?"
"Not you. Her!"
I peeked around Nick to see that the man was pointing at me. "Me?" I questioned, even though I was the only her in the room.
"Yes, you, bitch. Where's your husband?"
I drew my head back. "My husband? I'm not married."
The man laughed and looked at his friends. "She thinks she's smarter than us."
"She's telling you the truth," Nick stated. "She isn't married."
Another guy stepped forward and punched Nick in the gut. He doubled over as I screamed in horror, instantly feeling bad and again thinking all of it was my fault.
"This isn't the time for lies," the main man seethed. "We know you got married yesterday."
"That wasn't my wedding!" I protested.
The guy punched Nick in the stomach again. He groaned in agony.
"See what happens when you lie?"
"I'm not lying!" I argued.
The man stepped forward and grabbed me with one hand, pressing my cheeks in. "I'm going to make this simple for you. You call your husband, get him to bring a million dollars to where we say, and then we will let you go. It's that easy."
He dropped his hand, and I cried, "But I'm not married."
"I'm assuming he thinks you're Everleigh," Nick groaned and stood upright again.
"Yes," the guy agreed. "Everleigh James, now married to Douglas Alexander, who is the son of Samuel Alexander, Attorney at Law in New York City. You flew in on a private jet—"
"I see you've done your research," Nick interrupted. "But your research and your spying didn't show that Everleigh has a twin sister."
The guy snapped his gaze to me, and I nodded, holding up my left hand to show I had no wedding ring. "Everleigh is my twin sister."
"And you are?" he questioned.
"Ashleigh."
He walked to a man who hadn’t spoken yet and whispered into his ear. That man left after nodding his head once. "You better hope you're telling the truth," the man warned, and then he and the puncher left, slamming and locking the door behind them.
What the fuck was going on?
I never thought that going on vacation would lead to being kidnapped. What would have happened if there had been no tsunami? It was clear they wanted to leverage Everleigh for money, but we had no clue where any of Ashleigh's family was. Even if we did, I didn't think bad guys let you go once you saw their faces—or at all.
We were going to die.
"Come here," I said as soon as the lock clicked.
Ashleigh didn't hesitate and allowed me to wrap her in my arms. We both needed affection, especially if these were going to be our final hours. "What do you think they're doing?" she asked.
I sighed. "Probably making sure you're a twin."
"How can they do that?"
"How do they know anything about Dougie and his family?" I countered.
She thought for a moment. "I have no idea."
"It sounded like they had been watching them."
"Then they had to have known I wasn't Everleigh. She's skinny, and I’m …not."
"Hey." I grabbed her face, pulling my head back slightly so she could look into my eyes. "You’re perfect."
She looked away with only her eyes. "This isn't the time for you to sweet talk me."
"I’m not." I smiled, trying to put her at ease. "I’m telling you the fucking truth."
The lock sounded on the door, and then it opened. Ashleigh and I broke apart like we were lovesick teenagers caught by my parents in my bedroom.
The leader and his goons walked in. "So, it seems you're correct," he stated.
"About the fact that I'm a twin?" Ashleigh asked.
"Yes."
"Okay, so let us go," I stated. "You have the wrong person."
The leader snorted. "No can do."
"What are you going to do with us?" Ashleigh asked.
He stepped forward and ran a finger down her chest. My blood boiled. "I'm sure I can think of a few things."
"The hell you will." I lunged for him, pushing him back, and not caring if they punched me again. I wasn't going to let them violate her.
The two goons rushed in, forcing me back against the wall as the leader started to laugh. "You think you can stop me?"
I glared at him, not saying anything. Of course, I was outnumbered, but I would die trying. "Just let us go, man. You have the wrong people."
The guy nodded, knowing I was right. "Yes, but the plan will still work."
"How?" I questioned.
"My men might have gotten the wrong sister, but that doesn't mean someone won't pay to get this one back." He touched her again, this time running a finger down her cheek, and I tried to break free from the goons' hold, but I only got one arm free before I was slammed against the wall again.
"Please just let us go," Ashleigh pleaded.
The leader didn't answer her. "You need to call your sister and get me my money."
"I need my cell phone. I don't know her number by heart."
The guy snapped his fingers, and what looked to be Ashleigh's phone was put into his palm. He started to hand it to her, and then pulled it back and chuckled. "You think I'm that stupid enough to hand you your phone?"
Ashleigh balked slightly. "Um, no?"
"That's right." He smirked. "I will call her, and you be ready to confirm you're still alive."
"Okay." Ashleigh looked over at me, and I gave her a tight smile. I couldn't imagine what was going through her head. We didn't know if Everleigh was alive. We didn't know where Everleigh was. And we didn't know if Everleigh would even care or come through with money to save us—or at least Ashleigh.
I was more than likely a dead man.
He grabbed her hand and placed her thumb over the home button to open it before pressing what I assumed was either the contacts or the phone icon to find Everleigh's name. I stared at him, feeling as though a lot was riding on the call. Were cell phones working again? He held the phone up to his ear, and then immediately brought it down.
"Bring them upstairs," he ordered.
One of the men let go of me and grabbed Ashleigh by the arm. We were led up the stairs. "Where are we going?" I asked.
There was no response as we were taken outside. I thought the cellar was at a house, but there was nothing around except some sort of building in the distance—a church maybe that had a steeple.
The leader brought the phone to his ear again, and then once again took it away. "Why the fuck does it say it's disconnected?"
"I …" Ashleigh hesitated. "I don't know."
He drew his hand up quickly as though he was going to hit her, and I struggled against the
man still holding me. "Don't play games with me," he warned.
"I'm not. I haven't needed to call my sister in several years."
He tilted his head slightly, narrowing his eyes. It felt like several minutes until he finally spoke again. "Kill them, and call Filipe. We're going back to the original plan."
"No!" I shouted. "You don't need to kill us."
"Please, just let us go." Ashleigh started to cry, and my heart ached, wanting to bring her into my arms again, but the men were still restraining us.
"You're no use to me," the leader stated. "And now that you've seen my face, we can't let you go."
"I can get you the money," I blurted out before I realized what the fuck I was saying. I didn't even know how much they wanted.
"And how do you plan to do that?"
"Let me make a call."
The leader chortled. "You think I'm stupid?"
"No." I shook my head. "I have money. How much do you want?"
He thought for a moment. "Five hundred for each of you."
"Dollars?"
"Five hundred thousand each," he corrected.
"So, a million dollars?" I questioned, pretending I had that much, but I didn't have a million fucking dollars.
"Yes." He grinned. "Do you have that in the bank?"
"I can get it for you."
"How?"
"I need to make a call." I had no idea who I was going to call. No one I knew had a million dollars sitting around, let alone a million dollars to spend to save Ashleigh and me.
He snapped his fingers, and the guy holding Ashleigh left, running around some bushes. "I'll get you your phone."
"You'll need to let her go first."
"I can't do that until I have the money."
I closed my eyes and sighed, hearing the door of a vehicle slam shut not far away. I had a half a mind to make a break for it, but the guys had guns. I just wanted Ashleigh to be safe. "Fine."
The guy who had left came back holding my phone. He handed it to the leader.
"Who are we calling?" the leader questioned. "And this better not be a fuckin' joke."
My brain was trying to catch up with my mouth. I still had no idea who to call. My gaze met Ashleigh's as though she had the answer, and then it hit me. "My buddy, Paul, but it needs to be me who calls him."
Paradise & Vodka (Saddles & Racks Book 6) Page 9