No Way Forward

by Tressie Lockwood

  “Novette, are you okay?”

  “Wha—?” Shock took her ability to speak for a moment. “Z-zaid? H-how did you find me?”

  “I—”

  A shot rang out. Someone shouted. Something like a heavy thud filled her ears, and then Zaid collapsed against her. Because he was so much bigger, she went down to the ground, trapped under him. A prick in her arm made her wince. One of the men gave her a shot. Her head spun and vision blurred. Then she was out.

  A groan woke her. The enclosed space unsettled her, throwing her against something bulky. She tried to bring her hands up, but they felt weighted. Another moan in the darkness, and she knew where she was. The bad men had stuffed her and Zaid in the trunk of a car.

  Move, Novette. Come on. Get it together.

  “Zaid?” she whispered. “Wake up, Zaid.”

  “…vette.”

  “Yes, I’m here. Please, wake up. I need you.”

  She managed to feel around in the darkness and found that Zaid’s hands were cuffed but not hers. Recalling the gunshot, she checked his body the best she could but couldn’t detect a wound.

  “Zaid, we’ve been kidnapped. If you don’t wake up, we can’t get out of here.” She touched his face, remembering every detail from five years ago. He’d looked older when she saw him earlier, but still crazy handsome.

  Dark hair, silver eyes that had always looked like a person didn’t want to cross him in a dark alley, and a big hard build from years of training. Zaid had taught her the basics of self-defense after she begged him every day for a week. He’d said she didn’t need to learn anything because her dad had bodyguards and that he would always be there to protect her. Now look what happened? Not that she’d done very well getting away from the two men. Maybe she was rusty.

  “We have to escape, Zaid. Do you have a gun?”

  He came to enough to chastise her. “You don’t know how to shoot, and you’re afraid of guns.”

  His speech slurred, making her nervous. She feared he had a concussion. It might be up to her to think of a way out of this mess. The car lurched again, and she fell against Zaid’s chest. He’d stopped speaking. She wrapped her arms around him and supported his head to keep it from hitting whatever clinked behind him.

  Time slipped by slowly, and then the car stopped. She heard voices and strained to catch the words.

  “We’ll get paid for this one way or another,” someone said.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t turn her over. If we contact her family, we can get the ransom and keep it all for ourselves.”

  “Stupid, we don’t know who she is.”

  “But she’s someone important, right?”

  “How could she be? You saw where she was living. My place is a hole, and it’s better than that.”

  “So why did he pay us to grab her?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s think about it over lunch. I’m starving. That girl nearly ripped my—”

  The other men joked and laughed at the man Novette figured was the one who first grabbed her. Their voices faded away. She guessed the men assumed she would be unconscious for long enough to allow them to eat without causing trouble.

  Whoever paid these men to capture her knew who her father was, and they expected him to pay to get her back. Novette wasn’t so sure he would. Richard Kagen liked to handle everything on his own terms, including his adopted daughter. She gritted her teeth thinking about the man who raised her. After five years, she thought she had it made so to speak. She believed she would never see him again.

  We’ve got to get out of this trunk.

  She felt around behind Zaid. Maybe the hard thing she’d felt earlier could be used to break the lock holding the trunk closed. The sound of heavy traffic in the near distance and a truck roaring by closer told her they must have pulled into a roadside diner. Under cover of the noise, she might be able to escape.

  “Novette.”

  She jumped. Zaid’s voice was clearer than before.

  “You’re awake?”

  “Yes, and I’m wondering why you’re hugging me.”

  She glared at him although he couldn’t see it. Neither could she see his face. “For your information, I’m trying to get us out of here.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “You’re hurt. I’ve got it.”

  “The day I need you to rescue me is the day I retire.” He shifted in the darkness, and she heard the clank of the handcuffs.

  “How in the world did you get those cuffs off?”

  “Never mind.”

  He reached past her, and for an instant, it was as if they embraced each other in the confines of the trunk. She jerked her hands away from his head and tried to shrink back from him. He didn’t seem to notice as he felt around behind her.

  “Switch with me,” he said.

  “There’s not enough room.”

  He didn’t wait for her to move but pushed her onto her back. Her breath caught in her throat as he struggled to slide his huge body over top of her. They couldn’t help but brush against each other. She squeezed her eyes shut and slid to the side. That made it worse, and she bit off a grunt.

  While she was all riled up being so close to him, he set about pushing against the lock like it was nothing. She resisted knocking him in the back of the head to take out her frustration on him. The truth was, she was relieved to have him awake and alert enough to help them to escape. Fear had threatened to choke her just moments ago.

  The trunk popped open, but he stuck a hand out and caught it to keep it from rising too far. Sunlight nearly blinded Novette. Her heart raced, and her palms sweated. She checked the functionality of her limbs and found them sluggish.

  “They’ve taken my gun and my phone,” Zaid said. “First I’ll get you hidden, and then I’ll take care of them.”

  “But there’s several of them, and someone shot at us. You can’t take them by yourself, Zaid. Let’s just find someone to borrow a phone from so we can call the police.”

  “Your dad wants this whole thing done without the police, with zero attention from the press.”

  “Never mind that my life is in danger!”

  “I’ll keep you safe.”

  “Yeah, that’s why I’m in a trunk right now.”

  “Trust me, Novette.”

  She pressed her lips together.

  “Ready?”

  “Fine!”

  Chapter 4

  The kidnappers had parked the car at the back of some dirty potholed lot with a row of Dumpsters along the wall. Novette assumed this was the rear entrance for a strip of stores off a freeway. The scent of greasy cheap meat filled the air, along with the noise from the road.

  As soon as Zaid forced the lock on the trunk, the men were on them. Five against two were terrible odds, especially with Zaid unsteady on his feet with a head injury. Two big guys got good punches in on Zaid’s sides, and a third went for something in his jacket.

  Novette scrambled around for a weapon and found a chunk of asphalt and threw it at him. While he grabbed his head and stumbled, she reached into the trunk for what turned out to be a jack and swung that at the man. The impact with his shoulder sickened her.

  The forth guy grabbed her from behind. She screamed. Zaid roared, “Get your hands off her!”

  Two men jumped him. He went down to a knee but surged with all his might up to his feet again. Novette shouted, “Somebody help us! Police!”

  “Shut her up,” one of the attackers said. He lunged at her. She kicked him in the junk, and he smacked face-first on the ground.

  Her ankle throbbed. The men regrouped and came at her. Zaid jumped unsteadily between them and backed her up. They hit the car with nowhere to go. He shook his head and blinked his eyes as if trying to stay focused. She clutched his arm.

  “Zaid, are you okay?” She gasped. “There’s blood in your hair.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going down. Not until I know you’re safe.”

  “If we get rid of him, we wo
n’t have as much trouble with her.”

  She shook from head to toe. Zaid pressed closer to her. She felt the tension in his back muscles and clung to him. Knowing the man who was loyal to her dad, he wouldn’t stop fighting to protect her, even if it meant he gave up his life. The fear that almost paralyzed her was that it would come to that and then she would be alone.

  “We’re getting out of this, Novette. I promise.” He whispered the words, sensing her rising panic. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you home safe no matter what.”

  “Zaid.” Tears filled her eyes, and then the tension broke. Sirens filled the air. Police cars came from every direction and filled the lot. Shouts of “freeze” from every side buckled her knees in relief. She sagged against Zaid’s back and almost toppled the two of them on the ground.

  He hung his head when the bad guys were cuffed and jammed into the police cars. She sank to her knees with him to the ground, holding his head against her chest.

  “Zaid?”

  He didn’t respond.

  “Zaid, don’t go to sleep. You have to stay awake until they can check you out at the hospital.”

  His glassy eyes slitted. She held his face on both sides, studying him. He looked back as if he didn’t know her. Fear crawled up her back.

  “Zaid, please don’t die.” The sobs clutched at her chest.

  “Shh,” he murmured. “I won’t die. I won’t leave you alone. Don’t worry.”

  “I am worried, you idiot. Stay awake.” She sniffled, and he tried to chuckle and winced.

  “I have a small headache. It’s not a big deal.”

  “You’re insane.”

  Another siren signaled the ambulance had arrived. She joined Zaid in the back of the emergency vehicle, and the worst morning of her life was over.

  Novette stood in the doorway watching Zaid sleep. She had paced and nagged the hospital staff until they let her see him. Now that she laid eyes on him, her worry eased just a little.

  She inched closer to the bed and listened. His breathing was steady. She took in the long dark lashes resting against his cheeks. His jawline drew her fingers, and she traced it gently, trying not to wake him.

  He was okay, or he would be. The doctor said he had a concussion. A few days rest, and he would be back on his feet. She thought of all the ways things could have gone wrong. They could have been killed.

  He could have died—because of me and my dad’s drama.

  “Stop,” Zaid moaned.

  She leaned in closer to him. “What did you say?”

  “Stop worrying. I can feel you doing it. I’m fine.”

  “But you might not have been. That guy hit you over the head so hard.” Her voice grew thick. She was about to cry, but she worked to suck in the emotion.

  “I’m fine. I have a hard head.”

  “You’re not invincible.”

  “Aren’t I?”

  She glared at him. He didn’t notice as he struggled to sit up.

  “Stay still, Zaid. You have to rest. The doctor said you can’t get up for at least a week.”

  “Not happening.”

  She tried to hold him down, but even hurt, Zaid was a force to be reckoned with. She might as well try pushing a boulder. His skin felt warm and taut beneath her touch. The hospital gown between them was no barrier. Her entire body heated up.

  “You’re so stubborn.”

  “I can’t protect you in this bed.”

  “Fine. Then I’ll stay here with you. How’s that?”

  She thought he would say no.

  “Okay.”

  The room stretched out in silence around them. In the hall, someone called over the loud speaker. Novette couldn’t figure out what they said. She sat there on the side of Zaid’s bed.

  He wanted her to stay close. It wasn’t personal. His job was to protect her, to bring her home safely to her father’s mansion. That mission hadn’t been carried out yet.

  “I remember when I first started teaching you,” he said.

  “Ugh, don’t bring up that mess.”

  “You thought you knew all there was to know after one session.”

  “I was fifteen.”

  He chuckled. “Teenagers think they know everything.”

  “Hey, I gave you a black eye, didn’t I?”

  She thought of the sparring match they had. He put her on the mat a dozen times, sweeping her legs out from under her. Each time, she grew angrier and more determined to get him back.

  “Wait, don’t tell me you let me get that one punch in.”

  He didn’t deny it.

  “Dang it, Zaid.”

  “It’s fine. I had to boost your confidence a little or you might not have practiced.”

  “Whatever.”

  He tried to shift positions on the bed and paled. She rushed to help, but she couldn’t move the big man. Her heartbeat raced as she touched his arm. They looked into each other’s eyes. She thought she saw pain but looked again and saw nothing she could read.

  “You’re all grown up now,” he said. “I didn’t know if I would see you again. You’ve become a woman.”

  “Please. I was a woman before I left. You just didn’t notice.” She kept her tone light. “But I see your point. There is a difference between twenty-one and twenty-six.”

  He touched her cheek, and to her surprise a deep sigh escaped her. She was on the verge of tears before she caught herself. The relief that flooded her system told her there’d been tension she didn’t know she was holding onto.

  “The danger is past.”

  She nodded because she wasn’t sure if the emotion would thicken her voice. A soft knock on the door took her attention from him, and a nurse stuck her head in the door. “Ms. Kagen, there’s someone asking for you.”

  She stood. “My dad?”

  “Um, no, it’s a woman. She said her name is Sheila Grace.”

  Novette’s spirits took a nosedive. “Of course. What was I thinking? He wouldn’t take time out of his busy schedule to fly here. Please show my dad’s secretary in. She’ll be letting us know the exact time when we are expected to heal up and arrive back at the mansion. No exceptions.”

  The sooner Novette processed her next steps the better for living life on her own terms.

  Chapter 5

  “Novette!” Azalie pounced on Novette, wrapping her arms around her neck. “I was so worried about you. Why didn’t you call me? I thought I was your best friend.”

  Novette struggled to draw in a breath. She swallowed the bit of sausage she had just bitten into sitting at the dining room table. “Easy, Azalie. I made it back, but you’re about to kill me with your hug, crazy.”

  Her friend sniffled. She dropped into the seat beside Novette, wearing a white-cropped top that was so short she was almost exposing the underside of her boobs. “I stayed here last night because Richard said you were coming home. And here you are sitting at the table eating like none of us was worried all this time.”

  Guilt assaulted Novette. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”

  Novette started to justify her actions, but what was the point? If she had told Azalie where she was going or even contacted her after she left, her dad would have bullied the information out of Azalie. He had done it so many times before she couldn’t count.

  “Well, you’re back now.” Azalie waved a hand, grinning. “We can party like we used to and get into trouble. God, I miss those times. I mean I have to get my mom to babysit, but it’s Mom. She’ll do it.”

  Novette’s eyebrows rose. “Babysit? Wait, you have a child, Azalie?”

  Her best friend was always flighty from the first time she met her. Novette couldn’t see Azalie getting pregnant. No, she could see her getting pregnant, what with the line of boyfriends she had running through her life. Azalie took a new lover every other week, but to keep the baby? That was a shocker.

  “I’ve got a little girl.” Azalie sorted through photos on her phone and finally held it up. The picture on the screen was of a cute
little two or three-year-old girl with curly blonde hair and big silver eyes. She was the spitting image of her mom except for the eye color.

  “Wow,” Novette breathed. “She’s beautiful. I can’t imagine you settling down. So you’re married?”

  Azalie cringed, wrinkling her brow. “Ew, no. I guess I would have said yes if Zaid asked me, but we’re happy enough with little Beau.”

  Novette’s stomach dropped. “Zaid?”

  “Didn’t I tell you? Zaid is my baby’s daddy.” She tucked the back of a hand against her mouth like she shared a secret. “He will deny it, but I know who my daughter’s daddy is.”

  “You and Zaid had a thing.” Novette kicked herself for the raspy tone. She cleared her throat. It wasn’t like she’d ever had anything going with Zaid. The attraction was there on her part but she never thought it would develop into anything. Especially with him being ten years her senior. Still, jealousy rocked her thinking he had an affair with Azalie and they had a child together. It put him even farther out of her reach.

  “Awwww.” Azalie poked out thin pink lips. “You’re jealous, aren’t you? Don’t be, silly. I’m so over him now. I mean sometimes we feel like we could get back together, but then I meet a new guy. You know how that goes.”

  Azalie rambled on, but Novette stopped listening. She wondered where the little girl was if Azalie had stayed the night at the mansion. Hadn’t being a mother slowed her down even a little?

  The front doorbell rang, and steps sounded in the hall. A woman’s voice followed and the high-pitched screech from a little girl. “Zaaaaiiiiddd!”

  So their daughter didn’t call him daddy.

  The dining room door opened, and Zaid walked in holding little Beau. Novette couldn’t help studying the two of them to find the resemblance. There was none other than the matching eye color. When she noticed Zaid looking at her, she focused on her plate. Her appetite had already died.

  “Novette,” Zaid said. “How are you? Rested? Your dad wants me to bring you into the office this morning.”