by Maggie Thom
“Tijan. Tijan!” He started yelling louder. When he stopped, all he could hear were the moos of a few cows and the distant sound of traffic. Taking a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves, he headed back to the road and crossed it. Climbing the slight embankment, he’d barely crested the top when he was startled. A dog raced toward him, growling, barking and lunging at the chain link fence. August stumbled backwards, tumbling down the incline he’d just made his way up.
Getting to his feet, he went back to the car.
“Any sign?”
He realized the muffled sound he’d heard was his cell. “Nothing yet.”
“Tijan. Tijan.”
He climbed in the car and kept driving.
“You’re going away from her.”
August turned around at Graham’s information. He drove slowly, keeping his beams on high even when a car came around the curve and flashed him several times trying to get him to dim them. Other than being honked at as the person passed, nothing untoward happened. He kept creeping along.
“She should be right around there.”
August had a sick feeling. That was where he’d stopped before. There had been no sign of her. He kept driving and yelling out his window. When he came to the curve in the road, Graham again said, “You’re going away from the cell phone.”
August drove a ways before stopping to walk along the bush. He was pretty sure Tijan wouldn’t be on the other side of the road with barking dogs to give away her location. He made his way back through the trees to the narrow path that hugged the fence.
“Tijan. Tijan are you okay? Dammit will you answer me!”
“Wh-”
His head whipped to the left and he stomped into the clump of trees. Although he wasn’t sure it was a voice he’d heard, he hoped it was. Shoving back branches, he saw her feet first. Gently moving more bush, he knelt down beside her.
“Tijan, are you okay? Is anything broken?” He gently inspected all her limbs, torso and head. When he didn’t feel anything serious, he said, “I’m going to pick you up. Let me know if I hurt you.”
She groaned slightly as he lifted her. It took agonizing minutes as he made his way through the brush and to the car. Using his arm and knee propped against the car, he opened the passenger door and eased her in. Having the interior light on her revealed how pale she was and how many scratches and bruises marred her skin.
“Hey big eyes, you okay? Open up; let me see your baby blues.” He spoke softly as he urged her to come to. His fingers brushed her cheek and pulled a few twigs from her hair.
Finally, her eyes fluttered open. “Thirsty.”
He always kept a couple bottles of water in his trunk and snacks. He quickly retrieved both and gave them to her. She drank the water slowly but steadily. Her eyelids drooped.
“Just eat something, okay? Here’s a granola bar. I’m going to take us someplace safe.” He eased out and pulled out his phone. “I’ve found her. She’s okay. Tired and scratched but okay. I need to take her out of here. Any ideas?”
“The house we showed you the other day. Take her there. We’ve put in a gate with a security code. I don’t think anyone will find you. We’ll be out—”
“No. Is there food? A bed or two?”
“Got it. Yes. It’s well stocked. You won’t have to worry. Take good care of her.”
As August climbed in the driver’s side, her head rolled against the seat toward him. Her eyes looked brighter and more alert.
“How’d you know I was near Lake Ontario?”
“Graham pinged the GPS on your phone.”
A look of relief came over her. “Tarin gave me that phone for work. Thank God.”
August nodded. “I’m taking you to that house they took us to yesterday. Graham said it’s safe.”
“Thank you. I just had to know you were one of the good guys.”
She looked at him with such a look of relief that he took it as an invite and leaned over to kiss her. She met his lips eagerly. His fingers brushed some dirt off her cheek as he eased back.
“Let me get you out of here and we’ll feed you and clean you up.”
Tijan laughed. “Are you saying I stink?”
“Well there is this kind of eau de cow aroma.”
She gently punched him on the arm. “For the record, I love that smell. It’s earthy, real and it’s me. But in this case, it just happens to be coming from that big field I was beside. There are a lot of cows in there.”
“Sure. Sure. We’ll go with that. Drink some more water. You are okay though, right?” August squeezed her hand.
“Yes. But I promise you that I won’t ever wear heels again. They are not made for anything other than to stand for short periods of time, to show off your sexy legs or to sit. They are not made for walking—and definitely not in the back forty. Even if I wanted, which I don’t, I don’t think I can even squeeze my feet into them. Ouch.”
August chuckled, glad that was all that was hurt.
Chapter 61
“It’s a good thing he gave you directions because I’d have no idea how to get there, would you?”
August shook his head.
Tijan snapped on her seat belt but lowered the seat back some. Her body ached and exhaustion was still dragging her down. The whole week of events was taking their toll on her but her escape and run from Tesimmon was at the top of that list. As they curved around the next bend, a speeding oncoming car hogged the road down the middle line. August pulled to the shoulder but as it continued speeding toward them, he was forced into the soft grass alongside the road. As it got near, Tijan snapped upright.
“It’s them. Step on it.”
The car roared past but a second later, the brake lights came on. August hit the gas. The car fishtailed as they took off. Tijan put her seat up and held on as August was flying down the road and careening around corners. She turned to watch out the back window.
“I don’t see any lights. I don’t know if we should continue to that house.”
“We need to lose them.”
August flicked a glance at her. “Call Graham. Here.” He pulled out his cell and handed it to her.
“Graham. We need help. Tesimmon is after us. I think we lost—” Just then a flash of lights flipping through the interior caught her attention. She spun around again. Headlights were quickly gaining on them.
“It’s got to be them.” Tijan screamed. “Graham, we need help. Now.”
“I can’t lose them. Their car has way more power than we do.”
“You have to lose them, August. Graham!”
“I’m on it. Let me see where you are.”
It only took him a moment to find them.
“Okay, you need to—”
“Hang on.” August’s arm flew across her chest, pinning her to her seat.
The other car rammed them. The impact slammed her back and then threw her forward. August’s hands were both back on the wheel frantically working to control the car and straighten it out.
“Get ready.”
Even though she knew it was coming, the second hit jolted her bruised body hard. The seat belt cut into her neck and shoulder, and the phone flew from her hand and landed on the floorboard.
“Turn left, next turn.”
She could still hear Graham’s voice from the phone on the floor and Tijan wasn’t about to try to retrieve it now. She grabbed the overhead handle with one hand, clutched her seat with the other and held on as August hurtled around the next corner. It was too much for the big Rolls that flew past them but the brake lights soon came on again.
“Go. Go. Go. We have a slight edge. Graham where can we hide?” She yelled, hoping he’d hear her.
“There’s a barn coming up on your left. Maybe you can hide behind it. Not sure, there aren’t too many options. It’s about a kilometer ahead,” Graham said.
Tijan twisted around in the seat. “August, you watch for our hiding spot and I’ll watch for them.”
August cut of
f their headlights. At the speed they were going in the dark, she hoped that Graham was accurate. The odds of seeing a barn and getting to it without detection was slim.
“I don’t see them.”
“Hold on; there’s the barn Graham was talking about.” Though August slowed, they still took the corner quickly, slamming Tijan against her door. “Ugh.”
“Sorry.” A few seconds later they were behind a dilapidated, obviously abandoned building.
Almost as though they’d agreed, they sat in silence, their breaths soft and quiet. August took her hand and squeezed it gently. Tijan smiled despite the tension, finding comfort in the silence and the quiet message passing between them.
It was a while before Tijan finally broke the silence. “I feel like something isn’t right. You?”
August turned to face her. “I don’t think they cracked up. I don’t think the car died. Didn’t it look like they’d stopped?”
“Yeah.” Tijan sighed heavily. “So, what are they up to?”
“Graham? Graham? Are you still there?” She fished around on the floor, finally finding the phone under her seat.
“Dammit. They have Tarin.”
“What? No! How did they get her?”
“We knew they’d been watching her when she visited her father; we had eyes on them. Since we moved your father, she’d stopped. But then she went to the hospital to visit Bill. They were still watching, thinking James Madsen was still there. But obviously Mr. T’s goons didn’t know that Mr. T thought they already had Tarin. So when they saw her, they grabbed her. They left the city heading northeast. They must have thrown her phone out. We don’t know where they went.”
Tijan’s head started to pound as pressure built around her eyes. Her heart thumped hard in her chest. Tarin, who she hadn’t had a chance to get to know? Tarin, who seemed to have a gentle soul even though she’d been raised by a cold-hearted man. Tarin, who was the other half of her.
It made her sick with fear to think she could lose her. She’d only been that scared once before when she’d been searching for a calf in the bush and she encountered a bear. She’d managed to get out of that situation and she was going to get her sister out of this one.
“What’s out there? Where would they take her?” August asked.
“Caspian. But what would they achieve by going there?” Graham couldn’t hide the panic in his voice.
“Wait. They might be.” Tijan pressed her hand to her heart. “They told me they were going to settle it once and for all about Caspian. They wanted me to sign the papers to take over for my father. What are they going to do, use her for blackmail?” That’s when it hit Tijan, that’s exactly what they were going to do. That’s why they had wanted her. Mr. T was expanding his empire whether anyone wanted him to or not.
But not at the expense of her sister.
“We have to go there, August. Now.” Tijan was shaking so much, she was tempted to open the door and run to the winery.
Chapter 62
As they approached Caspian Winery, August slowed down and pulled into a copse of trees, a ways from the entrance to the winery.
“We have to walk from here.”
“Damn.”
Tijan climbed out and wobbled a bit, grabbing the car’s roof.
“I’d tell you to stay here but I don’t think you’d listen.” August kissed her gently. “Listen to me. We don’t know what we’re headed into. The police are as well as Guy and Graham on their way. Maybe we should just wait.”
“Like that’s going to happen.” Tijan started limping down the side of the road.
August jogged after her and swept her off her feet. “If you’re going to be so determined, I can at least save your feet a bit.”
“Ahh. My knight. Just need a steed and we’re set.” It was hard to break from her intent of saving her sister but she knew that August was trying to make things easier for her. She couldn’t fault him for that.
“I hate to break it to you but I don’t ride.”
“I’m wounded. Now hustle up. We’ve got to save Tarin.”
When they got to Caspian’s driveway, they had the proof they needed. The long limo was left at an angle in the middle of the parking lot like a black menace under the winery’s yard lights.
“Put me down,” Tijan whispered in his ear. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she darted behind a tree, waving August to do the same. “How are we going to get past those two idiots, they’ve stationed by the car? I already had my fight with them today. They don’t play nice.”
“Stay here. I’ll distract them.” August jogged down the road in the dark.
Tijan soon lost track of him but a moment later, she heard pinging as though something was hitting the car. The two men drew their guns and moved toward the road. Tijan took the opportunity to hug the tree line and make her way to the building. The rocks and twigs that dug into her soles brought feeling back into her swollen feet.
Hoping August knew what he was doing and having limited knowledge of the place, she went around the side of the building to the back entrance, the one she’d seen Guy, Graham and Tarin enter. She made it to the back door and slipped inside. It only took a second for her to realize she’d been expected.
“Hello. Two of you, isn’t that quaint.” Mr. T grinned. “Do you know that I killed two men because I thought they were incompetent. They told me they were shooting at you at the hospital, when I was chasing you through Toronto. Their deaths are on you.”
Tijan’s heart thumped loudly, echoing in her ears.
“Now it’s time for business. James had more secrets than I gave him credit for. Now that I have his two prized possessions here, we’re going to do the deal up right. You’re going to sign over C-Lite Hotels I’ll own a large hotel chain. And I’m going to inherit Caspian Winery. The two of you are my ticket.”
Tijan wished she had some cow manure to throw at Mr. T. His white suit and gold shoes mocked her and if she was going to be fed bullshit, she’d rather it look like it.
“I haven’t been this excited about anything in a long time.” Mr. T. smiled.
Tijan felt like throwing up. “Where’s my sister?”
“Oh, that’s so nice. You’re worried about her. Well since there are two of you, we’ll see which one of you is going to follow my orders and do as I say, while the other will stay with me.”
Tijan shuddered, horrified at his sinister leer.
“A threesome with twins isn’t something I’ve tried before but I’m game.”
“And you won’t ever get that opportunity. Not if you want to keep that undersized, limp thing between your legs.”
Tijan was ready for him. He growled and took a step in her direction as she pulled out her gun and sidestepped so he was between her and his bodyguard. She stopped just out of reach.
“Tijan!”
Her sister’s voice jolted her but she’d expected he’d play dirty. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the goons drag her sister in with her arm twisted high behind her back.
“Let her go, or I shoot you.”
Mr. T looked bored. “Not going to happen. Now you have the count of three—”
Tijan shifted to her right and fired toward his feet, hoping if it ricocheted it would not hit her sister.
“You bitch!”
He lunged for her and she danced to the side as the gun tumbled out of her hands. She ran past the receptionist desk, ducking behind it only to pop back up a moment later, throwing whatever she could get her hands on.
“Let her go,” she yelled as she fired the stapler, tape dispenser, pens, pen holder and keyboard as she peeked over the desk. She could no longer see her sister but the goon had retreated behind a large column.
Mr. T pulled out his gun and Tijan dove through the doorway, quickly scurrying down the hallway.
“Tijan. This way.”
She almost collapsed with relief at the sound of her sister’s whisper. She dashed down the short hallway toward her tw
in, who was holding open a door. Tijan shot through as Tarin slammed and locked it. Tijan grabbed her outstretched hand.
“Are you okay? How’d you get away?” Tijan hurried after her.
“I’m good. The idiot loosened his hold when you started throwing things. Let’s go.”
They were in a room with massive steel containers. The smell of yeast hit her. She wrinkled her nose.
“It takes a bit to get used to. Come on.”
They wound around the large vats. A loud banging on the door jolted them and Tarin pushed her back against one of the steel tanks.
“How are we going to get out of here? August has his hands full outside with two thugs.”
“He knows the area well if he can manage to outrun them.”
Tijan grimaced from her sister’s familiarity.
“Oh my God, you like him.”
Tarin hugged her hard but Tijan found it difficult to return.
Tarin eased back. “What’s going on?”
There was another loud sound. Then it repeated. It sounded like someone was shooting at the door.
“Okay, we’re going out through the front entrance.”
Staying low, Tijan followed her twin in the opposite direction to the noise.
“Find them now!” The words were bellowed just as the door flew open and banged against the wall.
Tijan hurried after her fast-moving sister. Reaching the door, Tarin hurriedly keyed in a code. As it opened, the two raced through, quickly locking it behind them.
“Look what I caught.”
Tijan turned slowly putting herself between Tarin and the voice of the man she thought they’d eluded. “What do you want? The company my father built?”
“Your father couldn’t have built that huge chain without me. Where do you think he got the money to start it? Money that put clothes on your back, gave you bobbles and a fancy education. Now it’s my turn.”
Tijan’s eyes flicked toward the door in an attempt to determine if she could sprint through it. She noted that Tarin was standing beside her.
“Pull another stunt and I’ll shoot.”