Pulling myself from the daydream, I reached in the cooler and took out two bottles of water and a juice box. I handed the waters to the guys, then stuck the straw in the juice box and motioned for Savannah to come get a drink.
“I was actually hoping somebody would show me how to build a nice, big s-a-n-d-c-a-s-t-l-e.”
“I show you!” Savannah squealed and galloped over to me.
I turned my chin up to Jackson, and we both laughed.
Savannah grinned big. “I show you how!” She sucked on the straw and patted my legs with her sandy hands.
I held her juice and brushed the hair from her eyes. “You are so smart. I’d love for you to show me how to build a sandcastle.” I glanced up at Jackson, who was beaming.
“Can daddy help?” Jackson finished his water and sat down on the blanket.
Savannah cut her eyes at him. “Daddy, you can hepp us. You get the shubble.”
“Can I help too?” Andrew asked.
Savannah nodded and pointed to the watering can and other sand cutters. “You get that.”
Andrew chuckled and grabbed the beach toys. “Yes, ma’am.” He and Jackson took their tools and began digging in the sand, making a moat for the castle.
“Oh boy! This will be a big one, Savannah,” I said, pushing to my feet. I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I need to go to the bathroom first. How about you?”
She shook her head and cupped her hand to my ear. “No,” she whispered.
“All right then.” I grinned. “You can show me what to do as soon as I get back, okay?”
Savannah nodded and trotted over to Jackson, with her wet, sandy braids flopping.
I put her juice box and the empty water bottles in the plastic sack I’d brought for our trash. Then I slipped on my shorts and tank top and grabbed my flip-flops out of the beach bag. “I’m going to the bathroom,” I said to Katie. “You need to go?”
“Nah. I’ll wait here. When you get back, we’ll go join sandcastle bootcamp over there.”
I gave her a thumbs-up and walked over to Jackson, who was on all fours, digging an enormous trench. I leaned down and put my hand on his hot back. “Hey. I’ll be right back. I’m going to the restroom,” I whispered. “I love you.”
“Okay, babe. I love you too,” he said and brushed my lips with a kiss. “But hurry. You’re supposed to be in training, remember?”
“Right!” I giggled. “I’ll hurry!”
With the sun beating down mercilessly, the sand was considerably hotter. After about twenty steps, I tossed my flip-flops down and slid my feet into them. Looking over my shoulder, I noticed Jackson was sitting back on his heels, watching me. I grinned and waved, then blew him a kiss. He smiled and reached up to catch it, then went back to digging. I liked it when he looked at me. I grinned all the way to the steps.
As I neared the covered picnic area, laughter and chatter filled my ears, and the smell of grilled burgers made my mouth water. Somebody had the right idea, I thought. A family was setting up for a party, hanging balloons and streamers from the gazebo. Food and refreshments covered the table, and children were running around, eating sliced watermelon. My stomach growled, reminding me it was past lunch time. Good thing I packed some bananas and animal crackers.
I approached the building where the restrooms were located and glanced towards the parking lot. Tall sea oats, palms, and beach grass grew thick along the dunes, making it difficult to get a good view beyond the deck. Though I felt certain they were still keeping watch, I couldn’t see the two policemen, as they were parked around behind the building. I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed a patrol car drive by on the highway. Nice to see you, fellas, I thought, and opened the restroom door.
“Wow! This is nice,” I muttered as I stepped inside. There were six stalls to my left, with three showers and a changing room at the far end. The wall to my right, opposite the stalls, had a long white vanity that held six sinks, with small oval mirrors hanging just above each one. Tile, in marbled shades of beige and peanut brown, covered the floor. The walls were painted seafoam green, and the stalls were a soft turquoise, giving the entire space a tranquil and traditional beachy feel.
The restroom appeared empty, so I went in the third stall and shut the door. As I sat down, my mind went back to Jackson. My Lord, he’s so amazing, so sexy. His chest and stomach, his back and shoulders. The contours and ridges. Every muscle, sharply defined. Just looking at his body made me want to do things to him. Private things. Naked things. Oh! What an incredible lover. Our night couldn’t have been any better. It was like something out of a romance novel. And I couldn’t wait for the sequel. I was so glad I came home for the reunion. I was so glad he came looking for me Friday evening. Was it fate that led him to our old spot on the beach? Or was it a miracle he knew where to look? Either way, I was grateful he had found me. Grateful we had found each other.
I finished my business, pulled up my bottoms, and flushed the toilet. When I opened the stall door, I was startled to find a man standing in front of me. Wearing a long-sleeve, dark-blue jumpsuit with the name Wayne embroidered over the pocket, a faded ball cap, and work boots, I thought he must be a janitor. Then I saw his face. I jumped and tried to scream, but the only sound that came out was a squeak. His deep wrinkles and permanent scowl sent chills down my spine. It was Jackson’s dad.
He brought his hand to his waist, and I realized he was holding a gun. Shock and sudden terror ran through my body. I couldn’t move, and I could barely breathe. A million thoughts flooded my mind. What was he going to do? Was he going to kill me? How had he gotten past the policemen? Please, God, let me get out of here! Jackson! I couldn’t take my eyes off the gun. Then he raised it and pointed the barrel at my face.
“Hello, Rebecca. Remember me?” His tone was gruff and bitter.
Paralyzed with fear, I couldn’t speak. A tear leaked from the corner of my eye as I looked past the barrel of the gun at the face of pure evil. His jaw was clenched, his brow, furrowed. And his eyes... The blackest eyes. The devil’s eyes. They were dark and terrifying and filled with rage. My lip began to quiver as his finger inched around the trigger.
“Please!” I begged, squeezing my eyes shut as the butt of the gun came down and struck me on the temple.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jackson
Sunday, June 4, 2000 ~ Last Words
As soon as Rebecca had reached the top of the steps and was out of my sight, I began to feel uneasy, like it was a mistake she’d gone to the restroom alone. I looked down at my watch. It was 1:42. I glanced over my shoulder at Katie who was relaxing in the beach chair about ten feet away. With her shades pulled down over her eyes, her head tilted back, and her mouth slightly open, it was clear that she was snoozing. I took a deep breath to brush off the apprehensiveness and went back to digging. The moat was coming along, and Andrew and I had almost shoveled enough sand inside the circle to begin our project. Savannah was just below us at the water’s edge, filling her bucket.
“What do you think of Katie?” Andrew asked.
“Huh?”
“Katie. What do you think about her?”
“Oh.” I stopped digging long enough to glance at her again. Her long legs, shiny, tangerine hair, and emerald-green bikini would make answering that question easy for any man. But Katie had more than her looks going for her. Her wit, charm, and intelligence were equally important in my book. “I think she’s great, man. A very smart and beautiful woman.” I raised my eyebrows at Andrew. “But the question is, what do you think of her?”
Andrew huffed, then pressed his lips together as he shook his head. “I dunno.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I crawled around to the other side of the sand pile and continued to dig out the moat.
He paused a minute and then answered, “She’s incredibly gorgeous, unbelievably smart, and extremely guarded. But once you get past all those layers, she’s easy to talk to.” Andrew sat back on his heels, put his
hands on his thighs, and looked over at Katie. “I could stare at her forever. Her smile… And that body... Damn!” He shook his head again and sighed. “I think she’s cast a spell on me.”
I chuckled. “A spell? Come on.”
“I don’t know what else to call it. But I know I got it bad, Jackson. I think I wanna… Fuck!”
“Well, shit, man. Get after it then.” I laughed.
Andrew furrowed his brow. “You know what I mean, asshole.” Then a grin spread across his face, and he started digging again. “I can imagine how stupid this sounds. But I think I wanna be with her. Like, forever. I’m talking, spend the rest of my life with her.” He stopped digging and looked up at me. “I think she’s the one.”
“And that’s bad?”
“No! I mean, I don’t think so. What do you think?”
I arched an eyebrow and shot him a questioning look. “You’re seriously asking me? I just gave Rebecca an engagement ring.”
“Yeah, but you two have been dating since you were two.”
“That’s not true, and you know it.”
“Well, it might as well be true. You’ve been together for most of your lives.”
“That’s not true either. We were never together–together. We’d never even kissed.”
“No, but you wanted to. And I bet you the state of Texas she did too.”
“So what. You had the hots for Katie back in school, too, remember?”
“Yeah, but we were never close like you and Rebecca.”
“A lot of good that did. Did you forget about the last ten years?”
“No, and I’m sure you haven’t either. But I don’t think we should live in the past. That does nothing except rob us of our chance to be happy in the future.”
“Wow. Impressive. Where’d you read that? A fortune cookie?”
“I wanna cookie!” Savannah yelled, running up behind us with a bucket of water.
I eyed Andrew to let him know our conversation wasn’t over, then sat back on my heels to embrace Savannah. “I think Rebecca packed some animal crackers in the beach bag, sweetheart.” The thought of Rebecca caused me to snap my head around toward the stairs. No sign of her. I looked down at my watch. Five minutes had passed.
Savannah patted me on the arm. “I wanna animal cookie, Daddy.”
“Okay, baby.” I stood and brushed off my knees, then wiped my hands on my swim trunks and glanced at the stairs again. I let out a long breath and took Savannah’s hand. “Let’s get some cookies.”
I found the snacks in the beach bag, packed in a large Ziploc. Savannah watched eagerly as I took out the animal crackers. I flipped open the box and handed her three cookies.
“Thank you, Daddy.” She immediately ran over to Andrew and gave him one.
What a sweetie, I thought. I glanced back toward the stairs as I closed the box and returned everything as it was.
“Hey,” Andrew called out. “Will you grab me a water?”
“Sure,” I yelled. I pulled a water from the cooler and took it to him. “Here,” I said gruffly.
“Thanks.” He eyeballed me while he removed the cap. “You okay?”
I sighed heavily. “You know when we were out in the water with Savannah and I was telling you about my dad scaring the hell out of us last night?”
Andrew took a long drink. “Yeah? What about it?”
“That’s got my nerves running wild.” I hooked my thumb toward the stairs. “Rebecca still hasn’t come back from the bathroom. It shouldn’t take her this long.”
“She’s a female, dude. They take forever.”
“I know, but I can’t shake this feeling.”
“Do you want Katie to go check on her?”
I glanced at Katie and shook my head. “She’s zonked out.”
Andrew held the water bottle so Savannah could get a drink. “How long has she been gone?”
I looked at my watch. “Almost ten minutes.”
“Then go check on her. You won’t stop worrying until you know she’s okay. We’re fine here.”
I lowered my eyes to Savannah, who was finishing her last cookie. Andrew was right. I wouldn’t stop worrying until I knew Rebecca was all right. I squatted down and took Savannah’s braids in my hands and kissed her on the cheek. “Daddy will be right back. I’m going to see if Rebecca is still in the bathroom. You work on the sandcastle with Uncle Andrew, okay?”
“Okay, Daddy. Can I have another cookie?” She grinned.
“Sure, baby,” I said, then lifted my eyes to Andrew. “They’re in the beach bag.”
“Got it,” he replied, waving me on. “Go.”
I started jogging in the sand. It was 1:52 when I made it to the stairs. I took the steps two at a time and quickly regretted that I’d neglected to slip on my shoes. The wood felt like hot coals under my feet. “Dammit!” I cursed out loud.
Finally, I reached the top of the steps and saw a small crowd gathered under the pavilion. Lots of laughter and chatter and music, but no Rebecca. My eyes shot to the restrooms, and my body tensed. I ran to the door and knocked aggressively but heard no one. I cracked it opened and yelled, “Hello? Is anyone in here?” Nothing but silence. Again I yelled, “Hello? Anyone here? I’m coming in!” When no one answered, I yanked the door open and stormed inside.
The bathroom appeared empty, and I began to panic. I clenched my fists and struck the stall doors, shouting Rebecca’s name. As each door flew open, my anxiety grew. I sprinted around to the showers and changing rooms, but there was no sign of anyone. The restroom was completely empty. I rushed over to the vanity, hoping to find water splashed around the sinks, any evidence that someone had recently washed their hands. But when I swiped inside each bowl, the entire vanity was dry as dirt.
Spinning on my heels, I looked back at the empty stalls. Terrible thoughts began to smother me. Thoughts so despicable, I wanted to puke. “Rebecca, where’d you go, baby?” My voice was noticeably shaky. I forced a deep breath. I had to clear my head. I had to focus. I had to find her. I swallowed the lump in my throat and clenched my teeth. “Think, dammit!” Then I remembered the patrol car parked out front and bolted toward the door.
“Shit!” I squawked, as pain shot through my heel. I raised my foot to find a pin-drop of blood slowly growing bigger. “What the hell?” I wiped it off with my finger and searched the floor to find what I stepped on.
A cold chill rushed over me as I bent down and picked up the pointy object. Examining the twisted metal, my eyes began to sting as fury rose inside me—a starfish earring.
“No!” My plea came out in a guttural cry.
I closed my fist around the earring and ran out the restroom, across the deck, and down the walkway that led to the parking lot. Shading my eyes, I frantically searched left and right for any signs of Rebecca or the Bel Air. I didn’t see a single soul, only parked cars. Other than a few extra vehicles, it was the same ones I had seen when we arrived. But where was the police car? The space where it had been parked earlier was vacant. A thousand questions pinged around in my brain. Where were they? Had they gone after Rebecca? Did my dad take her? What do I do? I need to call Max!
“Shit!” My adrenaline was pumping. I turned around and ran as fast as I could back to the beach.
As soon as I made it down the steps, Andrew noticed me. I didn’t want to frighten Savannah, so I jogged across the sand towards our blanket and motioned him over.
“What’s going on?” Andrew asked, lines creasing his brow.
Panting, I shook my head. “She’s gone! The sonofabitch took her,” I hissed. I was doing my best to keep my composure while I searched through the beach bag for my wallet and keys.
“What?” Andrew leaned in closer to keep his voice low. “How do you know?”
Hearing those words, I felt my jaw tighten and cursed under my breath. How do I know? Because I feel it in my fucking bones! I pressed my lips together and flared my nostrils as I opened my hand to show Andrew the mangled earring.
“What’s that?”
“It’s Rebecca’s earring,” I said through ground teeth. “I stepped on it in the restroom.” My eyes darted to Savannah, who was making cut-outs in the sandcastle. “Will you watch her for me?”
“Whatever you need, buddy.”
“What I need is my fucking keys!” I huffed, recklessly digging through the beach bag.
“Take the Mustang. Leave your truck with us. We’ll need the car seat anyway.” Andrew hurriedly retrieved his keys from Katie’s beach bag. The commotion caused her to wake.
“Hey, hon,” she said drowsily. “What’s going on?”
“Jackson’s going to look for Rebecca,” he answered.
Katie jerked her head around. “What do you mean? She just went to the bathroom.”
“She’s missing. Jackson went to look for her and found her earring.”
“What!” Katie sprang from her seat. “Oh my God!” Her voice raised as panic set in.
“Shh, baby. We don’t want to scare Savannah.” Andrew put his arm around her and pulled her close as he handed me his keys.
“Thanks,” I said and shoved them in my pocket along with my wallet and cell phone. “There’s a change of clothes for Savannah in Rebecca’s bag. Snacks, sunscreen, all that stuff. My keys are lost somewhere in there too.” I pulled my shirt over my head. “The cooler’s full of water and juice if—”
“Got it,” Andrew cut me off. “We’ll be fine. Where are you going?”
I exhaled. “I don’t know yet. I’m gonna call Max and tell him Rebecca’s missing. Maybe he knows something I don’t. The police car that was here earlier is gone. Maybe they’re already after my dad.”
“Let’s hope.” Andrew nodded.
Katie flung her arms around me. “Jackson, promise me you’ll find her. Rebecca’s like my sister. I’d die if anything happened to her.”
“I promise, Katie. But it’ll be Frank Strickland who dies if anything happens to her.” I gave Katie a squeeze and then turned to Andrew. I didn’t have to say anything. He knew.
Worth the Risk Page 31