Back To Me (28 page)

38

Billy

              Blake and I backed away from our hiding spot, careful to make as little noise as possible. The gravel and surrounding bushes made it difficult, but it was the best vantage point we had. Raul and Tom were still carrying on a seemingly agreeable and jovial conversation while Tiffany and Sergio escorted the women to the exit at the side of the building.

              Blake motioned with his hands, telling me to move from where we were positioned on the hill to the other side. There was still enough cover to keep us hidden, but we would be able to see the girls on the dock. We situated ourselves for what might be a long time, waiting as patiently as possible.

              There were four men that showed, each circling the less than desirable specimens like sharks.
Catches of the day,
I thought to myself. I’m sure at one point, and given the chance again, each of the girls could be a knockout, but certainly not in their current state.

              One of the men seemed to have an extra special attraction to the blonde that Blake had been eyeing earlier. He walked past her more than once, and each time he took a closer look. At one point he even cupped his hand over her breast, giving a rough squeeze. Blake rose to his feet immediately, stepping on the camera and binoculars in the process. Luckily, we were far enough away that no one heard the snap. I grabbed him by the coat, yanking him back down roughly.

              “You’re gonna get us killed!” I whispered with a shout. “Stay calm!”

              Blake eyed me cautiously. He knew it was a fool move as well, but when it came to women we were both notorious for losing our shit. That’s when I knew that this blonde, whoever she was, wasn’t just an ordinary girl. Blake was just like me. I’m secure enough in my manhood to say that Blake’s a good-looking dude. He’d had plenty of women and even now could have his pick of multitudes, but when you find
the one
, no one else can compare. No one will ever satisfy your hunger, or quench your thirst like
the one
you love.

              “She’s it, huh?”

              Again, I got the same look. I stared back, daring him to argue with me. There was no denying what he felt. It was written all over his face.

              “Yeah,” he finally relented. “She’s a good person, just one of those in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

              “Tell me about her,” I antagonized. I knew from experience that if I kept him talking it would take his mind off of the current situation.

              Blake sighed and looked back towards the action one more time. The man that had been pawing at her finally moved on to a brunette, and that eased his tension somewhat.

              “We were at a party one night, down on the beach,” he started. “Raul was there, lounging in the background and giving orders as usual.”

              “Parties aren’t usually his thing,” I added.

              “No, they aren’t. Not unless they’re at a lavish estate. This party happened to be thrown by one of his suppliers, so it was kinda a
have to
thing. Anyways, Hope was there with her friends. I could tell right away that she wasn’t into it. She was very shy; different, ya know? She wasn’t there to be seen. Where all the other women were dressed in short dresses and bikini’s that left little to the imagination, Hope was dressed in these ridiculous shorts with a flowered top. It’s like she was going out of her way
not
to be noticed.” Blake let out a deep chuckle.

              I checked the dock one more time to see if anything had changed.
Nope
. Buzzards were still eyeing their prey.

              “Then what?” I urged him to continue.

              “I watched her all night. Couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was beautiful. The glow from the fire and the light from the moon cast a shadow all around her, but never
on her
. She stood out alright,” he shrugged. “Her innocence most of all.”

              “Let me guess,” I added. “Raul noticed her, too.”

              “Yeah, he did. Stupid bastard,” he growled. “He’d been watching me watch her, and then it was over. He called me over and ordered me to take her.”

              “Take her?”

              “Yeah, kidnap her. Lure her, whatever. Raul already had seven or so girls from Tommy, but that wasn’t enough. Some jackass put in a special order for a blonde. Can you believe that?” he asked in shock.

              “With Raul, I would believe anything. The man has no soul.”

              “These men put in a fucking order like it’s a damn restaurant. No matter that these women have jobs and families. Don’t consider they have lives and people who care about them!
Hell no!
You just see something you want and you take it!” Blake’s voice rose a few octaves and sweat beaded on his brow.

              “I know, man. I know, but you’ve gotta stay calm and
quiet
. We can’t blow this shit now,” I stressed.

              He took several deep breaths, his hands and legs still shaking. “I got her friend to help. She said she had to go to the bathroom or some shit, and she lured Hope up to the cabana that Raul’s friend had rented out. I was there waiting.”

             
Shit!
Poor Blake. I can’t imagine what was going through his mind at the time all of this was going down. Our job was to help people, for shit’s sake, not kidnap them!

              “Her friend just winked at me and said, ‘Have a good time!’ I was appalled, especially since it was obvious that Hope didn’t have
any
experience with men.”

              “You didn’t….”

              Blake hit me. “You son of a bitch!
No,
I didn’t! What kind of man do you think I am?” he questioned a little too loudly.

              “I didn’t think you did, man. Sorry.”

              “No, I grabbed her and told her to be quiet. Not to scream, or make any noise. Then I told her who I was. Her eyes widened even further. She was scared as hell.”

              “You told her you were FBI? That’s forbidden, man! Hell, what if you got caught?” I asked.

              “I did. I called Tom and explained the situation. He ordered me to place her with Raul.” Blake looked down, reeling from the fact that Tom had been in on it.

              “He knew, that stupid bastard! He knew the whole time that all this shit was going on, and he kept on feeding us to the wolves!” Now I was the one losing control. There wouldn’t be any pieces to find when I was through with him.

              Blake let out a grunt. I focused my eyes where he was staring and saw three of the men manhandling their prizes. “Guess they feel like they can do whatever the hell they want now that they’ve paid, huh?”

              “Pretty much how it works,” he lamented. I saw his eyes searching the area and I knew who he was looking for.

              “She’s right there,” I pointed out. “She’s okay, man. They didn’t take her.”

              I saw him breathe a little easier. “Not this time.”

              “We’ll get her, Blake. We’ll get all the girls back where they belong as soon as this shit is finished. I promise.” I never made a promise I couldn’t keep, until now. I didn’t want to purposely lie to him, but I knew the outcome of shit like this. Sometimes, even when you do all you can, you still can’t save them.

              “Let’s go,” I suggested. “There’s nothing more we can do tonight.” I grabbed the camera and the binoculars, careful to leave no trace that we’d been there.

              Once we made it away from the dock to the bottom of the hill, Blake and I went our separate ways. He had to head back to the warehouse, and me? Well I didn’t know where the hell I was going. I’d find a motel somewhere far enough away, and yet close enough in case I was needed. We parted with our usual sentiment of a pat on the back.

              “I’ll call in one hour,” he said. “Two tops, just to give you an update.”

              “Sounds good,” I agreed. “Be careful, man.”

              Blake nodded. Before I had made it back to my truck, I called out, “Say goodnight to Hope for me!”

              Without a backwards glance, he gave his signature salute; his middle finger. I laughed lightly and climbed into my truck.

39

Heather

              A week had passed and still no word from Billy. At least not to me anyhow. I observed Luke talking in hushed tones and excusing himself from the dinner table several times. He wasn’t fooling me, or Lauren, judging by the looks she would throw his way. To my knowledge, Billy never asked to speak to me, which only crushed me further. If he was so concerned about me; if he truly cared about my well-being, it seemed he would want to get an update directly from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.

              I’d been able to spend a lot of time with Sam, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Some days she was all that kept me going. Lauren and Luke allowed me to sit with Sam a few times while they went out. I didn’t mind at all, other than being
extremely
jealous. I wished so many times that Billy and I could be as happy as them, but getting to spend quality time with Sam was the next best thing. I loved that little girl more than I ever imagined possible.

              I didn’t let on to Luke and Lauren, but I noticed that one of their friends always showed up right as they were about to leave on their date. There was always an awkward explanation of having come to chop wood, or paint the barn, or something stupid like that.  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that they were really there to watch out for me. I didn’t mind because that also meant that Sam would be safe, too. 

              Today had been particularly uneventful. I got up, showered and dressed, and went downstairs to get a bowl of cereal. I wasn’t much of a breakfast person as it was, but I had to keep my strength up. As I was pouring the milk, Lauren came up from behind and startled me, causing me to make a mess all over the counter.

              “I’m so sorry!” I apologized. “I’ll clean it up.”

              “Don’t cry over spilled milk,” she chastised playfully. “Feel like taking a day trip with me?”

              “Mmm, yeah, sure. Do I have time to scarf this down?”

              “Sure do. I’m gonna get dressed. I’ll meet you back here in fifteen.” Lauren bounded up the stairs with a grin. I had no idea what she had up her sleeve, but whatever. She was excited so I guess I should be, too.

              I heard the front door close rather loudly, as if someone had slammed it shut. I dropped my spoon mid-air and ran, thinking it might have been Sam.
Nope
. Not that lucky. I ran smack-dab into Luke, who was shirtless and apparently covered in….
horse shit?
What was this stuff?

              “I’m so sorry!” I shrieked. “Oh, God! What is that
smell?
” I held my nose, but it didn’t help. The odor was way too pungent.

              Luke was doubled over, grabbing at his sides, but not a sound was coming out. I worried briefly that he was hurt, but then I took note of his red face and shaking body. He was laughing hysterically.

              “What’s so funny?” Lauren interrupted.

              I spoke up immediately, worried she would misinterpret the situation. “Well, I seem to be covered in what is known as horse shit, while your husband here finds it rather amusing. God, I smell horrible,” I shrieked, getting a whiff of myself.

              It didn’t take Lauren long before she joined in with Luke; now they were both rolling with laughter. Great!

              “Guess I’m going to take another shower,” I gaffed. “Give me twenty minutes?”

              Lauren looked at me, but was unable to speak. Apparently I looked even worse than I smelled. She simply waved me off as she grabbed ahold of Luke for support. They were spitting and sputtering like idiots, though it was at my expense, and I was a bit insulted!

              Careful to touch as little as possible on the way to the bathroom, I finally made it without incident. I stripped quickly, and tossed my soiled clothing in the corner. I wasn’t exactly sure how to get the stuff out. Perhaps Lauren had experience with that. I washed my hands methodically. Although I didn’t see anything on them, one couldn’t be too careful. Next, I pulled my hair back before stepping into the shower. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of washing and drying it all over again. I scrubbed vigorously, making sure I got every inch of skin, not leaving anything to chance.

              Redressing, I decided to leave my hair up. I had no earthly idea where Lauren wanted to go, but there weren’t any fancy places around. I’d be safe going as is, which now consisted of blue jeans and a tee shirt.
Simple
. Now if I could only avoid Luke I should be just fine.

              Halfway down the hall, Sam called for me.

              “Heather?”

              “Hey, sweetie,” I said, turning on my heels and walking to her doorway.

              “I don’t feel so good,” she complained.

              “Oh? What’s the matter, sweetheart? Does your tummy hurt?”

              She nodded her little head yes. “Want me to get your mommy?”

              She shook her little head no. “Want me to read you a book?”

              That did the trick. Sam grabbed my hand and led me into her room. She crawled into bed and I tucked the covers around her nice and tight.

              “Which book would you like me to read?” I asked. She looked so small and fragile, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. This little girl had me wrapped for sure.

              Sam shrugged her shoulders.

              “How about if I just stay with you until you fall back asleep? Would that be okay?”

              “Yes,” she whispered.

              I sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her matted hair away from her face. Her cheeks felt warm, but she wasn’t burning up, so that was a good sign. After several minutes her breathing slowed and I knew she was on her way into a deep sleep, which was probably the best thing for her. Her dark lashes lined her eyelids and splayed across her rosy cheeks. Her button nose and full lips were just like her daddy’s. She was the spitting imagine of Luke, no question about it. And now she was fully asleep, dozing peacefully, but still I couldn’t pry myself away. I thought of my baby; mine and Billy’s, and another piece of my heart seemed to break away, falling silently to the floor and shattering. I wasn’t sure it would ever be whole again with all the damage it had suffered.

              “Everything okay?” Lauren whispered, causing me to jump upright. She had a really bad habit of sneaking up on me, and as frequently as it was happening, I was starting to think she was doing it on purpose.

              “Fine, I think.” I stood and tucked the sheets in closer around Sam, then leaned over and kissed her head. I motioned for Lauren to follow me into the hall.

              “She wasn’t feeling well. Said her tummy hurt a little. I got her to lay back down.”

              “Thank you,” Lauren said. “She hasn’t been feeling well for a couple of days. I’ll have Luke check in on her later, and he’ll call if she needs me. Probably just a stomach bug. Does she feel like she has a fever?”

              “No,” I answered. “She felt a little warm maybe, but as far as I know she’d just gotten up. Could be from her blankets.”

              Lauren nodded in agreement. “Let me sneak in and kiss her goodbye then we’ll hit the road.”

              I walked down the stairs, leaving Lauren with Sam. Luke was standing in the kitchen, watching me approach with caution. He held his arms out to the side.

              “Sorry ‘bout that,” he said, grinning. “Messing with the horses can get a little dirty.”

              “So I see,” I deadpanned.

              “I really am sorry,” he laughed. He
wanted
to be sorry, but I knew he wasn’t. I’ll admit it was kind of funny.

              “Just watch your back, Luke. That’s all I’m saying,” I joked back with a smirk.

              “Oooohhhh,” he teased. “I’m scared.”

              I gave him a look, expressing that I wasn’t kidding, and he straightened right up. Lauren joined us before long and she told Luke about Sam being asleep. She gave him strict orders to keep a check on her, and call if she got any worse.

              “She’ll be fine. You girls go and have a good time. I got it all under control,” he assured Lauren. “Drive safe.”

              Luke gave her a kiss and patted her backside. This behavior used to make me uncomfortable, but I’d gotten used to it. It’s just how they were and even though I was more than green with envy, it wasn’t fair of me to expect their lives to skid to a halt just because mine had.

              “Ready?” Lauren asked with a sneaky grin.

              “I guess,” I huffed. “If I don’t come back,” I pointed to Luke, “you’re my witness. I’m leaving with her…”

              He laughed lightly. “You’ll be fine.”

              “Okay,” I relented. “Let the show begin.”

              Lauren grinned and took my hand, leading me out to the car.