Deborah Brown - Madison Westin 07 - Kidnapped in Paradise (33 page)

I stepped between them and tried for a reassuring smile.

“Calm down, you two. We already promised Spoon. And besides, I like it here.” 

“If I can get the two of you to stay put and not have to hurt you, I get triple pay,” he said.

“I like
‘triple pay’
,” Fab told him. “We
’
ll make sure you get your money.”

Poor Billy. The fast acquiescence meant nothing, but why spoil his dreams of a big payday?

Chapter 39

We were on our second full day of lying around Spoon
’
s boat. He had yet to show his face, nothing more than a phone call to say that he was working on negotiations and that we needed to be patient. Fab pulled a new phone from her bag and disappeared into one of the bedrooms. Turned out that Billy knew his way around a barbeque and the kitchen galley. He grilled us a perfect piece of white fish with vegetables. He fixed up a side dish of crispy fried potatoes, enough for ten people, which made me groan. Luckily, Billy had a healthy appetite, or a hidden third leg. I wasn’t sure where all the food disappeared to on his thin frame.

After dinner I sacked out on some boat cushions and stared up at the stars in the darkened sky. The slight rolling of the boat made me drowsy. As I was dozing off, a hand clamped down hard on my mouth. My eyes flew open and I felt faint, realizing that I was staring up the muzzle of a gun. A pair of dark eyes that I
’
d never seen before stared down into mine. From the corner of my eye, I saw Billy lying motionless on the deck.

“Gotcha,” the bright red-haired woman said, sticking a cloth over my nose.

* * *

The pain in my neck was excruciating. My head hung at an odd angle. I couldn’t move my arms. I pulled, and something scratchy and unyielding bit into my wrists.

My eyes blinked open. Why was I tied up, slumped over in a leather chair?
Nice office,
I thought as my brain started to function. I skimmed over the lavishly decorated space to the chair next to me. Fab glared at me in pure frustration. She shook her head slightly, which I interpreted to mean, '
quiet
',
since she hadn’t said anything.

“We
’
ve been waiting for you to join us, Miss Madison,” a male voice boomed from behind me. He moved past, his Top-Siders coming into view. He wore silk shorts and a tropical shirt. He was fiftyish, with a full head of grey hair. The man settled in a chair behind the massive burl wood desk. His gold Rolex caught the sunlight coming in through the large porthole window; he had the air of a wealthy boat captain.

“
Let me
guess
: Mr. Bonnet?
” I half-smiled, more of an exhale of breath.

The redhead in my vague dream draped herself across the corner of the desk, wearing a tight black pencil skirt and button-down shirt, the lace of her white bra peeking through. She wore stilettos that would make Fab seem graceful, but me, not so much. Would now be a good time to ask how many colors of dye she had to mix together to get that garish hair color? Had anyone ever told her that it wasn’t a good look?

She caressed a silver finger nail file between her fingers, a look of excitement in her eyes that unnerved me. Whatever dirty work that needed doing, Bonnet chose her.

“Good, introductions are over. I have a few questions for you ladies. If I deem you fully cooperative, you
’
ll be leaving here fully intact. If not….” He smiled and managed to maintain a mean glint to his dark eyes.

Fab cut him off. “Skip the detailed threats and get to the questions. We get that you
’
re a bad ass.”

“Where
’s Jackson Devereaux?
” he boomed.

I fought to suppress a gulp.
Here we go!
“I saw him a few days ago, on the docks in Lauderdale. Said he was leaving the area.”

Bonnet clinched his fist several times. “Where’s he going?”

“Normally, I
’
d say he
’
d go home, but I suspect he
’
ll show up on some friend
’s doorstep. He’
s lived several places around the country.”

“Does he have my money?” Bonnet cracked his knuckles.

In the silence of the office, it was an unnerving sound; even Fab had a slight reaction.

“He had nothing to do with the sale of your product. It was sold by the time he hit town, and he never took a cut. That scheme was the brainchild of the two entrepreneurs that have already turned up dead.” I made a split second decision to stick to the facts as closely as possible. I had no idea what he did and didn’t already know. Getting caught in a lie could be detrimental to my health.

Bonnet never took his eyes off me as I answered his questions. “How do you know Devereaux
’
s telling the truth?”

“
Jax
isn’t a particularly good liar. He has no reason to lie to me, anyway.”

Fab shifted in her chair. She too was trussed up. “You murdered the two that ripped you off. What do you want from us?”

“
I
want
Devereaux and
my
money !
” The big man pounded his fist on the desk.

He already had his answer. So now what?  The ‘what
’
made me inwardly shudder.

Fab and I jerked at the fierce pounding on his office door. The redhead slithered off the desk. Well over six feet tall, she walked with an exaggerated wiggle. She cracked open the door and stuck her head out. She exchanged words in an excited voice. It was hard to distinguish if she was speaking to a male or female. Once concluded, she slammed the door, motioning to Bonnet to join her in the corner for a private chat.

I winked at Fab, happy we were both alive and not fish food. She had a look of concentration, doing what she did best, trying to eavesdrop. I listened, but couldn’t make out one word of their whispering.

The door closed behind us, the footsteps unhurried as Bonnet made himself comfortable behind his desk, smiling at the two of us in a way that made the hairs on my neck tingle.

The redhead slinked up behind me and leaned over. “
Get up,
” she barked in my ear. She gave me a helping hand by twisting her fingers in my hair and propelling me out of the chair with a none-too-gentle shove. I sailed across the room, banging my head on a second door that I'd missed from my previous vantage point. Fab, with her killer muscles, managed to lift herself from her chair to a standing position. Fab got the same manhandling shove, but she didn’t stumble.

Red unlocked the door, held it open, and swept out her hand. “Move,” she ordered.

We brushed by her and entered a long, narrow hallway, then down a short flight of steps with only the dimmest light bulb overhead.

“Stop at the open door.” The redhead snapped her fingers. Raising her skirt, she withdrew a knife from her garter belt, the blade springing up. I stood still and tried not to squirm, certain that she
’d leave us bleeding.
“You can thank Boss-man for this. I wanted you hog-tied and gagged.” She pushed me inside.

The blood came rushing back into my arms, and my fingers tingled when I flexed them.

“Go ahead, girlie,” she told Fab. “Try and get away.” She sliced the rope away.

“Get comfy,” she laughed. “Make all the noise you want; no one will hear you. I
’
m going back to lobby to give you guys a little one-on-one time.”

The door slammed behind her, followed by a key turning in the lock. The room was smaller than a jail cell, with a stained concrete floor, an old rusted out toilet in the corner, and small sink. The only light source came from a small window that held no chance for escape. 

“Don’t
you
dare
faint
,
” Fab grouched. “You
’
re pale even with your tan. Sit. I’ll help you; you
’
re not as coordinated as I am.”

I squeezed my eyes closed, trying not to succumb to fear. Despite the guilt and feeling selfish, it calmed me somewhat when she sank down next to me.

“Now you listen to me,” she said. “We
’
re going to get out of this hell hole.”

I put my head on her shoulder. “You always say that. How are you going to get us out of this one?”

“Have I ever been wrong? No!” She leaned her head against mine. “I
’
m not sure, but I promise you this. I’ll be around to give the redhead the attitude adjustment she so richly deserves.”

“That amazon scares me. Way worse than you ever did.”

Fab sniffed. “When were you ever afraid of me? You need a little refresher to your memory. You targeted me, then stalked me until I agreed to be your friend.”

“Not exactly, but it
’
s
a damn good thing I was persistent.” I laughed softly.  “What do you suppose is happening upstairs?”

“I think someone with large muscles made contact, possibly showing up looking for us. Let
’
s hope,”
she sighed.
“If that
’
s the case, Bonnet might think twice about hurting us before setting off a war. Spoon will never let our disappearance or deaths go unpunished. Those stoops upstairs know we had nothing to do with ripping him off, no matter how simple-minded he wants to play this game.”

“Why would someone have a room like this?” I couldn’t think of a single reason that had anything to do with something normal. “Do you suppose we
’
re out on Narcissistic Island?”

“I shudder to think. This room has such a creepy vibe. Nothing good happens here, you can be sure.” Fab eyed the window; without a ladder, there would be no looking out. “We
’
re out on his island. I came to on the boat ride over here, but Amazon caught me and chloroformed me again. I don’t think we get out of this without Bonnet
’
s benevolence.”

Bonnet would want a trade. What would he accept?

Fab and I leaned together and used each other as pillows. The room was eerily quiet, not a sound could be heard from anywhere in the house.

“Do you suppose we missed the button for room service?” Fab broke the silence.

“How come you
’
re so calm?”
I laughed.

“I
’m hungry.
”
 

Chapter 40

At the sound of a key in the lock, I jolted forward. Fab
’
s arm across my chest held me in place.

“I guess they didn’t forget us. My butt is numb and my back aches,” I mumbled.

“Shh
…,” she said. Amazon stood in the doorway. She had reapplied her bright red lipstick to match her dagger-like fingernails. Against her pale white skin the red made her look like a vampire.  Make that a vampire holding a .357 Magnum in her hand.

At this close range, someone would be a long time cleaning up blood splatter and remains off the walls.

“No one said you could sit.” She laughed, a high pitched deranged sound. “Hurry your asses up. I
’
m out of patience.”

Fab grabbed my arm and headed to the door as we were once again herded down the hallway and up the stairs.

Fab, always the gutsy one, asked her, “How long have we been here?”