Desperate Measures (34 page)

Barry and Lukas raced out of the jet and sprinted to the helicopter. If Barry hadn’t been so concerned about Caitlin he would’ve been amazed at the resources available to someone like Lukas Bucklin. They showed all of their documentation to the assigned customs agent and within minutes the chopper lifted off the ground. Barry’s phone rang, it was Chris. He released a deep sigh of relief until he heard the dreaded words that Nick Holland had Caitlin.

“Where are you?” Barry shouted over the churning rotors of the helicopter.

After getting confirmation from Scott, Chris shouted, “We’re coming over the mountain, about twenty minutes away from the Black Rocks.”

“Shit!” Barry conferred with the pilot and then got back to Chris. “We’re five minutes away from landing. I don’t see the silver truck anywhere from the air on the road we’re following.” He shot another stern look in Lukas’s direction but this time the man didn’t shrink back. Lukas exuded his usual self confidence, assuring any audience of his ability to conquer the world. A few seconds later, the pilot spotted the suspect’s truck and detoured out over the ocean before the driver could hear the whoop-whooping of the helicopter blades. They planned to land in an open field, hopefully before Nick Holland arrived.

* * * *

The truck pulled into the dirt parking lot. As anticipated, none of the vendors were set up . Caitlin’s casual glance around the area confirmed her fears. There wasn’t a soul in sight. She caught movement of some sort. Her will to survive intensified. In the distance, the trees moved as if some animals rummaged for food. Maybe she could use one of the wild boars or cows as a distraction.

Nick turned the engine off and waved the gun, ushering her out of the vehicle. “Out! Now!” He slid across the bench seat and followed her out of the passenger door. The barrel of the gun pointed at the vein throbbing on the side of her head. He grabbed her arm and led her to the edge, below lay a forty foot drop onto jagged lava formations. His eyes scanned all directions. Nick forced Caitlin to sit on the soft ground and knelt down beside her. Reaching behind him he found a rope, his escape off the cliff.

She tried to be stoic but croaked, “Now what are you going to do? Toss me over this ledge?”

Nick grinned. “Not yet, we have to wait for sugar daddy with my money. Here he comes now.”

Caitlin, completely unnerved at this point, looked to where her uncle pointed. Sure enough, Lukas Bucklin walked confidently toward them. He held a case in his left hand. She was uncertain if help or more hell had come.

* * * *

Furious, Barry trailed a few yards behind Lukas. Before the helicopter had touched ground, Lukas leaped out the door and ran with the damn case full of blood money. When Lukas took his swan dive, Barry was in the process of opening his briefcase to retrieve his extra gun. It turned up missing. “Goddamn bastard took my gun. The son of a bitch is going to get everyone killed!”

Barry jumped onto the ground and raced after Lukas, catching sight of him through the bushes. To the right, a path ran in the direction of the ledge. He dropped down on all fours and crawled toward them. By the time he reached an open spot, it was too late.

* * * *

Caitlin was determined to be strong, heroic, and survive this ordeal. She ignored the gun pointed at her head. She looked Lukas in the eyes, never letting her gaze waver. He looked harmless enough but Caitlin knew better. With the power and wealth he possessed, Lukas couldn’t be trusted. The man approached with quick steps, his right arm in the air. His mannerism indicated he’d come with a peace offering.

Nick sneered, “Well you came didn’t you? I thought you would get my hint, especially since you were playing host to Barry.”

Not a flicker of amusement or greeting. “I’m here now. Let my granddaughter go.”

Bewildered, Caitlin looked from Nick to Lukas, then back again. She refused to show any emotion.

* * * *

“Finally admitted it. After all of these years,” Nick said.

Lukas didn’t allow himself to look in Caitlin’s direction. He couldn’t let his defenses down. Remove the threat to her life and then he could explain. He focused on his lethal enemy. “Here’s your money. Let her go, now!”

“Uh, uh, not so fast. Throw the briefcase here so I can count the cash.”

“I’m not throwing this damn thing. If it breaks open, all those bills will float out to sea. I’ll walk over to you. Take the gun away from her head.”

“Just move your ass in this direction! I’m in control, just as I’ve always been.”

Lukas crept toward them and placed the case at Nick’s feet. As he suspected, the greedy bastard lowered himself, laid the gun on the ground, and counted the money. In that fraction of a second, Lukas pulled out Barry’s gun and shot Nick Holland, Michael Holmes, faux Ian Yates, and Mackenzie Zegar in the chest.

The slug propelled him backward, one hand grasped a tree branch, but his lower body dangled off the cliff. Nick’s free hand clawed, fighting to find something to hold onto. At the last moment, he clutched Caitlin’s ankle and dragged her with him. He managed to relay one last dying message. “I’m the hero of this family! Finally, all of you sanctimonious, pretentious, secret hiding assholes know and admit the truth, thanks to me. Caitlin, check the birth certificates if you don’t believe me. You’ll find all of your answers.”

Lukas lurched forward and slammed his foot on Nick’s hand with as much force as he could muster, setting his granddaughter free. Nick Holland’s arms flailed in windmill motions as his body fell. A bright red splotch covered his chest. If the bullet hadn’t killed him, the rocks below surely would.

Lukas lifted Caitlin to a standing position, wrapped his arms around her and hugged his only granddaughter to his chest.

* * * *

Caitlin, stunned and dazed, welcomed the warm comfort. She pushed away abruptly when she saw a man emerge from the brush a few yards away. Caitlin ran to him immediately, confident she could trust him implicitly. Barry. She sagged into his embrace, shuddering sobs wracked her body. “Barry, this whole thing has been a nightmare! I don’t know who to believe anymore. Linda tried to poison us, Nick dressed up like my mother and kidnapped me, and now Lukas admitted to being my grandfather. Everyone’s gone crazy.”

Barry held Caitlin in a tight hug. Her anguish sent a searing pain into his heart, similar to the bullet ending Nick’s life. Barry had to do the right thing; he released Caitlin and held her at arm’s length. “Caitlin, I by no means condone the manner in which Lukas handled this whole ordeal, and I mean from your father’s birth. He told me everything, I think, but he needs to tell you himself. Believe me when I tell you this, from what I saw that bastard do today, as unconventional as it was, he’s been protecting you and your father this whole time. I’ll even go out on a limb and say he loves you and wants to become a real grandfather to you. He’s probably going to be held for questioning. You should go talk to him, get some of your answers, okay?” Barry choked on his words. He wanted to kill Lukas for his antics but Caitlin needed to know the truth and come to her own decisions.

Hesitant, Caitlin stepped toward Lukas. A police cruiser screeched into the parking lot and Scott, Tomas, and Chris ran in their direction. No one got very far.

Suddenly sand and dirt stirred, the overpowering sound of helicopter blades churning filled the air. Dust and debris swirled in Caitlin’s face and burned her eyes. Tears, which could be generated from emotions or the stinging sand kicked up from the rotors, streamed down her face.

News helicopters appeared from nowhere and filmed the unfolding drama.

Lukas grabbed Caitlin and pulled her to the safety of the waiting car while the choppers continued to circle.

In the sanctity of the car, Caitlin let out a sigh. Before the door to the car closed, Scott jumped into the back seat. His eyes blazed with hatred for the man sitting next to her. He started to lecture Lukas. “You have impeded this investigation and will be taken into custody as soon as we reach the local police station. I’m going to read you your rights.”

Caitlin pushed her husband back into his seat. “Back off a minute, will you? He’s not going anywhere. Look around, everything is on TV. They probably even got a shot of Nick’s dead body sprawled on top of the rocks.”

* * * *

Jack sat in front of the television, his mind was elsewhere until a newsman’s voice boomed from the speakers announcing a breaking story. He literally fell out of his chair. On screen, Lukas Bucklin dragged his daughter into a nearby car. He recognized jagged black rocks in the background. Jack knew the location. He turned the volume up full blast, the reporter commented. “In a bizarre series of events, mega billionaire, Lukas Bucklin saved the life of Caitlin Martel. He shot a man in the chest, causing the alleged assailant to plummet to his death. The identity of the deceased man is unknown at this time. This footage shows Ms. Martel being led away into a car by her savior. It is believed that Ms. Martel was being held at gunpoint by the deceased man. Lukas Bucklin arrived just in time. We’ll have more on this story as the information becomes available.”

Jack sat back not knowing whether to feel anger or joy. Joy took precedence, his daughter was safe. He couldn’t believe Lukas Bucklin ended up the hero. Anger began to surface, he had to quench it for the moment. The phone rang, he jumped. It was Barry, thank-goodness! Jack let out a barrage of questions. “Barry, is she all right? Where is Lukas taking her? Was it…”

Barry interrupted. “She’s fine and yes it was Nick, he’s dead and out of your life forever. I’ll call you as soon as I can. I need to get a report from Chris.”

Jack exhaled, relief washed over him in a flood. He looked at his watch, once again panic settled in. Constance’s flight should be landing in a few minutes. His wife had no idea that she’d been impersonated in Miami, her daughter almost killed and making headline news, or her twin brother was behind everything and now dead. He dialed Daniel.

“Dad, I saw it on TV. I’m in the airport VIP lounge waiting for Mom and Dean to get off the plane. I’m in here alone, so I’ll explain what I can to Mom before she sees the news. Is it really over? How the hell did Lukas get there in time, and who was the man he shot?”

“Daniel, I just got off the phone with Barry. He and Lukas flew to St. Kitts in the Bucklin jet. Barry identified the man that has been threatening Caitlin. He was your mother’s twin brother. He’s dead. He has always been trouble but I never thought he’d be capable of anything like this.”

“Shit! What a sick bastard. Why, why did he do all of this?”

“Revenge and money, simple as that,” Jack declared. “I’ll know more when Barry calls me back.”

“It won’t be easy, but I’ll do my best to get Mom and Dean out of here discreetly. This airport is always a madhouse but you should see it today! The minute I walked in the door the vultures, who are my colleagues I might add, recognized me right off the bat and started to swarm me. I didn’t know what was happening. At first I thought I missed something big in one of the baseball games or some NFL quarterback unexpectedly got traded. I panicked when they mentioned Caitlin, then I realized they were waiting for Mom’s plane to land. Fortunately, I was able to sneak away, used my VIP press pass. Mom and Dean will be escorted to this lounge.”

“Thanks, Son.” Jack hung up the phone. He didn’t want to bash the press to his son but damn them! Ascending like predators, waiting for his wife. He couldn’t blame the reporters entirely. Jack was sure they had a little help from Nick. A discreet phone call to cause havoc: Constance on a flight from Miami, Constance in flight to Atlanta, very simple to check. The media coverage on that island, well that was Lukas’s doing. A man of his stature, arriving by private plane, helicopter waiting; the scenario would capture anyone’s attention.

Jack didn’t have to ponder the media’s reaction further, satisfied with the explanation he had come up with. One item continued to mystify him, his wife’s deceit. Why didn’t she tell him Nick visited a few weeks ago? Battling with his own conscience, he decided that query could wait. He hadn’t been completely forthcoming in the information department either, had he? He knew this nightmare was over. Or was it? Why had Lukas Bucklin raced to Caitlin’s side?

* * * *

Lukas instructed the driver to get out of the frenzy as quickly as possible. He returned his attention to his two guests, speaking in his usual commandeering style. Scott attempted to put his arm around his wife. Caitlin brushed him away, intent on facing Lukas Bucklin in the eye as he relayed to her what had happened all of those years ago.

He grasped her hand and began at the beginning, the story of how she had come to be his granddaughter. “Caitlin, I never meant for any of this to happen. It’s my fault entirely, I admit that. It’s too late for your father to forgive me but I plead with you to give me a chance in my last few years. It would be an honor to get to know my only granddaughter.”

Caitlin restrained herself from interrupting, she let the man continue. He sounded sincere.

“What I did from the very beginning was wrong. If I claimed your father as my son, my own father would have made my life hell, worse for Jack. It was so different back then and your father wouldn’t be the man he is today if I raised him.”

Caitlin shot forward. “How can you say that? My father feels unwanted, abandoned!”

Lukas raised his voice, causing Caitlin to lean back against her husband. “You don’t understand. You wouldn’t be who you are today either if I had raised your father. Look at my son James then look at you and your father. The two of you are strong and independent, grew up in loving homes with parents who adored you. Can’t you see that? James grew up with a mother who could care less about him. All she married me for was my money. I was never home to ensure the boy’s upbringing, now he’s a loose cannon, in his private life and my company. He has the title of CEO and that’s all. I make all of the decisions, not James. I had to have some sort of a succession plan in place to satisfy the Board of Directors.” Lukas sat back a minute before continuing. “I have gotten far off track. Let me back up and start at the beginning. When your grandmother told me she was pregnant, at first I was appalled and wanted her to go away, but then my sense of duty prevailed, and I asked her to marry me. She refused. Jane had recently met another man and he agreed to raise my son as his own once they were married. Relieved but curious about the child I would never know, I kept tabs on them to make sure my son grew up in a loving environment.