False Regret: Pikorua - Book 1 (37 page)

“Sorry,
I didn’t mean to disturb you.” I rubbed my hand to get the circulation going.

He
took my arm in his hands and massaged it. “I’m leaving this morning, El, to
meet Roberts in Florida. There was a tip that came in late last night.” He
glanced at the blue numbers on the digital clock. “My flight leaves in about
two hours.”

“What
did they tell you?” I asked sitting up, feeling hopeful.

“A
lady in a restaurant thought she recognized a woman with a baby from the news.
A team interviewed her, and the feds have been combing the area.  I need to go,
just in case. You understand, don’t you?” He reached up and touched my face.

“Of
course,” I said, and laid back down next to him, putting my head on his chest. “I
pray it means something this time.” My voice wavered.

He
grasped my chin, forcing me to look at him. “El, we’ll get him back. Even if
it’s after the trial, Willow will return him, I know it.”

I
bit my lip, not wanting to argue with him anymore. Not for one second did I
believe that witch would ever bring him home of her own doing. Cayden was a tie
to Cade, and she’d keep him for that very reason. Besides, prison awaited her
whether she got caught or turned him in on her own. She’d maintain her
sovereignty as long as possible.

I
kissed Cade goodbye at the door, his hair damp from a shower, and my eyes wet
with tears. My mother hugged him, and I watched him drive away, taking my heart
with him.

***

Two
nights after Cade’s departure, my phone woke me, buzzing around the nightstand.
I looked at caller ID but didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”

“Is
this Ellia Meyers?” asked a woman’s voice, but it was not Willow.

“Yes,
this is she. Who is this?”

“That
doesn’t matter, but if you want to see your son, you need to listen with
careful consideration.” I sprang out of the bed, my hands already shaking, as I
grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil out of the nightstand.

“I
am listening,” I said, trying my best to be calm.

“Number
one rule is that you cannot, I repeat, cannot, talk to the police, or the FBI,
or your mother, and especially not Cade Cantrell. This is between us alone, or
I will hang up right now. This is a disposable phone and cannot be traced. Do
you understand me?” she asked.

“Yes,
I won’t tell anyone. I just want my son,” I responded, feeling the bile in my
throat as my heart performed flips in my chest.

“We
have taken the liberty to book a flight for you to Tampa via Delta airlines.
You will depart at nine in the morning from Detroit Metro. Someone will meet
you in Tampa at the Delta terminal and give you further instruction. If any law
enforcement are present, the deal is off, and you won’t get your son back in
the near future. Do you understand, Ellia, it is imperative you comply.” The
woman was stern, but not unkind.

“Yes,
I understand, and I’ll do exactly what you say. My only goal is getting Cayden
back.” I said with honesty.

“Good,
then we shall see you tomorrow.” The lady disconnected, leaving a deathly
silence in the phone. Terror held my hand, and my instinct was to call Cade;
but that was not an option. My only other friend was also a federal agent, and
I refused to involve my mom. I had to do this, even if it was a complete ruse and
something more was afoot. There was no choice, and I was alone in my dilemma.

At
once, I got out of bed and packed a small carry-on bag. I scribbled a note to my
mother, saying I went to meet up with Cade for a day or two and would phone her
later. The lie would only last until Cade called. I hoped he was in one of his
incommunicado modes, leaving me time to get Cayden home before I caused them
any worry. Cade wouldn’t hesitate to deceive me or withhold information if it
meant getting our son back, and that lessened my guilt.  

The
fear of being tricked, plagued me.  Camerson had to know about my child’s
abduction, and he might be using it to lure me away from FBI protection, but I was
willing to take the chance.  A cab seemed the best way to slip the agents
guarding the house. I had the taxi park down the road, and I slipped out my
bedroom window like a teenager sneaking out to meet her lover. A car rental company
met me with a set of keys and a small sedan, at a gas station miles from the
house.  I drove through the night and reached Detroit Metro with an hour to
spare.  I was so nervous, I could barely breathe, but I kept a handle on my
angst by remembering how Cayden felt in my arms.

When
I landed in Tampa, I waited in the Delta Airlines terminal, as requested. Soon,
a tall woman with long, black hair, which hung past her bottom, approached me.
It was thick and shiny as polished Onyx, covered by a white floppy hat. She wore
over-sized sun glasses and stylish clothes. She had the air of money about her,
which made me even more nervous, thinking she belonged to Camerson.

“Ellia?”
she whispered, scanning the area to look for suspicious activity.

“Yes,”
I replied. She nodded and linked her arm through mine as if we were old friends.
She led me to a cab parked outside the airport. I got in, asking no questions
at first, trying to take in every detail of the situation.  We drove until we
reached the outskirts of the city where the cab pulled into a shopping center,
and the woman paid the driver. She motioned for me to follow her. A white Lexus
sat waiting for us. She unlocked the car and opened the passenger side door for
me. We still had not spoken since the initial meeting.

“Where
is Cayden?” I asked, finally breaking the silence, my nerves frayed. We had
been driving south for almost an hour. “When can I have him?”

She
reached over and patted my knee with long fingers ending in a red manicure.
“Not much longer. I can only imagine how anxious you must be. This has been a
horrible experience for you—no doubt.  I apologize for these theatrics and
precautions, but I will reveal all to you when we arrive.” She looked at me and
smiled, revealing perfect white teeth. “You don’t have to be afraid; no one will
hurt you or the baby ever again.”

I
wasn’t sure whether to put any faith in that statement, but it didn’t matter at
that point. I was in her custody and at her mercy. No choice remained but to push
through to the end. I’d do whatever it took to get my son back. We drove on
through the day, the woman stopping once for gourmet coffee. I declined her
offer for a fancy beverage, and we continued on our way.  Finally, we arrived
at an old warehouse, the windows mostly missing. It was very desolate, and I
noted not a soul would hear me scream. My heart went into immediate overdrive. Outside,
two vehicles sat parked. The beautiful woman in white, exited the car first,
and then I followed her like a moth to a flame. The door to the building was
missing, leaving a black hole like a missing tooth. It was hot in southern
Florida, and I was perspiring heavily from the heat and my nerves. I wiped my
forehead with my hand and rubbed it on my pants leg. Once through the entryway,
the interior seemed cool by comparison, and goose bumps broke out on my damp
skin as my pulse raced at an alarming pace. 

She
led me to what appeared to be a shipping office. “Wait here, Ellia,” she said,
motioning for me to have a seat in a tattered swivel chair behind a rusty desk.
“I will be right back.” The woman hurried from the room, and I checked my phone.
Two missed calls from my mother, and three from Cade glared back at me. The
voice mails and texts were flooding in, but I ignored them all. The jig was up,
but I refused to consider them at the moment. I would contact Cade as soon as I
had Cayden. Shoving the cell in my pocket, I waited, full of anxiety, for whatever
came next.  The Floridian landscape was foreign to me, and I had no idea where
we were.  I heard someone enter the room, and I turned, expecting to see the woman-in-white,
but it wasn’t her. My heart sank and fear seized me when Basti Lischka stood in
the doorway--Salt-and-pepper. I leapt from the chair and backed myself far into
the corner. Flashes of him ripping out my fingernails and ramming his man part
into me, filled my brain. I fought my mind as it tried to flee, and tears fell
from my frozen face.

“Come
with me,” he said in his German accent, sending waves of fear rolling through
me. I couldn’t move. The trepidation immobilized me.

Woman-in-white
appeared behind him. “Go back downstairs Mr. Lischka. I shall bring her.” The
man smiled in his wickedness and seemed disappointed that his terrorizing would
have to wait. She looked at me with compassion. “I am so sorry for what you’ve
suffered, Ellia. Don’t be afraid of him. I swear on my life he will never hurt
you again. You are safe, but you have to trust me. We can’t have any mistakes.”
She held out her hand, but my trembling form still would not budge. She
beckoned with her fingers. “Come now, sweet girl, walk with me. We will go retrieve
your son.”

Fueled
only by the wish to retrieve Cayden, I grasped her hand like a life preserver.
I couldn’t fail him. We went down a set of industrial metal stairs that led
into a basement. A place where no one would ever find my body, I imagined. 

Once
in the musty recesses of the abandoned structure, I gasped when I saw Willow
chained to a chair. Her battered face stared at me as I noted her swollen eye
and bruised cheeks. Blood dripped from her split lips.

“As
you can see, we have Agent Mendiola, which also means we have your beautiful
little boy. We have a bit of business to attend to before we bring him in though.”

Here
was the hook, I thought. Now things will get ugly for me. Just then a door
opened, and my father walked into the room, looking fresh and tan, as if he’d
never suffered a day in his life. He didn’t give me time to react before he
crossed the room and hugged me hard. I stood like a statue, too afraid to move
or even breathe.

“Ellia,”
he said into my hair. “Honey, I am so sorry for everything that happened, especially
about Sam.” He looked into my tear filled eyes, but I didn’t respond. I would
never forgive him for what he’d done to us. “I did what I had to do to protect
my small sons. You and Samuel were adults’, baby, and my boys were just two and
four years old. They could not have withstood what you did. Sam didn’t make it,
and I have to live with that for the rest of my life. But sweetheart, my other boys
are just children.”

“I
don’t care about any of that, Bradley.  I don’t give a shit about you, or your
wife, or your kids, or your apologies. I want my son back.” My voice failed me
as the sobs took hold.

“I
know, honey, and you will see him soon. First, we need to avenge the wrongs
done to you. Last night, I put Camerson down like a filthy dog. You won’t need
to stand trial, baby girl, and you’ll never need fear him again.” My mind barely
had time to react to the statement as events unfolded. He stepped away from me.
“Basti,” he yelled, “could you please come in here?”

Salt-and-pepper
entered the room, and I physically shrank again. My father watched me. “It’s all
right, he won’t hurt you. Basti works for me now, and he will make up for his
transgressions.” My dad regarded his own mutilated fingers, and I couldn’t read
the expression that found his face.

My
dad approached Basti, as if to say something in his ear, instead, he shot
Lischka point blank between the eyes. His cold blue orbs took on a look of
understanding as his dead body hit the floor. My father looked at me. “I waited
to kill him so you could stand witness. Just so you understand, I made a deal
with him back in Detroit so he would help me escape, and he’s worked for me
since then. Gaining his trust was a challenge, but I am good at what I do. The
plan was always to murder that bastard when the time was right, and now it has
arrived. That was for you, Ellia, and Sam, and your mom. The scum bag will
never hurt another living soul. You’ll be forever free from him. I can’t undo
what he did to you, but I hope it gives you peace.”

Shock
strummed my sanity as I watched Salt-and-pepper’s brain leak out on the stained
concrete. I turned and vomited all over the floor, gasping for air. The brutal
act was further evidence the man had lost his mind. Woman-in-white crossed the
room and gave me a little hug as she handed me a monogrammed hankie to wipe my
mouth.

“Now,”
my father said, “onto our little kidnapping agent.” He swung the weapon around
to Willow.

“Please
don’t,” she begged. “Ellia, please don’t let him kill me. I’m sorry I took
Cayden, but it was only to protect him. Please don’t let him do this!”  I found
no time to react as my father lifted the gun and shot Agent Mendiola through
the eye socket. Her chair flew backwards with the force, and I screamed while
covering my eyes. I could not believe this demon was my father. Willow deserved
to be arrested, but not murdered at the hands of my maniac father.

Woman-in-white
stood beside me, and she placed her hand on my back. “This is justice honey, the
kind most law men would not dole out. You are safe, now, and so is your
beautiful little boy.”

“This
is my wife, Ellia.” My father stood in front of me. “Her name is Marisha. I
wish you’d met her under different circumstances.”

“Let’s
go upstairs and get your sweet baby,” Marisha said, taking me by the hand and
leading me away from the fallen bodies. Once again, she left me in the office
while my dad stood in the doorway.