Saving Each Other (BWWM Romance) (13 page)

“You wouldn’t be keeping me here if you weren’t already on your way down.” He nodded at the man next to me, I guess that was a signal for him to hit me. He punched me hard in the face.

“Ah, yes. I have to applaud you. In the last forty-eight hours, I’ve been questioned by the FBI, DEA, and our offices are currently held over by the NADDI. But don’t think I haven’t been in this situation before, why do you think I hired Washington D.C’s best lawyer and national lobbyist four years ago?” I looked at him, shocked. All the pieces of the puzzle were coming together. What’s worse is that I knew I was going to die there, and no one would ever know.

Chapter Eight: Tamara

“Do you want me to get you anything else? Maybe something to eat?” Mallory asked me, she had been taking care of me for three days since I got back home.

“No, you’ve helped me enough. I can start doing it on my own.” I was only a little bit sore and I stopped having headaches. Now that my memory was back, I know the only way I could get to Dan was to get back to work and play the part.

“Okay, well I’ll be in my room.”

“Wait, I-I want to talk to you. Tell you what happened.” She had been begging me to tell her, to just talk to her, but thinking about Dan was too much for me. But now I thought I might explode if I didn’t tell someone.

“Okay, I’m listening.” She sat next to me on the bed and looked at me intensely.

“There were two of them. The one that took me, his name was Dan, and his partner’s name was Justin. In the beginning, I was kept in a really dark room. They fed me twice a day though, so I didn’t really starve I guess. After a while, Dan started being nicer to me…like he would look at me different, you know.” She nodded and I continued nervously.

“I didn’t know why I was there until they forced me to make a video that explained everything, and later led to me being rescued. Then something changed, I don’t know what it was but… I started to feel things for Dan and he felt things for me too.” She gasped quietly.

“He took me out of that dark room and I pretty much lived with him until I was saved. He wasn’t what I thought he was, he was just doing the right thing and I was collateral damage, part of the necessary evil.” I smiled a bit at the memory.

“So was it like… Stockholm syndrome or something? I don’t get it.” She furrowed her brow in confusion.

“No, if it was then I don’t think I would be wanting to go back to him, wanting to save him. I still think about him and that night--“ I stopped, realizing I had said too much.

“What night?”

“We-we had sex…more like made love.” I remembered the way his touch felt, I would do anything to feel it again.

“Holy shit! What the hell?”

“I know, it sounds crazy but I…I don’t know.”

“Do you love him?” I looked at her sadly.

“I don’t know, but I know I have never felt like this for anyone.” She rubbed my hand softly.

“What are you going to do?”

“I have to tell you something, but you can’t tell anybody else.”

“Okay, what is it?”

“I was kidnapped because my company was doing illegal things, smuggling drugs and guns outside of the country for money. Dan is an activist, that’s why he was trying to stop it by taking me. When I figured out what my company was doing, I was immediately on their side. They are the ones who found me, not the police, and they took Dan.”

“Oh my goodness, so what does this mean? Are you going back to work for them?”

“If I don’t, I’ll never find Dan.” She looked at me, confused as to what I meant.

“Mallory, they’re going to kill him.”

It was almost like normal. I got up, made coffee, took a shower, and then got dressed for work. I wore a pair of long black slacks and a white chiffon blouse. Mallory helped me fix my hair, I now wore it in a short bob. I put on plum-colored lipstick and only put on a bit of makeup.

“That’s all you need for breakfast?” Mallory commented on my cup of coffee.

“I’m a bit nervous.” I prepared for that day for the past week. I had been going to work like normal, weaseling my way back in. Now, I knew where they were keeping Dan.

“Please don’t die today,” Mallory said.

“I won’t die…I’m just hoping that Dan isn’t already dead.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing something this crazy. Do you even know how to shoot a gun?”

“My dad was a Marine, he made sure I knew how.” She came over and hugged me tightly.

“I fucking love you, and I know you love Dan. I can’t wait to meet him.” I couldn’t protest before she skipped away. I gulped down my caffeine and grabbed my purse, heading for work.

I had to rent a car for a while, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to get. I thought of it as an unexpected new start, I didn’t really like the Acura anyway.

“Good morning, I put your mail on your desk.” My assistant, Tyra, said to me as I walked into my office.

“Thank you.”

I rode out the rest of the day, waiting until everybody left. I changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt that I brought. My crazy father had given me a gun holster for my birthday so I wore that under the leather jacket I threw on over the sweatshirt. After a lot of snooping, I managed to find out that Chris had taken multiple trips to an old warehouse downtown, I had to put all my faith and believe that was where Dan was.

I pulled the hood over my head as I drove, arriving at the warehouse in less than fifteen minutes. I was scared out of my mind but I was capable, it was the only time I thanked my father for teaching me how to fight and shoot instead of telling me he loved me. There was no security at the gate so I entered easily. I went in through the back door. It was a long hallway, at the end there was a dark, large door. I drew my gun, checking my corners before I proceeded down the hallway. The sneakers I changed into were quiet, no one could hear my footsteps. The farther I went, the more I heard noises. There was booming laughter from men, I assumed they were some mercenaries that Simms hired.

The room they were in was cracked open slightly, I peered through the crack. There were four of them and they were all huge. I contemplated shooting them all right then, but they would draw fire and blow me to bits in seconds. I snuck past the door, clearing the corners in the next hallway before I proceeded. At the end of that hall, there was a large door that was latched shut; I went closer, and there was no key outlet. I undid the latches, my heart beating faster and faster.

“Oh Christ!” I gasped to myself. Justin was tied up in a chair slouched over, I adjusted my eyes and saw the bullet holes in his head. Dan was slouched over too, I was begging that he wasn’t also dead.

I approached him and saw him breathing, I let out a breath of relief.

“Dan?” I rubbed his shoulder slightly and he looked up at me. His face was destroyed. He couldn’t open either of his eyes and he was bleeding everywhere. He was shirtless and I could see that he had at least three broken ribs on either side.

“Tamara, what are you doing here?” I could barely recognize his voice.

“I’m saving you.” The tears left my eyes slowly, I was so happy I had found him alive. I took out my pocket knife and cut his hands and feet loose. I had to catch him before he fell forward, he groaned when I touched his ribs. He must have been in so much pain.

“Can you walk?” I asked him.

“Yes, I think so,” he breathed. He didn’t even have enough energy to talk. I draped his arm around my shoulder and practically dragged him with me. Damn, he was really heavy.

We just had to make it past the guards without being seen. They were still laughing loudly when we passed, so I knew we were safe.

“Come on, we’re almost there,” I whispered to Dan.

I thanked the heavens when we made it back to my car. I strapped him into the passenger seat and ran around to the driver side, putting my gun away.

“We have to get you to the hospital.”

“No, we have to go back.”

“What?” I stepped on the brake just after I cleared the warehouse.

“We have to go get Justin’s body.”

“Dan, I can report the location to the police and they’ll find the body, but we can’t risk going back.”

“He’s my best friend --I can’t just leave him,” he sobbed. I looked at him sadly, it would never work without those guards ending up dead…or me, and I’m not sure I could kill someone and Dan was in no condition to be throwing punches.

“Okay, I have a plan. Just hold on.” I pulled out my phone and called Mallory, hoping she would say yes to the absurd task.

“Mallory, I need a favor.”

“What is it? Did you find him?”

“Yes but...can you get down to the address I texted you?”

“Uh, I guess. What do you need me to do?”

Chapter Nine: Mallory

I love my best friend. You know I love her, because I was currently putting on a Halloween costume I never thought I would wear again. Well, she said she needed a distraction. I was down to the warehouse in less than twenty minutes, I saw her car parked about a mile out and I walked up to her.

“I’m here,” I said after I knocked and she rolled down the window. I looked past her and saw Dan, he looked horrible. But I was sure if he wasn’t all bruised up he would be hot.

“Okay, let’s go. I’ll be back, Dan.” She kissed his forehead and got out, locking the door of the car.

“You look good,” she said to me.

“I hope it’s good enough. How do you plan on getting him out of there?”

“Summoning my strength from yoga,” she joked.

“I feel like a superhero,” I giggled.

“Thank you so much, Mallory. You don’t have to go too far with them, I just need a distraction.”

“Please, if any of them are good looking I might not be leaving with you.” I really meant that.

Once we were inside, I walked a little quieter on my heels.

“They’re in there.” She pointed to a door at the end of the hall. I nodded.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks, ten minutes tops okay?” I nodded and she ran quietly past me to the next hall.

“Hello, boys.” I smiled at them.

They all turned and looked at me, surprised.

“Who are you?” One of them, I suppose the leader, asked me.

“I’m just a little gift from your boss, I’m here to reward you for all your hard work.” I undid the belt on my trench coat, revealing my sexy lingerie.

“Well, come on in.”

Chapter 10: Tamara

Justin was a lot heavier than Dan but I managed to get him out. I still haven’t stopped thanking Mallory and it’s been a week. She says she had fun though so hey, everybody wins. I never left Dan’s side at the hospital bed, every day I watched him get better but you could see there was a permanent hole in his heart from Justin.

It was worse at the funeral, I held him as he sobbed into my chest. He got better a few days afterwards, I had put my resignation in a few days ago so I was able to stay at home with Dan. I had basically moved into his house, which was very impressive.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” he said to me one night when we were snuggled up in his bed. He had gotten a lot better physically, but mentally he was still coping with Justin’s death.

“It’s no problem.” I kissed his forehead softly. He looked up at me and locked eyes with me before he kissed me softly. It was the first time we had kissed since I was last in his captivity.

“Tamara,” he whispered against my lips. I rubbed his face softly, his eyes were telling me something that he couldn’t say, but I didn’t know what it was.

“You saved me,” he stated.

“Yeah, I did.” I smiled, confused as to what he was getting at.

“Even though you aren’t under my control anymore.”

“Yeah, I’m here of my own free will.” I smiled at him warmly.

“Oh, Tamara. I don’t know what to say,” he breathed.

“Tell me the truth then, what is it?” He kissed me once more, very gingerly and softly.

“I am in love with you, Tamara. I am so deeply in love with you.” I gasped at his confession. I think I almost cried, no one has ever told me that before. No one has ever loved me.