Chapter 16
Mel woke up groggy. Her mouth tasted like cotton and her head hurt.
She opened her eyes and blinked trying to see in the darkness that surrounded her.
She lifted her hand, but her arm wouldn’t move and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw the ropes tied around them and the arms of the chair.
The memories hit her, and she struggled against the confinement as panic welled up inside her.
Her heart raced as the sound of a door opening came to her and she looked around trying to find where it came from in the darkness. A light flickered on, and she saw Devon walking towards her as Kevin stood in the doorway with an evil grin on his face.
“The bitch is finally awake,” Kevin stated and the light glistened off the barrel of the gun he held making her breath stall in her chest.
“Don’t call her that,” Devon said turning towards his brother. “She wasn’t a part of it, so back off Kev.”
Mel had felt fear before but not even the attack had left her this shaken and terrified. Her instincts were screaming for her to run but she couldn’t, and it made her start to hyperventilate.
“What do you want?” she asked pulling at all of her reserves to keep her voice steady.
“What do you think we want?” Kevin said with a glint in his eye as he surveyed her. “Dev wants you, but I want your money, all of it.”
“Devon, please just let me go,” she said trying to get through to him. “This isn’t you.”
“You don’t know Dev, not the real Dev anyway,” Kevin laughed coming into the room aiming the gun at her. “Tell her.”
“Mel, I’m sorry,” he stated and Kevin slugged him in the gut.
“Don’t try and turn on me little brother,” Kevin said and her breath stalled again.
No way. They couldn’t be brothers…
“Devon, please,” she tried but he turned away from her, and she knew the truth was right there. “Why?”
“Because your father destroyed ours,” Kevin answered for him.
“He went to jail and we had nothing. Not me and my mother or Dev and his. It was fate when we saw you and Jordan looking around the dealership last summer. A few inquiries and there we were, right beside you in class, not to mention destroying your Jeep. If it weren’t for that damned storm, I’d have already had what I wanted, but Dev wanted you. ”
Mel felt her throat tighten even more as the fear took her to a new place she didn’t like, didn’t want to be, remain. “So what…what are you planning on now?”
“I plan on taking the money and running. Dev can make his own decision once the ten mil’s in my pockets,” he replied. “What do you say little brother? Want to test out the merchandise with me?”
“Leave her alone Kev,” Devon stated stepping between them as Kevin used the barrel of the gun to lift a strand of her hair off her shoulder. “Go send the instructions for the drop. I want to spend some time with Mel—alone.”
“If you even think of crossing me Dev you’ll see how far I’m willing to go to protect myself,” he warned before sauntering out of the room.
“Devon please don’t do this,” Mel said blinking back the tears as he neared her. “Take my jewelry, anything else, just please…”
“I’m not going to hurt you Mel,” he replied bringing a chair up to sit in front of her. “I only went along with this to make sure you stayed safe. Kev’s nuts. I swear, I won’t let him hurt you.”
“Says the guy who kidnapped me,” she countered turning away from him as the tears formed again. “Just go away Devon. Don’t touch me,” she added, panic welling when he reached his hand towards her.
“Alright, I promise I’ll make sure you get home but if I don’t go along with him…I’ll get you something to drink,” he said moving away as she stared at the ground.
Once he left, she let the sob out and the panic racked her frame with shudders. She was freezing and her hands were tingling from the ropes tied around her arms.
“Please let me get home,” she whispered to the vacant room. “Let me get back to Jordan and Tate, please.”
She pushed back the fear and the panic willing herself to stay strong until someone found her or they let her go.
She promised herself she’d tell Jordan she loved him the moment she saw him.
She had to tell him; she had to have the chance to tell him.
She didn’t care how long it took, she’d find a way to get back to Jordan and tell him.
∞∞∞
“They want the money left in the middle of the campus?” Grant asked as Jordan relayed the instructions they’d received. “Is the guy completely mental or something? He does know we’ll have police staked out watching, right?”
“They said no cops,” Tate told them as the computer continued to search for Mel’s signal. Wherever they were it wasn’t getting a wireless signal, and he wished he’d put in a real tracker. He would after this.
“I don’t care, there’s no way we’re letting them walk away with ten million,” Jake replied. “We’ll watch the bag ourselves and follow them.”
“Jordan, let me take the bag,” Dwight said coming over to him. “They’ll send you the instructions of where to find Mel and you’ll be able to tell the police immediately. We’ll stick around the campus to make sure they don’t play dirty.”
Jordan wavered over the decision until it was time to make the drop.
Mel’s signal still hadn’t come up, and he finally agreed to let Dwight take the money so he could go with the police and find Mel.
He hadn’t slept but then again neither had Tate and he knew Tate was just as worried as he was.
They both loved Mel but in completely different ways and he’d make sure Mel knew how much he loved her once she was home.
He’d never let her out of his sight again he swore as they waited for the text to come through on where to find her.
Dwight was on the phone with Arthur when it did and they told them someone else had picked up the bag.
They were following the person who’d picked it up and said they’d let them know once they stopped.
Jordan and Tate drove with the police to the location, staying back behind the last vehicle as they’d promised while the cops went into the building to look for Mel. Tate’s phone beeped and he checked it swearing.
“What is it?” Jordan asked.
“Mel’s phone just came online. She’s not here Jordan,” he said showing him the map.
“They’re out past Chaney,” Jordan stated. “Didn’t Devon say he was renting a house with several others?”
“I figured it was a lie, plus the police checked there last night,” Tate replied.
“Then explain how all of a sudden her phone came online without it moving?”
“They weren’t sending the texts from a phone,” Tate said cursing again. “They used a computer program to send them while they probably blocked their cells but since whoever it was picked up the money, they needed a way to get in touch with them. This is where Mel is.”
“Let’s go,” Jordan said hopping into the car with Tate right behind him. He drove as fast as he could, ignoring the speed limit signs and the traffic lights as they raced towards Chaney and hopefully Mel.
They pulled up outside an old rundown house set back off the road and Tate nodded.
“This is where the signal’s coming from,” he stated then pointed towards the van they saw around the corner of the house.
“I’m not waiting for the cops,” Jordan said pushing the door open.
“I’m not about to either,” Tate agreed turning his phone to silent as Jordan did the same, but he dialed the number for the chief and slid the phone into his back pocket hoping they’d show. They crept up the field and around to the back of the house checking the windows to see if they saw anyone.
“Shit,” Tate whispered as they crouched down when they spotted Kevin with the gun shouting at someone into a cell phone.
He cautiously glanced back up and saw Devon in the corner watching Kevin.
He kept shooting looks towards a room on the other side of the house and Tate motioned for them to go around the other way.
They checked the windows of the rooms on the other side and found one that was blocked by boards.
Tate grabbed hold of the bottom of a board and pulled while Jordan pushed the top to let the bottom nails slide out.
Through the slat, they saw Mel with her head slumped to the side and quickly worked to get the other boards off so they could get to her.
The window was large, thanks to the age of the house, and once the boards were off, they were able to slip through the open hole.
“Mel, baby,” Jordan whispered reaching her side. He saw a huge bruise on her temple and cursed as they tried to find something to cut the ropes on her arms.
Mel groaned feeling someone touch her and she recoiled in fear until the familiarity of the touch got through to her. Her eyes flew open and she gasped.
“Jordan, Tate, how?” she asked as the tears formed.
“Shh Mel, we’re gonna get you out of here honey,” Tate said working on the knot.
“Baby, shh…you’re going to be fine,” Jordan told her as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
She took a deep breath leaning her head against his letting their presence soothe the ache inside her.
Instantly it was renewed when the door flew open and Kevin rushed them.
He slammed the gun into the back of Jordan’s head, and she watched as he fell down onto the floor.
Tate was up and trying to get in front of her, missing the fist that shot out and connected to the side of his face.
Kevin jumped him and she saw him slam Tate down onto the ground with his arm against his neck until Tate’s eyes closed and couldn’t stop the cry that flew from her lips. He turned towards her and pointed the gun at her head. “Shut up.”
Devon stood in the doorway surveying the scene before he hurried over and stepped between them. “Let’s just go.”
“No, the plan’s changed Dev. They’re not getting her back, and neither are you,” Kevin said. “Go get the rope and tie them up while girlie and I have a little chat.”
“Kev…”
“Now or I put a bullet in her chest.”