Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MacGyver was in a good mood. A very good mood. Ever since he’d gotten back from his latest mission, things had been going very well for him. Artem, Borysko, and Yana were thriving. Every day they seemed to improve. With their weight, their English, their comfortability with their new lives. Yana had begun to sleep through the night in her own bed in the room she shared with Ellory, instead of waking up and going into her brothers’ room.
The boys were less on alert all the time. They were more carefree, more playful, and the other day they both even got into trouble. Most parents would be upset if their kids backtalked, or refused to pick up the mess they’d made in the living room because they were more interested in going outside to play. But MacGyver took it as a sign they were becoming truly comfortable in their surroundings. They weren’t afraid they would be sent back to Ukraine if they said or did the wrong thing.
And Ellory seemed to be managing her Crohn’s better. The fasting was really working for her. He had to keep reminding himself that the things they did as a family didn’t have to revolve around food. It was a difficult habit to break, as most get-togethers involved food of some sort. Food she couldn’t eat. So they were taking more walks, trips to do things that didn’t involve going out to eat all the time. The bullying at school seemed to have tapered off, and she was hanging out with two other girls who were involved in her theater class. So she was thriving, as far as MacGyver was concerned.
And his wife…
He’d never dreamed he could have a woman like Addison. He was so proud of her. He bragged about her baking business to anyone and everyone who would listen. He even kept some of her business cards in his pocket at all times, just in case someone showed the slightest bit of interest in a birthday cake or homemade goodies for one occasion or another. He’d also tacked a few up in the grocery store, and was pleased to see they were gone the next time he went in there.
Addison was also an amazing mother. The kids absolutely loved her. Most of their blossoming was because of her, MacGyver had no doubt about that. The best thing he’d ever done in his life was ask her to marry him.
Lately, he’d been thinking about having another ceremony. He felt bad that she’d been cheated out of the big wedding that most women seemed to love. None of their friends had been there, and he had no doubt a wedding and reception would be awesome. They could keep it small and intimate and?—
His thoughts stalled at that idea. Small. Yeah, right. Even with just his team, it would be over a dozen people. Add in his parents, his four siblings, her parents, Wolf’s SEAL team and their families…all of a sudden, there were at least fifty people. They’d need to rent a space on the naval base. Maybe they could do a combined beach ceremony and party.
But he was getting ahead of himself. First, he needed to ask Addison if that was something she’d want. If she said yes, the first thing he’d make clear was that she would not be making their wedding cake. He’d want her to relax and enjoy every moment, and not be stressed about something as simple as their cake. Of course, she wouldn’t think it was simple, but he knew exactly how to convince her…
Distraction. Take her to their room and make love to her until she was putty in his hands.
Sex with his wife was…MacGyver couldn’t even describe it. Being with Addison was simply right . And nothing between them was taboo. They’d experimented in bed with different positions, toys, and even a bit of role play, after she’d admitted to being curious as to Dude and Cheyenne’s dominant and submissive lifestyle. It wasn’t really for either of them, not as a permanent kind of thing…but MacGyver had enjoyed the hell out of being called “Sir” and having his wife at his mercy. Since he loved seeing her orgasm, forcing her to come four times before he finally entered her was also exciting. Almost intoxicating.
But what MacGyver loved most about his wife wasn’t the sex. It was the way she looked at him. All the love she had for him shone in her eyes every time she so much as glanced his way. He appreciated how she loved with her whole heart. Him, the kids they were so close to finally adopting, her daughter.
And he loved her kindness. How she went out of her way to help anyone who might need it. The woman who couldn’t afford to pay for a dozen cupcakes for her daughter’s birthday, so she’d settled on six…Addison had thrown in six for free, just because. Another woman who was struggling to put her groceries in her car because she was on crutches…Addison crossed the parking lot to help her.
It didn’t matter if she knew a person or not; Addison went out of her way to be kind to everyone.
Yes, MacGyver was blessed, and he knew it. And he’d do whatever it took to keep his wife happy. Happy wife, happy life. It was a corny saying, but he believed it down to his soul. And his goal in life was to keep Addison happy and healthy.
The time would come when he’d be deployed once more. And while he hated the thought of leaving his family, he’d do what needed to be done. He enjoyed any time spent with his SEAL teammates, but they were no longer his entire world. MacGyver felt as if he had more balance in his life now, and it felt incredible.
They’d actually recently begun the process of preparing for their next mission. It would be a doozy. More dangerous than the last, but just as rewarding. And there was always the chance something more imminent would interfere, and they’d be deployed elsewhere with little to no warning. Hostage situations were the main thing that derailed a planned mission. Or they could be needed as security detail for someone high up in political circles. He sometimes never knew where his job would take him.
But this morning, he was on the most important mission of all. MacGyver was making pancakes for his three little monsters. Addison had tried to get them to eat something else for breakfast, but from the first day they’d tried her pancakes, they’d been hooked and that was all they wanted. He’d left Addison in bed, sated and replete from their lovemaking. He’d skipped PT that morning just because, instead making love to his wife.
She wasn’t pregnant yet but he wasn’t worried. Was simply enjoying the journey to get there.
Yana was the first to arrive, looking sleepy but dressed for school. She sat at the table in the dining room and stared at MacGyver.
He raised a brow at her. “Good morning, Yana. You hungry?”
She nodded.
He smiled. “Then you need to come over here and get your plate and silverware. I’m not a waiter in this house. You can get your own dishes, then bring them to the dishwasher when you’re done.” Even though she was only five, she was perfectly capable of helping with simple tasks for breakfast.
She shrugged and slipped out of the chair and into the kitchen. She got a fork out of the drawer, took a plate off the stack waiting on the counter, then carried them to her seat at the table. She returned to the kitchen and got a cup and carefully filled it with orange juice from the refrigerator.
Artem and Borysko arrived a few minutes later and, without prompting, got their plates and forks. Ellory had just entered the room when MacGyver put a heaping pile of pancakes in the middle of the table.
All three kids stood up and reached for the stack.
“What do you say?” MacGyver warned.
They turned their heads toward him and said at the same time, “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. Enjoy.”
They were like little jackals with a fresh kill. It didn’t take long for the huge stack to become a tiny one.
“Morning,” Ellory said quietly as she got her protein shake out of the fridge.
“Morning. How did you sleep?” MacGyver asked.
“Good. Where’s Mom?”
“She’ll be up soon, I’m sure. I let her sleep in a little this morning.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“I know I told you already, but I wanted to say it again. You were great this weekend. The lighting in the play was perfect .”
“I messed up in the second act but recovered pretty quickly.”
“I didn’t even notice. But I did notice that you seem…happier lately.”
Ellory leaned against the counter and took a sip of her shake. “I am. I love my mom and we had a good life. But having you and the kids here…I really love it. Spending time with you in the garage, and having you show me some of the stuff you’ve done on your missions, and playing with the electronics and stuff…it’s fun. My mom is an amazing baker, but I’ve never really been into that. So it’s nice to have something else to do with someone. And some of the things you’ve shown me have come in handy, especially in tinkering with some of the electronics in theater class.”
“I’m glad,” MacGyver said, feeling warm inside.
“And the self-defense stuff you’ve taught me and Mom has been both fun and makes me feel better in general. The world isn’t safe, people can be awful, and I feel more confident knowing some things to help protect myself, and the kids too.”
MacGyver hated that she felt that way about the world, but she wasn’t exactly wrong. “Speaking of which, we need to have another lesson. Soon.”
“Yeah. And lastly…things with Chrys have all but stopped. The brainstorming you did with me about smartass comebacks has really helped.” She grinned at him. “She doesn’t seem to know what to say when I come back at her, and she hates that. So she’s stopped picking on me so much. All that to say…yeah. I am happier.”
“Which makes me happy. And your mom talked to you about us having a baby?”
Ellory beamed. “Yes! Is she pregnant?”
“Not yet. But I wanted to be sure you knew that even if we had a hundred babies, you’ll still always be your mom’s first and favorite child.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
MacGyver didn’t want to bring it up, but he felt as if he needed to. “And your bio-dad? How are things with him?”
Ellory shrugged. “The same. He texted me this weekend after the play and asked how it went. I thought that was cool. He didn’t push to see me, which was a relief. Does it make me a horrible person to say that I don’t think I really want a relationship with him?”
“No, sweetie. It doesn’t. He’ll always be your dad, but sharing blood doesn’t mean you have to be friends or anything.”
“Yeah. Maybe things will get better as I get older. But right now, he just stresses me out.”
“We’ll play things by ear. But don’t ever feel as if you have to have a relationship with anyone simply because you think it’s the right thing to do.”
“I won’t. Thanks.”
Then, without a word, the preteen surprised MacGyver by hugging him hard, before turning and heading to the table to entertain her siblings.
“Everything okay?” Addison said, walking into the kitchen and stepping into the space in his arms that her daughter had just vacated.
“Yeah. You’re raising one hell of a woman, Addy.”
“She’s pretty awesome,” she agreed. Then she took the spatula out of his hand. “Go sit with your kids. I’ll make the next batch. You need to keep up your strength. You…exerted yourself quite a bit this morning already.”
MacGyver grinned. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Well, you skipped PT. I had to make sure that got some sort of workout.”
He laughed, then kissed her forehead. “I love you.”
“Love you too. Is my coffee ready?”
“Of course.” MacGyver kissed her once more, not able to keep his lips off her, then picked up his own cup of coffee and headed for the table to find out what his kids had on tap for the day.
The mornings always went by too quickly and before he knew it, the kids were ready for school. He would drop off Yana and Ellory, while Addison waited for the bus with Artem and Borysko. Turns out, the boys loved taking the school bus. They felt so grown up, and not having to drop them off and pick them up saved Addison a ton of time each day.
“You gonna be okay picking up the girls this afternoon? I know you have six dozen cookies to make and decorate for that wedding,” MacGyver asked her.
“I should be fine. I’ll let you know if I’m not.”
“All right. I can stop by the store and pick up the things on our list on my way home.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that. We’re running low on garbage bags too, and Borysko needs some new pants. I can’t believe how much he’s grown in the last couple of months. And, you should probably know, Ellory and I need to go shopping this weekend for bras for her,” she added quietly. “She asked me last night if I’d go with her. I think she’s finally starting to hit puberty.”
MacGyver groaned. “I’m not ready. First it’s training bras, then it’s jeans with holes in them, then tampons, then giggling all the time and wanting to be on the phone with boys.”
Addison burst out laughing. “It’s good training for Yana. And if we have a girl in the future.”
“Whatever,” MacGyver said.
“Now you sound like Ellory,” Addison said, still smiling.
“Love you, woman. So much.”
“I love you too. Now get. I’ll talk to you later.”
“I’ll call if I get a break around lunch.”
“Sounds good. Drive safe.”
“Always.”
As MacGyver pulled out of the driveway, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his wife’s ass as she walked down the sidewalk with the boys, toward the bus stop at the end of the street. He was a lucky son-of-a-bitch, and he knew it.
He dropped Yana off at her school first, and when he pulled up to Ellory’s a few minutes later, he felt compelled to reach out, stopping her from jumping out with a hand on her arm. “El?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you. I just thought you should know.”
She beamed at him. “I love you too, Ricky.”
“Have a good day. Kick some bully butt if necessary.”
“I will. You kick some bad guy butt.”
“I will.”
They smiled at each other, and MacGyver stayed long enough to watch her walk into the school. He hadn’t told the girl that he loved her before. Today just felt like the right time and place. He wasn’t a mushy guy…Strike that, he hadn’t been before he’d met Addison and her daughter, and before he’d started the adoption process for Artem, Borysko, and Yana. But he wasn’t ashamed of letting those he loved know how he felt about them. Life was too short, he knew that better than most, and he didn’t want another day to go by without his stepdaughter knowing how much he cared about her.
As he drove toward the base, MacGyver smiled. Today was going to be a good day. He had no doubt.
* * *
Today was going to be a great day. Brady felt energized. Jazzed. And it wasn’t because of the few shots he’d taken before he’d left his crappy apartment.
Everything was in place. His contact was ready and the Conex was prepared. All he had to do was get Ellory and bring her to the dock. He’d pass her off to his associate, and then he’d play the concerned father when Addison called him to let him know that she was missing.
The only thing he needed to worry about was keeping his story straight when he was asked why he’d picked up Ellory from school. But he had a plan for that. He’d take her phone, change the time on both, then set up a fake text convo between the two cells, where she asked him to pick her up because she wasn’t feeling well. He’d have to come up with a convincing reason why she’d get in touch with him and not her mom, but he’d figure that out.
First things first. Get the girl, take her to the dock without her realizing what was happening, then he’d figure out the smaller details.
Thinking about the money that would soon be in his bank account made Brady almost giddy. He’d never made so much with one score; it would be life changing.
He pulled into a parking space at the middle school and took a deep breath. Then he let it out slowly before getting out of his truck.
“You got this,” he muttered to himself as he walked toward the front doors. There would be cameras, Brady expected that. He did his best to look like a worried father as he stepped inside the building. Following the signs to the office, he went over his story in his head.
“Hi! How can I help you?” the woman behind the desk asked.
“I’m Brady Vogel. I’m here to pick up Ellory Wentz.”
The woman clicked on a few keys on her keyboard, then frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t see that she’s scheduled to be picked up early today.”
“I know. I’m her father. Her biological father. Her mom and stepdad were in an accident. I’m here to bring her to the hospital so she can be with them.”
“Oh! That’s awful. Are they going to be all right?”
“The doctors aren’t sure right now,” Brady said with as much sadness as he could infuse into his voice.
“I’ll check the list of approved people who can pick her up and get you guys on your way. If I can have your ID, please.”
This was the tricky part. Brady pulled out his ID and gave it to the woman. “I don’t think Addison has had time to put me on the list yet. You see, we just reconnected after years of being apart, and of course no one thought something like this would happen. But if you get Ellory, she’ll tell you it’s okay.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry but…if you aren’t on the list, we can’t let her go with you.”
“Right. So you’re going to let her mother possibly die without Ellory being able to say goodbye? Because of a clerical error? I’m sure that’ll go over real well. I’m generally not a sue-happy person, but in this case, I’d one hundred percent support a lawsuit. Look, I’m her biological father. I’m not lying. Just get Ellory and ask her. She’s old enough to be able to say no to going with me. It’s not as if I’m here to kidnap her. I just want to get her to her mom.”
“I’m not sure…I’m new here and…”
Brady mentally rubbed his hands together in glee. He loved brand-new employees.
“Look. I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. But the accident was horrible. There’s a chance Ellory’s stepfather will live, but her mom…” Brady looked down and tried to produce tears…with no luck. “She’s bad,” he said after a long pause.
“I’ll send someone to get Ellory out of class.”
Bingo.
“Thank you. I’m sure she’ll appreciate being able to see her mother.”
Ten minutes later—minutes during which Brady paced impatiently—Ellory arrived at the office.
She stopped in her tracks at seeing him. “Brady,” she said, surprise evident in her voice.
“Hey, baby. I’m here to take you to your mom. She’s been in an accident.”
“Where’s Ricky?”
“He was with her,” Brady said.
“Is she…is she okay?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Ellory, Mr. Vogel isn’t on your approved pick-up list. He says he’s your biological father.”
“He is,” Ellory confirmed.
“Are you okay going with him?” the woman asked gently.
Ellory nodded.
Yes! Brady mentally counted the money that would soon be his. He stepped up to Ellory and put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little side hug. “It’ll be okay. Come on, I’ll take you to see her.”
The preteen nodded mutely as he steered her toward the door. She seemed shell-shocked, which was just how he wanted her. He didn’t want her aware of her surroundings. Needed her to be hysterical and upset, so she wouldn’t notice they weren’t driving to the hospital.
By the time they got into his truck, she was crying, which pleased Brady to no end.
“Yana,” Ellory said when he started the engine.
“What?” Brady asked, looking over at his daughter.
“What about Yana? And the boys? We’re going to get them too, right?”
“The other kids are being picked up by one of your stepdad’s SEAL friends. I offered to come get you so we could all get back to the hospital faster.”
“But Yana is used to being picked up with me . She’ll be upset if someone other than me shows up to get her.”
Brady clenched his teeth and did his best to stay calm. This was a complication he hadn’t anticipated. But then again…bringing two live specimens to his contact? Even if he didn’t get more money, it would definitely raise his street-cred with the man.
“Of course we can go get her,” he soothed.
Ellory nodded and looked down at the cell in her hand.
He had to get that phone from her. He didn’t want it leading the authorities straight to the docks, where the Conex was waiting for its special load—her.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Texting Mom,” Ellory mumbled.
Brady reached over and put his hand across the screen. “Don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because she can’t answer. She’s hurt bad, Ellory. She won’t be texting anyone. Her phone might even still be in her Bug at the crash site.” He deftly took Ellory’s phone out of her hands as she burst into tears.
Perfect. He’d put enough of a traumatic image in her head to make her forget about anything but worry for her mom.
He drove to the elementary school, and this time Ellory came into the building with him. He went through the same process to get Yana, and having Ellory with him helped tremendously, especially with her red eyes and fresh tears.
Ellory explained to Yana what was happening, and soon Brady had two hysterical girls on his hands. Any other time, he’d be highly annoyed, but since their tears served his purpose and got them out of the school, he was thrilled.
The girls got into his truck, and he started toward the industrial docks where the huge container ships were loaded for transport.
Ellory’s attention was on her sister, trying to assure her everything would be okay. Telling her that their mom was strong and she’d be fine…that Ricky was also hurt but she was sure he’d be all right too.
Everything worked exactly according to Brady’s plan. He had Ellory’s cell phone—which he’d turned off before shoving into his pocket—the girls weren’t paying any attention to where they were going, and he was right on time. For once.
It wasn’t until he’d stopped his truck that Ellory finally clued into the fact that they weren’t at a hospital.
“Where are we? I thought we were going to the hospital to see Mom and Ricky.”
“I just needed to make one short stop first. Don’t worry, we’ll leave here in a moment,” Brady reassured her. “Stay here with Yana.”
He got out and approached his contact, waiting nearby. The man was totally nondescript. He had brown hair, brown eyes, was average height, and he wore the same coveralls as everyone else who worked on the docks. Brady would be hard-pressed to describe him to the authorities. He didn’t have any distinguishing features.
“I’ve got the merchandise for you. Safe and sound. Brought you a bonus too.”
The man looked over at the truck, then back at Brady. “I’m not paying you more.”
“Didn’t expect you to,” he told him, loving the look of surprise on the man’s face. “Call it a present. A ‘thank you’ for doing business with me. One that’ll bring you a good chunk of change. A live donor who’s under five years old? Someone will also pay top dollar for her heart, I’m sure.”
“She’s healthy?”
“Yes.” Brady didn’t have access to the little girl’s medical history, but she looked healthy enough to him.
“All right. The container’s ready. You get them in and I’ll do the rest. There’s just a small space in the middle of other merchandise, so they can’t bang on the walls of the Conex. The possibility that someone will hear them is low, but I didn’t want to take any chances. The buyer for the teen is anxious to get her to Asia as soon as possible. His daughter’s dying and he needs her organs. Pronto.”
“Sounds good. My money?”
The man stepped to the right and leaned over to grab something behind a stack of boxes. He handed a gym bag to Brady. “I assume you aren’t going to be so crass as to count it right here and now. We don’t have time for that. It’s all there.”
Brady totally wanted to count it. But the last thing he needed was for Ellory to get any more suspicious than she already was. Time to get her and the brat put away in the box and be done with it. “I trust you,” he told the man. It was a lie. He didn’t trust the guy at all, but he had no choice at the moment.
“It was a pleasure doing business with you. Hopefully we can do something similar soon.”
Brady nodded, then headed back to his truck. This next part would be tricky. He needed to get Ellory to go with him, but he wasn’t sure how well that was going to go down. She wasn’t stupid, she already had to be thinking something wasn’t right.
Sure enough, when he opened the door, she asked, “What’s going on? Who was that man? Why are we here?”
Brady secured the gym bag full of money behind his seat, then said, “Come here, Yana.”
She’d been sitting in the middle, between him and Ellory. But now the little girl drew back and leaned against her sister.
Wanting to be done with this, Brady reached out and grabbed Yana’s arm. He yanked her across the seat and out the driver’s-side door. She wiggled and squirmed, trying to get away from him, but he held her tightly.
“Come here,” he said, this time to Ellory, crooking his finger.
She quickly glanced from him to the passenger door.
“If you don’t, I’ll hurt her,” Brady threatened.
If looks could kill, he’d be a dead man. Ellory went from sobbing her heart out to shooting daggers from her eyes. “My mom’s not hurt, is she?”
“I said, come here ,” Brady demanded, lowering his voice and sounding as mean as he could. To give his daughter incentive, he squeezed Yana’s arm until she squealed in pain.
“Don’t hurt her!” Ellory yelled as she slowly scooted across the seat.
As soon as she was within reach, Brady reached out and grabbed her arm too. She almost fell out of the truck when he yanked her forward, but got her feet under her at the last minute.
“Stay quiet, or I’ll leave you here and take Yana with me when I go. I’m sure I can find someone who would love to buy this beautiful little girl for his own pleasure.”
It took a moment for his meaning to sink in, but when it did, Ellory gasped. “You’re a monster!”
“You should’ve been nicer to me, daughter dear. If you had, you might not be in this position right now. But you blew it. And for the record, you were the one who insisted I pick up Yana. She wasn’t supposed to be a part of this.”
Ellory’s mouth fell open, and Brady smiled in satisfaction. He’d rendered her speechless.
He dragged them across the blacktop filled with Conex upon Conex containers, all waiting to be loaded onto huge ships to be taken to the other side of the world. Brady went straight to the container his contact had indicated. The only one with an open door. Inside, there were boxes stacked from floor to ceiling except for a narrow passage down the middle.
The sound of an engine behind them startled Brady so badly, he almost lost his grip on the girls. When he turned around, he saw his contact sitting behind the wheel of a forklift. There was a stack of boxes ready to go on the lift. He suspected the guy was making sure he wasn’t being double crossed, but Brady wasn’t insulted. The man had just handed over a lot of cash. He wanted to make sure he got what was promised.
“In,” Brady said, shoving Ellory toward the open container.
He wasn’t surprised when she balked. “No.”
“Right. Come on, Yana, let’s go meet your new daddy. You have to do everything he says, even when he tells you to take off all your clothes and?—”
“Stop it!” Ellory shouted.
“Then get inside. Now,” Brady told her with zero emotion.
“How can you do this? She’s just a little kid!”
“Money. It makes the world go ’round. And she’s just another orphan no one wants. She’s expendable.”
“Wrong. We want her. And what about me?” Ellory asked. “Your own flesh and blood. Was it all a trick? Were you planning this the whole time? Did you ever want to get to know me?”
“In the beginning, sure. But I repeat—you blew it. You should be thanking me, Ellory. You're going to be useful for once. Your organs are gonna save someone else’s life. Another girl. Someone who isn’t disgusting, like you. Once she has your heart, she’ll be as good as new.”
Ellory gasped yet again.
“In,” Brady said, squeezing Yana’s arm once more. She was screaming and crying nonstop now, and it was grating on his nerves. “There should be some water in there to tide you over, but I’d ration it, especially now that there are two of you. In a couple of weeks, you’ll arrive at your destination and you’ll meet your new owner. He’ll take you to a facility, where you’ll both be put to sleep and your organs harvested. You won’t feel a thing, and you’ll be saving the lives of who knows how many other kids.”
“You aren’t going to get away with this,” Ellory whispered.
“I already have. Now hurry up, I’ve got to prepare for the role of a lifetime…that of a grieving and worried dad. When it’s discovered that you and Yana are gone, Addison and your precious Ricky will freak out. I’ve already made arrangements for someone to call with a ransom demand. And I know they’ll pay. So I’ll get double the money for you and this little brat.”
“There are cameras at the schools. They’ll know you picked us up.”
“Of course they will. And I’ll show everyone the texts you sent me, begging me to pick you up because you were bullied by that chick again, and you just couldn’t take it. But you were too embarrassed to tell your mom or anyone else, so you asked me to come get you. It was your plan to tell the school there was an accident, because you knew they wouldn’t let me take you if it wasn’t an emergency. You’re a smart cookie; everyone will believe you’re capable of coming up with something like that. And all I have to say is that you asked me to drop you off a few blocks from your house, so no one would see me with you. You were trying to protect me, after all…and apparently, someone snatched up you and Yana right after that.”
Brady was feeling pretty proud of himself. This was almost done. He just had to play a part for a little longer. “No more talk. Get in there. Now !”
Ellory took a step back, toward the interior of the container. Then another.
“Good girl,” Brady praised sarcastically.
Without warning, he shoved Yana toward Ellory, hard enough that the little girl fell to her knees. She cried out and sobbed even harder. Then she got to her feet and ran toward her sister.
He motioned to his contact, and the forklift moved toward the opening of the Conex.
Brady’s last view of his daughter was her backing up quickly as the stack of boxes on the forklift was fitted into place, blocked her from his sight.
Seconds later, his contact reversed and parked the forklift, and Brady helped him close and lock the doors of the Conex.
The man gave him a thoughtful look. “Is that really your daughter?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“You’re pretty damn cold-hearted. I think I like you.”
Brady smirked. “Thanks for the opportunity. I’ll give you a call once I’m settled in Hawaii.”
“Hawaii’s closer to Asia,” the guy said with a grin. “I could definitely use someone in that part of the world to help me move product.”
Brady shook his hand, then turned and headed back to his truck. He needed to get those text messages between his and Ellory’s phones sorted. The same guy who was going to call and demand a ransom was going to help with that. He was pretty good with computers, and he swore when the cops got her phone records, they’d see a timestamp from before she was seen on the school cameras leaving the building.
This was going to work out, and Brady was more than thrilled.
* * *
Ellory sat on the floor of the container she and Yana had been forced to enter, holding her sister as the little girl cried hysterically. Brady was right—this was her fault. She’d insisted he pick up Yana before they went to the hospital. But then again, that was what any decent person would do.
She was extremely relieved that her mom and Ricky weren’t hurt though. If there was anything good about this situation, it was that. Still, Ellory had to admit, she was terrified. She had no idea what to do. She didn’t want to give her heart to anyone. She wanted to go home.
“Dark,” Yana said between sniffs.
It was dark. Pitch black, in fact. Ellory couldn’t tell the difference from when she closed her eyes to when they were open. She’d seen the little area they were in before the boxes were stacked in the passageway to their cubby, and before the door to the container was shut. It was probably around four feet by four feet and surrounded by boxes of whatever cargo was being shipped overseas. There was a bucket—she assumed for her to do her business in—and four small bottles of water. It wasn’t nearly enough to last two weeks, if Brady was being honest about how long it would take them to get to wherever they were going.
She and Yana would die before they got there.
The thought made Ellory want to lay down and give up. But something Ricky said to her once sprang into her head. He’d been telling her about how hard Hell Week was for him. The infamous week-long training that movies and shows about SEALs liked to focus on. Ricky said he wanted to ring the bell that would get him out of the torture he was enduring. That he could hear it in his head, clear as day. Told her how jealous he was of his fellow sailors when they gave up and rang that bell. How the SEAL motto would go through his head over and over, making him want to quit even more. The only easy day was yesterday. The only easy day was yesterday. The only easy day was yesterday.
Ricky had admitted thinking that if yesterday was easy, he knew without a doubt that he wouldn’t make it through the current day.
But as he lay in the sand after what seemed like a million pushups and sit-ups, or struggled to stay conscious while kneeling in the freezing surf…when his belly cramped from lack of food, and when his arms shook as he tried to hold up one of the big black rubber boats with his fellow wannabe SEALs…something hit him.
Yesterday was hell. He hadn’t thought he could make it through…but he had. Now, there he was at today. And in fact, doing burpees in the sand and rolling around in the waves the day before did seem easy compared to how he felt doing his present task, when he wanted to tap out, to quit.
The motto was spot on. If he could stay strong and make it through the hell of today…tomorrow, it would be a memory. It would seem easy.
If Ellory could just stay strong, if she could use her brain and make it through this nightmare, soon enough, it would be just another “yesterday.”
Everything she’d been through with her Crohn’s seemed horrible at one point. The first endoscopy, the first colonoscopy, the first CT scan. But now those things weren’t so bad. She’d gotten used to them. Those procedures seemed easy…now. It was like the motto Ricky told her about. Yesterday seemed easy, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t survive today. Ricky had; he’d made it through Hell Week and become a SEAL.
All she had to do was hold on until Ricky and his friends found her.
Brady sounded like he had everything all planned out—but he’d mess up somehow, she had no doubt. Ricky was a thousand times smarter than her bio-dad. Both he and her mom would figure out there was no chance she’d call Brady to come get her because she’d been bullied. Even if she was too embarrassed to call her mom or Ricky, she wouldn’t call Brady. She’d reach out to Remi, or Wren, or even Caroline before she’d call her bio-dad.
There had to be some way to track where he’d taken her and Yana. Ellory just had to stay positive. They’d find them.
Something else occurred to her. The first time they ever met, Ricky had told her all about MacGyver, that guy on the old show who always seemed to be able to make things to get him out of bad situations. How Ricky had earned that nickname because he did the same thing. Figured out how to make cool stuff out of whatever he had on hand.
Ellory tilted her head back and envisioned the boxes upon boxes all around her. She had no idea what was inside them…but there had to be something she could use to try to get her and Yana out of this box, right? That was what Ricky would do. He wouldn’t sit around feeling sorry for himself. He’d get off his butt and do what he could to save himself.
“Yana, take a breath. You’re okay. I’m okay. We need to find a way out of here.”
She felt the little girl do as she was told. She took a deep breath, and Ellory felt her wipe her face with her shoulder.
“Good girl,” Ellory praised. “I know how much you like to open gifts. How about you help me open some stuff?”
“Like presents?” Yana asked in a small, wavery voice.
“Right. Remember when we came in here, all those boxes that were around us?”
Yana nodded against her.
“Well, how about we see if we can figure out what’s inside them? I bet there has to be some good stuff. Maybe some blankets we can lie on. Or maybe, just maybe, there will be a box of cell phones ready to be used.”
As far as she could tell, the container wasn’t moving yet. The sooner they figured something out, the better. Once this box was put onto one of those huge ships, their opportunity for escape would be drastically reduced. They needed to get to work.
Standing up, Ellory helped Yana do the same. She had no idea how she was going to get into the boxes—she didn’t have a knife, didn’t have anything sharp—but like MacGyver, she would figure it out. She had no choice. If she didn’t, she and Yana would disappear forever.