“Hello,” she said tightly.
“Oh, dear God, child, where the hell are you?” Mrs. R.’s voice shifted from concern to anger in one sentence.
“I’m safe, but I’m not telling you where I am, so don’t even bother asking me.” A boat horn echoed in the distance and she imagined the police looking for her. Paranoia was creeping into her mind.
“Jena, listen to me,” the housekeeper reasoned. “You’re not helping matters. Detective Burrows has men out looking for you…men that could be looking for Andrea.”
“Well, tell him to stop. I’m fine. I’m going to find my niece and hopefully my sister in the process.”
“I’m warning you. Don’t go looking for that pretty boy. He’s dangerous. I’m sure of it.”
“Yeah, I’m sure of it too. I’ll be in touch.” Jena didn’t wait for a reply before ending the call and dialing another one.
“Jena! Where are you? Everyone is worried,” Todd said anxiously into the phone.
How did he know everyone was looking for her? Doubt filled her mind. “Where is she, Todd?”
“What are you talking about? You aren’t making sense.”
“Cut the crap, Todd. You underestimate me. I’ve known you were involved in my sister’s disappearance. You left the note on Chase’s truck, didn’t you?”
“You’re insane.”
“Am I? Or are you the one who’s insane? The police know everything and they’re looking for you. It might work out better for you if I found you first. Bring my niece and my sister and you can walk away.”
There was silence on the other end. “Todd? Are you still there?”
“I’m here.” He hesitated. “I’ll take you to them. Where can I pick you up?”
That was too easy. “I’m not stupid. I’ll meet you there. Tell me where they are.”
“It’s not that simple. I’m not the one holding them. They’ll never let your car in. You’ll have to go with me.”
“Sure, so I can disappear too? You’ve known me a long time. I’m not an idiot.”
“I’m not going to take the fall for this. I’ll take you there, but then I’m gone. Understand?”
She considered her options. She had none. “Okay,” she agreed hesitantly. She had to take the chance. What other choice did she have? She gave Todd the address to the marina. “I’ll be waiting.”
There were eyes on her. She could feel them. She turned slowly. Mrs. R. was standing in front of her with a syringe. There was nowhere to run in such close quarters. Mrs. R. twisted her arm behind her. Jena cried out, “No!” when the needle entered her skin with a pinch.
“That should keep you out of trouble for a couple of hours. Sleep well, dear,” Mrs. R. said from a distance. The room became fuzzy. She trusted her. How could she do this?
Who was lifting her? Why couldn’t she open her eyes?
Please…help!
She couldn’t form the words…couldn’t open her eyes. Everything was all jumbled in her mind. Where was she?
Jena forced her eyes open. She was in a car. Shaking her head she focused on the driver. Todd! Had he drugged her? She couldn’t remember. No…Mrs. R. had stuck a needle in her. Mrs. R. was helping Todd? She couldn’t be.
“Honey, we’re home,” he said snidely. “You conveniently took a little nap.” He continued when she didn’t respond, “You know we could have had a place like this, but you had to ruin everything. You were always too smart for your own good.”
“You’re delusional,” she muttered trying to shake off the drug.
He laughed…not a sane laugh. “I’m delusional? We’ll see about that. You haven’t met my brother.”
The car’s tires crunched across the loose gravel as they made their way down a long narrow driveway surrounded by trees. Everything was overgrown. The trees suddenly gave way to an opening and they came to a stop in front of an old run-down mansion on the ocean. The white paint was peeling in strips down the side of the house, and the shutters were in danger of falling off. The landscaping had grown out of control, but she could still see the beach was only yards away. Her head was throbbing, but she focused on her surroundings, making mental notes. She would find her niece and sister and make a run for the beach. The cell phone was still in her boot, exactly where she had tucked it.
Todd came around to her side and opened her door. He grabbed her, none too gently, and yanked her toward the door yelling as he entered, “Trevor, you’ve got company.”
Trevor. Jena’s head was spinning. Wasn’t that the name of Jasmine’s boyfriend?
Todd held firmly to her arm as a man appeared in front of them. He looked like an older version of Todd.
“Who’s this?” the man hissed.
“May I introduce to you Miss Jena Shea? My former fiancée.”
“Former? Trouble in paradise, Todd?”
“Trouble for you. She knows Jasmine’s alive.” He pushed Jena down on a chair. “Don’t move,” he ordered.
Little chance of that. She was still dazed.
“Why did you bring her here, you idiot?”
“Because this is your show and I thought it best if you made the calls. I’m not losing everything because you and your bimbo tried to fool the insurance company.”
Jena’s heart skipped a beat. What was he talking about?
“This is Jasmine’s sister? She’s even more beautiful,” Trevor mused.
“Yeah, good luck. She’s an ice queen,” Todd glared at her. “Ruler of her kingdom.”
“Well, maybe she didn’t have the right brother to thaw her out.” Trevor cupped his hand under her chin and smiled wickedly.
“Knock it off, Trevor. You’d better worry about the cops that are going to be at your door.”
“Did you give them a map, brother?”
“Of course not, but they’re out looking for her and that brat.”
“Not to worry. By the time they figure out where we are we’ll be gone. Take her to one of the rooms. I’ll deal with her later.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
“Mrs. R., it’s Chase. Have you heard from Jena?”
“No, not yet, I’m sorry. They have everyone out looking for them.”
“Not everyone,” he muttered. “I’ll be there shortly. We just landed.”
“Chase, I…um…”
“What aren’t you telling me? Are they hurt?” He was frantic.
“I know where Jena is,” Mrs. R. confessed. “She’s safe, but, uh, she’s out of commission.”
“Out of commission?”
“I might have knocked her out. Actually, I did knock her out.”
“What the hell do you mean you knocked her out? You had better start explaining. Now.” He was one comment short of losing control.
“Calm down and hear me out.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” he boomed.
“Listen to me. I was worried for her safety. I was keeping an eye on her at the house and she gave me the slip. I thought she would be safe at Collin’s yacht if I could keep her out of the way for a couple of hours. I couldn’t blow my cover.”
“What are you talking about? What cover?”
“I’m not who you think I am. I’m not a housekeeper.”
He gritted his teeth, on the verge of totally losing it. “You’re not a housekeeper? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I’m an FBI agent.”
His mind went blank…short-circuited. There had to be a mistake. He considered himself an intelligent man. How did he miss this?
“Chase? Are you there? Did you hear me?”
“
You
are FBI?”
“I am. I know it’s a lot to take in, but I don’t have time to be delicate. I’ve been on the case about a year now.”
“What case? What the hell is going on?” He was yelling into the phone now, but he didn’t care. His world was turning upside down.
“There’s no need to yell, dear. Jasmine got involved with a shady character, Trevor Richards.”
He thought back. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“It’s Todd’s brother,” she announced flatly.
“Todd’s brother? You’ve got to be kidding? You knew all along who this Todd was? Why didn’t you tell me all this? I could have protected them. I would have stayed with her.” He was beyond angry.
“I wasn’t permitted to blow my cover.”
“So, you’ve said,” he growled. “That’s just great. I swear to you…if anything happens to them, I’m coming down on you. That’s not a threat. It’s a promise.”
“I understand you’re upset, Chase.”
“Upset? Upset?” he got louder. “Upset is when you get a flat tire. No, I’m way beyond upset,” he shouted into the phone. Clenching his fists, he wanted to hit something. “Tell me one thing…is Jasmine alive?”
“We have every reason to believe she is, but I can’t say for sure. Chase, I want you to go to Collin’s yacht. You’ll find Jena there taking a nice nap. No one knows she’s there. Go to her and stay put until you hear from us.
We
will find Andrea and Jasmine.”
“I’m there.”
Braden walked up beside him with their luggage. “What was that all about?”
“My sister-in-law is involved with something against the law, my niece is God knows where, the housekeeper is an FBI agent, and my reason for living is knocked out on a yacht. Any questions?”
Braden paused for a moment. “No, I think that clears about everything up. Where to?”
“Do you remember that tiny marina off Gulf Boulevard?”
“What are you waiting for?”
Chase exhaled some of the tension. At least, he knew one of them was safe.
****
Todd pushed Jena in the room and shut the door behind them. “Listen, Jena…I didn’t want to be a part of this, but they forced me.”
“What are you talking about?” She asked backing away from him. He looked deranged. “Who forced you?”
“My brother…your sister.”
“My sister? That’s crazy, Todd. She would never be involved in something like this.”
“Think again. Seems she’s been having a bit of financial trouble. They came up with this little insurance scheme.” He stopped to listen for someone at the door.
Jena’s mind jumped back to the foreclosure letter. She shook her head in denial. “Jasmine would never leave her daughter.” He was crazy.
“Well, she did. Andrea’s here with her now.”
“How do you know that?” She wanted to hear him say it.
“I brought her here. It was part of the deal. I would collect the life insurance policy on her and deliver her brat when the time was right. In return, I would get a little compensation. Something for our savings account. But you had to ruin everything. I don’t know what they’re going to do to you. I can’t help you now.”
“Todd, call the police. You still have time to make this right.”
“My brother does this for a living. He’ll have me killed from jail. Family means nothing to him.”
The desperation was evident in the tone of his voice. He feared his brother.
“I’m sorry things turned out this way. We would have been so good together. Good luck, Jena. You’re going to need it.” He quietly shut the door behind him without another look back.
The lock turned and she was imprisoned once more. She considered retrieving the phone from her boot, but the doorknob jiggled, luckily, before she had the chance. Her phone was her chance for escape. She had to be careful they didn’t find it.
The door opened and Trevor stood on the threshold. She met his stare with defiance and he sighed as he slowly closed the door behind him. “I have to say I’m a bit perplexed about what to do with you. My brother can be very stupid. He has book smarts, but no common sense.”
“You’ll never get away with this.”
His laughter mocked her. “Isn’t that what they all say? Why won’t I?”
“Where’s my sister? My niece?”
“They’re having a nice reunion. Do you like the view?” he asked as he absently looked out the window toward the ocean.
Jena ignored the question. “They’re going to figure out where I am. They already know your brother is involved.” Jena remembered Mrs. R. on the yacht. Whose side was she on?
Trevor chuckled as he moved in close. “You will find I am nothing like my brother,” he said as he caressed her cheek. She turned away from him. “I always get what I want,” he whispered in her ear. She didn’t react and he laughed. “You are a cool one. Such a pity we don’t have more time. I will be back later to apprise you of our plans. Don’t go away,” he smiled. He opened the door and stuck his head back in. “There’s someone out here that would like to say hello.”
Jasmine entered in a long, flowing aqua sundress—a flower behind her ear. She looked tanned and rested. “Jena, it’s so good to see you.” She smiled as if she were addressing a long lost friend.
“That’s all you have to say? ‘Jena, it’s so good to see you?’ How about ‘Jena, are you okay?’ Or how about ‘I’m sorry I put you through hell?’”
“You’re angry.”
“You’re kidding, right? You fake your death, leave your daughter, let me believe you’re dead, have your daughter kidnapped, and you’re surprised I’m angry? What have you done with my sister?”
Tears filled Jasmine’s eyes and to Jena’s horror, she was pleased.
“You don’t understand. Trevor was trying to help me. He came up with this little insurance idea.”
“Insurance idea? Is that what you call it, Jasmine? I believe it’s a felony. What were you going to do when you got the money?”
“Trevor and I are going to leave the country with Andrea,” she stated without emotion.
“What about me?” Jena questioned, searching Jasmine’s eyes for any sign of the sister she knew.
“You would get my house and I would get a fresh start. Everyone wins.”
“I could keep the house you’re in debt up to your armpits for, believe you’re dead, and look for my niece until I was old and gray? Very kind of you, sis.” Jena covered her face and took a deep breath. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“You have a good job. You’ll make it work. And now you don’t have to worry about us.”
“Jasmine, you have to go to the police. He’s not going to let me walk away from this. You know that, don’t you?”
She paused and smiled. “Andrea tells me you and Chase are an item again. I’m very happy to hear that. I knew you never stopped loving each other.”
“Too bad I’ll never see him again….once I’m dead.” Jena was as blunt as possible. She had to get Jasmine out of this stupor.
“Are you hungry?” Jasmine asked her.
She was kidding. “Is Andrea okay?”
Jasmine looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Of course, why wouldn’t she be? I’ll be back in a while with something for you to eat.”