Surrender Your Heart (10 page)

“Tell me about
your business trip,” I say. At some point we will need to know more about each
other in addition to the fact that our bodies fit together perfectly. The happy
memory causes a hot twinge somewhere deep inside of me. No doubt about it,
Carter Forbes got under my skin.

She shrugs,
leaning back in her chair, relaxed. “No big deal. I bought an electronics chain
from a guy who couldn’t keep his hands off the female employees. Well, that
wasn’t all he did, so I decided he should be out. People work better without
fear. We’ll keep the good ones, and kick out those who covered for him.”

I really like
that about her. Yes, she’s rich and somewhat entitled, but that doesn’t make
her a bad person. I know she’s not. I wouldn’t fall in love with one, would I?

“What do you
think about unions?”

Her lips curve
into an amused smile. Carter is well aware that I’m testing her. “Fine with me.
Everyone who comes to work for me has a safe and well-paid job, no matter the
department. Am I passing so far?”

“You already
passed. It’s just that…you obviously did your homework. You know everything
about me. I’m trying to find out who you are. Gorgeous and skilled in the
bedroom, sure, but I want to know more.”

Did I just make
her blush?

Carter chuckles.
“Well, you know I can’t cook and I don’t care to. I was very lucky to find
Marlene. I minored in sociology, so it was fun to assemble all that literature
for you. When I want something, I don’t want to have to wait for it.”

“Is that what
happened with me? You didn’t want to wait or even ask?”

The smile vanishes
for a moment. Outside the rush of passion, there are no easy answers.
“Everything with you is a lot more complicated, but yes, I did want you. Still
do.”

“Why?”

“You are
untainted.”

That’s a big
word, but I realize this is an unusually open conversation, so I keep
listening. I’m not sure if it’s the right term either, because sometimes in my
attempt to juggle classes with the job, I did feel unhappy and jaded, like the
world was set against me, and I’d never catch a break.

“Believe me, to
someone cynical like me, it’s incredibly attractive.”

“You’re not all
that cynical. You helped those women in the electronics store.”

She lifts her
shoulders as if unsure. “Maybe. It’s not like there isn’t a nice profit margin
in it for me. It’s not changing the world either.”

“It might be for
them,” I argue.

“My job requires
a lot of compromise, and at some point, you wonder what really matters—but here
you are, with a completely different perspective. I like that.”

“You gave me a
different point of view, too, no doubt about it.”

“You know there
are many options for you, where you can go from here. You don’t need to finish
your degree, but if you want to, you could do it online. There are places for
that.”

“I’d like to see
my family, and friends, at some point.” I forgot about asking for that call—I
still have a guilty conscience for wishing it could be so easy, that someone
like Carter comes along and sweeps away all obstacles for me…It’s not like I
take anything away from anyone. Carter told me she’s involved in causes, and
from what she tells me about her latest deal, I can guess it might be the same
that interest me. Maybe I could even work in that area?

“Of course.”

Could it be that
easy? Why not?

We start
cleaning up the table as the sounds of the party are quieting, and get ready to
sleep. Tonight, maybe for the first time, I have that sense of safety, and
there’s no chance in hell I’d try to sneak out and get away. I want to be here.

* * * *

Carter sticks to
her promise. After a couple of unreal days under the sun, and sometimes under
deck, delicious food and lovemaking in the middle of the afternoon, we head
back home, and for the first time, Carter shows me her office.

I can’t help it,
my jaw drops at the dimensions and interior design of this tastefully furnished
place. On one wall, there’s a huge window with an ocean view.

“So, about your
passport,” she says. There’s a smile in her voice. She knows I’m not done being
impressed yet. Money can’t buy you everything, but for sure it can buy you an amazing
space to live and work.

Carter opens a
safe and reaches inside. There it is indeed, my passport and…wow. Whoever went
to clean out my apartment was thorough. All the important papers are there,
insurance, contracts, practically everything that constitutes my identity on
paper. It is impressive and somewhat frightening.

“We didn’t bring
old bank statements or receipts that you couldn’t use for next year’s tax
returns,” she explains, and I’m once again struck how she can be so calm about
these matters. I spent the most beautiful vacation of my life, with her, if you
don’t count that every day here is a vacation—Carter Forbes. My kidnapper. My
lover. It’s not easy to wrap my mind around all of this, still.

“That’s…thoughtful.
Can I sit?”

“Of course.” She
pulls a chair for me, and I sink into the soft leather seat. “See, since
there’s a lot of stuff in here, I thought I’d show you, and we can leave it
there. Are you okay with that?”

“I guess.” I
don’t know. Maybe I knew it all along, that I would give in, like I did with my
clothes.

“You will have
it when you need it,” Carter promises. “We will travel at some point, a bit farther
away than this weekend, and, of course, you will want to meet people. I swear
I’m not keeping anything from you.”

“Was it Nick?”

When her gaze falls
on me, I know she can tell I’m not asking about papers.

“We have worked
together for a long time,” she says. “You must know I trust him with my life,
and I don’t say that about a lot of people, especially men.”

“Yeah, I got
that impression.”

“I’m sorry. I
had to be here, taking care of things. There was no time to do anything
differently.”

“Except if you
had asked me out on a date, and I’d said yes.”

Carter shakes
her head. “It’s not that simple. Can we not go back there for a moment?”

“That’s the problem
though, isn’t it? We’ll always go back there at some point. You made your
choices.” I jump to my feet.

“I thought you
made your peace.” She sounds slightly disappointed.

Maybe I
haven’t…and I’m not sure if the sentiment on her side is appropriate. “Can I go
now?”

“Sure.”

My first impulse
is to retreat to my bedroom and…sulk, childishly, but I decide otherwise. A
trip to the pool will probably do a great job clearing my mind, and I might
even go apologize.

Carter comes
down to the pool about an hour later, phone in hand. “You should call,” she
says. “Your parents, or a friend, it’s up to you.”

“I have to
choose?”

“Yes, please. I
don’t want anyone to think you’re in danger.”

I wrap myself in
the towel she offers me and take the phone. As with my parents’, Haley and Lara’s
numbers are pre-programmed. Carter sure didn’t count on many people missing me,
and maybe she was right. What am I still complaining about? Pushing that
uncomfortable thought aside, I punch “Two” for Haley. Ryan picks up the phone
which makes me once again curious about time zones.

“Hi, Ryan. Is
Haley home?” I ask.

“Penny, is that
you? Wait, I’ll get her quickly.”

“Penny!” Haley
squeals a moment later. “How are you? Never mind,
where
are you?”

If only I knew.
“I’m fine,” I circumvent her question. “I’m great actually, taking some time
off, which is…awesome. For the first time in forever I have time to read,
imagine that!” I sound a tad too chipper. “I’m good, how are you?”

“Oh,” she says,
nervously. “You can’t talk, is that it? Let’s just stay on the phone for a
while, okay? I haven’t heard from you in a while, and you missed book club.”

“No, don’t
worry. Everything is okay.”

“I understand.
Just keep talking, okay? For the record, we had a hard time buying that story.
I mean…we’ve known each other for a long time, right? We’d know.”

I want to ask,
what story, but of course I won’t, with Carter standing just a few feet away.
What happened back there? I thought Nick packing up my stuff—and me—was all,
but then I remember about the university, and the job. Who was walking around
telling everybody about my supposed sabbatical?

“Right, but I’m
telling you, you don’t have to worry. I really needed this time, and I’ll be
back soon.”

“When?”

“Soon. Look…I’ve
got something on the stove. I’ll call you again.”

“No, please
don’t hang up yet!” She sounds desperate. What the hell is going on?

“I’ve got to
go,” I say and hang up, wondering if it’s possible to trace the call, and what
would happen from there.

I walk over to
Carter, all of a sudden unsettled with the course of this conversation. What am
I going to do? As our eyes meet, I do have an idea, and it doesn’t include
worrying about Haley, or my papers, for that matter.

“Is everything
okay?” she asks.

“I don’t know.
Haley seemed upset. I don’t know who you paid to sell the story, but it doesn’t
look like they did a great job.”

Carter looks
pensive, as if going over the next steps in her mind. I’m not that patient.

“I need a
moment, okay? I need you to drop everything and be with me. Can you do that for
me?”

“Yes.” She takes
my hand and leads me back into the house. Reconnecting…it will not be done in
so many words—and this time, Carter takes me to the master bedroom of the
house.

Chapter Ten

I thought my
“quarters” were crazy luxurious, but after she opens the door to me, I stand in
the middle of the master suite for a moment, speechless. Forget about
adjusting—I will never get used to living like this, in an environment I’ve
never seen except on TV or in a magazine. To me, it’s always been unreal that there
are actual people who live like this, every day.

“Did you change
your mind?” Carter asks softly.

I sit on the
edge of the bed. It’s covered with a light blue thread matching the curtains,
accents in grey and white. I realize Carter isn’t exactly a fan of warm colors,
the ones the guest rooms are decorated with. Everything that is hers, the
office, the bedroom, from what I’ve seen, it’s impressive, but it lacks a
personal touch. Appearances, I know.

“I don’t know.
I’m sorry for the mood swings…I think we need to talk about this first. Haley,
she sounded strange on the phone. I don’t know if anyone called the police,
but…it didn’t sound good, like someone was listening in. I’m scared that
there’s trouble brewing.”

I actually said
it out lout, and bare all in a few words. I don’t want this, any of it, to end.
Carter sits next to me, pulls me close.

“Don’t worry.
I’ll take care of it.”

“How will you do
that?”

“I have people
for that.” She sighs and adds, “Someone with the police. She can stop this in
its tracks.”

I lean forward,
hiding my face behind my hands. I don’t know how to feel about this. I have no
idea what it means in the long run. Did Carter just tell me she’s been bribing
cops? One cop. Not that it would make it any better.

Her fingers curl
around my wrists, tugging, luring me out of hiding. “I will take care of it,”
she emphasizes each word. “When you wanted to come inside earlier…I didn’t
misunderstand, did I? It was because you wanted to be in private?” Slowly, she
starts to unbutton my blouse. I hold my breath, my attention refocused on every
movement of her hands, sighing in relief when they touch skin.

This morning, on
the yacht, feels like forever ago.

I think we both
need the reassurance, and haven’t we found the perfect way?

* * * *

“I need to take
care of something,” Carter whispers to me before the warmth of her embrace is
gone. I slip back into sleep, only to wake up, startled, a few minutes later.
She is dressed, ready to leave…where? I have the bad feeling that it has to do
with Haley’s reaction to my call. Is she going to meet the cop on her payroll?

I sit up in the
bed. “Where are you going?”

“I need to make
sure that we’re safe. It won’t take long.”

I hesitate for
the length of a heartbeat, before I ask, “Can I come with you? I mean, this
concerns me too. Maybe I can help?”

“No, not this
time. I need you to stay put.”

That went well.
I get out of bed and stand in front of her. “It’s not going to be dangerous, is
it?”

“No. Just
talking.”

She kisses me
quickly. “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow. I promise.”

Tomorrow…we
didn’t even have dinner tonight. “Okay. I’ll be here.”

Yeah, right.
Where else would I be? I feel strange being in this room by myself, so I return
to my own bedroom, pacing the length of the wall restlessly. What if something
goes wrong? The more awake I am, the more dire possibilities occur to me. What
if Carter gets arrested? What if I never see her again?

Calm down, I
tell myself. She didn’t seem to think that was a possibility. It will be okay.
I feel too caged and nervous to stay inside, so I decide to go down to the pool
again. It drives me crazy how little Carter wants to involve me in these things.
I try, but I can’t spend my days reading sociology articles and fiction,
interrupted by some pool time, luxurious meals and mind-blowing sex. I need to
share. In the backyard, I find the man who called after me the last time. He is
working on the trees again.

When he sees me,
he takes a look around as if to make sure no one’s watching. I assume someone’s
always watching in this house. He’s still holding the garden shears in his
hand. I back up a step, wondering if I have enough time. Maybe I’m paranoid,
but I don’t want to talk to him. Anyway, Carter doesn’t want me to. I don’t
want trouble for anyone.

“Ms. Elliot?
Penny? Please wait?”

How does he know
my name? I remember there was a connection to Marlene, but she doesn’t seem to
be the type to gossip outside her work.

“I’m sorry.
I…just…I was about to go inside.” He catches up with me. Upon a closer look,
he’s older than I first thought, early forties maybe. He looks me over, his
expression strangely concerned. He doesn’t know me!

“We don’t have
much time. Ms. Elliot, I’m here to help you escape. This is the best moment
we’ll get. Marlene is out on errands.”

“Escape? What?”

“Don’t worry.
I’m Agent McKinley with the FBI. We know about the kidnapping, and we’re here
to prevent worse.”

He presents a badge to me that looks official enough, not
that I find any reassurance in the fact. “
I don’t know
what you’re talking about,” I say, trying to get a handle on my inner turmoil.
In the first few days I might have gone along with it…but not now. There’s too
much between me and Carter to let it go. “I’m Ms. Forbes’ guest.”

“A guest who
arrived at the house drugged. Don’t worry, it will be okay. You need to come
with me now.”

“No. I’m sorry,
you got it all wrong.”

“You want to
tell that to the other girls she sold into slavery?”

The ground is
opening up beneath me, not literally, of course, but I’m still stumbling, and
he steadies me. It’s not that I believe him, not for a second, but the
situation has become too surreal for me to take.

“I think you
need to leave, right now.”

He looks angry,
but his voice is level. “I understand this is hard. We have proof of several
operations that took place right here on the island, trafficking of young women
who spent some time in this house before they were never seen again. Marlene
and Nick are in on it. I can show you video evidence, but first, we need to get
you out of here.”

“It doesn’t work
that way,” I say, clinging to the last shreds of certainty. The beginning, it
might have all been odd, not right, but that doesn’t mean Carter is guilty of
those horrible crimes. Yes, I might have thought about this at first, but that
was before I got to know her—before I fell in love with her.

God, please, no.

“You lasted
longer than the others. I guess she took a liking to you. Let’s go now. We’ll
have you on a plane home first thing in the morning.”

“My papers…my
passport…”

“We’ve taken
care of that,” he assures me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Elliot. I know this must come as
a shock to you. Let’s take you some place safe now.” I only now realize that
he’s carrying a gun, as he lays his hand on it, and I realize there isn’t much
I could argue with. I could run, but I’m numb, frozen in fear. If he’s lying to
me, why? If he’s not lying…oh God. This can’t be true.

As I leave
Carter’s house, my state is not one of shock, it’s worse. Life as I knew it
just ended.

* * * *

As the house
disappears in the distance, I feel horrible, like I just betrayed the woman who
has given me so much. McKinley shows me a folder with black and white
photographs. It shows Carter talking and shaking hands with a man I’ve never
seen before.

“There’s a
warrant out for this man on a number of charges.”

“Maybe she
didn’t know!” I’m not going to cry in front of him, I swear to myself, but the
tears just keep coming. “This must be some big misunderstanding. You see, I’m
only coming with you to clear it up.” Hopefully, I can be back home before
Carter returns. I don’t want her to think…what? I don’t know anymore.

“She asked to
meet him, to make a business connection,” McKinley says. “There were at least
two other girls that we know of, younger even than you.”

I refuse to
believe this. I’m not capable…but here I am with an FBI agent who showed me his
ID, who has a gun. I’ve never once been this afraid with her. I am afraid now.

Maybe it’s for
the better. Maybe after all this is cleared up, we can have a new beginning?

How much more
naïve can I get?

McKinley sighs,
but he doesn’t comment, just keeps on driving.

It’s getting
dark, and we’re far from the luxurious villas and tourist resorts in a
neighborhood where I would have never assumed a safe house, but he must know,
right? That makes at least one of us.

“Do I really
need to leave tomorrow? I want to talk to her. I’m sure there’s an
explanation.”

“I thought I
made myself clear.” He doesn’t make an effort to hide his impatience. “They
were discussing market prices. Do you really need any more explanations?”

“You got it all
wrong. She bought me all these clothes…” I break off, thinking that makes me
sound incredibly shallow. “Tons of books. I read about human trafficking, no
one would pay enough for me to justify that kind of investment.” The words are
coming out all wrong. I don’t believe it. I can’t.

“For a naïve,
pampered girl like you, she’d get a good profit eventually.” Is he mocking me?

“This is insane.
I changed my mind. Let me out. I want to go back and talk to her tomorrow. I’m
sure she will be able to make all of this go away soon.” Which is what happens
when you pay off cops, isn’t it? Now’s not the time for sarcasm though.

“I can’t do
that. We’re almost there. I promise you there will be no doubt you’ve gotten
mixed up with some bad people. Lucky for you, she was already on our radar.”

I don’t feel
lucky—and I don’t care anymore about embarrassing myself in front of the agent.
All I know is that something is very wrong here.

* * * *

He parks in
front of a two-story house, a non-descript concrete block that still doesn’t
look safe to me, even opens the door for me, hand on the gun, as he ushers me
inside. Why? Carter doesn’t even know I’m gone—I don’t think anyone would
follow us. McKinley leads me to a sparsely furnished room upstairs, with a
couch, a table and two chairs.

“I’ll see you in
the morning,” he says. “I need to make some calls now.”

“Wait!”

He closes the
door behind him, locks it. “This is for your own safety, Ms. Elliot. Try to
relax. You’ll be going home tomorrow.”

I nearly bang my
fists against the wall again, but the movement produces an uncomfortable
memory—I abort it quickly.

What is it with
people feeling the need to lock me in lately? At least, Carter didn’t have a
gun, or maybe she did and I never saw it. In any case, she did have me drugged,
but we moved past that. I can’t leave here—wherever “here” is—because so far,
McKinley has only told me we’re on an island which I figured out a long time
ago.

There’s an
indefinable stain on the couch. I frown. Aren’t safe houses supposed to be clean?
I guess this is old…but if they were suspecting Carter of any wrongdoings,
wouldn’t they have more time to prepare everything?

I go to the
window, lift the curtain and sneeze as a cloud of dust is set free. The street
is empty and dark, but the street light a few feet away illuminates McKinley,
pacing on the sidewalk, the cell phone at his ear. At least he didn’t lie to me
about that—does that mean it’s true, they have all this proof?

It’s not
possible.

When I first
woke up in Carter’s house, I couldn’t stop thinking of all the possible worst
case scenarios, now, I can’t bring myself to go there.

I make a
decision—and I know I have to act quickly, because I’m sure McKinley is calling
in reinforcements.

I have to find
Marlene and warn her, tell her to contact Carter. That cop she was talking
about will be able to help her. My first problem…getting out of here. The lock
is an old-fashioned one with a bulky key that hardly ever see anymore, but that
doesn’t help me. There’s nothing in the room that would help me push it out, so
the junior detective tricks are out. I manage to open the window. McKinley has
gone inside, but it’s a long way down. I realize I can see the harbor in the
distance, which doesn’t really tell me much. Maybe I could make it there, find
someone to talk to, with a phone.

I try to ignore
the uncomfortable thought that I have neither money nor ID on me. For now,
getting away is priority.

There’s a small
balcony to the right. I wonder if I could make it that far, and if there’s any
advantage to it. Maybe I’ll be stuck in somebody’s bedroom—but no, this is all
the same house. I don’t believe agents would put people in houses that are
already occupied, would they? Damn it, I have no idea. I know nothing about any
of this except from TV, and I never thought I’d be in this situation.