Authors: Kristen James
“I want to take you somewhere else, somewhere safe, but that’s Alexander’s car half a block back.”
She turned to look before she realized even that might be dangerous. That’s when she noticed Nick was taking back roads and alleys, cutting through town. She watched for road signs but didn’t see any.
“Where are you taking me?”
“There’s a tiny cabin up in the mountains,” he answered and glanced in the rear view mirror at Alexander’s head lights. “Please don’t be scared, I promise I won’t hurt you.”
Her rattled nerves didn’t need this. “Then why are you driving me out to a secluded cabin?” While speaking, she slid her arm down the armrest, feeling for a lock button. There didn’t seem to be one. She glanced at the door, saw the controls down lower, and slammed her hand into it.
Nothing happened. Neither button moved the window either way.
Nick glanced at her hand. “Alexander disables the locks and windows on all the passenger doors. He altered my car a few days ago too.”
Tears stung the inside of her eyelids. Mortified, she rubbed her face, hoping he wouldn’t notice. It almost seemed like he was playing both sides, acting like he wanted to help her even as he kidnapped her. Since he ignored her previous question, she asked, “Do you believe Jerry stole from Keith?”
“No, I don’t.”
He didn’t? “Then why are you helping him?”
“I’m a pawn in this, too. You’ve been thrown into this without any say, I’ll give you that. I got involved on my own accord, but I had to.”
A new and bigger wave of panic hit. They were leaving the city on some kind of cutoff road that didn’t have a sign she could read. She looked out the window, or tried to look like she was staring outside, while she considered the best way to break it. But how would she break the window and jump out without hurting herself?
“Who was the man in the study with my father?”
“The oversized teenager is Terrance Holloway, taking his rightful family place, fulfilling his duty, proud to be a Holloway.”
Now where did that come from? She saw another angle to this story: Nick trying to fit into the Holloways for some reason, bitter about it. She knew better than to ask, but decided to get there by another route, by using questions about the other people involved.
“What exactly does Alexander Pierce do for Keith?”
“You know Alexander?” Nick questioned, waited in vain for an answer, and said, “He’s a white-collar criminal who somehow made a connection with Keith. Guess he saw an opportunity for some job security. He screens who gets hired, takes care of surveillance at the warehouses, and handles different problems that come up. He even does a little press.” Nick glanced over and saw her roll her eyes.
“Yeah, he talked to me about that.” Cora saw a clearer picture now, one where Alexander ran the show. The Holloways sounded like some kind of mob family to her, and she wondered if Nick got the same impression. But if he did, why did he work for them and risk going to prison?
He intrigued her, really intrigue her. She wanted to know more about him, but warning bells rang in her head. She tried with a simple, off handed, “And you?”
“I’m someone who didn’t want to have any connections with those people.”
And yet he did. His strange answers didn’t tell Cora much of anything. He could be a criminal just like Alexander, who, after all, could be handsome if he wasn’t so angry and self-centered.
She knew next to nothing about this man driving her to an unknown destination, and couldn’t guess one way or the other if he was carrying a gun, or if he’d pull it on her. Either way, her short frame couldn’t hold its own against him.
He glanced at her and the dash lights gleamed in his brown eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know my family could actually go this far.”
Her mind stopped listening at the word
family.
“Excuse me.” She sat up straight and glared at him. “Those people are your family?”
His glance was much longer this time, and she could see the mental gears turning as he re-evaluated her.
“I’m Nick Holloway, Keith’s son.” Nick’s eyes weren’t hurt by her outburst, but he looked confused. “Didn’t you know?”
“But Keith’s so ugly…”
He laughed, although it was short and tense. “I hope that means you think of the opposite of me.”
That explained a whole heck of a lot. No wonder he worked for Keith – he wasn’t working for the family, he was a part of it. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted blood.
Keep calm, stay clear.
Cora needed her brain working to get her out of this, so blinding anger had to wait. “I’ve never heard a word about you. Not your name, not that Keith even had a son.”
“Jerry never mentioned me?”
She gave him a slight shake of her head before dutifully adding, “Though he didn’t talk about anyone from his job, or their family.”
He studied her again, something he did too much. She wanted to tell him to keep his eyes on the road before he got them in a wreck. Then he said, “To be fair, I’ve been out of the picture since I left for college in California. Keith and I hardly spoke since then. I went straight to work after graduation, and I wasn’t planning on coming back, but my cousin asked me to get involved. So I went to Keith and asked for a second chance.”
Cora wondered why Keith let Nick get involved after that slap in the face. This seemed to be getting more tangled by the minute. “So Alexander and Terrance are part of your family?”
“Not Alexander. Terrance is my cousin. He’s fresh out of high school. It’s sad…he was this chubby little kid that followed Adam and me around.”
He sounded wistful. It was hard to picture being a part of a family like that. “So if how did you get involved again? You were out and free of them.” She certainly wouldn’t have come back.
“Adam called, worried, and said this started over money, but it involved a lot more than that this time. He said people’s lives are on the line. I left, but he’s here and lives with this.”
Adam…another player. She’d get to that one later.
“So you rushed back to help Keith?”
“No, I want to help you.”
Where did he get off saying that? “How did you even know about me? I didn’t have to be involved in this. Wait, you’ll just have another outrageous explanation for that one, too.”
He thumped on the steering wheel. “No, you didn’t need to be here, but Alexander advised Keith from the beginning that Jerry puts you first, and he’d do about anything to keep you safe.”
Great. She hated Alexander, and she had a long list of reasons why, including the fact that he was still following them. Too bad his car couldn’t hit a deer and run off the road.
Nick glanced at her before saying, “I’ve heard a lot about you, that’s why I assumed you’d know about me.”
Cora didn’t like the fact that he knew anything about her, especially how poor she’d been all through her childhood. His family carried a lot of weight, while her family consisted only of her father, and the two of them had tried their best not to be noticed at all. Sometimes she still felt like hiding. Jerry had been very supportive when she chose journalism as her major in college, but he’d also been surprised when she decided she wanted to be a reporter and be on camera. To be honest, she’d been in a small stage of rebellion then. She felt like she’d overcome all and wanted to show the world. Cora could still remember that on-top-of-the-world feeling. If only she could feel it again.
“I turned on the news the other night so I could put a name with the face.”
Something gave her the feeling that wasn’t anything close to the full story. Wondering about Nick’s opinion of her unnerved Cora, and she didn’t know why she cared. His good looks sure didn’t help. She wanted to buy into his story, but his actions went against it
. Face the facts
, girl, Cora thought,
he’s doing the leg work for Keith Holloway
.
Outside, the moon chased them through the tall evergreens. Strange worries plagued her: unfinished to-do lists, tasks left undone at work, and worries about her apartment. “A lot of people will look for me, you know. And my father.”
“I think Jerry’s going to lay low, for your safety. And this cabin is a ways out in the sticks, way back on an overgrown road. I’m sorry to say no one will go out as far as we’re going.”
“Sorry?” she asked. His voice sounded like he regretted taking her out to this middle-of-nowhere cabin, but it almost sounded like a promise that no one could find them.
“I’m sorry about all of this. Really, Cora.”
Yeah, well, actions speak louder than words. They could be headed east into the Cascade Mountains or west toward the coastal mountain range, and she had no clue about how to tell their direction. No one would ever think to look for her out in the Oregon wilderness. She was on her own.
***
He heard her sigh just before crossing her arms and turning toward the window. What could he say to make her feel safe with him? It pained him to see her so scared and angry, but he couldn’t make any promises about her father’s safety.
This wasn’t going as planned. He had stepped in because it was right… and because he wanted to help her, and have her on his side. There had been something here from the beginning, even before he had seen her in person. Not only had he’d gotten pictures from Adam, he’d watched the news quite a few times lately to see her. She was bigger than life with a gorgeous smile and an enthusiastic personality. He had pictured her smiling at him…and imagined how all that soft, shiny hair would feel in his hands. She was sleek, classy, and energetic, a nice mix.
He was out of words and explanations, but not any closer to getting her to understand. And why should she?
Cora hadn’t moved in a few minutes. He knew better, but he wanted to touch her. He touched her arm with the back of his hand, just a slight touch of reassurance. When she didn’t react at all, he wondered if she could have fallen asleep. She could be faking it, but he decided not to pester her anymore either way.
Guilt and other mixed emotions buzzed in him, keeping him jumpy. He checked the rear view mirror once more, and when he didn’t see Alexander’s headlights, thought he could make a break for it. He’d have a few days to find Jerry before Keith discovered he left the cabin with Cora. Unless, of course, Alexander checked on them sooner. Nick had no way of tracking Alexander, of knowing when he’d show up or spy on them.
Damn it!
He kept the car on its course. Alexander could track Jerry anywhere, and put a bullet in him if Cora didn’t stay right where Keith wanted her. And if Jerry didn’t check in every twelve hours, Alexander was ordered to provide some extra incentive by sending back one of Cora’s fingers. But not with Nick on watch. Whatever it took, he was keeping her safe.
Four
Branches swept over the car as Nick drove down an old, narrow gravel road. She thought it’d been two hours, but it was hard to guess the distance because he’d drove in circles and had to slow down for the twisting roads and even more for the twisting gravel roads. He pulled the car into a small, worn out garage, or maybe it was a shed, and turned the car off. She was glad the headlights stayed on for a minute.
Her stomach growled in the silence. She almost wished she’d eaten dinner but the growling was partly from nerves, too.
“There’s a path leading up to the cabin. I’ll grab the flashlight.” He also got her bag and came around to her door and opened it. “You can get some rest inside.”