The Other Sister (Sister Series, #1)
Read The Other Sister (Sister Series, #1) Online
Authors: Leanne Davis
The Other Sister
by
Leanne Davis
Sister Series, Book One
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents
are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The Other Sister
COPYRIGHT © 2013 by Leanne Davis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information:
[email protected]
Publishing History First Edition, 2013 Digital
Sister Series, Book One
Edited by Teri at The Editing Fairy
Cover Design by Steven Novak
To
my mom, Diane Fletcher
For believing in me my entire life
For always and completely
accepting me for
exactly
who I am
Thank you for teaching me the kind of mother,
and person I want to be
I have been nothing but
grateful for your presence in my life, every single day of my life
For being my first reader always, and my biggest fan
And for calling me one day and saying,
you
must
publish this book
So
, mom, this is for you
I love you
Other Titles by Leanne Davis
The Seaclusion Series
Poison
Book One
Due out from The Wild Rose Press in 2014
Notorious
Book Two
Secrets
Book Three
hapter One
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
When Will Hendricks
stepped into the office, he found himself standing before one of the most decorated and powerful generals in the world.
The black chair turned slowly as the large man in it swiveled around to meet him. The general was
, as always, well dressed, impeccably groomed, standing taller than Will’s own six feet, and as broad-shouldered and fit as he was thirty years ago. Now in his late fifties, General Travis Bains was toned, trim, graying and distinguished. Will’s eyes did not linger on the general. He was standing at attention, one hand to his forehead, his gaze straight ahead, not deviating for anything, in proper military salute towards the officer.
“William R. Hendricks, I presume?”
“Sir, yes, sir.”
“At ease, soldier,
you and I are about get real close, real fast.”
Will glanced in the general’s direction startled by the odd, almost casual statement, as if they were somehow friends, and about to share something.
“Sit down, Colonel Hendricks, as of now, you aren’t here in any official way, you are here as family friend. Do you understand?”
Will’s inner radar went up. This wasn’t good. Whatever was going on, his being summoned unexpected
ly to the office of one of the most powerful men in the world wasn’t typical. It wasn’t normal. It wasn’t good for Will. The general sighed as he leaned forward, setting his elbows on his desk. He gestured toward the chair across the massive desk. An American flag stood at the left of it, along with the army color guard.
“Sit.”
Will sat down on the edge of the chair, his back ramrod straight, his legs parted and perfectly perpendicular to the floor. There was no way he could relax in General Bains’s office as if they were, to quote him, “family friends.”
“You know my daughter?”
His daughter?
The question came out of left field, almost as much as the strange summons. He knew the general’s daughter, Second Lieutenant Lindsey Bains, in a casual way. They worked together, were on the same base, and once went out for drinks. But know her? Not exactly. Was there some kind of scandal going on involving the general’s daughter, in which his name had somehow come up?
“Yes
, sir. I know Second Lieutenant Bains.”
“Relax
, soldier, she gave me your name because I need your help, and she trusts you. Don’t prove her wrong. Can I trust you?”
“Yes
, sir,” Will said without hesitation. He was already in deep if Lindsey Bains singled him out. There was no escaping whatever the general wanted, and no chance of bowing out and saying “No, thank you.” Not if a soldier valued his career. Or, at the least, did not want the remainder of his military life made miserable.
General Bains leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the armrest. “So here’s the problem, and why I need a family friend to help me fix it. Not in any official capacity
, you understand. You are not required, nor will any negative consequences befall you, if you decline my request. I want that clear, and totally understood.”
“Yes
, sir, understood.”
“I assume since you know Lindsey, you’ve heard of my other daughter?”
“Sir?” Will had no idea where this was headed. Daughters? What the hell was going on? He was pulled unexpectedly from his platoon and immediately escorted to see General Bains in his private office.
“You don’t have to play dumb,
I know all the troops have heard of Jessie Bains. Her behavior is neither a surprise nor a secret.”
“I don’t know her, sir.”
“Right. You’ve heard of her though?”
“Yes
, sir,” Will said after a brief pause. Who hadn’t heard of Jessie Bains? Soldiers had long been having X-rated fantasies about the general’s other daughter. She was well known to do anything and everything. She was wild, careless, and slutty, unlike her older sister, Lindsey, who was not. The contrast between the two was so polar, there was even an article running in one of the gossip magazines. Not that Will read those, or cared. But he was aware of the scuttle, and showed concern only for Lindsey. He always liked her and thought she didn’t deserve the attention she got because of her younger sister’s rash behavior.
“Have you seen the
tape?”
Will pressed his lips. How the hell was he supposed to answer that? Of course, he knew about the
tape. It rocked through the ranks after it was released. The entire nation went on and on about the tape’s graphic sexual content, especially since the girl in it was the daughter of the most famous, respected, and dynamic general to come out of the Army in the last fifty years.
The general
stood up while waiting for Will to answer. He flipped a switch and suddenly, a flat screen on the wall started playing a tape. Not just any tape, but
that
one. Will’s rigid self-control was challenged by the shock of what he saw in the general’s office. He closed his mouth, and tried to wipe the astonishment from his eyes before the general turned back towards him. On the screen, the man’s daughter, dressed in a slutty version of army fatigues was slowly performing a lewd strip tease. Up close and personally, the camera moved over the girl. The general turned back to Will, and his expression remained totally neutral. There was no shock, no disgust, no disbelief, but rather, clinical detachment. Will had no idea where this could possibly be going.
“
That
tape. Have you seen it, Will?”
Oh, now he was Will? Behind the general, Will glimpsed his daughter’s white, naked ass as she bent over, and the camera went in for a close-up. Will turned his head away.
“I’ve heard about it.”
“Well that’s her, my daughter, Jessie Bains.” The general calmly switched off the TV as the naked girl put on bright red lipstick and laughed. It didn’t take too much of a stretch of the imagination to guess what was coming next in her little script.
Will didn’t know what to make of it. Why did the general associate him with any connection to the tape? He sure as hell wasn’t the man in the
tape or linked in any other way. Did the general think he was? Nervously worrying about his career, and if it was over, Will still didn’t know what could possibly involve him with Jessie Bains.
“She was kidnapped
yesterday. I think it’s because of this tape that she was chosen to be taken and ransomed to me. I believe this made her known to one of several groups I’ve spent a considerable amount of my career being vocally against. Groups that deal in arms and drugs and lead to places that can easily hide terrorist. I am quite politically active, and I assume it is because of my association with the military, and because of my political beliefs that this group decided to target me, and therefore Jessie. And they probably think I have the kind of money they want.”
Will’s mouth dropped open. He never saw
that
development coming, not in a million years.
“Sir?” Will prodded
, after the general stopped talking and appeared to be lost in thought.
“They want
several million dollars for her. Not a huge amount by international standards. But to me, personally, I obviously don’t have that kind of money. This is a civilian matter, so there is nothing I can ask the military to do for me. But that leaves me in something of a situation.”
The man’s daughter is being held for ransom and he calls it a “situation?” Understatement of the century. Perhaps his cool, calm, cold-blooded analytical skills were what took General Bains as far as he now was in his life and career. Will admired it, but wondered why the man didn’t seem slightly more upset.
“I have access to the best trained men in the world, and I could have a dream team put together in an instant in order to execute an extraction. But as you know, my hands are tied and I can’t do that. This situation isn’t professional, it’s personal. It’s a police matter. But the thing is: I know these types of people and the police can’t touch them.”
Will’s stomach plummeted to his feet as he immediately realized exactly why the bizarre circumstances involved him. “But I can,” Will replied glumly, finishing the general’s sentence. Such an action was unheard of in his entire career as a soldier: interrupting a superior officer. But the utter shock and bewilderment as he pondered where his day had just gone,
felt like the general just decked him.
“Yes, judging by your record, and your reputation, I’m sure you could. You understand, of course, there is no pressure. It’s your decision and yours alone.”
Will easily recognized that was a load of shit. “Yes, sir. What do you have in mind?”
“You’re in then?”
Without knowing any of the details? Hell no! But the expectant, steady glare General Bains had in his eyes as he stared at him, seemed to penetrate his very soul, Will knew he was in. There was no other choice.
“Yes
, sir.”
The general nodded and smiled as he rested a hand on Will’s shoulder.
“I’m proud of you, son. Your bravery is exceptional. I promise to reward you for your heroism. Whether now, or later, I do promise you.”
Unless he failed.
Will could feel the dynamic strength of the general’s grip on his shoulder, and physically experienced the powerful grasp of the general’s will. The draw of General Bains’s legendary charisma had men by the hundreds lining up to do whatever the general requested, literally to die for him. He inspired that much loyalty in his men. Even Will, who was wary of being indebted to anyone, could feel it.
“Who has her, sir? What’s the plan?”
“I believe a drug cartel who operates primarily out of Mexico kidnapped my daughter. It’s their revenge for certain policies I strongly back and have tried to further politically in my spare time.”
“Why would they target your daughter, sir?”
“Ruthless, isn’t it? What better way to strike terror in honest American soldiers than to ignore the soldiers trained to fight, and prey on their innocent families? Even their daughters?”
Will got chills down his spine.
The concept was such an egregious, but effective tool of war.
“What’re your plans
, sir?”
“You looking for a vacation?”
Will nodded. He knew what that meant. “Yes, sir, I’m looking for a vacation.”
The general sat back down,
and smiled at Will. “Good, soldier. That sounds like a great idea.”