Cain (16 page)

Alyssa wiped at the tears and closed
the phone. She knew he was right. Getting Quinn back to her brother
was paramount.

~CHAPTER SIXTEEN~

Cain stayed at the office, waiting. It
had been two hours since his father had called the first time and
forty minutes since the second call. Thomas stayed with him for the
most part. They had kept Damon out of the loop, both knowing that
he would alert Cait of what was going on. Every once in a while,
Thomas would leave the room then return a few minutes later. Cain’s
father was supposed to call back and give him the location to drop
off the money. Thomas said that he had called his bank and Cain had
all that he needed to get his sister back.

His father. Cain had never hated his
father as much as he did right now. He couldn’t imagine hurting
your own child, much less holding them for ransom. Cain wished that
he could talk to Quinn. Then he thought of Alyssa and about how
much he’d really like to speak to her.

He knew that he had treated her badly,
had said things that he shouldn’t have. He wished he could take
them back, wished he could tell her how sorry he was. But she was
out of his league. A wealthy woman like her didn’t date country
doctors like him. Especially ones with a family like
his.

His family was everything to him. Not
so much his parents, but his sisters were. The six of them had
grown up hard and fast. He and Quinn were perhaps the closest. They
being twins probably had something to do with that, but not
entirely.

Quinn used to work for an office as a
receptionist, but when he had left Maine, so had she. He knew that
she was looking for a job and wished now that he had paid more
attention to if she had found one. He knew that she had
single-handedly run the place because the president of the company
had begged Cain to stay so that Quinn would. He supposed it had
something to do with her ex-husband Carl, but he didn’t know for
sure.

Grace Anne, or Gracie Anne, his younger
sister by only sixteen months, worked in New York. She had worked
for a large clothing manufacturer that sold knockoffs of designer
clothing to women who couldn’t afford the real thing. Then she
started making and designing her own line. She was known all over
the world as Gracie Anne to some of the richest women in the world.
He didn’t understand her job, he thought with a grin. To him, a
dress was a dress and who cared who had worn it? But he did love
the feel of his silk and linen suits, so who was he to
complain?

Jazzie, or Jasmine Zinnia, was a…Cain
had to chuckle when he thought of her. She had a sort of checkered
work history and couldn’t hold a job for long. She had at one time
run a very successful restaurant kitchen for about six months. Cain
didn’t really care so long as she was happy because she hadn’t been
for so long.

Lilliane Iris, or “Lilly-pad” to her
family, was an identical twin, but the polar opposite of her mate.
Lilly-pad was fun and carefree where her sister, Sydney, “Sin,” was
not. Lilly-pad lit up a room when she entered, which was probably
why she made a great teacher. Cain thought that Sin would just as
soon light up one with a flame thrower. He loved them both and
loved the differences his sisters had.

He was still thinking about them when
his office phone rang again. He didn’t recognize the number this
time and was hesitant in answering it. Thomas was gone so he didn’t
have to worry about him, so he picked it up on the third ring. He
was both surprised and terrified when he heard Spencer Grant’s
voice.

“
Cait wanted me to call
you and see if you’ve heard from your dad. She and her team are
searching right now for Quinny and didn’t want you to
worry.”

Not worry. He wasn’t even sure if that
was possible right now. But he knew that screaming at Spencer,
Cait’s husband, would do no good. Then he wondered who had told the
police and he started to worry. “How did you know? He said not to
call the police. Christ! He’ll kill her, damn it. I want to know
who called the police.”

“
Thomas Miller did, but no
one knows but Cait. No one, Cain. He called us at home and let us
know. He told us what was going on and that you needed us. I swear
to you, we are doing nothing that would lead anyone to believe that
the police are involved.”

Thomas again. The man seemed to know
just what to do. Cain leaned back in his chair again and closed his
eyes. It was suddenly too much, too much of everything.

“
I’m very worried. I
haven’t heard from my…how could he do this, Spence? How could a
man…his own child? He said he would kill her if I didn’t get him
the money.”

“
I know, Cain. I’m so
sorry. Some people just don’t deserve what they have. You take my
number and as soon as you hear anything, call. We’re all here for
you, buddy.”

Cain hung up a few minutes later and
stayed where he was. When the door opened again, he didn’t even
bother looking up. He knew Thomas’ quiet way as well as he did his
own right now.

“
That was Spencer Grant.
He told me that he and Cait were doing everything they could to get
her back.” He heard the chair sigh as it did when someone sat in
its comfort. “I don’t know how to thank you for all that you’ve
done. I just…thank you very much. I hope your boss knows what a
treasure you are.”

Thomas chuckled. “I believe my boss
knows just what I am. Miss Alyssa will be pleased to know that I’ve
helped you in your time of need, Dr. Waite.”

“
It’s Cain. Alyssa? Is
she…is she all right?” He had wanted to ask all morning, but he
just didn’t know how to do it. Cain opened his eyes and looked at
Thomas.

“
She is rested. Her wounds
are healing. She doesn’t seem to be—”

The phone ringing cut him off and Cain
felt his body tense up. Before he could answer, Thomas’ cell phone
rang as well. When he looked down at it, Thomas stepped out of the
room again. Cain picked his phone up.

“
You got me that money,
boy?” his father asked as soon as Cain identified
himself.

“
Why are you doing this?
Quinn is your own daughter. I’m your son, how can you
do—”

“
This isn’t about you.
Ain’t about your sister either. It’s business. I need that money as
sure as I’m a’ standing here. And I found her. She thinks she so
high and mighty to hit a man in his own sons’ house. Well I showed
her, didn’t I? You bring that money to this here house on Molly
Rock Lane. You know where it’s at. It’s at the house right there on
the corner. You hear me?”

“
Yes, and I want to talk
to Quinn. Now. You put her on the phone or I’m not budging.” Cain
knew he would do whatever it took, but he needed to talk to
Quinn.

“
You just do as you’re
told. You drop it right where I telled you and we’ll see if you are
listening to your daddy. If’n I see one car that I don’t know,
you’re gonna force me to kill her. Hear me?”

“
Yes, and you hear me you
miserable excuse for a human being. If there is one bruise, one
cut, even one small scrape on her body, I will hunt you down and
rip you apart. You hear me?” Cain slammed the phone down and looked
up at Thomas who was standing in the door way.

“
I guess you have a drop
point, Dr. Waite?”

~~~

The group with Alyssa had been passing
out water and fruit for an hour when she finally noticed Moon and
Toby. She didn’t know whether to give him a hug or shake him.
Whenever the churches came by with fruit or blankets, Moon or Toby
or even both would be the first in line. Today, they decided to
wait. Damn it.

“
Moon, you scared me. I
was worried about you. How are you doing?”

He looked at her for several moments.
She knew she looked different and waited until he either gave up
and asked or figured it out on his own. Toby finally leaned over
and whispered something to his partner that had Moon look at her
sharply.

“
Miss Rocky? That you? My
oh my, you sure enough clean up good, don’t you? You find yourself
a good pimp?”

Alyssa put her hand on Drew’s arm to
hold him back. She was sure that Thomas had told him to stick to
her like glue because he had done exactly that. The only time he
had left her with more than three feet between them was when she
went to the bathroom and then he’d been right outside the
door.

“
No. I’ve come into a
little money. I have you some fruit, Moon. A whole bag of oranges
for you and Toby, but I need something from you. Trade
me?”

Moon did not like to take charity. He
honestly didn’t. He would go to the shelter every week for his
meal, but he would stay and clean up afterward, sometimes mopping
up the shelter floor after everyone had left. Moon was a good
man.

“
Trade, huh? What kind of
trade? And I ain’t going to go to no more meetings either if that’s
what you’ra thinking. Me and Toby, we got more things to do than to
sit and hear some jack wipe talking about the Bible like he done
read it. I read it and I ain’t never seen some of the things that
man said was in there.”

“
I know. You showed me,
remember? No, I’m looking for someone Crackers might have been
with. A man who was hurt maybe.”

Alyssa had known who the men were that
tried to drag her from the car. Crackers, or Pochak, as the police
had called him, and his partner Angel. Alyssa wasn’t sure of
Angel’s real name, but he went by that because of the tattoo on his
face and neck. It was of an angel. Crudely done, it covered about
half his face. Alyssa and Rodney thought it had been done in
prison, but neither had cared enough to ask.

“
Nah. I ain’t seen him
since…when was it, Toby? ‘Bout three days now, I’ma guessing. He
had him some flash, but I don’t know where he got it
either.”

Money. So Crackers had some money.
Probably his payment for getting her, she thought. It would be like
him to be that stupid as to go around showing people what he had.
It was then that Alyssa noticed that Lily was staring at her from
across the squatter’s lot. She started toward her when Lily pointed
to the building on her right and headed to her left. Grabbing up a
bag of oranges, Alyssa made her way to the building.

Alyssa trusted Lily. She had never done
anything to harm her and had stayed out of her business. That
wasn’t the norm with people like Lily. More often than not, they
would get into your business so deep you’d have to ask them updates
about your life. Smiling, Alyssa turned just in time to see Drew
coming with her.

“
No. You stay here. I need
you to hand out the water and fruit for me. We need to establish
some good will with these people.”

Drew just put his arms over his chest
and cocked a brow at her. Alyssa wondered if that pose was
something that men just knew or if it was something they got passed
down from their fathers. It was something she promised herself she
would never allow her own sons to do.

“
I don’t think so. I was
told to stay with you as if we were joined at the hip. You walking
away from me, that doesn’t give me all that much of a warm and
fuzzy feeling. Besides, those are my granddad’s orders.”

“
And you always listen to
your granddad I suppose. I can’t have you with me. I have to…I’m
meeting someone and you have to stay…” Alyssa looked up in time to
see Cait Grant and a man coming toward her. “Christ, who all did
you invite to come down here?”

Alyssa stood, waiting for them to get
to her. She wasn’t happy either, it appeared. That thought made
Alyssa feel just a little better, but not entirely.

“
Hello, Miss Howard.
Beautiful day for a kidnapping, wouldn’t you say? Anything we can
help with? Oh, this is my husband, Spencer. Spencer, this is Alyssa
Howard, the woman I was telling you about.”

Alyssa wasn’t even going
to ask about
his
brow thing. She was going to ask Thomas about it next time
she saw him. Then it occurred to her what she’d said.

“
Help? What do you…Thomas.
I’m going to fire him. He needs to…I have to go and meet someone.
And this”—she pointed to Drew—“won’t let me.”

“
Doctor and Captain Grant,
how are you this afternoon? Granddad said I was to stay with her no
matter what. I think he thinks she’ll get into trouble. I think he
might be right.”

Alyssa wanted to kick something.
Preferably Drew’s kneecaps. “Hello? Standing right here. Damn it, I
have to go. If you follow me then I might miss a lead. Stay here or
she might…she doesn’t like men, all right?”

“
I’ll go. I can stay with
her and try to keep her out of trouble too. Come on, Miss Howard,
lead the way.”

“
Stop calling me Miss
Howard. In fact, don’t call me anything. You might find that…no one
knew my name here. Well, except for Rodney. They don’t want…we are
very private people here.” Alyssa looked over to where she was
supposed to meet Lily and sighed. “Damn it, all right, but you have
to be quiet and stay out of my way. I mean it. Lily isn’t going to
be happy about this any more than I am.”

With a quick “careful” from Spencer,
Alyssa and Cait were on their way to the building. Alyssa tried
again to get Cait to let her go alone and she simply shrugged.
Alyssa decided that she needed to get herself a gun. Maybe if she
carried one, she’d be safer to these people. Probably not, she
thought with a wry grin. She’d probably shoot one of them
first.