Darkness Follows (19 page)

Seth

I sat a row behind Riley with a ball hat, sunglasses, and board shorts. I was careful to hide myself from Emily’s view. No doubt she’d spot me a mile away.

Emily had the attention of most every male in the vicinity. Her black bikini made me want to toss her over my shoulder and take her into a room where I could sink my teeth into her neck as I slid balls deep into her.

My erection strained against my shorts. I blinked back my fantasy and stiffened when I saw him approach her.

“Who’s that?” I asked loudly enough for Riley to hear. Riley, who pretended to talk on the phone, turned his head slightly.

“He approached them last night at dinner. He handed her a sweater. I checked around. He’s a businessman who brings clients here a lot. They’ve never had a problem with him. He never goes to his room alone, though,” he said with a side glance at me. My skin crawled at the thought.

“Keep your eye on him.”

“You want me to interfere?” Riley shifted a little like he was about to get up.

Yes.

“No, Pete is back now. He won’t let her do anything stupid.” Riley nodded and settled back in his seat.

Riggs was at the far end of the pool. He twisted his straw between his fingers and signaled that everything was all clear on his end. He picked up his book and opened it, resting his hands on his knees so the tiny mic was close to his mouth.

“Don’t take your eyes off her.”

“Copy that,” Riggs muttered into his glass.

***

Lasko

I grabbed a shopping cart and whipped down the aisles and grabbed duct tape, zip ties, a black cloth bag, and a piece of foam that was six feet by three feet. I chuckled to myself when the clerk glanced up at me with an unsettling look.

“I watched a show once,” the clerk started to shove the items in a bag, “where a guy bought this same stuff so he could kidnap a girl. Only he got rope rather than zip ties.”

I handed him a fifty dollar bill. “Zip ties are faster, though less comfortable. Keep the change.” I left the clerk, who looked shocked at my comment. I didn’t care. I planned on taking Emily far away from here. I opened the borrowed van’s door and placed the foam piece on the floor in the back. I chucked the bag on top and headed back to the spa. I needed a progress report from Blake.

My phone rang just as I turned over the engine.

“Yeah.”

Background noise made it hard to hear the voice. “She’s not alone. You’ll need Blake’s brother.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No, handle it.”

The line went dead.

My thumb zipped through a few contacts until I found Blake’s number.

He answered on the fifth goddamn ring.

“Blake Barker.” He answered, which meant he was with her.

“You need to bring in your brother.”

“Yes, I noticed that problem, and I’ve already handled the issue.”

“Good.” I hung up and reached for my Jack. I took a long sip and chased down three painkillers. My goddamn head hurt. I needed some blow badly.

After I parked, I pulled on my blond, shaggy wig and made sure it looked right. I attached my mustache and fastened the Velcro that supported a fake tummy around my middle, then grabbed my purchase from the local food market and headed inside. I was so excited, I could taste her.

***

Emily

I felt a little uncomfortable with Blake’s friendliness. Any other girl would have tossed themselves at his feet. He was tall and lean, with deep, chocolate-brown eyes and a great smile, but that didn’t mean anything to me, not since Seth. Seth had had my heart from the moment I laid eyes on him.

“So, what do you think?”

“Huh?” I looked over at Blake and tried to recall what he had just said.

He chuckled. “Am I that boring?” I felt my face flush.
No, you’re just not the man I want to be with right now.
“I asked if you and Pete wanted to meet me for dinner tonight. My brother is in town, and I think Pete and he would hit it off great.”

“Wait, wait, shift it back!” Pete squealed from behind me. “You have a brother? Oh, we are so in!” I glared back at Pete, who didn’t seem to care.

“Great.” Blake rose. “We’ll meet you at the Gate restaurant at six. See you then.”

As soon as Blake was far enough away, I snatched my drink from Pete’s hand and pinched him on the arm.

“Ouch!” He laughed and rubbed the sore spot. “Come on, Emily. You already landed yourself a hottie. Now it’s my turn. Besides, Riley and I will be with you the whole time.” He stuck his lower lip out at me. “Please, love, if there are two of those men on this planet and one plays for my team, shouldn’t I have a fighting chance to win him over?”

I rolled my eyes and sat back down. He knew I’d do anything for him.
Even this.

A few hours later, Pete strolled out of the master bathroom. He gave me one of his famous side smiles when he saw my cream-colored dress with gold threading through it.

“God, I have good taste.” He referred to the fact that he had picked the dress out for me a few months back.

I shot him a look. “Yes, you do. I am pretty great.”

“Ready to go?” He offered me his arm.

Riley stopped mid-step when he saw Blake and his brother waiting for us at a table. He gripped my arm and spun me around to look at him.

“You could have warned me.” He was right. I shouldn’t have surprised him like this.

“I’m sorry. I’m just doing this for Pete. I didn’t want to make a big deal about it.”

“Emily, I don’t think this is a good idea.” Riley started to search around the restaurant.

“Why? Haven’t you already done a background check on him?” He looked a bit startled by my question. “It’s okay, Riley. I’m sure Seth scanned everyone in the resort. Is Blake all clear?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, well, I’m going to go enjoy dinner. Besides, I promised Seth I wouldn’t leave the resort, and I’m not.” I stepped back and gave him a reassuring smile. His face didn’t change, but he didn’t argue either.

“Emily,” Blake greeted me as he stood and pulled back my chair. “Pete informed us that you and your cousin are quite close.” He nodded toward Riley who walked swiftly toward the kitchen.
I wonder where he’s going.

“Yeah, we are.” I felt Pete lay a napkin over my lap, then he gave me a small pat.

“Hello, Emily, I’m Simon.” Blake’s brother, who looked exactly like him, extended his hand. “Thank you for joining us tonight.”

“It’s my pleasure.” I nodded and took note that Riley was nowhere to be seen.

***

Seth

I sat in the corner of the restaurant in a black suit with a navy blue tie. My mouth was dry at the sight of Emily. The way she commanded the attention of a room was almost too much to take.

“Would you relax?” Vanessa hissed and made a point to eye my fingers wrapped around the knot of my tie. “Seriously, we look like we’re on a first date or something.”

“Remind me again how you convinced Campbell to let you be a part of this?”

She rolled her eyes and smirked. “You needed a date for a cover, and I’m guessing Mindy wasn’t the first on your list of suitable ladies.” She raised one eyebrow as she sipped her water.

“Really? You just went there?”

“Yes, I did.” She batted my hand away from my neck again.

“Wait, how did you even know about her?”

She shrugged. “Give Pete a drink or two, and the stories start flowing.”

“Jesus, he’s worse than a thirteen-year-old girl.” I picked up my fork and speared a potato, then spun it in a small amount of sour cream. I wanted desperately to remove my jacket because I felt quite warm, but I needed to make sure my wire was well hidden.

I flicked my glaze over to Emily’s table. I could faintly make out what their conversation was about. Pete was mostly chatting away about himself—
shocker
. I lifted my napkin to wipe the corners of my mouth. “Heads up, guys, she’s on the move.” I glanced around the room. “Where the hell is Riley?” I watched Emily make her exit toward the restroom. All eyes were on her.

“Seth,” Riggs’s voice rung through his earpiece. “The bellman, Paul, is in the manager’s office. He said he needs to speak to you right now.”

A slow, haunting wave washed over me as I pushed to my feet. The cold chill that followed confirmed my fear. “He’s here.”

“Are you sure? Should I come?” Vanessa calmly glanced around. I had to admit she sure played her part well.

“I don’t think so. You better go back to the room and wait with Campbell.”

“Yeah, okay.”

I whipped past Pete, who was too deep in conversation to even notice me.

I lifted my wrist to my mouth. “Garrett, where are you?”

“I’m still in the lobby in the chair by the fountain. I’m six minutes away from the manager’s office, should you need me.”

“Good, stay there.”

I ran off toward the manager’s office with a heavy weight in my stomach.

***

Emily

I checked my makeup, and then pulled out my phone. I hoped to give Riley a call, but I didn’t have any service. I had been preoccupied with him, as he didn’t return to the restaurant through dinner. That was odd. I had had full service at the restaurant the night before. I stepped out to the lobby and noticed a weak signal, so I tried the number again.

Then I heard Blake call out my name. I quickly ended the call and tucked my phone back into my purse.

He buttoned up his suit jacket as he strolled toward me. “Simon and Pete are out on the balcony watching the surf. Do you want to go out and join them?”

“Um, sure, sounds nice.”

He nodded and then stopped. “Oh, wait! I need to go see Tim. He’s the chef here.” He smiled. “Would you like to meet him? He loves to gloat.”

I laughed as I looked around. The last time I’d seen Riley, he was in the kitchen. Maybe he was still there.

“Yes. Okay.” I followed him back to the double doors and through a quiet kitchen. A dishwasher had just finished up. He whistled to a tune on the radio. He waved and smiled at me as we passed through.

Blake opened an office door and held it for me. As soon as the door closed behind me, I got a sudden rush that something wasn’t right. The room looked to be abandoned. It was full of old boxes of knickknacks. I opened my purse in front of me and quickly texted Riley.

Emily: Where r u? I may need your help!

I turned to find Blake on the phone with someone. I slipped my cell into my bra.

“Got it,” he said, then he tucked it away in his pocket. He stepped toward me and watched me carefully. His eyes were not so friendly anymore. Now they showed determination. “Time to go, Emily.”

Oh God.

“Where?” I choked out and felt the walls close in.

“Purse.” He held his hand out.

“Excuse me?” He stepped forward again, then ripped it from my hand and tossed it into the waste bin. “What the hell, Blake?”

“He doesn’t like to wait.” He gripped my arm and gave me a yank to follow him. My legs felt like rubber while my stomach started to turn violently. How could I not have seen this coming? How could I have been stupid enough to think Lasko wouldn’t find me? I was reckless, stupid, and selfish. A voice from inside screamed at me.
This is all your fault. You hurt the ones you love. You deserve to be taken again. You are a fool.

***

Seth

I opened the door to find a nervous-looking employee sweating profusely. Something was off. By the look on Riggs’s face, he felt it too.

“Have you seen this man?” I took the photo from Riggs’s hand and shoved it into the guy’s face.

“Yes, but—”

“But what?” I shouted.

He sighed, then ran his hand over his stomach. “He paid me four hundred dollars to get you to this office and give you this.” He handed me a small silver envelope. “Look, man, I really need the money.”

“Stop talking,” I growled, then stared at the paper in my hand. It looked just like the one Lasko had put on Emily’s windshield at The Goose. My fingers trembled as I slid the card out.

Checkmate
.

The tiny sliver card fluttered to the floor as I took off out the door with Riggs on my heels.

“Garrett, it was a trap! He’s here! Where’s Emily?” I shouted over the radio. My phone started to ring.

“Seth, it’s Vanessa. I’m at the front desk. I can see Pete and Simon, but Emily and Blake aren’t with them.”

I stopped mid-run and held up a hand as Garrett approached them. “Are you positive?”

“Yes, and they’re not in the restaurant or the bar.”

I felt all color drain from my face as I lowered my cell from my ear. My heart fought with my stomach on which would fall to the ground first. Things started to spin as the horrible realization surfaced.

“He got Seth away so he could get Emily alone,” Riggs said, taking the moment to fill Garrett in. “I guess that’s why we can’t find Riley either.” Their voices sounded far away as Emily’s face from the basement ripped through me. That was a look I promised myself I’d
never
see on her again.

“Holy shit,” Garrett whispered.

“He will not get her this time,” I snarled as my fear fueled my anger. “Hey!” I yelled as I approached the counter. I banged my fists on the granite until the young man from the back appeared. “I need to see your videos of the restaurant and restrooms on this floor from the last thirty minutes.”

“Excuse me?” The man folded his arms. “Who are you?”

I slammed my badge down. “Tapes. Now!”