Deception (23 page)

“What do you think is going on?” Patti asked Maria.

Men dressed in security uniforms approached partygoers and asked them to go into the ballrooms. Remembering the security men in the stateroom, Patti had no intention of following them anywhere. She and Maria would need to find a place to hide before Raymond and his goons found them.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” Maria set down the tray she’d been holding. “It might be a trap Raymond’s set. We don’t really know if the FBI came aboard, or not. It could have been a rumor he started to flush us out in the open.”

“You’re right. I’m not going anywhere with anyone unless they show me an FBI badge. No way, I’m going into one of those rooms with any of those so-called security officers.”

One of the security guards looked at Patti.

Their gazes met. His eyes widened in surprise. He marched towards her.

Patti grabbed Maria’s arm. “Let’s go.”

The women took off in the opposite direction.

The yacht came close to the pier and then thudded to a stop.

Patti looked at Maria. “We made it. We’ve got to get out of here.”

“I thought you were going to find the FB—“

“Forget it. I just want to get as far away from this place as I can.”

Maria’s lips trembled and she wiped away tears. “I’ve got to find Layla.”

“We will. We will. Which way to the ramp?”

Maria looked around and pointed. They weaved their way through the dwindling crowd.

Patti bumped into someone and looked up to apologize. She found herself staring directly into the eyes of Raymond Hammond.

34

Raymond’s eyes widened in surprise.

Patti froze. She couldn’t breathe.

He grabbed her before she could move. “Nice to see you again, Patti. I’ve been searching everywhere for you. You didn’t actually think you could get away from me, did you?” With those words, something pushed against her back. He whispered, “I’ve got a gun. Don’t move.”

Patti yelled, “Run, Maria, run.”

Maria’s head jerked around. Her mouth fell open as she saw Raymond.

“Don’t do it, Maria,” growled Raymond as he moved the gun up to Patti’s head.

Patti stopped struggling as the gun pressed against her temple.
This was it. So close to freedom, only to be caught once again.

Maria ran several steps, but then slowed and turned back towards them.

“Go, Maria. Just go. Don’t worry about me.”

A gleam of hatred burned in Maria’s eyes as she gazed at Raymond. Her eyes narrowed and her look of hatred turned to terror. She pointed towards them, and screamed, “Gun. He’s got a gun.”

Heads turned, and then the crowd panicked.

People screamed and pushed to get away from Raymond. The crowd grew in size as the panic increased.

The more Maria screamed, the more frenzied the crowd became.

Raymond muttered an oath.

The gun moved away from her head as he aimed it at Maria.

She had to stop him. Patti hit his arm just as he pulled the trigger.

The gun exploded, terrifying the already panicked crowd even more.

More shots.

More screaming.

People ran and shoved each other as they tried to get away.

Patti looked over to where Maria had been standing. Her heart sank.

Maria lay on the deck moaning, as a puddle of blood formed.

Raymond dragged Patti backwards through the terror-filled crowd towards the exit ramp.

Patti struggled and hit out at Raymond, but to no avail. Her wig fell off as she thrashed about.

“Patti.” A voice yelled.

Thank you, God.

Carter stood several feet away from her with his gun leveled at Raymond.

Carter was here—with her.

Raymond squeezed her neck tighter. “Don’t be a hero. First, I shoot the woman, and then I shoot you. Just walk away. This is no concern of yours.”

Carter didn’t lower his gun. Instead, he took another step towards them.

Raymond’s arm tightened around her throat.

Carter’s gaze met hers for just a moment, and then returned to Raymond. He shook his head. “It’s not going to happen that way. You’re going to let go of her, and then you get to live. That’s the deal.”

“I don’t like that deal.” As Raymond spoke, he twisted Patti’s neck and moved further into the crowd.

The crowd quieted and parted. All eyes were focused on Carter and Raymond.

She saw stars and couldn’t breathe. Her knees buckled, but Raymond held her up. He slowly backed through the crowd, pulling her with him as he inched his way towards the exit plank.

“You don’t think the FBI will let you leave, do you?” Carter asked. “They’re waiting for you on the dock.”

“They will, if they want her to live.” Raymond took several more steps backwards, dragging Patti along with him.

Barely able to breathe, she clawed at his arm.

Carter moved forward.

She heard Raymond cock the gun.

“You take one more step and I shoot her.” Raymond’s voice was cold as ice.

Her gaze flew to Carter, but she knew he couldn’t stop the inevitable.

She steeled herself.

“FBI.” A voice behind them called out.

Raymond’s head snapped towards the voice. The gun shifted ever so slightly away from her head as he moved.

In the same instant, Carter leaped through the air and tackled the two of them. Carter’s arms went around her. His hands found Raymond’s.

She felt fingers being pried off her arms and then Carter twisted Patti out of Raymond’s iron grip.

More shots.

He rolled her away from Raymond, using his own body as a shield. “You’re OK. I won’t let him hurt you,” Carter whispered in her ear.

She never wanted to leave the warmth and security of his arms.

Carter adjusted his arms, pulling Patti to her feet.

She looked around wildly. “Where is he?’

Carter shook his head. “I don’t know. He disappeared into the crowd. The FBI won’t let him get away.”

She shook her head. Her words were breathless as she tried to gain control of her emotions. “That man is Raymond Hammond...Rahmed Hamed, Joseph’s brother. He’s the leader. You’ve got to stop him. He…he…he’s dangerous.” She took a deep breath. “He killed Jamie.”

****

Carter held her close.

Her head fell against his shoulders. She wanted to stay there forever. Shut out the ugliness of the world, but she couldn’t. “What about Maria?”

The FBI was quickly taking control of the crowd that remained on the yacht.

Three different pockets of EMS workers crowded around three different people—Raymond’s victims.

Patti moved out of Carter’s arms and ran from group to group until she found Maria.

Two EMS workers knelt down beside her. One was attaching an IV, the other pressed against a gunshot wound to staunch the blood.

“I’m right here, Maria.”

Maria’s eyes flew open and their gazes met. She managed to gasp out only one word. “Daughter.”

Stricken, Patti nodded. “I know. I’ll go find her. I promise.”

Patti jumped up.

Carter was right there.

Grabbing his arm, she led him away from the noisy crowd. “Raymond kidnapped Maria’s daughter. I’ve got to go find her. ”

“Don’t worry; he’s not going to get off this boat.”

“He’s probably already on his way. We’ve got to get there before he does. He’ll take her and she’ll never see her daughter again. She saved my life.” Patti shook her head. “I promised Maria I would find her daughter. I’m keeping that promise.”

Carter opened his mouth, but Patti didn’t have time to argue with him.

Without another word, she turned and pushed her way past the guards, who had lost control of the crowd when the shooting began.

Carter took hold of her elbow, leading her through the crowd. At the ramp, he held up his badge to the security guards, who nodded and let them pass.

“I have the address. The little girl is supposed to be there. Her name is Layla.”

“Let me call Marcus.” He pulled his phone out and gave Marcus an update. “Done. The police are on their way.

“I’m going.”

Carter touched her cheek. “Are you sure I can’t stop you from doing this?”

“No.”

“Then, let’s go. I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”

She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Come on. I have the keys to the car that Marcus and I were driving.”

They ran to the car and jumped in.

Carter programmed the GPS to the address they needed and they took off.

35

She turned towards Carter as they drove down the narrow streets. “How in the world did you get here so fast? I called you in Palm Beach.”

His hands clenched the steering wheel. “I wasn’t in Palm Beach, I was on a police boat headed to the yacht. As soon as I discovered you weren’t in the hotel, I knew you’d found out where Jamie was working. I found the letter with the address. You left it at my house. I grabbed the first plane possible because I…I knew God wanted me to get out here to help you.”

“I can’t believe you’re here.” She touched his arm.

“I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you.” His gaze met hers. His held a promise for the future.

She looked away. Her emotions were in overdrive and she couldn’t focus on the future. Her only concern was to find Layla.

****

Carter flipped his phone shut, his expression grim. “They still can’t find the man on the yacht. But there are so many hiding places it could take hours to find him.”

“He’s not there. I’m telling you, he got away. The man is pure evil. I looked into his eyes.” She shuddered. “We’ve got to get to Layla before her father does. If Raymond gets Layla, Maria will never see her daughter again.”

They arrived at a benign-looking house.

Patti pointed to it. “That’s the address.”

It didn’t have a picket fence, but it certainly could pass for the American dream. It was a simple blue house surrounded by a well-manicured lawn. It definitely didn’t look like a house where terrorists lived.

Carter pulled into the drive.

“You stay here,” he told Patti, but she was already out of the car.

Carter jogged to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Patti watched from the drive as he rang it again and again. No answer.

Please God. Let them be here.

Carter ran back down the steps. “I’m going to check the backyard.”

Patti ran to keep up with him. As they rounded the house, the backyard came into view. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Two little girls played on a swing set.

“Layla,” Patti yelled.

A beautiful, dark-skinned little girl looked up from the swing set.

The resemblance to Sabrina was eerie. If she’d had any doubt that Joseph Hamed was Sabrina’s father, it was gone.

Patti ran to her. “Layla, your mommy sent me to get you. She wants to see you.”

The girl smiled. It was the exact same smile as Sabrina. “I want my mommy.”

Patti reached out her arms. “I know you do, sweetheart. Come with me and I’ll take you to her.”

Layla slipped off the swing and walked towards Patti.

A woman came rushing to them. She had long black hair, olive-colored skin, and wore a simple dress that fell to her ankles. Her black eyes were filled with concern as she looked at these strangers who had invaded her backyard.

“No, Layla, you can’t go with her,” her voice was calm, but firm.

Layla stopped moving. She looked back and forth between Patti and the other woman, her confusion evident on her face. “She’s going to take me to Mommy. I want to see my mommy.”

The woman started towards Layla, but stopped as Carter pulled out his gun and flashed his badge.

Still, she didn’t give up. “Layla, what did your mommy teach you about going with a stranger?”

The little girl frowned at the woman and then looked back at Patti.

Patti could tell Layla was torn.

She obviously was missing her mother and wanted to go to Patti, but wasn’t sure if she should.

Carter walked up behind Patti and slipped something in her hand.

She looked down. It was his badge. She knew just what to say. She showed it to the little girl. “Layla, I’m not a stranger. I’m the police. Didn’t your mommy teach you that it was OK to go with the police?”

The girl nodded and took a step towards Patti, but then suddenly yelled, “There’s Daddy.” She changed direction and ran.

Patti lunged for the little girl, but it was too late.

Raymond bent down and picked up his daughter.

His black eyes gleamed with triumph and fanaticism as he stood back up and looked at Patti and Carter.

Carter moved in front of Patti with gun drawn.

The other little girl was crying.

Layla’s babysitter’s head moved back and forth between the men holding guns. She gathered her own daughter into her arms, fearful and protective.

Patti breathed a sigh of relief and focused her attention back on the men.

Carter moved in front of Patti. “Let her go, Hammond. You don’t want your daughter to get hurt.”

“She’s not going to get hurt. We are leaving and you aren’t going to stop us.” The man was heartless.

Layla was sobbing and burrowing into her father’s shoulders.

Carter couldn’t shoot him without putting Layla in jeopardy.

The poor little girl must be terrified.

God, please keep her safe.

Raymond began backing up
.

He’s going to take her. She’ll never see her mommy again.

Carter matched Raymond’s retreat step for step.

Patti followed, praying.
Do something, God. Don’t let this happen.

The answer to her prayer came charging at Raymond.

A German Shepherd appeared out of nowhere and ran directly across the yard. The dog jumped on his back without warning.