Forever Safe (Beacons of Hope) (31 page)

He’d been right. From the moment Splash had left the hotel, Tom had begun the trek across the room to the door. Now his time was running out. Splash would be back soon. Theresa had indicated in her hurried whisper that she wouldn’t give the men their final payments until she knew for sure they’d rowed out to the middle of the bay and dropped him overboard too.

Too
.

Every time he thought about the word, his panic mounted. What if at that very moment, Butch was in the process of forcing Victoria into a boat and rowing her out into the bay?

Tom propelled his body forward. He attempted to drag the chair further this time. It scraped noisily. But it only moved another inch. The panic pumping through every muscle wouldn’t let him give up. He’d already crossed most of the distance from the side corner where he’d been shoved out of sight. Once he reached the door, he could bang it. Hopefully the noise would alert someone to his predicament.

Oh, God
, his heart cried.
Help me so that I can help her.
Of course, God had no reason to listen to his pleas. He hadn’t been on speaking terms with God for years. After what had happened with Ike and his mom, he figured God hadn’t wanted to hear from him. Even if an all-loving God still loved him, he wasn’t worthy of that love. Not after all the destruction he’d caused.

It hadn’t mattered what his mom had told him, hadn’t mattered that she didn’t blame him or that she was supposedly at peace over all that had transpired. He held himself responsible and would until the day he died.

He didn’t deserve God’s grace for himself, but he wanted it for Victoria. “
God
,” he silently pleaded again, “
get me out of here on time so that I can save her.
” He’d do anything for her, even beg and bargain with God.

He paused in his efforts and sucked in a breath. Fifteen inches left. At the pounding of shoes on the stairway at the end of the hall, he rocked harder. Only seconds left until Splash returned. Now he wouldn’t be able to alert anyone for help. But at least he could block the door and prevent Splash from coming back inside and knocking him unconscious again. Or killing him.

Tom pushed forward. Urgency and frustration spurred him on. He had to buy himself more time to figure out another plan.

The footsteps started down the hallway.

He gave a final desperate lunge. But the chair began to tip. He had no way of stopping it or bracing himself for the impact. He twisted as much as he could, and his shoulder hit the door. The impact jarred his wounds. Blackness filled his vision. He blinked hard. He had to stay conscious for Victoria’s sake.

He’d already failed her by letting down his guard with Theresa. He should have been more careful, should have been more alert, should have known this would happen.

“
You can’t know everything, Tommy.”
Ike’s calm words rose into his conscience.
“You think you can figure out every detail. But some things are beyond our control
.”

Ike had been shivering in the back of the Confederate wagon, wet and exposed to the wind and rain when he’d spoken those words. The piles of stinking Confederate corpses next to them had caused Tom to retch until his stomach ached and his throat was raw. But at least Ike hadn’t been forced to walk.

Tom had ripped the cleanest part off his shirt and stuffed it into the gaping bullet hole in Ike’s thigh. As the miles had drawn them closer to their trial and hanging, he’d doctored Ike’s wound and told himself he’d find a way to protect his brother.

“You can’t be perfect,”
Ike had said.
“No one is. That’s why we need God.”

No matter how much Ike had reassured him, Tom blamed himself for what had happened. He should have seen the ambush, should have known they were walking into a trap. His keen senses had saved them from plenty of trouble on other missions. He’d always noticed the broken branches, the footprints in the wet grass, the faint sourness of sweat or horseflesh. How had he not heard, seen, or sensed the trap like he usually did? Even after all these years, he didn’t understand how he’d missed the clues.

Tom leaned his head against the door and waited for the first shove against it.

He should have been able to protect Ike just like he should have been able to protect Victoria. How had he failed so miserably once again? The thought that Victoria might be hurting or suffering was driving him crazy. Every second apart from her was stirring him into a frenzy. If he could work his hands free from the bindings, he’d kill Splash when he walked through the door.

However, Splash apparently knew how to tie a knot that couldn’t be loosened. Tom had tried every trick he’d ever learned, but the rope hadn’t budged. The only thing left was to break one of his thumbs so that he’d have room to slip his hand free.

First he had to stop Splash from coming through the door. That would give Tom at best three minutes to break his thumb and free himself before Splash realized he could get into the room from the balcony.

Fighting to stay alert, Tom pressed the weight of his body against the door.

*

Victoria peered out the window. At the sight of several buildings, she realized they were nearing a town. A low-lying warehouse and two old abandoned homes sat near the shore. Further down the road was what appeared to be a thoroughfare that ran through a business district.

She sat up and pressed her hands to the glass. Once she was closer to civilization, she’d renew her efforts to gain attention. Surely some passerby would notice her frantic pounding and take mercy upon her. Or at the very least alert the authorities.

When the carriage made a sudden turn, Victoria let out a cry of frustration. “No!” As the carriage halted at the rear of the warehouse, she shouted even louder. “Help! Help! Someone, please!”

The wide double doors of the building were open, revealing a dark interior. She couldn’t see any movement either inside or out. With tall withered weeds growing around the perimeter and the rusted chain that hung from the door handle, the place looked deserted.

Her spirits sank. But as the carriage bent under the weight of the driver’s descent, she came up with her next plan of action. Once the coachman opened the door, all she needed to do was explain her situation. She’d offer him a large reward if he returned her to Newport unharmed.

She braced herself for the door to open, but the driver disappeared into the warehouse. Something about his tall thin form and long arms reminded her of the driver who’d attempted to kidnap her on her wedding day. Was this the same man? And why hadn’t she noticed his appearance when he’d loaded her bags?

A shudder formed in her tailbone and worked its way up her spine to the back of her neck. Tom had been right about everything. Now she was ashamed she’d ever thought he was overprotective. The threat had been real and serious, and she’d taken it much too lightly, hadn’t wanted to believe that someone was really capable of hurting her.

Tom had been wise to insist on her waiting at Race Point after he’d disclosed her location. As it was, in Provincetown she’d been such easy prey, especially getting into the carriage. She was just glad that Theresa hadn’t joined her. The lost earring had likely kept her friend from grave danger. If only Victoria had gone to help search for it.

Unless Theresa had known.

Something about Theresa’s behavior and attitude didn’t make the idea far-fetched.

The possibility was too horrible to entertain. Victoria cast it aside. Theresa was her best friend. They’d always done everything together. Theresa wouldn’t have any reason to bring her harm.

A movement outside the opposite carriage window caught Victoria’s attention. She slid over and peered out. Several dilapidated boats were tied to an old weathered dock and looked as if one angry storm could sweep them into the sea. She searched for any person she could call to rescue her. But the only sign of life was a single gull circling above the boats.

What if Theresa had lied about Tom?

The thought forced its way into her head unbidden. She didn’t want to think the worst of Theresa, but she still couldn’t comprehend the possibility that Tom would leave her, especially not if he suspected she was still in danger.

What if the driver had done something to Tom first? Maybe injured him? She swallowed hard, unwilling to consider the possibility that he’d been killed.

“Lord, please, no.” The prayer squeaked out past her tight throat. She didn’t want Tom to get hurt or even die on account of her. She didn’t want him to be in the slightest danger at all. “God, please watch over him,” she whispered. “Don’t worry about me. Just keep him safe.”

She realized with sudden clarity that she’d give her life for Tom. She’d sacrifice everything to keep him alive. She’d never felt that way for anyone else. In fact, she was quite sure she’d always just thought about herself, what she wanted and what was best for her. She’d lived selfishly without ever having to make any sacrifices that had mattered.

How many people had she hurt as a result of her selfishness? How many beaus? How many friends? Perhaps even Theresa?

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, more to God than to anyone in particular.

Clinging to Nathaniel was just one more selfish act. She didn’t love him. And it wasn’t fair to marry him for what he could do for her. He deserved so much more than that. He deserved a young lady who would passionately love him and appreciate all he had to offer.

She tugged off her left glove one finger at a time. When her hand was finally bare, she held it up. The large sapphire was beautiful, but it didn’t belong to her. It belonged to some other woman who would be the kind of wife Nathaniel needed.

She removed the ring. Once she got out of her predicament, she would return it to Nathaniel the first opportunity she had. She’d tell him how sorry she was for hurting him, for leading him on. Even though she couldn’t marry Tom, she wouldn’t relegate Nathaniel to her second option. He deserved to be someone’s first choice.

The carriage door jerked open, startling her. When a hand reached in and shoved a rag against her nose and mouth, she lashed out, clawed at his hands, and wrenched her body in an effort to free herself from his grasp. But the fumes overpowered and weakened her.

“Miss Fontaine didn’t mention that you’d be such a fighter,” came a male voice.

Miss Fontaine? As in Theresa Fontaine? Her best friend? The world began to turn fuzzy.

“Got to quiet you up,” the man spoke again, although from a distance. “Or you’ll alert the entire Cape of your whereabouts.”

She attempted to push his hand away but this time only batted at air. The man must be mistaken about Theresa. He had to be. She tried to form a denial, but her tongue was too heavy to speak, even if she could have gotten the words past the rag.

She began to fall backward and couldn’t stop herself. When she landed against the seat, Nathaniel’s ring slipped from her hand. As much as she wanted to deny what was happening, she couldn’t. Her heart told her the truth. Theresa had betrayed her.

T
om leaned into the door with all his weight and silenced his heavy breathing.

The footsteps in the hallway picked up pace and veered directly toward his room. Suddenly, he realized they were different than Splash’s, heavier and flatter.

“Arch?” he croaked past the gag.

“Tommy boy?”

Tom’s chest loosened at the sound of his friend. He banged on the door in answer.

The doorknob rattled.

Tom released his pressure against the door. He wanted to instruct Arch to pick the lock, but the telltale clicks told him Arch was doing just that.

Within seconds, Arch had the door unlocked. He forced it open, pushing Tom back in the process. At the sight of the enormous man, Tom wanted to weep with relief.

Arch’s eyes were narrowed and radiated worry. He wasted no time in slitting the binding in Tom’s mouth. “Where’s Victoria?” he asked as he moved behind Tom to cut his hands loose.

“Being driven south of Provincetown.” Even though Theresa and Splash hadn’t exactly said so, Tom had surmised that south was the only direction the carriage could take her from the northernmost part of the Cape. Rather than being seen with Theresa, Tom guessed her accomplices had landed in North Truro, the next town to the south. He suspected that’s where they would return to murder Victoria, a more secluded area where they would draw less suspicion.