Kisses to Remember (33 page)

Fools.

The Bronco bounced over ruts in the uneven path leading to the back field. She recalled running along this path when Holden’s plane had gone down. What had possessed her to chase down a burning plane? To think of it now made her head spin.

Imagine if you hadn’t though
. She never would have seen Holden look at her through the cockpit window. Never would have seen his plea for help. Never would have pulled him from that wreck. Never would have saved his life. He might be dead if she hadn’t thrown all logic away and acted completely out of character. Holy Hell, she was glad she had. What a gift she had received. One she’d cherish forever if Holden would let her.

She stopped the Bronco shy of the trees bordering the back field. After hopping out, she ran through the short stretch of woods. She skidded to a halt at what waited in her field.

Not Ted or Kam or Miles.

But a plane.

Similar in size to the one Holden crashed, but without the DE logo on it. This plane had landed intact. No accident. No damage to her field.

Johanna stood paralyzed, not sure what to do. When an unmistakable bark sounded from near the plane, she snapped out of her shock.

Miles.

When another Lego caught her gaze in the grass ahead, she broke into a run toward the plane. A tall man dressed in all black opened the side hatch.

“Looking for something, Ms. Ware?” His voice had a slight accent, German maybe.

“My son, my father-in-law. Where are they?” She gasped, trying to catch her breath after running across the field.

“They are safe. For now. Would you like to see them?” The man gestured into the plane behind him. “Just step aboard.”

That was the last thing Johanna wanted to do. “Have them come out?”

“Is she making demands?” a female voice asked from inside. A pissed female voice.

“I want my family.” Johanna willed her legs to remain steady.

A woman filled the hatch and pushed Mr. German aside. Johanna immediately recognized her.

“I want Holden Lancaster, Ms. Ware.” Sabrina Donovan put her hands on her hips. “I’ll trade you. Holden for your son and father-in-law.”

“Holden’s not here.” Contrary to earlier, Johanna was glad he wasn’t.

“Pity.” She motioned to her goon who climbed down a small ladder and approached Johanna. “I’ll add you to my collection then.”

Before Johanna could make the decision to turn and run away, Mr. German had a vise grip on her arms. He scooped her up and carried her effortlessly toward the plane. Another goon appeared and reached down to grab her. She tried to struggle free as they passed her, but it was as if they had been specially trained in abduction. She felt like a doll as they easily manhandled her.

Within seconds, she was aboard the plane and pushed into a seat.

“Mom! You saw the Legos!” Kam squirmed in his seat, tugging at the ropes binding him. Miles was tethered to a seat at the back of the plane, his barks turning frantic when he saw Johanna.

She shot a look at Ted who was slumped across two seats, his eyes closed.

“What did you do to him?” She tried to get up to go to Ted, but Goon Two held her firmly in place while Goon One tied her feet together.

“The old man has lots of fire. We had to sedate him.” Sabrina studied her fingernails and sighed. “This entire trip is taking far too long. Holden was scheduled to be dead already.”

“Because you made his plane crash?” Johanna curled her hands into fists.

“Technically, it was
my
plane, but yes.”

“Why?”

“He didn’t tell you? Oh, that’s right. A doctor did mention the amnesia.” 

“So whatever Holden knew, he’s forgotten,” Johanna said. “Let us all go.”

“Your child said Holden went to Texas. He probably remembers everything now, and I can’t have him walking around with that knowledge. I simply can’t.” Sabrina shook her head and when Miles let loose another round of menacing barking, she ordered one of the goons to gag the dog.

A phone rang and Sabrina slipped her hand into the pocket of her very expensive cream-colored pants. She looked at the screen, touched it, and said, “What is it, Aaron?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you!” Aaron’s voice filled the cabin of the plane.

Johanna shot Kam a look and mouthed the words,
Don’t be scared.
He nodded, but nervously glanced at Ted still motionless in the seats across from him. Miles whimpered softly.

“I’m in the middle of something important, Aaron.” Sabrina yanked at the ropes holding Johanna’s wrists to her seat and gave a thumbs up.

“Lancaster was here,” Aaron said.

“Great! You have him then.” Sabrina motioned for the goons to get into the cockpit.

“No. He left.”

“What do you mean?” Sabrina asked through gritted teeth. She switched off the speakerphone, put the cell to her ear instead, and listened. “So he’s coming here then? Perfect.”

Oh, Holden
. Johanna fought to keep the tears from spilling. Tears would do her no good. She would not see her family harmed. She would not see Holden led into a trap.

She would not let Fate screw her out of love again.       

Holden didn’t wait for the taxi to come to a complete stop in front of Johanna’s farmhouse. He paid the fare and nearly rolled out of the backseat with his bag.

The Bronco wasn’t in the driveway. Agitated mooing and clucking were the only noises around.

After dropping his bag on the porch, Holden went to the barn. He skulked along it until he was sure no one was inside besides the animals. Grabbing a shovel, he swung it, baseball bat style, testing it as a possible weapon. It would have to do.

He started with the house, searching it room by room, softly calling for Johanna, Kam, and Ted. When he didn’t find them, he went back outside and noticed the tire tracks leading away from the house and toward the back field. 

Unease grew tenfold in Holden’s gut as he hoisted the shovel onto his shoulder and ran along the tire tracks until he arrived at the Bronco. He ducked behind the trees as the back field came into view. He knew who was waiting inside the plane resting in the field. Glancing back at the Bronco, he also knew he was too late to keep Johanna, Kam, and Ted out of it.

He spiked the shovel into the earth beneath him and jogged back to the Bronco. He searched it for anything that would make a better weapon. He found flip-flops, sketch pads, water bottles, a handful of Legos, and two baseball caps. Not much of a selection.

Glancing under the passenger seat, he poked his hand down there and ferreted around until his fingers closed around something. When he pulled his hand out, the Epi-pen sat in his palm. Uncapping it, Holden studied the needle-like tip waiting inside the unit. He remembered Vaughn giving him the how-to speech years ago when they first started flying together and then Dr. Sakala’s instructions when he’d left the hospital with Johanna. He recapped it and slipped the medication into his back pocket. Not the loaded gun he was looking for, but it was something.

Crouching behind the trees once more, Holden stared at the plane parked in the field. He had no way of knowing how many people were on the inside, if Johanna, Kam, and Ted were all right, if he had it in him to smash someone’s head in with a heavy duty garden shovel. A second later he knew he’d do anything for Johanna.

Anything.

He stayed low, almost on his belly as he approached the plane. Fortunately, the grass in this field was high and served as excellent camouflage. Feeling like a snake, Holden slithered closer, closer, closer until the ladder leading to the open hatch was right in front of him. He listened at the bottom for a few moments. Amidst the muted whimpers of a dog, voices wafted down to him.

“I need to get back to Texas.” Sabrina’s impatient tone was as Holden remembered it. Even when she had been making suggestive comments to him, a note of hurry-the-hell-up was always present.

“Would you like us to go search the house?” an accented male voice asked. “Perhaps Lancaster is there looking for them.”

“Yes, both of you go. I can handle them. If he’s there, bring him back to me. I want to do the honors, make sure the job gets done.”

“There can be no more loose ends,” another male said.

“I know that,” Sabrina said.

Some shuffling sounded and a black-booted foot clanged down on the ladder above Holden. He immediately scurried under the plane, spreading out flat on his stomach. He willed himself to go unnoticed as two huge men descended from the plane’s open hatch. As they waded through the tall grass, Holden recognized them as two of the San Fran execs.

Once they were beyond the Bronco, Holden crawled toward the ladder again. From what he’d heard, it sounded as if it were only Sabrina and the two execs on Team Bad Guys. He assumed Johanna, Kam, and Ted were being held inside the plane.

Why hadn’t they talked?
Couldn’t they? Had Sabrina already harmed them in some way? Had she killed…

No.
He wouldn’t let himself think that. To do so would bring on utter hopelessness. Instead, he left the shovel in the grass and climbed the ladder on silent feet. He peeked into the cabin and immediately caught Kam’s eye. Holden shook his head when Kam opened his mouth, and the boy clamped his lips closed. Johanna was in the seat one row ahead of Kam and facing away from Holden while Sabrina was on the phone at the back of the cabin.

A quick assessment told him Johanna and Kam were tied to their seats. The end of Ted’s cast stuck out from the row behind Johanna’s. Was he lying down? Was he hurt?

Sabrina swiveled around on her heels and Holden backed down the ladder. He heard her pace down the aisle, turn, and pace back the other way.

“No, Aaron, he hasn’t shown up yet. At least not where the plane landed. Claus and Eli are checking the house. You’re going to have to cancel my San Fran trip. I’ll never make it in time. Tell them I’ll head out tomorrow if I can with the merchandise.”

With the weapons you mean.
Holden clenched his teeth. Vaughn had died because of that little secret they’d uncovered. He would not let Johanna suffer that same fate.

He waited for Sabrina to pace back and away again before climbing up into the plane and dashing into the cockpit. Peeking out, he saw Kam kick Johanna’s leg and motion to the front of the plane. Slowly, Johanna turned her head, her eyes wide. Holden put his finger to his lips, darting back out of view when Sabrina turned around again.

“We can’t back out now, Aaron, and if you grow a conscious on me, you’re out of the deal. If you’re out of the deal, dear, you’d better consider how you’d like to spend your last moments. There’s no room for error here. You know that. You’re playing with the big kids now and a lot of money is headed our way.” Sabrina laughed at something Aaron must have said.

Holden couldn’t believe that flimsy Aaron was in on the illegal business. He didn’t look like he had the intestinal fortitude to get involved in such dealings. That was probably what made him perfect at it. He had a good cover. Playing Sabrina’s pet had worked out for Aaron. Holden wondered if all the flirting Sabrina had done with him had all been to get him involved. Staying away from her had been right on many levels.

What to do now?
He leaned against the small wall between the cockpit and the main cabin.

“Mom,” Kam said. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“You’d better not be, child,” Sabrina said. “Aaron, I’ll call you back.”

“Try to think of something else, honey.” Johanna’s voice had a soothing edge to it that even put Holden at ease.

“Yes,” Sabrina said. “Think of how this is the last place you’ll ever see, little boy.”

Holden curled his hands into fists.

“Don’t tell him that,” Johanna said. “What’s wrong with you?” She huffed out a breath. “Can’t you at least move me to the seat next to my son? Maybe I can keep him from puking on those overpriced shoes.”

A loud smack followed. “Watch your mouth. I’ll delight in killing you while Holden watches.”

“I’d rather not, thanks.” Holden stepped into the cabin not about to let anyone hit Johanna.

A sick smile turned up the left side of Sabrina’s face. “There you are, sexy.”

In a fluid move Holden’s mind could barely register, Sabrina pulled a gun out from under her suit jacket. She held it to Kam’s head as Johanna screamed. She clicked off the safety on the gun and cocked it.

Kam didn’t move a muscle, but tears streamed down his cheeks as his big brown-black eyes pleaded with Holden.

“Let him go, Sabrina. It’s me you want. I’m perfectly willing to hand myself over if you let them all go.” Holden took a step closer and Sabrina wiggled her finger on the trigger.

“Don’t. Please.” Johanna’s voice came out as a strangled cry as she struggled against her restraints.

Sabrina opened her mouth to say something, but before the words formed on her tongue, a crutch came up behind her. It slammed down on her hand, sending the gun to the floor. Another crutch blow to the back of the head and Sabrina went down on her knees.