Suffer
Authors: E.E. Borton
SUFFER
A Novel By
E.E. Borton
© 2011 E.E. Borton
Kindle Edition
© 2011 E.E. Borton. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
First Published by E.E. Borton Entertainment Group, Inc. 11/6/2011
Second Edition Published by Amazon Publishing Group 12/9/2014
Current Edition Published by E.E. Borton Enterprises, LLC 10/31/15
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Bringing a world to life in a novel is considered a solitary endeavor. In my case, nothing could be further from the truth. It took a village to create this book and it would’ve been a more difficult road if not for a special group of people. Thank you seems inadequate.
Jennifer H, Robin, Steve (Z), John (Hopper), and Gordon, thank you for continuing to believe in me and offering your encouragement and support when I needed it the most – which was, and is, often.
Jennifer Z, Ashley, and Bug, I can’t imagine my world without all of you in it.
And to my parents, Kathy and Larry.
There are many others who played an important role in motivating and inspiring me to create the work you’re holding in your hand or reading on your screen. Thank you for staying the course and keeping me on it.
Credits
Jennifer Ziegenfuss
– Editor
Gordon Wulff
– Business Development
Natalie Elzinga
– Cover Graphics
Shane Deaton
– Cover Art
Maureen Ratteree
– Photographer
For My Amazing Sisters
Ashley and Jennifer
HE ADJUSTED HIS GUN BELT and straightened his uniform after he exited the vehicle. He scanned the area for any movement before approaching the walkway leading to the front door of the Spanish-style villa. It was one of two vacation homes owned by the Freeman family. The villa was small in comparison to the numerous other homes located on Sugarloaf Key, but it was situated on five acres of picturesque oceanfront real estate. The family had paid a high price for seclusion.
There was just enough light from the setting sun for him to take in the manicured beauty of the postcard-perfect landscaping. He accepted most extra jobs that came his way hoping it would bring him one step closer to owning his own piece of paradise. The officer walked up to the dark mahogany front door, but hesitated before ringing the bell. He looked up into every corner of the front porch to verify there had been no cameras installed since his last visit. He shook his head thinking how cavalier they were with their security.
Kate Freeman was in the kitchen preparing dinner for Caleb when she heard the doorbell ring. She poked her head around the corner into the living room to make sure her six year old son was still glued to the TV. She grabbed a dish towel to wipe off her hands as she made her way down the hall to the front door. It was common for family and friends to arrive, sometimes unannounced, when they knew Kate and Paul were staying at the villa. The Freemans left open invitations to join them anytime, but she wasn’t expecting her visitor to be wearing the uniform of a Florida State trooper.
“Mrs. Kathryn Freeman?” asked the trooper, looking down at his notepad.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said, closing the notebook. “Your husband, Paul, has been in a serious accident.”
“That’s impossible,” she said in defiance, but with a shaky voice. “His car is in the garage. He took our boat to the Bahamas on a fishing trip. I watched him leave from our dock behind the house. He was never in a car.”
“I’m sorry I wasn’t clear, ma’am. It wasn’t with a car. He was involved in an accident with another boat. We were notified by the Coast Guard. May I come inside?”
“Yes, of course,” said Kate, stepping aside. “I’m sorry. I’m a little freaked out.”
“No need to apologize, ma’am. It’s understandable.”
“I need to get my son. Is – is my husband okay?” she asked, starting to hyperventilate.
“Let’s get your boy and sit down so we can talk, Mrs. Freeman.”
“Right,” she said, turning and walking down the hall.
Her heart was already racing when the two darts delivering 50,000 volts penetrated the skin between her shoulder blades. Unable to command her muscles, Kate could only watch as the imported ceramic tile rushed upward to meet her forehead with a sickening thud. He continued to squeeze the trigger while he cocked his head and smiled, thinking how silly she looked jerking uncontrollably on the floor.
He lifted his gaze from her unconscious body to see Caleb standing motionless at the end of the hall. Without expression, he loaded a fresh cartridge. Caleb lowered his head following a laser that ended in a red dot on his chest. Two seconds later his confusing little world went dark.
*****
Paul Freeman looked at his gauges and motioned to his friends it was time to surface. They had been down on the Shark Wall for over forty-five minutes and the setting sun was leaving with its light. Their favorite dive site was located ten miles off the southwest coast of New Providence Island, Bahamas. None of the three wanted to leave the water.
“That never sucks,” said Evan Royal as he passed his flippers up to Paul in the boat. “Is it just me or were there more sharks this year?”
“Definitely more sharks,” confirmed Grey Collins, bobbing next to Evan. “It’s an absolute rush and freakishly breathtaking, but I’ll never feel completely comfortable down there.”
“And you never should, my friend,” said Paul. “The day you do is the day you’re dinner.”
“Very poetic. Now get my delicious carcass out of this soup,” said Grey, reaching up to Paul.
Friends since childhood, the three men stowed their gear and settled into their favorite seats on the planet; seats that rose and fell in a calming rhythm as the sea passed gently beneath them. They all attempted to get together for holidays and birthdays with little success, but they hadn’t missed the annual Bahamas Run since Paul bought his cruiser six years earlier. For nine days, they left the hectic pace of their everyday lives and turned into big kids with no supervision. The first sip of a cold beer mixed with the lingering salt on their lips is what insured they’d never miss the Run.
“A guy could get used to this,” said Evan, propping his feet on the cooler.
“You say that every trip,” said Paul.
“I mean it every time,” replied Evan. “And now that you sold your company, you’ll actually
be
the guy getting used to this.”
“Dude, I’m only forty-three,” said Paul. “Just because I sold my company doesn’t mean I’m retiring.”
“Oh shit,” said Grey, leaning forward in his seat. “What have you done? What happened to slowing down and taking it easy for a while?”
“It’s just a little concept for a fine dining restaurant in South Beach. One this time and not a franchise, I swear.”
“I knew you couldn’t stay still for long,” said Grey, “but the check hasn’t even cleared. Does Kate know about your little plan?”
“Of course, and she gets it. Look, you’ve been catching bad guys for most of your adult life. Could you just up and walk away from the FBI next year? Leave it all behind and find some quiet piece of land to live out the rest of your days?”
“I could,” interjected Evan.
“You paint kids’ faces at Disney,” said Grey. “I can’t see that being hard to leave behind, brother.”
“I own a special effects company for Universal Studios, jackass,” replied Evan, laughing. “But that was a good one.”
“Thank you,” said Grey. “All I’m trying to say, Paul, is that you’re gonna blink and Caleb isn’t gonna be six; he’s gonna be twenty-six and starting his own family. Take advantage of your situation and spend as much time with that kid as possible. You know, before he flies the coop and forgets your address and phone number.”
“Ah, pearls of wisdom spewing forth from a man who’s never been married, no kids, and can’t hold a girlfriend for more than three months,” said Paul. “Please, continue lecturing me on how to raise a modern family.”
“Touché, sir. I’ll let it go for now,” said Grey. “Besides, I’m sure Kate will make sure you do the right thing. We all know she’s really the one in charge.”
“Good. You can bend her ear all you want tomorrow at lunch. Speaking of which, we need to head to dry land and get a good night’s sleep. We have a long boat ride back to the house and we need to get started early. She promised a low country boil waiting for us on the dock.”
“She couldn’t get more perfect if she tried,” said Evan.
“I do love that woman,” replied Paul with a grin.
*****
She blinked her eyes several times to clear the blurry veil from her vision. Her head throbbed with intense pain as each heartbeat pushed blood through the swelling lump on her forehead. Kate was confused and terrified, but wasn’t sure why. She started crying when Caleb came into focus in front of her.
He was sitting a few feet away bound to a chair she recognized from his playroom. Duct tape was covering his mouth. She saw two thin trails of dried blood from the Taser wounds in his chest and ending in a red stain on the front of his Spiderman shorts. He was staring at her.
Kate tried to speak his name, but only muffled sounds penetrated her gag. She became more aware of her condition. She was lying naked in bed with her hands and feet tied down at each corner. She began to jerk in a panic to free herself, but only managed to alert the Trooper that she had was awake. The large man came into view when he rose from his chair against the far wall and walked toward Caleb.
“Do you love your son, Kate?”
She nodded and mumbled through the gag.
“Would you do anything to keep him safe?” asked the Trooper, putting a five-inch knife to Caleb’s throat. “Would you do anything to keep him from getting hurt by a guy like me?”
She nodded through tears.
“Good. Because if you scream when I take off your gag or disobey me one time, I’ll slit his throat from ear to ear. Do you understand?”
She nodded. After patting Caleb on the head, he walked back to Kate and removed her gag. She remained silent.
“Good girl,” he said.
“Please don’t hurt him,” whispered Kate.
“Oh, that’s entirely up to you.”
“I’ll do anything you tell me to do,” said Kate.
“I know,” he said with a smile. “Who’s hungry? I’m starving. Are you hungry, Caleb? I bet you are, little man. Kate, why don’t you make us a nice dinner. You know, something special. Will you do that for us?”
“Yes,” said Kate without hesitating.
He walked back to the bed and held the knife in front of her eyes. “When I cut you loose, Caleb and I are going to be inseparable. If you do anything I don’t like, I’ll punish him. I’ll punish him to death. Then I’ll punish you. Got it?”
“I understand,” said Kate.
The trooper removed the restraints from her arms and legs. Kate steadied herself and sat up on the side of the bed as he pulled his pistol and pointed it at Caleb. “Nice and easy, Kate. Put on a black dress. Caleb and I will be downstairs waiting for you.”
He cut the tape holding Caleb to the small chair as Kate went into the closet to pick out a dress. The trooper took him by the hand and led him from the bedroom to the stairs. Caleb didn’t take his eyes off his mother. “Don’t worry, little fella. We’ll all come back up here and play a fun game after we eat.”
*****
With cups of coffee in hand at sunrise, Evan and Grey walked the short distance from their hotel to the pier where Paul was preparing the boat for launch. Evan stopped at the edge and turned around to look at the fairy tale setting one last time.
“Do you think we’d get tired of this if we lived here?” asked Evan, causing Grey to stop and turn as well.
“Absolutely not,” replied Grey.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” said Evan. “I remember following a case you were working on about ten years ago. It was that four year old girl who was abducted by that psycho who tortured her for three days and then…you know.”
“Ate her,” answered Grey. “Yeah, I remember that one.”
“It was the first time you ever called me out of the blue about a case,” continued Evan. “I never told you this, and if you make fun of me I’ll punch you in the balls, but I cried like a baby after we hung up. Most of it was for the little girl and her parents, but some of it was for you.”
“For me? Why?”
“Because I thought about you sitting alone in your study with pictures of the crime scene spread out on your desk. I know you’re good at what you do, and I also know you had to get inside that guy’s head to catch him. I can’t imagine how horrible that place must have been. Paul and I haven’t earned the right to live out our days in a paradise like this, but you have.”
“I disagree, buddy,” said Grey. “You and Paul have worked your asses off and sacrificed a lot of things to get where you are. Besides, I’ll never make enough money to afford a life here. That’s why you guys need to work harder so I can live in the pool houses in your back yards.”
“Done,” said Evan. “Listen, all kidding aside, we talk about you all the time. Especially that guy.” He pointed at Paul at the end of the pier. “I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had conversations with other people where he brags about his best friend in the FBI. I don’t know how you block all that shit out and show up to work every day, but I’m thankful you do. I just wanted you to know that.”
“You really shouldn’t drink this early in the morning,” said Grey. “It makes you all mushy. But all kidding aside, thank you and you’re welcome. Now let’s go enjoy our last days on vacation. I can already smell those shrimp beginning to boil.”
They joined Paul on the boat and helped with the final preparations. As the last line was cast and they idled through the clear water of the lagoon, Paul was at the helm thinking about reuniting with his family after frolicking through the Bahamas. In a marriage of twenty years, Paul knew he was a lucky man, being able to fall more in love with his wife every day.
After clearing the marker buoys, Paul turned his head to see the smiles form as he pushed the throttles forward. Evan and Grey were sitting over the huge engines as they roared to life. In an instant, they were propelled to sixty miles per hour. Paul faced forward with his smile, knowing that after each wave they hopped, he was getting a few feet closer to home.
