Chapter 69

“The ambulance will be here in fifteen minutes,” said Rachel, coming back to join them on the couch. “How are you feeling, Javier?”

“Terrible,” he moaned.

Derek returned with a bowl of warm water and a towel. He dipped the towel into the bowl of water and squeezed out excess liquid before using it to gently dab Javier’s head.

“Let me,” Yasmin said and she took the towel from him to continue cleaning the chef’s wound. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have brought Sam here with me.”

“It’s not your fault that he’s a raving lunatic,” said Derek. “I’ll go and lock the back door. I forgot to do that after I brought Javier inside.”

“What were you doing outside?” Yasmin asked Javier.

“Smoking,” he replied with an effort. He was having a skull-splitting headache and all he wanted to do was to close his eyes and go to sleep.

“I’ll go check on Zoe and her nanny,” Rachel offered and left her mother-in-law and their chef in the den.

She opened the bedroom door quietly and peered inside. The room was dimly lit by one bedside lamp that was turned low. She could see that both Zoe and Elaine were still fast asleep on their separate beds and she was relieved that they hadn’t been disturbed by the activity going on in the den.

When she turned to leave, something caught her eye and she paused to get a better look. To her horror, she saw the silhouette of a man standing in the shadows beside the wardrobe, staring at her with cold eyes.

“Sam!” Rachel gasped. How did he get in here?

He lifted a finger to his lips, indicating that he wanted her to be quiet, then he raised his other hand and she saw the glint of a blade in his hand. Without saying a word, he beckoned to her to enter the room.

Rachel quickly stepped into the room without hesitation and closed the door behind her. “Please, don’t hurt my child,” she whispered.

“Well, that depends on you,” said Sam with a smirk. “If you do as I say, I won’t hurt your child, but if you try to play smart with me, I’ll carve her up like a chicken and make that Latino punk cook her for breakfast. Would you like that?”

The image he had created in her head made her sick to her stomach and she quickly erased it from her mind. “What do you want?” She asked.

“For starters? You. And then I want some money, enough money to keep me happy for a long, long time.”

“How much?” She asked shakily.

“Shut up. I don’t plan on negotiating with you. Now, come here,” he said, waving the sharp carving knife at her.

Elaine woke up just then and when she saw Sam and his weapon, her eyes widened with fear. “What is going on here?” She asked frightfully.

“Shut your pie hole, old woman, and go back to sleep!” Sam replied rudely.

Zoe stirred in her sleep and Elaine got out of her bed to pat the child back to sleep. “What do you think you’re doing?” She whispered, addressing Sam.

“I said, shut up!” He said through clenched teeth. “Now, you come over here, and let’s split before someone else comes in here. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

His threat was loud and clear and Rachel hurried to obey him. He grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her to one of the bedroom windows.

“Climb out,” he commanded her and she obeyed without hesitation. When it was his turn to go out through the window, he paused briefly and said to Elaine, “Tell your boss that I have taken his wife out for a little honeymoon of my own. I’ll be in touch soon. Sayonara!”

He jumped out through the window and grabbed Rachel again. “Let’s go,” he said.

“Where are you taking me to?” She asked.

“Somewhere special,” he sneered and eyeballed her cleavage with lustful eyes. “I’m going to get a taste of those goodies first and then I’ll stash you somewhere until your billionaire husband comes through with some cool cash for me.”

“So, you’re kidnapping me?”

“More or less,” he said with a shrug. “Y’all didn’t think I was just going to sit around and eat fancy meals with you guys all day without making a move, huh? That stupid bitch brought me here and wouldn’t even spare me some cash so I can go out and do something fun. All she ever wants is sex, sex, and more sex. What a dirty old woman!”

“Why did you come here with her if you don’t really like her?”

“Why not? She’s got money and I’m broke,” he said matter-of-factly. “At least, those jewels I finessed from her will be my reward for hooking up with her elderly ass.”

Rachel hated how Sam was speaking rudely about Yasmin. She had never met anyone as ungrateful and entitled as this guy and she began to dislike him seriously. He was taking her through the wooded area that separated their lodge from their next-door neighbors. It was a shortcut that led to the exit of the resort, and once they were outside, they would be in the territory of the locals where nobody knew her. As they got closer to the security post at the resort gate, she tried to think of a clever way to alert the guards and let them know that she was being abducted by this man.

“Don’t try anything stupid or else I’ll stab you in the stomach and go back to the house to finish off your darling daughter,” he whispered into her ear. It was as if he had been reading her mind. “You keep quiet and let me do the talking.”

She gulped shakily and nodded to let him know that she was fine with his plan.

He encircled her waist with his arm, holding his knife close to her body and making sure that it was hidden behind her robe so that the security guards wouldn’t see it but she could feel the hardness of the blade. It was a subtle reminder that if she tried to make any sudden moves, he would stab her in the stomach.

A chill ran down her spine – she had never been so terrified in her life. This was supposed to be her honeymoon with Derek but now she was being kidnapped by a maniac who has no qualms about cutting her up like a piece of meat if things didn’t go his way. What did she ever do to him? Why did he target her? Had he been planning this all along or did this crazy idea just occur to him after he left the house earlier today?

Rachel wondered if Elaine had already alerted Derek and if he’d called the security team to tell them that his wife had been kidnapped by their angry guest. Now, she felt stupid for convincing Derek to leave the bodyguards behind in New York because she was so sure that they wouldn’t be needing them here. How was she to know that she would need protection from someone that they brought on the trip with them in good faith? Sam would not have succeeded in attacking Javier or creeping into Zoe’s room if any of the bodyguards had been around.

“Hey, men,” said Sam jovially, catching the attention of the guards. “I told y’all I won’t be long. I’ve found my missing watch and Mrs. Fraser here has offered to walk me to my taxi outside.”

Rachel offered a stiff smile when the guards greeted her. One of the guards inside the security booth pressed a buzzer and the huge gate of the resort began to slide open.

“Ok, guys. Bye!” Said Sam, cheerfully. He half-dragged, half-pushed her through the gates, and once they were outside the borders of the resort, he picked up his pace, pulling her along.

“We’re going to hop on my rental motorbike and zoom off to the dock. We have a boat to catch,” he said excitedly.

“A boat? Where are you taking me to?”

“Away from this island,” he said confidently. “You don’t think I’m gonna hang around here and wait for your swanky husband to catch me, do ya?”

She sighed. “Listen, Sam, you can still get out of this. Tell me how much you want and I’ll call Derek right now and tell him to wire it to your bank account.”

He laughed. “And then get arrested? Where’s the fun in that?”

“You will get arrested if you continue with this plan of yours, but if you listen to me and let me speak to my husband, you’ll get your money and walk away free.”

“Not a chance in hell, lady. I’m not stupid,” he said and tightened his grip on her wrist. “Now, shut up and stay quiet until we get to our next destination.”

“This is not going to end well for you, Sam,” she warned him.

“Don’t make me slice off your tongue, Rachel. Be quiet!”

With her heart beating in her chest wildly, she let him lead her toward the forest where his rental bike was hidden. Before they disappeared into the dense woods, she looked back toward the resort and wondered if Derek was already looking for her.