Jeff tried to take Dani's hand as they left the office. She pulled away from him and crossed her arms in front of her stubbornly. Her mind raced, trying to find a way out of what she knew was a deadly situation. She had spent the last two months listening to Sam tell her what she had learned in her self defense classes, and letting a kidnapper move you to a second location was one of the most dangerous things that you could do. There was no doubt in her mind as to what her captor intended once he got her away from the plant. "Stall, Dani, stall," she told herself. She stopped abruptly, rapidly forming a plan. She swallowed hard, softened her stance, and turned to look Jeff tenderly in the eye.
"Maybe you're right Jeff. Which island in the Caribbean did you have in mind?" she asked, hoping she sounded sincere. Jeff's face lit up and he smiled smugly at his partner. Jeff slid his arm around Dani's shoulders and guided her into the elevator.
"Any one you want, sweetheart. Whatever makes you happy," he told her as he kissed the side of her head. Dani plastered a smile on her face even though his kiss sickened her. She silently prayed that the men would believe she had had a change of heart.
"You idiot," the blonde man laughed nastily. "Surely you're not buying this? Do you honestly think she'd give up the Backstreet Boy and his millions for your sorry ass?" As the elevator door slid open, he motioned them out into the hallway.
“No, you’re wrong. She loves me. She always has,” he insisted. “All the glitter and fame blinded her.”
“You’re right Jeff,” she agreed, stopping and sliding her arms around his waist. “It would have never worked with Howie,” she improvised. “You and I have so much more in common. How about the British Virgin Islands? We could start our own business. I’ll do the design and you can do the programming.”
Jeff caressed her cheek tenderly and laced his fingers in her hair. “Oh Dani, it’s what I’ve always wanted. What I’ve spent the last six months working to accomplish. I knew you would come to your senses if I could get Howie out of the way.” Jeff pulled Dani closer to him. “Oh Dani, I love you so much.” He lowered his lips to hers and thrust his tongue in her mouth. Dani stiffened slightly but somehow managed not to pull away from him. She broke the kiss as quickly as she could and smiled up at him weakly.
The blonde man grabbed Dani by the arm and yanked her out of Jeff’s embrace. “You can kiss her goodbye later,” he said as he hustled her out to the car.
“Kiss her goodbye? What do you mean kiss her goodbye?” Jeff questioned as he hurried after them. “Dani was part of the deal. You promised me that I would have her!” he said plaintively. Dani’s eyes widened as she realized just how obsessed Jeff was. “Just pay me what you owe me and you’ll never hear from us again,” Jeff added.
“Look, you imbecile, you and the bimbo aren’t going to the Caribbean,” the gunman sneered as he opened the driver’s side door of his car. “Now get in the car.” Dani saw an opportunity and tried to slide behind the wheel. Her captor jerked her back. “I think we’ll let your admirer drive,” he said, tossing the keys at Jeff. Opening the back door, he motioned Dani toward the back seat. “You and I will ride in the back,” he informed her. Remembering Sam’s earlier encounter with her “assailant”, Dani took a step forward and attempted to drive her knee into to her captor’s most vulnerable area. He was quicker though and managed to step to the side. Angrily, he wrapped his arm around her throat and jerked her back against him. Placing the gun to the side of her head, he snarled, “Don’t even try it bitch, or I swear to God, I’ll waste you right here, right now!” Dani felt the cold metal of the gun barrel against her temple and tears welled in her eyes. She realized that her chances of ever seeing Howie again and raising their child were slipping away. “Oh, don’t cry,” the man said, almost sympathetically. “You’ll ruin your make up. And I know you’ll want to look pretty when your boyfriend finds your body,” he added, laughing nastily as he taunted her.
Tears streaming down her face, Dani couldn’t contain her panic any longer. “Oh, please, please don’t do this!” she cried, giving into the fear that was overwhelming her and begging for her life and that of her child. “Please, I promise,” she said desperately, “I won’t tell. I won’t tell,” she repeated. The gunman released his hold on her and she turned to face him. “Please,” she begged. The man eyed her coldly. He was enjoying this immensely. She didn’t grovel quite as well as Wilks had but, still, it amused him to have this woman who had caused him so much trouble in his power. Perhaps he would take care of the programmer first and then show the haughty bitch what it was like to have a man between her thighs instead of a Boy. He laughed at his own private joke.
“Oh, God,” Dani moaned. “Please,” she sobbed, beyond rational thought. “I’m pregnant.” She gasped as Jeff stepped between her and the gunman, roughly hauling her next to him. “What do you mean. . . .. . pregnant?” he hissed. Dani gazed up at him tearfully. “I just found out tonight,” she managed to tell him between her sobs. Jeff stared at her malevolently.
“You bitch! You betrayed me,” he accused her coldly. “Leading me on. . . . .making me love you. And all the time, you’ve been spreading your legs for him!” he spat out as he backhanded her across the face. Dani stumbled back against the vehicle, raising her hand to her throbbing cheek. She could taste the metallic tang of the blood from her cut lip. Sobered by the blow, she slowly inched her way back up on her feet as Jeff swung around and advanced on the blond man. “This is all your fault!” he shouted at his partner. “If you hadn’t taken so damn long to do your job, she wouldn’t have a bastard growing in her belly now!”
“Shut the hell up!” his cohort demanded. “And get in the car,” he added, waving his gun threateningly.
“I have had it with you telling me what to do,” Jeff shouted, ignoring the other man’s weapon and grabbing him by his shirtfront, slamming him against the car. “I made this happen! You wouldn’t have had a chance in hell of pulling this off if it wasn’t for me. I’ve had to go back and fix every one of your screw ups!” he raged.
With the two men distracted, Dani saw her chance and took it. She bolted toward a thick grove of trees along the side of the parking lot. She thought if she could get to the trees, she could blend in with the shadows until help came. “Please God,” she prayed silently as she ran. “Please help me.”
“You idiot!” the gunman yelled as he caught sight of the fleeing woman. “The bitch is getting away!” he screamed as he shoved Jeff away from him. Raising his weapon with deadly aim, he fired at his target. He laughed coldly as the woman crumpled to the pavement. “I can hit the flea off the back of a dog from ten miles away,” he boasted conceitedly.
“Nooooooo!” Jeff screamed as he launched himself at the other man.
“You
killed her! You son of a bitch!” Jeff shouted as he grabbed for the
gun.
The two men struggled violently, neither gaining the upper hand until
the
sound of a second shot echoed through the night air.
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