Chapter 10 Jeff just had to get out of that room.  He couldn’t stand being surrounded by Kari’s past.  But even though he knew they had shared a part of Kari, he also knew that he owned a part of her that none of them had - he owned her heart.  Jeff stood in the garden behind the hotel.  He couldn’t enjoy the peacefulness because he was filled with pain.  A pain like he had never known.  He felt like he was dying.  He imagined Kari walking across the garden towards him, her hair blowing in the breeze.  He could see the slight swelling of her belly as the breeze blew her sheer dress against her body.  His heart filled with warmth and love as he looked at her.  He’d never seen a sight so beautiful.  As she drew near, he reached out to touch his unborn child that still grew in her womb.  As the image disappeared, he could feel the tears spilling from his eyes.  "Jeffro?", Matt said softly, pulling Jeff from his thoughts.   Jeff quickly wiped his face and sucked up his emotions.  "Yeah?", Jeff returned. "There’s someone here I think you should talk to.", Matt informed him. "I can’t talk to anyone right now.", Jeff whispered. "I think you’ll want to talk to him.", Matt said motioning for the stranger to join the brothers.  "This is Merle Jenkins.  He’s a reporter for the English Reporter.  You know that gossip mag.", Matt explained.   Jeff pulled Matt aside, "Why on Earth would you bring a damn reporter out here…let alone a reporter from a gossip magazine?  Have you lost your mind?"  "Excuse me, Mr. Hardy?", Merle interrupted.  Jeff turned to look at him.  "I know that usually I would be the last person you would want to talk to.  But I have information about your wife.", Merle said.  "And why should I believe you?  Why didn’t you go to the police instead of me?", Jeff asked as he grew angry at the reporters gall. "I did.  But just as you don’t have much faith in me, neither do they.  They took my report and basically brushed me off.  But I’m telling the truth.  I know where she is", Merle insisted.   "Where she is?!  She’s alive?", Jeff said getting closer to the man.  Merle nodded. "Well, where is she?  Will you take us there?", Matt asked.   "Come on.", the reporter said turning to the parking lot. Jeff grabbed his arm and forced him against the wall, "If you are lying…..if this is just some sort of scam….I swear I’ll kill you."  "I promise Mr. Hardy.  She’s alive and I can take you to her.", Merle said almost scared.   "Should we get the others?", Matt asked.  "No.", Jeff said sternly as he walked towards their rental car. "But what if we need them?  It couldn’t hurt.", Matt suggested. "Fine.", Jeff said, "But they have five minutes then I’m leaving without them."   Matt pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and called the room filling the others in on what was taking place.  It was only a couple of minutes and the other three men joined Matt and Jeff in the car.  None of them knew what they were headed for, but only hoped that they would find Kari, alive and unharmed.  Once again, Kari opened her eyes. "I see you finally decided to wake up.", a new voice snipped. Kari turned to see this new person.  And once again her eyes widened at the realization of her captures identity.  How could this be happening?  It didn’t matter.  Suddenly Kari was filled with the will to live.  She flung herself around trying to break free and trying to make all the noise that she could possibly make. "You stupid little bitch.", the female voice squealed, "Do you actually think you can get out of this?"  And with that the woman slapped her across the face, "What do you have to say about that?" The woman then forcefully ripped the tape from Kari’s mouth causing tears to build in her eyes from the pain. "Why are you doing this?!?!", Kari screamed.   "I won’t let you have him.  He deserves so much better than the likes of you.", the woman scowled, "He deserves someone like me.  Someone who can truly appreciate him and love him.  Not someone who goes across the world and leaves him alone." Kari couldn’t move her arms or legs and all should could think to do was spit in the woman’s face.  "You’ll pay for that.  I was going to let you live a little while longer, but I think it’s time for you to die.", she hissed. "They’ll find me.  He’ll find me.  He won’t give up.  And even if you kill me, he won’t stop until he finds you.", Kari insisted, "And he’ll kill you.  He could never love someone like you."   As the words fell from her mouth, the room went black again as her unconscious state became the present once again.            Last Chapter ..*.. Next Chapter ..*.. Chapter Index ..*.. Home