Designer Desires (14 page)

Tony

As soon as the location was sent, Tony sent Mike—Jake’s IT guy—all of the information he received for the ransom. It was odd that the caller switched the way they wanted the money. Dropping the money would have been easier for them to pick up whoever had Korrine. But it looked as if the kidnapper—Misty—must’ve realized that and made the change. It didn’t matter; Mike could still trace the money through the account Tony was given. He was absolutely positive that Misty couldn’t be this smart and had to have help. But she would be caught…of that he was sure.

As the blacked out van pulled up to the location, Jake and his men were suiting up along with Tony, who refused to stay behind.

“All right guys, stay alert; we have no idea who is in the building besides Korrine,” Jake sternly stated. “She hasn’t been moved, and the feed is still live. But since there isn’t any sound, we can’t be sure what we’re dealing with.”

The guys were all business; they all felt responsible for letting Korrine get kidnapped on their watch. They knew this was their only shot to get Korrine out, and they weren’t taking any more chances with her safety.

“We have a layout of the building; it should be a straight shot once we get inside. There is a corridor leading to a spacious open room with another corridor leading to an office in the back. It is logical to think Korri is being held in the back office, since that is the only closed off room,” Jake instructed his team. “There is another hallway leading to a back exit, so we will have three guys bring up the rear and cover that exit. Remember to keep your eyes open and watch each other’s back.”

“No man left behind! Let’s get it!” they all responded in unison.

The guys filed out of the two vans that were parked on the side of the building. There weren’t any cars visible, and the area looked to be completely deserted. This place seemed too far out for even the homeless to inhabit. It was still and quiet, giving off an eerie silence. The men gave each other hand signals to move out. Three guys headed around to the back of the building while two others headed to a building across the street to the rooftop. 

Tony, Jake, and his men headed quietly into the building under the watchful eye of Mike. Everyone had earpieces in so they could communicate. Mike let them know Korri was still tied up and she had stopped struggling.

Tony already had a sense of urgency; but with Mike informing them that Korri stopped fighting, he knew he had to get to his sweetness.

The men moved efficiently through the building, looking out for any threats. None were found. The building seemed to be completely vacant. Jake did a quick sweep heading toward the office in the back of the warehouse with Tony following close behind. When they reached the office, they found Korrine tied to the chair. She wasn’t moving, but she was still breathing.

Tony rushed to her side, cutting the ropes from her wrists and legs while removing the gag from her mouth. He held her in his arms, praying that she would show him those beautiful hazel eyes.

“Baby, wake up. I’m here, sweetness…I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you, baby,” Tony pleaded with Korrine as his eyes welled with tears. “I love you, Korrine…please don’t give up on me…I need you…Baby, open your eyes,”

Korrine’s eyes slowly opened, and a small smile graced her lips.

“Superman…I love you too.” Korri’s eyes slowly shut again, and she was enveloped into darkness.

Tony started to panic, seeing Korrine lose consciousness. Just as he picked Korrine up, Tony heard Jake’s walkie go off.

“Jake, we’ve got movement on the exterior of the building. Someone is running towards the railroad tracks on the west side of the warehouse!”

“Somebody call this in! Follow and stop the perp before they reach those tracks. It’s an active freight line, so he can hop the rails and be lost to us forever…move now!” Jake yelled.

“It’s already done, boss. The locals are on their way. They should be here in less than five,” Mike responded.

“I can’t wait another five minutes, Jake. I have got to get Korri to a hospital. She has a deep gash in her head, and it’s swollen. She needs medical attention quickly,” Tony said moving towards the exit with Korrine in his arms.

Jake was moving behind Tony. “Get her to the hospital, buddy. I’ll take care of things here, and be there as soon as I wrap things up with the locals.”

Jake slowly approached the suspect that his guys apprehended and turned over to the local police officers. The whole area was roped off with yellow tape, and the FBI had been called in. Jake didn’t mind all the police around now because his work was done. Korri was safe, and now they had to follow the money to find Misty. However, he needed to know who the second player was that helped Misty hold Korrine captive.

When Jake reached the suspect, he was not surprised in the least.

“Jeffery Langston, how in the hell did you get wrapped up in this shit?” Jake questioned but knowing the answer.

“Fuck you,” Jeff stated simply. “I want a lawyer.”

“Lawyer? You are so passed innocent until proven guilty it’s laughable. Do you know how much shit you’re in? We found you at the scene of a kidnapping with a burner phone with a call history connecting you to making a ransom demand. Not only that, but you also left the victim half dead. If she dies, you better hope prison is in your future because if you get off…” Jake let the threat die off. Besides, there were Feds around. If this cocksucker by a miracle got acquitted, Jake would make sure he disappeared off the face of this earth.

Jeff saw the look in Jake’s eyes. He knew if he didn’t play his cards right he would surely end up dead. He didn’t have the support of his family anymore, which is why he had to go along with this stupid ass plan in the first place! By the way, where the hell was Misty?

“I want a deal…and I will tell everything I know.”

“Deal…fuckin’ pussy. You better hope you’re behind bars when I tell Tony you were involved in this.” Jake said disgustedly as he walked away.

“Hey! Get me a lawyer!” Jeff screamed hysterically. “I need a deal! Give me my deal!!”

Tony ran towards one of the vans and hopped in, stowing Korrine in the back and instructing Mike to drive to the nearest emergency room. He was whispering words of love and encouragement all the way to the hospital. It seemed like an eternity before they reached the ER, but Tony knew it wasn’t longer than fifteen minutes. Mike drove like a bat out of hell to get there.

Once they pulled up in front of the hospital, Tony hopped out of the van with Korri cradled in his arms before the vehicle even came to a complete stop. He rushed in, screaming for a doctor. The nurses took Korrine from Tony and placed her on a gurney, rushing her behind double doors and out of his line of sight. Tony crumpled to the ground to his knees and prayed to God that he would get to hold his sweetness again, and to look in her eyes and tell her he loved her.

Before he knew it, tears were flowing down his face and he felt himself shaking. Tony took a deep breath to gain his composure and to be strong for his sweetness. He had to be the strength she needed to pull through this. He had to be her rock…her “superman”…

Tony

Tony held Korri’s hand as she quietly slept in the hospital with machines beeping in time with her heartbeat. The doctors said she had a concussion and swelling around the wound. They put her in a medically induced coma to make sure there was no further swelling of her brain. The doctor informed Tony it would be another twenty-four hours of observation before Korrine would wake up; the process was slow, and some patients didn’t wake up immediately. Tony didn’t care how long it took; he wasn’t leaving his sweetness until it was time to take her home.

A couple hours later, Brandon and Lauryn showed up to visit Korrine. Both were in tears and distraught over Korrine’s condition. By the time the nurse came in to administer more pain meds, the pair had calmed somewhat.

“Is she going to wake up?” Brandon asked clearing his throat.

“Yes, the medicine is to help ease her out of the coma. The doctors didn’t find any swelling of her brain; she just needs some rest. Ms. Taylor is going to be fine,” the nurse replied with a small smile.

“Just push that button if you guys need anything,” the nurse said as she left the room.

Brandon looked worried as he held Korri’s free hand. He wiped the hair from her forehead and leaned in and kissed her cheek. He whispered words of love and said a small prayer before letting Lauryn take his place. He called a reluctant Tony away from Korri’s bedside to have a conversation.

“You know, Korri doesn’t have any immediate family, but we should call her cousin, Charlie. She and Korri were close growing up, and they still keep in touch. She lives in Houston, and I think she should be here,” Brandon informed Tony.

“Yeah, we should definitely call her. But I’m not leaving Korri for even one minute. Please make the call and the arrangements for her to get here, and I will take care of the rest,” Tony responded.

Brandon smiled. “You love her.” It was a statement and not a question.

Tony responded with a small smile. “More than you could ever know.”

Jake

“Hey, boss, our package has been delivered,” Mike said to Jake as he ducked under the yellow crime-scene tape upon returning from the hospital.

“Great! That’s one less thing I have to worry about. How’s Korri?” Jake asked.

“Medically induced coma. Brandon and Lauryn just arrived when I left,” Mike responded. “What about the other suspect? Do we let Tony know?”

“Not yet. He’s dealing with enough. Langston is in the hands of the Feds, luckily for him,” Jake sneered. “Everything is pretty much wrapped up here. I left Sanders and the boys just in case there’s any need for any damage control, but we’re pretty much in the clear. Let’s go handle this package and give my cousin some peace. We have a lot of loose ends to tie up with all this mess. We still have to get down to Georgia and help with that whole mess, and I doubt for one second Tony will be leaving Korri anytime soon. So it’s on me.”

“Yeah, like you don’t love all this shit,” Mike chuckled. “This is right up your alley.”

Jake laughed. “True, but you didn’t have to say the shit out loud…damn chucklehead.”

An hour later, Jake and Mike walked into an undisclosed location. Not many people even knew this place existed, but it came in handy to be ex-special forces. Both men sauntered into the building and were immediately greeted by a familiar face. Seth Young worked with Jake and Mike on the Special Forces team. But when Mike and Jake called it quits, Seth stayed in and now he’s one of the head honchos. He’s always a phone call away.

“Fellas, your package awaits in Room 2,” Seth said while leading Mike and Jake to the room. “But you don’t have much time. We have a delivery to the Feds before the end of the day, so make it quick.”

              Once in the room, the two men were greeted by a pair of wide brown eyes and a shocked expression.

“Misty?... Or is it Victoria now?” Jake stated simply. “You didn’t think you could actually dye your hair and put in contacts and we wouldn’t recognize you? We are professionals. We track people for a living, and we let you stay free. We knew your greed would lead us to Korri. We let you make it to the airport; we had to be sure you weren’t meeting anybody else.”

Tears started to slowly fall down Misty’s face, as the realization hit that she was no longer a free woman. All her scheming and planning was for nothing. She no longer had to worry about family, love, or even money because she would be behind bars.

‘H-how did you know it was me?” Misty stuttered. “I was so careful…”

“No, you weren’t careful. We have a witness to the kidnapping, and Korri will be able to identify you,” Jake said simply.

“I was supposed to be long gone with my new identity before she was even rescued,” Misty said as the free flowing tears were now a distant memory.

“Misty, you were never going to get away with this…
never
…but maybe you can help yourself…What do you know about your father’s shady dealings in Florida?”

A sinister smile spread across Misty’s face. “I know enough that I want some sort of deal.”

Korrine

Korrine woke from what seemed like a deep sleep. Her head no longer felt like it was going to explode, but it definitely felt like she had one helluva hangover. She slowly looked around the room and saw all the people she loved. Tony was lying with his head resting on top of her hand while Brandon and Lo were each scrunched up on a small couch in the corner of the room. She heard the beeping of the machines, and she could feel the wires connected to her. But this didn’t look much like a hospital room; it looked more like a hotel room, and a nice one at that. She looked back down at the man she loved, and she knew for a fact that this man had everything to do with her accommodations. Korrine smiled lovingly as she ran a hand through his disheveled hair. She knew he would be worried and running his hands through it over and over again in frustration. As she gazed down at him, he slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes with a lazy smile forming on his lips. Yep, Korri was a goner. How could you not love those deep brown eyes and those sexy as sin dimples?

“There’s my sweetness…I was worried about you, young lady,” Tony said sitting up and kissing Korrine’s hand.

“Hi, baby. Sorry you worried,” Korrine replied shyly.

“No, baby. None of this is your fault, and I am truly sorry,” Tony replied sadly. “This was about me or, more specifically, my money. Your involvement with me is the reason you were kidnapped. It had nothing to do with you. Sweetness, there’s nothing I could do to make up for everything you’ve been through.  However, this is something we can talk about later when you’re out of this place.”

“We can’t control other people, baby. Those psychos were money hungry lunatics. There was no way to know what lengths they would go through to get money….” Korri said looking deeply into Tony’s eyes.

“You’re right, but you know I’m not letting you out of my sight for a while, right?” Tony stated seriously.

Korri smiled. “I figured as much.”

Tony leaned down to kiss Korrine on her lips when he heard a screech coming from the doorway.

“You’re awake!!!” Brandon yelled as he and Lo crossed the room in a rush to get to Korri’s bed. “Baby girl, you scared the shit out of us! Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”

Tony groaned as he barely got to brush his lips against hers. “You owe me a kiss.”

Korrine laughed. “Ahhh, baby, I will give you so much more than that when I get out of here.”

Tony groaned again, simultaneously releasing Korrine so Lo and Brandon could hug her.

“Korri, I’m so glad you’re awake. I was so worried,” Lo said with a bright smile, but with tears in her eyes.

“Oh, guys. I’m fine. I promise,” Korrine replied hugging both her best friends.

While the friends were being reunited, the doctor walked in with a woman about Korrine’s height. With milk chocolate skin, she had long braids down to the middle of her back and big hazel eyes like Korrine’s.

“Charlie?!!” Korrine smiled excitedly. “How?…When?…You’re here!…I’m so glad to see you!”

“Hey, baby girl.” Charlie rushed to her bedside. Lo and Brandon gave her room to hug her cousin. “How in the hell did you get yourself kidnapped?” Charlie asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m sure that is a long and interesting story, but Ms. Taylor needs her rest,” the doctor said addressing the room.

Grumbles were heard from each of the visitors, but they all bid Korrine a goodbye before heading towards the door…all except Tony, who refused to leave Korrine’s side.

Korrine was finally able to talk Tony into stepping out to take the phone call from Jake, who had been calling all night. Jake let Tony know that everything had been wrapped up, and everyone involved with Korrine’s kidnapping had been apprehended. Tony was livid when he found out Jeff was the one helping Misty, but he was glad that the FBI had the piece of shit because otherwise he would probably kill him with his bare hands. He couldn’t believe the audacity of Misty and Jeff, and even his father, to get money from him. But taking Korrine was one mistake that he would personally see to it that they paid for.