Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (36 page)

Caldwell began to think of a plan. Nathan then heard
his phone ring. He saw it was Christopher.

“What’s up, Chris?” Nathan answered.

“Hey, Nathan. Are there any news on Judith?”

“No, we still haven’t found her. We believe that the
kidnappers have made contact, though.”

There was a short pause on the other end.

“What do you mean, you believe? Have they told you how
much money they want?”

Nathan took a deep breath.

“No, it’s not that. There’s no ransom that we know
about. Amanda is missing.”

Hayden entered the police station. The activity inside
was normal, neither too rushed nor slow. He walked toward one of the cops.

“Is Detective Sutton in?”

“Yes, sir,” the officer said. “May I have your name?”

“I’m Patrick Hayden, private investigator.”

The officer led Hayden toward Sutton’s office. Once
inside, the Detective looked up.

“Mr. Hayden. Good afternoon,” Sutton said, shaking
hands with him.

“Good afternoon.”

The two men sat down.

“Did you come with news about the Rebecca Jenkins case?”
asked Sutton.

“Yes, but they’re not good news. There has been a
development.”

Hayden filled the Detective in on Judith’s kidnapping
and Amanda’s later disappearance.

“You’ve got two girls missing on your watch?” Sutton
asked with incredulity.

“Trust me, I’m not happy about it. Ms. Tilley actually
escaped right under our noses. The only explanation I can come up with is that
Ms. Vawer’s kidnapper called her.”

“It doesn’t make much sense, even if she’s rich.”

Hayden shook his head.

“There’s a high chance that the woman from the
hit-and-run is behind these events. She wanted Ms. Tilley and seems to have
finally got her.”

“Jesus. How much danger is Ms. Tilley in?”

“I hope that not much. Can you put a BOLO out on her
car? We need to find her fast.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Sutton said, nodding.

“Thanks. I also think it would be wise to have a small
rescue team ready. Nothing over the top like SWAT; regular cops will do.”

“I’ll look into it.”

Hayden gave Sutton the information on Amanda’s car.
Then they stood up.

“I’ll talk to my superiors,” the Detective said.
“They’ll have to approve the BOLO and the rescue team.”

“Please tell them that this is a timely matter.”

The two of them walked
out of Sutton’s office. The latter went to see the Lieutenant.

Christopher would not go to his last class of the day.
After Nathan told him about Amanda’s disappearance, it all added up slowly.
Presumably, Amanda wasn’t taken by force. She’d left willingly, as shown by her
escape from a two-story window.

Amanda wants to rescue Judith.

As he entered his car, Christopher knew that he wanted
to rescue Judith, too. He hoped that his suspicions weren’t true.

Christopher pulled out of his space and drove forward.
He considered calling the police, but decided against it. He didn’t want to
risk Judith’s safety. First, Christopher would go find Judith. Later, he would decide
if it was safe to involve the authorities.

When he got to a red light, Christopher dialed a
number. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, his patience waning.
The light turned green again, and still the other end wasn’t answering. He hung
up.

Christopher exited the campus and headed north. If his
hunch was correct, he would find Judith shortly. The drive would be a bit long,
but not too much.

When Christopher was near Amanda’s apartment building,
he looked in its direction.

Is she truly willing to go to such lengths?

Christopher hesitated at the wheel. Alone, he wouldn’t
be much help if things got complicated. All he wanted was for Judith to be
safe. Christopher had to tell the cops the truth, or they’d never get to Amanda
or Judith in time.

At the next intersection, Christopher turned. He
pulled into a curb. After switching on the hazard lights, Christopher grabbed
his phone. He dialed the police station. It only took a couple of rings for
them to answer.

“Ithaca Police Department. Please state your name and
the reason for your call.”

“Um…I’m Christopher Holt. Tell Detective Sutton that I
have information for him. It’s about a crime.”

“One moment.”

Christopher waited until his call was transferred.
Only a half-minute passed before Sutton picked up.

“Hello?”
a
deep voice asked.

“Good afternoon, Detective Sutton. I’m Christopher
Holt.”

“Greetings, Mr. Holt. I’m told that you have a crime
to report.”

“Sort of. I think I know who may be behind Judith’s
kidnapping and Amanda’s disappearance.”

Detective Sutton paused while he thought about it.

“What do you know, Mr. Holt?”

“I have reason to believe that Rebecca Jenkins used
Judith as bait to get to Amanda. I can tell you where they might be right now.”

“Have you seen them?”

“No. It’s just…Rebecca
is my sister.”

Amanda finally arrived at the address that the woman gave
her. It had taken about a quarter hour to get there. Amanda deduced that was
most likely done to slow down the cops if they were to head there.

Adjusting her breath, Amanda looked around. The
apartment buildings were practically secluded. There was grassland all around,
but the south was populated.  Amanda thought that if things went bad, at least
there were people nearby. They could come to her aid if it was necessary.

Deciding not to drag it long, Amanda walked out of her
car. She felt in her jacket for the pepper spray canister that she carried. It
made Amanda feel a little safe.

Amanda walked toward the apartment building. She had
expected one of those two-star types that were lacking in one way or another. This
one was at least a three- or four-star. Amanda walked slowly, looking around. A
couple of cars drove by as Amanda looked at the street.

Once inside the building, Amanda walked up the stairs.
The woman gave her a room number on the highest floor. Again, she obviously
chose it to delay the cops.

Amanda turned around the corridor when she got to the right
floor. It was deserted. She walked forward at a brisk pace until she found the
right door. Amanda didn’t knock on it. She just allowed herself in.

The room was dark. Amanda’s eyes adjusted to the
dimness. She noticed a couple of small, dilapidated red sofas in front of her.
The coffee table was simple and wooden, with several chips in it. Beyond that
area was a small refrigerator and sink, but no stove. There was also a window
on the far wall, with the blinds shut. The living room was smaller than
Amanda’s.

Amanda walked forward. She resisted the urge to
announce her presence. It was better to try to surprise the kidnapper, as
hopeless as that sounded.

There was a door to the left, opposite the wall that
had the refrigerator. Amanda guessed that led to the bedroom. She walked to it.
Amanda turned the knob and opened the door slowly. The bedroom was also dark.

When Amanda was inside, she immediately noticed Judith
and Emmy. They were both unconscious.

Amanda took a step forward. Before she could react,
someone struck her from behind. Amanda yelled in pain, falling to the floor.
She covered her head with her hands.

“At last you’re in my power, bitch.”

Amanda tried to look up, still dazed from the blow.
She felt a pair of hands grab her by the collar. Whoever it was lifted Amanda
from the floor. She was now face-to-face with her captor, a woman with a Mardi
Gras-style mask. It covered most of her face.

“Who are you?”

The woman gave no response. She slapped Amanda across
the face, sending her against the bed.

“I’m the woman who’s going to make you pay. Thanks to
you, my boyfriend is now dead.”

Amanda thought hard, trying to find out who the woman
could be. Then it dawned on her.

“Rebecca. You were with…
Hilbert
.”

Amanda slowly stood up, and then faced the woman. The
latter took off her mask. Recognition flashed in Amanda’s eyes. Her blood went
cold.

“You!”

Rebecca (or Erika, as Amanda best knew her) flashed a
wide grin.

“Your surprise is amusing. I’ve been watching you all
this time. Not even once did you have a clue of my true intentions. You’re so
naïve.”

Amanda’s anger flared. She pulled out her pepper spray
can and pointed it at Rebecca. The latter moved quickly. She grabbed Amanda’s
wrists, yanking upward. The spray stained the ceiling.

Rebecca twisted Amanda’s wrist. She yelled, releasing
the canister. Rebecca lowered Amanda’s arm. She then struck her in the face
with an elbow.

“Ah!”

Amanda placed a hand on her jaw to soothe it. In her
distraction, Rebecca brought her arm around Amanda’s neck.

“Did you think I stole Nathan from you just because I
had a crush on him? No! A woman like me—like
us
—doesn’t date below our
level. I did it so that you could feel the same pain I went through when you
took Hilbert away from me.”

“Hilbert was nothing but a filthy serial rapist. And
you’re not any better.”

Rebecca tightened her grip. Amanda gasped for air. She
brought her hands up to her neck, but only felt Rebecca’s arm.

“Show me respect, or I’ll make you suffer even more.”

Amanda struggled to free herself. Kellan had taught
her how to escape the sleeper hold, but only once. Amanda tried to recall what
to do.

“It wasn’t simple to take Nathan away from you, I
admit. That’s why I had Christopher help me with my plan, making him seduce
you.”

What?!

Amanda froze in shock. She hoped Judith was still
unconscious. Her heart would take a blow if she found out Christopher was a
traitor.

“You didn’t see that coming, right? Who would ever
suspect my brother? He’s so charming, never failed to get any girl he wanted.”

There was a pause. Amanda struggled again, although
her mind was reeling from the revelations.

“Except for you. I have no idea how Christopher didn’t
fall in love with you at first sight. You’re beautiful, I give you that. I just
didn’t count on my brother falling for the wrong girl.”

Amanda looked toward Judith. She was still asleep,
oblivious to what was going on.

“Yes, Christopher foolishly let Judith seduce him. I’m
told you played matchmaker with them. Luckily, that didn’t screw up my plans. I
have you here now.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Oh, you’re stalling!” Rebecca said, laughing. “Good.
That means you’re losing hope. You have reason to. Tomorrow, you won’t be
alive.”

“What makes you think you’re getting out of here in
one piece? The police will get to you.”

“No, they won’t. They don’t even know I have you, or
where we are. Hell, they’ve got a sketch of me and can’t even put a name to
it!”

Rebecca laughed again, as if she thought she was
cleverer than other people.

“I rented this room under Christopher’s name. No one
knows that I’m his sister.”

“How?” Amanda asked. “Your surnames are not the same.”

“Think, Amanda. My family took him in after his
parents died. We’ve always been very close.”

Amanda felt disappointed. She couldn’t believe
Christopher had lied to her and to her friends.

“Was it you? The one who tried to kill Emmy and me
that night?”

“No,” said Rebecca. “That was a woman I hired for the
job. She was only supposed to mark you, to make Nathan fall out of love with
you, but she got carried away. I had to take care of her. She provided a dead
end for the police, at least. No one could connect her to me.”

This time, it was Amanda who laughed.

“None of your plans worked long enough. Nathan loves
me despite what you did to me. Neither you nor anyone else is going to destroy
the love we have.”

“You don’t know shit about love!”

In one quick motion, Amanda freed herself. She then
whirled around and hit Rebecca. The latter fell back against the bedside table.
She let out a cry of pain. Rebecca lay on the floor, too hurt to get up.