Page 2 of Torn in Half

Her gaze softened. “I know you’ll try, Ian, and I’ll try to make sure we wait, but Little Bit needs you to find Marie. She’s the only grandmother our baby will have.”

How the hell he’d gotten so damn lucky to have this beautiful woman fall in love with him, he’d never know, but he’d always be grateful. Bending down, he gave her a swift kiss on the lips. “I love you, Angel.”

“I love you too. Now, let’s get busy.”

Chapter Two

Somewhere in the province of Davao del Norte, Philippines…

As Marie Sawyer heard the door unlock, her heart pounded in her chest. The cool air coming through a ceiling vent had been giving her goosebumps for the past hour or so. Central air conditioning in the Philippines was a luxury only the rich could afford. She still didn’t know where she and Jocelyn Navarro were or why they’d been abducted in the first place. Their wrists had been tied and their heads covered with potato sacks just moments after they’d been forced at gunpoint into the van that’d block the road they’d been traveling on. The only thing they’d seen since was the inside of the bedroom they’d been shoved into, after the heavy twine used to bind their wrists had been cut away. By the time she’d ripped the sack off her head, the door had been slammed shut and locked.

The room had a queen-sized bed, which they were sitting on, some sparse furniture, and nothing more. The attached bath had even less. The windows in both had been blacked out by a tarp that hung outside. An overhead lamp was their only light. It hadn’t taken long to realize there was no way out and nothing available to use as a weapon. Marie was certain her sons would argue with her about that. As trained Navy SEALs, they could probably find an exit and take down a bunch of the bad guys without blinking an eye. At seventy-one, she doubted she could overtake any of the younger, larger men holding them hostage. She might be able to outsmart them, but a physical fight was out of the question with no weapons at hand.

Aside from a few English commands, their captors had spoken Cebuano, one of the several local languages. Jocelyn was from the Philippines but had gotten an education in the United States where her father had been an ambassador. She understood what they’d been saying, for all the good it had done. The four men hadn’t revealed anything in either language to help the two women figure out why they were there—wherever there was.

Although they’d been forced to leave their cell and satellite phones behind, Marie still had her multi-function watch Ian had given her for Christmas a few years ago. It was a very durable, sleek, military-style design, and she didn’t have to worry about losing or damaging the gold one, that she usually wore, while visiting a lesser developed country where her charity work often took her. By her calculations, they’d traveled on a mix of paved and unpaved roads for fifty minutes or so. She and Jocelyn had left to run errands two municipalities over from where they’d been staying. They’d wanted to refill the clinic’s tiny stock room with supplies that didn’t necessarily have anything to do with medicine, such as feminine pads, baby formula, cloth diapers, shampoo, soap, canned goods, and batteries, among other things. The medical supplies and drugs were covered by the non-profit charity. Chuck and Marie were supposed to head back to the States tomorrow. Instead of going straight home to Charlotte, North Carolina, they were planning a detour to Tampa to await the arrival of their second grandchild.

God, please let me live to see Angie and Ian’s baby. Don’t let this beautiful time in their lives be marred by my death.

Jocelyn and Marie quickly got to their feet as the door swung open, and a tall, intimidating man stepped inside. Out in the hallway, two men armed with assault rifles stood sentry. The one who’d entered the room gestured toward the door. “Let’s go.”

Grabbing Jocelyn’s arm to prevent her from obeying the barked order, Marie stood her ground. “Where? Who are you and why are we here?”

The man sneered at her. “Who I am is not important. As for the rest, come with me and find out.”

Marie lifted her chin at the challenge in his voice, then glanced at the pistol holstered at his hip. Her mind raced, but there weren’t any options. Whatever was going on, they weren’t going to learn about it in the empty room.

Hooking her arm around Jocelyn’s, she stepped forward. When the man was convinced they’d follow, he led the way out the door.

Well, they were in a house—a very large one by Philippine standards. Expensive art hung on the walls, while fine china and crystal stood on tabletops and in wall niches as they walked down a hallway to a flight of marble-covered stairs, undoubtedly the one they’d climbed earlier. As the man descended the staircase, Marie glanced over her shoulder. The two armed lackeys were right behind them, so they had no choice but to keep moving along.

They trailed behind their escort, across the massive foyer and into an equally impressive living room. It was finely decorated with the “expensive” theme she’d seen throughout the rest of the house, so far, except for the bedroom they’d just left.

“Welcome, Dr. Sawyer, or may I call you Marie?” The husky voice belonged to a stocky man who was sitting in a wingback chair. “Please, have a seat.” He gestured toward two couches, while puffing away on a cigar.

Marie stared at the middle-aged man. She didn’t recognize him but was surprised he knew who she was. That fact didn’t make her feel any better. “I’d rather stand while you tell me who you are, why my friend and I were kidnapped, and how you know my name.”

He snorted, then took a sip of what looked like brandy from a snifter. “Kidnapped? Such an inappropriate word in this case, isn’t it? Clearly, neither of you are children as the word implies. Let’s just say you’re here on a job interview, and I research all my prospective employees. Sit, and I’ll explain.”

When she refused to comply with his order, his eyes narrowed, and his expression grew hard. “I will not ask you again, Dr. Sawyer. While you are invaluable to me, your nurse is not.” Marie heard a gasp and turned to see the man who’d brought them there had one hand wrapped around Jocelyn’s upper arm and the other pointing his gun to her head. The younger woman’s tear-filled eyes were wide, and her face had paled significantly, while her entire body shook. Meanwhile, their unidentified host continued. “Nurses are much easier to come by than a woman of your caliber. If you insist on being uncooperative, she will pay for it.”

Marie had no choice. Stepping over to one of the couches, she sat, perched on the edge of the cushion. Jocelyn was shoved in her direction, then sat next to her, sobbing softly. Marie grasped her hand and squeezed before glaring at the man seated across from them. “Fine. We’re sitting. You said you’d explain—I’m waiting. And am I supposed to call you, ‘hey, you,’ or do you have a name?”

Yes, she probably sounded like she had when her boys had been younger and had gotten in trouble for one reason or another, but she refused to show how frightened she was. Calmness in the face of adversity was a trait most surgeons and emergency room physicians acquired over the years. If they freaked out, their staff would follow suit, and then all hell would break loose, putting their patients in danger. While she was unnerved on the inside, all she would show was her defiance.

An amused expression crossed the man’s face. “Brave woman,” he said. “You don’t recognize me?”

“Should I? I’m an American who has only been here for three weeks to work in a clinic, performing surgery. If you don’t work at the clinic or weren’t one of my patients and their families, then I wouldn’t have a clue who you are.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. You can call me Mr. Albano.”

It was highly unlikely that was his real name—it was a very common one in that region—considering he’d abducted them. Marie had a few other choice names for him, but it was probably wise not to mention them.

“Well, Mr. Albano, I’m scheduled to return to the States tomorrow.” She took a chance, nodded toward the woman beside her, and lied. “So is Jocelyn.” Actually, the nurse would be heading to a clinic on one of the other islands, joining the next Operation Smile surgeon who was arriving in a few days, but Marie was keeping that to herself. Hopefully, Jocelyn would play along. “We’ll be missed, if we’re not already, when we don’t contact our charity to give them our final reports this evening.” At least that part was true. She did have to check in with the director who handled everyone’s trips and schedules.

“I’m afraid you’ll be missing your flight. You see, you’ll be performing surgery tomorrow.”

Her brow furrowed. “Excuse me? On whom?”

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