Page 19 of Intangible
“Come here, baby. Let me help you.” When she didn’t respond, he gently laid his hand on what he guessed was her hip.
“No!” she cried, spinning in the bed as she swung a fist at him. He grunted when it connected to his shoulder. Screaming, she kicked out at him, barely missing his face.
“Thayer, it’s me, sweetheart. It’s Memphis,” he said calmly. She fought him with everything her weakened body had. Finally grabbing her wrist, he pulled her flush against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her, he held on as she pushed against him.
“Open your eyes, Thayer. I’m here, I found you.” He rubbed her naked back slowly as she started to settle.
“Memphis?” He sighed when she finally relaxed in his arms. She only stayed that way for a few seconds, though, before she began to panic, clawing at Memphis like she was drowning. Wrapping her legs around him, she clung to him as great sobs escaped her. Murphy crawled over to them, pushing on Thayer’s body with his nose, trying to help.
“It’s okay, Murph. I’ve got her.” She slowly relaxed her grip on him and he set her back on the cot. Shaking his arms out of his coat, he took off his heavy flannel shirt, sliding Thayer’s arms into it. It swallowed her up, but at least it was warm.
As he finished the last button, they heard shouting outside, followed by a volley of gunshots. With a scream, Thayer threw herself tight against him.
Holding her in his arms, Memphis stood before crossing into the darkness in the corner where he used to materialize. Crouching down, he turned them against the corner, setting her on his thighs as he squatted. With one hand holding her against him, he used the other to pull her head against his chest. He could feel her shaking against him.
He wasn’t worried about Knox holding off whoever was outside, but there was always the possibility of a stray bullet finding them. He had seen it happen one too many times to take a chance. With Thayer snug against him and Murphy sandwiching his body next to hers, Memphis waited for the all-clear signal.
After a few more minutes of gunfire, everything grew quiet. Memphis stood with her in his arms, preparing to fight whoever came through the door if necessary.
Whistling quietly, he sent his dog outside to find out what the threat was. He hated putting Murphy in harm’s way, but he knew the dog was a master at sneaking around. It was better he had an idea of what he was about to find instead of facing it blind. Soon his dog ran back downstairs, barking. Jumping up, he placed both paws on Memphis’ arms with a woof.
“Memphis?” he heard Knox yell at the opening to the tunnel. “It’s all clear. Did you find her? Tell me she’s okay.” Making sure her legs were securely wrapped around his waist, Memphis pulled his coat around her as she snuggled closer to him.
“We’re going up, okay?” She nodded her head before burying it into his neck. With a last look around, he headed down the tunnel.
* * *
How could they be so incompetent that they couldn’t keep a twenty-year-old woman hidden in a cellar?
Curtis Floyd pushed the red button on his phone, angrily ending the call. What he wouldn’t give for an old landline phone that he could slam the receiver down on. He should never have left the job of securing the senator’s daughter to the local idiots. At least two of the morons he had hired were dead. He would send one of his men to eliminate the remaining one. There could be no loose ends.
It would be fine. He simply needed a new plan. With his brilliance, it should be no problem to finish the job he had been assigned. He would need patience to wait until the media circus, he was certain, would surround the rescue quieted down before issuing the order to finish the job.
Knowing that big fucker that hovered around her, security would be impenetrable at both her home and on campus for quite some time. He would have to wait for his opportunity to pounce.
He flinched slightly when the buzzer went off on his intercom. His employer still preferred the old way of summoning his people to his office.
“Yes, sir?” Curtis said, pressing the talk button.
“I need a status report.”
“Of course, sir. I’ll be right in.” Curtis stood, buttoning his jacket. He felt a smile cross his face as he checked his reflection in the mirror hanging near the door.
He would bide his time and wait for the perfect moment, but in the end, he would bring the Kents to heel. Thayer Kent just thought she had gotten away. She had merely seen the tip of the iceberg of what he was capable of. He wasn’t head of special projects for the Lehman Group because of his inability to get a job done. As long as he met their goals in the allotted time, they never asked how he did it.
He had first met his current employer, Mr. Roberts, the chief operating officer, when he worked his bodyguard detail in Los Angeles two years ago.
It would have just been another job had Mr. Roberts not been threatened with extortion when he dumped his latest mistress. As her threats escalated to the point of informing his wife of their affair, Curtis calmly stepped forward and offered to “take care” of the problem.
Mr. Roberts never asked how Curtis had made the problem suddenly disappear and Curtis never told him, but it culminated in an offer as acting head of “special projects.”
His latest project was to ensure that in just two weeks, the Lehman Group was awarded one of the largest military contracts the SASC had ever awarded. It would guarantee one of their companies would be the sole supplier of a new missile tracking and defense system.
Curtis wasn’t sure what it meant other than it stood to make his bosses close to twenty-eight billion. The bonus Mr. Roberts would make alone would guarantee him a nice new mansion in the Caymans with a shiny new yacht moored outside.
As it stood now, Senator Kent was the main deciding vote. That alone wouldn’t mean much except he was not only the head of the SASC, but he also held sway over the majority of the senators on the committee. If Senator Kent voted no, it was almost certain the contract would fall through. Mr. Roberts had tasked Curtis with the job of ensuring that never happened.
Curtis’ plan had been simple. Kidnap the senator’s daughter, force him to divulge military secrets, then use extortion to get him to vote in favor of the Lehman Group.
