Chapter 18

 

Trees loomed over the winding, black road, blotting out the moon and stars. Street lamps were rare on this stretch of road, but then so were the houses. Thirty minutes had passed since they’d rushed out of Ward Security. Sven had jumped into the passenger seat of the SUV Andrei claimed, while Royce and Dominic climbed into another of the company cars. During the first few minutes of driving, Andrei laid out the plan, where he and Sven would approach from the east, while Royce and Dominic would come down Steep Creek from the opposite direction. Royce would disable Nathan’s car before approaching from the west, while Dominic took the back of the house.

But once the plan was outlined, they all fell silent. The engine of the SUV roared and the wind rushed past the vehicle. Sven could hear his heart pounding in his ears and he wanted to scream at Andrei to drive faster. But he couldn’t. They were already racing above the speed limit and they couldn’t risk getting pulled over.

“Where’s your head at, Larsen?” Andrei asked, finally breaking the consuming silence.

“I’m here.”

“Bullshit.” The single word was like a crack of a whip.

Sven blinked. Andrei wasn’t the type to lose his temper or utter a harsh word. He was usually the calm, cool member of Ward Security. Well…except for that time Andrei was fighting with his fiancé, and then he’d been a snarling beast at all times.

“Three men are about to follow you into a dangerous situation. We don’t know what he’s capable of, but killing any one of us is possible considering he could have left you to drown in that pool after darting you.” Sven could hear Andrei draw in a deep breath through his nose and then slowly release it. “We’ve got your back, but are you going to have enough presence of mind to have ours?”

Sven scrubbed a hand roughly over his face before turning his head to look out the window. He couldn’t really see anything except the occasional yellow light from a house or silvery moonlight through a break in the trees. His panic for Geoffrey receded enough for him to think about the three men with him. It wasn’t only his life or Geoffrey’s life on the line.

“I just keep thinking about him in that bed, unconscious. What if the tranquilizer hurt him? Hurt his heart? What if he stops breathing?”

“Let me try this,” Andrei said.

Sven turned his head to see Andrei tap the phone in the holder attached to the main console. “Call Jude,” he said firmly. A moment later, the SUV was filled with the sound of a ringing phone.

Some of the tension trying to strangle Sven started to ease when the paramedic’s friendly voice came from the phone. He’d met Jude Torres and his boyfriend, Snow, on several occasions since he’d started working at Ward Security. Both were great men, and incredibly skilled at their jobs.

“Hey, Andrei! Hollis called earlier and said that you had to go into work tonight. We can all get together next week for drinks.”

“You still off tonight?” Andrei asked.

“Yeah, I’m off.”

“Snow?”

“He just got home. What’s going on?” Even over the phone, Sven could hear the man’s voice hardening, changing to a no-nonsense tone that indicated that he was ready to jump into whatever situation that Andrei was about to drop on them.

“Get him and have him pull up Facebook on his phone.”

There was a long minute where they could hear Jude’s quick footsteps on hardwood floors and his voice raised as he shouted for Snow. Sven winced when Jude’s phone was switched over to speaker so that both Jude and Snow’s voice came in loud and clear.

“What’s going on, Andrei?” Snow demanded. “Why am I bothering with Facebook?”

“Geoffrey was kidnapped this evening. The fucker is livestreaming him right now.”

Snow swore loudly, his voice drifting low and then louder as if he paced away from Jude’s phone and then back again. “Where do you need us?”

“On standby. Sven, Royce, Dominic, and I are heading to him now.”

“Can you look at the video?” Sven broke in. “He was shot about six hours ago with a tranquilizer dart. I don’t know what kind of tranq or the dose. Can you tell if he’s okay?”

There was a long pause and Sven just wanted to curl up into a ball in his chair. He knew it was a long shot. There wouldn’t be much that the paramedic and surgeon would be able to tell over the video, but he needed to know that Geoffrey wasn’t dying because of that fucking dart.

“His breathing is good, Sven,” Snow said. “It’s deep and even. That’s a very good sign. If six hours have passed since he was initially drugged, then it’s likely that most of it has passed through his system.”

“Thank you,” Sven said in a low, choked voice. Relief coursed through him so hard that it left his hands shaking.

“There’s not much I can tell with just this video,” Snow hedged. “But if you want, I’ll be waiting at UC hospital. I’ll personally check him over as soon as you get him free.”

A part of him didn’t want Dr. Ashton Frost anywhere near Geoffrey, considering the man had had such a huge crush on the surgeon at one time. But Geoffrey cared for him, Sven knew it. And Snow would be one of the few people that Geoffrey would trust after this ordeal.

“Yes, thank you,” Sven murmured.

“You need backup, Andrei?” Snow demanded and Sven was momentarily surprised that the surgeon was offering, until he remembered that Snow had served in the Army with Rowe. He’d also appeared a couple of times a month at Ward Security for some sparring with Rowe. The doc definitely had skills.

“No, we’re covered.”

There was a low, almost wicked chuckle that passed through the SUV before Snow spoke again. “Does Lucas know what you’re up to?”

Andrei snarled something that was definitely not in English. “Give me twenty fucking minutes before you call him.”

Jude snorted. “That would be a big no.”

“How far are you from the drop point?” Snow said.

“About ten minutes.”

“I’ll give you fifteen minutes.”

“Fine. While you’re at it, tell Lucas to wake Sarah.”

Snow’s loud snort filled the car before Andrei could end the call.

“Who’s Sarah?” Sven asked a couple of seconds later.

“Sarah Carlton, Lucas’s lawyer.” Andrei slowed the SUV to nearly a crawl as he turned onto a narrow road. The headlights splashed across a crooked street sign that read, Steep Creek Road. “I have a feeling that one or more of us is going to jail tonight.”

Sven tried twice to say thank you as he swallowed down the lump in his throat. Andrei was likely right. When they realized that Geoffrey had been kidnapped, they should have handed everything over to the cops to handle, but they hadn’t and every man rushing to this little farmhouse in the middle of nowhere knew it. Even if no one got hurt, they were probably looking at jail time for obstruction or something.

But they didn’t care.

Sven would have gone alone to save Geoffrey.

Andrei, Royce, and Dominic were there to save Geoffrey and protect Sven.

“Is Rowe going to be pissed?”

Andrei chuckled as he pulled the SUV off to the side of the road and killed the engine. “Only that he missed out on all the fun.”

Sven followed behind Andrei as they both reached into the back seat and grabbed small black bags that had a single strap that went across their chest and over one shoulder. The contents were simple: extra ammo, a first aid kit, and two rolls of duct tape. They got out of the car and paused at the edge of the road, letting their eyes adjust to the thick darkness that crowded close around them.

The summer air was heavy, but not as hot as it had been, as if a storm system was creeping close to the river valley, promising to dump some much-needed rain on the region. Crickets chirped and tree frogs seemed to answer back. But there were no other cars on the narrow road so late at night. And there were only a couple of lights in the distance indicating that anyone might live in the area…but not close.

“We’re headed in,” Royce growled in Sven’s ear through the piece he was wearing. Both Royce and Dominic had parked their SUV and were now walking through the surrounding woods toward the farmhouse.

Sven saw Andrei nod once and then he led the way down the slope from the road and into the thick tree line. They moved slowly through the woods, branches snapping underfoot no matter how carefully they traveled. It was too damn dark to avoid the brush. Sven just hoped that Nathan didn’t realize that they were on to who he really was.

Sweat trickled down the side of his face and along his spine by the time they reached the edge of the woods. Several yards away stood an old two-story farmhouse with white clapboard siding. The second floor was dark, but light shone through cracks in the curtains hanging over the windows on the first floor, proving that someone was definitely there. Dead bushes and overgrown grass filled the yard. There was a rusted truck pulled off to the side while a late-model silver Mercedes sat in the gravel driveway.

“Andrei,” Sven whispered as he knelt behind a tree with his boss.

“Yeah.”

“My head is with you and Royce and Dominic. I won’t let you down.”

Even in the darkness, he could see Andrei staring at him for a long moment before he finally nodded. Pulling the handgun from the holster under his left arm, Andrei pushed back to his feet. “And we’re not leaving here without Geoffrey. I swear it.”

Sven believed him.

 

 

 

###

Geoffrey had the hangover to end all hangovers. He groaned as he turned his head, but quickly stopped when the world started to swim around him and his stomach lurched. Oh God. What the hell had he been drinking?

Gentle fingers slid through his hair, lightly grazing his forehead and across his temple before repeating their path in a slow and steady fashion. It felt so damn good. The queasiness ebbed and the world settled back on its proper axis. Everything in his brain felt scattered and foggy, but he was grateful for those fingers soothing away the lingering pain.

Slowly he cracked his eyes open but shut them again against the bright light and groaned louder. He tried to lift his left hand to rub his head, but his arm was caught. He tried again, but whatever was wrapped around his wrist tightened, trapping him. Cringing, he opened his eyes again, blinking rapidly until he focused on the pale blue strip of cloth that was tied around his wrist and pulled tight as it bound him to the bed he was lying on.

The bed squeaked at his movement and the sheets felt coarse against his slightly sweaty flesh. There was a fan slowly turning overhead, but that was the only thing cutting the heat in the room. No central air. No breeze from the one closed window. He blinked to focus his vision and the peeling, water-stained wallpaper drew his gaze. It was an old flower print with pale blue swirling lines. The woodwork around the window had been painted white, but it was chipped and peeling away, revealing rotted wood. Heat made the air stuffy and stale. None of it made sense. He’d never seen this room before.

“Easy now,” cooed a low voice. The fingers threading through his hair sped up, increasing the pressure slightly as if to push back the panic that was threatening to consume him.

Geoffrey snapped his head the opposite direction to look up at the speaker and stared in dumbfounded confusion as found Kody looking down on him, a warm smile on his lips.

“Kody?” Geoffrey croaked. He licked his dry lips and tried to swallow before speaking again. “What’s going on? Where am I?”

“You’re safe. There’s nothing for you to worry about. I’ve got you somewhere safe.”

“What do you mean?”

“I realized after the video was released what I had to do.” Kody’s hand slid down from Geoffrey’s hair to cup the side of his face. “I had to get you away from that bodyguard. He was keeping us apart.”

Geoffrey jerked away from Kody’s touch. He had enough slack in the restraints to plant both his hands on the bed and push into a sitting position. His stomach roiled at the quick motion and his head swam. Blinking through the confusion, he looked down at himself to find that he was completely naked.

“You’re so beautiful,” Kody said with an air of reverence like he was faced with a piece of art in a museum. “I wasn’t expecting you to be so beautiful…so perfect.”

“Kody?”

“And now everyone can see how perfect you are. They’ll know that you’re mine.” When Kody spoke, he broadly waved a hand to the foot of the bed where Geoffrey found a phone set up on a tripod as if it were a video camera.

“What are you doing? What’s going on?” His mind was clearing with each passing second, but it was like waking to the worst nightmare. He couldn’t remember how he’d arrived there. He didn’t know where Sven was—Fuck! Sven!

The memory slammed into his brain and he moaned. Sven had been shot with one of those tranq darts. He hadn’t gotten out of the pool yet. Had he drowned?

“Where’s Sven? What the fuck did you do to Sven? If you fucking killed him—”

Kody stood and brutally backhanded him, snapping Geoffrey’s head to the side.

“I hope that giant died! I hope his big, stupid body sank straight to the bottom of your pool and he remains there to rot!”

Geoffrey sat perfectly still, clinging to the words coming out of Kody’s mouth. He didn’t know. He didn’t know for sure what happened to Sven. The bodyguard could have climbed out of the pool before he passed out. He could be safe and on his way at that exact moment to save him.

But he wasn’t going to fucking wait. He was going to escape this nut job and find Sven.

Kody dropped back down onto the edge of the bed and cupped Geoffrey’s cheeks with both hands. He couldn’t stop himself from flinching. He didn’t want this man touching him. It made his skin crawl.

“Oh, baby,” Kody cooed. “I don’t want us to fight. We should never fight. I love you so much.”

Geoffrey tried to turn his head and scoot back out of Kody’s reach, but there was nowhere he could go. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?” he asked carefully. He didn’t want to upset Kody again. It was better to keep him talking, buying him some time while he tried to figure out a way to escape.

“Do you remember that first night we met? At Shiver?”

Geoffrey nodded. “We spent the night talking about coding.”

“Yeah, that’s it. I knew you’d remember. You felt it too. It was magical.”

“Kody—”

“I was going to kill you that night!” Kody jumped off the bed and cackled wildly.

Geoffrey’s heart sped up and he dug his heels into the thin, lumpy mattress, trying to back away, but the restraints kept him in the center of the bed. “What? Why?”

“You ruined me. You and that stupid Matinee app.” His words didn’t match his gleeful tone and he flopped back on the bed. He stretched out along the mattress like they were just having a tender heart-to-heart. “My real name is Nathan McDonald. I created Seeking Romeo. It was going to be huge, but you launched Matinee just a few weeks before we could finish. It blew up.” Kody reached out and gently ran one finger down Geoffrey’s cheek, sending a chill straight to his stomach. “You ruined all my dreams.”

“Kody—Nathan, I had no idea. I—”

“I know, baby,” he whispered. His fingers slid across to press against Geoffrey’s lips, silencing him. “I know you didn’t. I’ll admit that I went a little crazy after that. Fired employees. Threatened them for failing me. Burned down a building…or two. I was even going to kill you that night.”

“I never meant to hurt you…”

“But then I talked with you at Shiver.” Kody/Nathan gave a dreamy kind of sigh and tucked his hand under his head as he stared at Geoffrey. “I never expected you to be so beautiful. It was like seeing Michelangelo’s David come to life. You were so perfect. Your smile. Your laugh. Your beautiful free spirit. You were an untouched angel in the middle of this ugly sea of people.”

Geoffrey bit his lower lip, trying to remain still. What the hell was he supposed to say? Madness lurked in Kody’s wide eyes. Err…Nathan’s. No, he couldn’t think of him as anything other than Kody. It was the only way he’d known him. How had he managed to hide this insanity from him over the past two years? It didn’t seem possible.

“And then you talked to me. Just me!” Kody surged back into a sitting position, getting right into Geoffrey’s face in his excitement. “I couldn’t believe it. Not only were you beautiful, but you were so brilliant too! We talked for hours. It was so perfect.”

“Please, Kody, you need to listen to me.”

But he didn’t. His expression changed in a flash, morphing into the hard lines of rage. “Until they got in the way!” As he spoke, he pointed at the phone still pointed at the bed.

“What do you mean?”

“You and all those fucking followers! Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Snapchat. YouTube. They all want a fucking piece of you. They act like they deserve to talk to you. That they deserve even a second of your attention! And you gave it to them. Handing out pieces of yourself like some cheap whore!”

Kody rolled off the bed and jumped to his feet, standing over Geoffrey as if he meant to hit him again. Geoffrey tensed, waiting for the blow, wishing there was some way he could defend himself. His feet were still free, but he was saving that. He had a feeling things were going to get far worse and if he was going to have any chance of escape, it was better if Kody didn’t think about his free feet.

“That’s why I had to do it,” Kody continued in a low, cold voice.

“What?”

“The video.”

“You drugged me. You took that fucking video and released it for everyone to see. You molested me! I said no! I begged you to stop!” Geoffrey yelled. Tears streamed down his cheeks, blurring his vision. He jerked against the strips of cloth holding him back. Wood creaked and groaned. There was the soft sound of tiny fibers ripping, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to fucking kill Kody with his bare hands. “How could you do that? You said you were my friend!”

“Do you think I wanted to release that video?” he shouted back. “That was just supposed to be us. A beautiful moment for just us. But you forced me to show you the truth. If you’re going to whore yourself to the world, then you had to know what they really thought of you.”

“Fuck you! You’re nothing but a rapist!”

Kody balled up his fist and hit Geoffrey hard across the jaw, knocking him back down to the bed. Pain exploded across his face, but it barely registered in comparison to the betrayal and rage burning in his chest. He’d trusted Kody, would have defended him endlessly against accusation from Sven and the others.

“I love you!” Kody shrieked, his voice cracking and shaking.

“You don’t know what love is.” Geoffrey murmured. He brought his face closer to his right hand, wiping away a line of blood that had started to form in the corner of his mouth. His jaw ached and it felt like his lower lip was split.

“I’ve waited two years for you. I tolerated you dating that fucking idiot Brendon because I knew that you didn’t really care for that asshat. I tolerated all your other vapid, self-absorbed friends. I tolerated you sleeping with anyone that caught your eye because I knew you’d find your way to me.”

“Why didn’t you say something like a normal human being?”

“Because you would have run. You wouldn’t have taken me seriously. You weren’t ready to accept the magic we felt that first night. I fell in love with you that night, and I know you loved me that night too.”

“No,” Geoffrey croaked. He slowly shifted on the bed so that he was sitting up again. “I love Sven. I have never and will never love you. I love Sven.” He meant it. He would scream it at this fucker with his very last breath if he had to, but he loved Sven. He’d fallen for the damn man over the past two weeks, and all he wanted was to get back to him so he could tell him in person.

Kody’s hand shot out and he twisted his fingers in a thick hunk of Geoffrey’s hair. Pain burst across his scalp, forcing Geoffrey to turn his head to ease some of the pulling. “You don’t love him,” Kody snarled through clenched teeth. He got in Geoffrey’s face again so that he was just an ugly blur of color and heat. “You never loved him. You’re just confused.”

“I love Sven.”

Kody suddenly released him and straightened. He carefully ran his hand over his wrinkled blue button-down shirt. He looked like hell. Dark circles underlined his eyes and his pale face seemed leaner and more haggard than Geoffrey had ever seen him. A tremor shook his fingers, but there was an unsettling calm sweeping over his face that frightened Geoffrey more than his outbursts could.

“That’s why he’s got to die,” Kody said, his tone low and even.

“No.”

“He’s confusing you. We’re supposed to be together. We’re perfect for each other.”

“No!”

“It’s better he’s dead. He can’t be in the way.”

“Sven’s coming for me!”

An evil grin slowly spread across Kody’s face and he leaned over Geoffrey. A line of sweat ran from his temple to his jaw. “I’m counting on it. If he didn’t die in your pool, then he should be racing here right now. I didn’t exactly try to hide this place from his co-workers. They’ll find it. And they’ll die here.”

As if on cue, a massive explosion shook the house, knocking Geoffrey back against the thin pillows. Dust and plaster rained down from the ceiling in a fine powder. He stared wordlessly at the doorway. For a full second, Geoffrey was sure that his heart stopped and then it was racing again, trying to climb into his throat. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kody do a little shimmy like he was doing a victory dance as he maniacally cackled.

“They found the first one!”

“What?” Geoffrey gasped, trying to get Kody’s words to make sense. All he could think was that Sven was on his way. Had Sven been caught in that blast? Oh God, Sven…

“I’ve got little bombs scattered all over this house and in the yard.” He giggled, the sound hauntingly childlike, and rubbed his hands together. “The design was easy to find online, and the materials…” He snickered, so fucking smug. “Found in any sporting goods and hardware store. Online shopping filled in the rest. So fucking easy.”

“You’re going to kill us too!”

Kody shook his head, making a tsking noise with his tongue. “You had to know we were going to die, too.”

“What?” Geoffrey demanded. “I thought you loved me. Why the fuck are you going to kill me?”

“Because you’re my Romeo.” Kody turned to a battered old nightstand next to the bed and pulled open the drawer. With his right hand, he pulled out a handgun and with his left, he withdrew a little brown bottle that reminded him of medicine he’d gotten from the doctor when Finn had an ear infection. This was not ear medicine. He was looking at poison.

“Kody…Nathan…don’t do this.” Geoffrey licked his lips and pulled his legs up, pushing as far as he could against the headboard to put more slack in his bindings. He couldn’t reach the bottle or the gun, not without Kody moving a hell of a lot closer. He knew that someone was out there, trying to get to him. Just needed a few more minutes. But he had to get the gun away from Kody before someone tried to enter.

“It’s for the best. The world just keeps getting in our way. It should be just you and me. Forever.”

“Nathan, this doesn’t make any sense.”

“I’ll give you the poison,” he continued talking as if he hadn’t heard Geoffrey, his words starting to run together in his haste. “I could get only enough for one person, but it’s supposed to be quick. You won’t feel any pain, baby. I promise. I’ll use the gun on myself as soon as you take the poison.” He smiled and actually pressed the muzzle to his temple. “And then we’ll be together.”

“No, I’m not taking it,” Geoffrey said, shaking his head.

Somewhere in the house, there was a loud banging like someone kicked in a wooden door and heavy footsteps echoed on creaking floors. Someone was there for him. He was almost free. He took a breath to shout so he could be found.

“Dom, watch out!” Sven’s loud voice carried even through the walls.

Sven’s warning was followed immediately by another explosion. This one was much closer, shaking the entire house. The lights flickered, threatening to go out. Large chunks of plaster fell from the ceiling, crashing on the floor and bed.

“Sven!” he screamed as soon as he could pull air into his lungs. But there was no response. “Sven!” His heart broke a little bit more each second that ticked by and there was only silence.

“He’s gone now. It’s for the best,” Kody murmured soothingly. “It’ll just be us.”

“Yeah…just us,” Geoffrey repeated, but all he could see was Sven smiling at him. Sven holding his nephew, stretched out on Alida’s couch. Sven patiently explaining the perfect way to throw a Frisbee, grinning at each of Geoffrey’s flirtations. Sven, strong and brave, protecting him. Always protecting. The world couldn’t go on without Sven.

“Sit on the bed next to me,” Geoffrey said. He stretched his arms back so that they were running along the wall. “The whole world needs to see us together in our last, perfect moment.” Geoffrey turned his head and vacantly smiled at the phone that was still positioned over the bed.

“Yes! I knew you’d understand. Everyone has to see us together.”

Kody climbed into the bed next to Geoffrey, settling up against the headboard. The left hand with the poison was closest to Geoffrey, while the gun remained tightly clenched in his hand close to the edge of the bed. The second Kody settled back, the tension easing just a bit from his broad shoulders, Geoffrey lifted his right arm and wrapped it around Kody’s throat. He pressed as hard as he could, cutting off the flow of air, but he struggled to lock in the hold. There wasn’t enough slack in his restraints to bring up his left arm.

Thrashing and choking, Kody pulled against Geoffrey, but he would not let go. Geoffrey leaned his head forward, crowding closer to Kody’s flailing body and inched the fingers of his right hand around the back of his own neck. He would gladly suffocate this man for hurting Sven…for potentially killing Sven.

Kody raised the gun in his right hand and wildly waved it in the air, trying to bring it around to aim it at Geoffrey. Twisting in the bed just enough, Geoffrey kicked the gun with his left foot. Kody squeezed the trigger and fired. The bullet soared across the room and dug into the old drywall with a thick thunk. Kody’s movements slowed down and this time, Geoffrey kicked the gun free. It clattered against the floor, disappearing from sight.

The door to the room burst open, slamming into the wall. Geoffrey looked up to see Sven filling the doorway. His long hair was loose and covered in white dust. More dirt and dust covered his dark clothes. There was a long cut across his forehead and several others on his cheeks, but he was alive. Oh God, he’s still fucking alive.

Geoffrey released Kody instantly and kicked his limp body aside so that he tumbled to the floor. “Sven,” he cried.

Sven walked around the far side of the bed, his eyes never leaving Geoffrey. As he passed the tripod, he shoved it violently to the floor. Geoffrey tried to reach for him, but he was still trapped. Grabbing the knife off his belt, Sven sliced through the material with two quick swipes and Geoffrey launched himself into Sven’s arms.

“You’re alive. You’re alive,” he cried, clutching him tightly. His whole body shook as he sank into those strong arms. He wanted to tell Sven that he loved him, that he’d never stop fighting to get to him, that he was never going to let go of Sven. But he couldn’t say any of that. Just kept repeating, “You’re alive.”

“I’ve got you. Never letting go,” Sven said, his voice rough. “Never letting go.”

“No!”

Geoffrey lifted his head at that rough voice to find Kody pushing up to stare at him from the floor on the other side of the bed.

“You can’t have him!”

The world seemed to move in slow motion as Kody brought up the lost handgun. But Sven was faster. With his free right hand, he grabbed the gun from the holster at his waist and fired a single shot into Kody’s chest.

Geoffrey turned his face back into Sven’s neck and squeezed him hard. It was over. He’d never wanted this. He’d never meant to hurt Kody, destroy his life. Never meant to put Sven in danger. But it was over.

“Let’s go home now.”