Sharkbait

I woke in the morning when Todd opened the door. I knew it was morning because he was bringing me pancakes.

Todd set the paper plate on the floor and handed me a disinfectant wipe. I’d woken in the night to use the bathroom, so he took the bucket away as I cleaned my hands. I was starving and started eating before he returned with his plate. “I’ve been thinking about what you said all night,” he said. “This morning, I called a friend in the White Mountains Pack. He said your kidnapping is all over the news, and the FBI is offering a reward. He also said my father had appeared on television, pleading for me to turn myself in.”

I could see the hurt in his soul as he said this. His Pack and family had turned on him, and there was no going back now. “I’m sorry,” I said.

“Dad never told me any of this before Saturday night. This house, the supplies, the plan? He had that all ready to go. You were right; after the baby comes, we would disappear, and I’d take his secrets to the grave.” I kept eating as his hurt poured out. “Please believe me. I wouldn’t have done this if I had known what was going to happen.”

I had to be careful now. “You aren’t without guilt, Todd. You participated in the kidnapping of an Alpha, and you were the one who knocked out Amy.” His eyes belied his guilt. “You will have to answer for that.”

“I could run away from all this,” he said.

“And live the rest of your life on the run from humans and werewolves alike? That’s not much of a life, and you’ll never find your mate that way. How can you find her if you have to avoid every other wolf?” It would be a lonely, and likely a short existence. “How long before you get caught by the police or shot by a hunter? How long before a Pack hears about a wolf where there should be none, and sends a patrol out to hunt you down?”

He pushed his plate aside, unable to eat. “There has to be another way,” he said.

“Give me the phone,” I said. “Let me call my Alpha; he can make sure Theodore and Timothy are taken into custody by the Council and face justice.”

“And my father?”

“Someone has to face the human system, Todd. This act wasn’t your idea, and other than Amy, you haven’t hurt me. End this now, and I’ll speak on your behalf to werewolves and humans alike.” I felt sorry for him; he was a decent male caught in a nightmare. I could talk Leo out of killing him. “Surrender peacefully to the police and get a lawyer. Get a plea bargain in exchange for testimony against your father. He will shut up and take it because he doesn’t want this blowing back on the rest of the family.”

“The Council will go after my sister,” he said.

“The Council will find out what she knew and act accordingly. No one died, Todd. Not yet. It’s time to end this before it gets completely out of hand.”

He got up and went into the other room, coming back with the burner cellphone. “I’ll surrender, but we have to do this the right way. You need to talk to Leo and the Council and tell them what you know. They can take care of Theodore without tipping off my father the police are coming.”

“You’re doing the right thing, Todd.” I opened the phone and dialed Leo’s phone. When he picked up and answered, I could hear the fatigue in his voice. “Unka Leo, it’s me. Don’t say anything, and don’t let on you’re talking to me,” I said.

“Is everything all right,” he said softly.

“It will be. Go somewhere private, Unka. Bring in the Council but no Alphas for now.”

“I’m on it,” he said. “Talk to me while I round them up.”

“I’m going to be fine, nothing I can’t handle. How is Amy?”

“She’s in intensive care. The blow to the back of her skull and caused her brain to swell. The doctors had to remove a piece of bone to relieve the pressure.”

“Oh no,” I said. “Will Amy be all right?”

“We’re praying she will. She’s in a medical coma; we’ll know when she wakes up.” I heard the sound of a door, and the background noise went away. “I’ve got the Chairman here, and the others are coming. Talk to your Mom.”

He handed the phone off, and a worried Olivia came on. “Baby?”

“Hi, Mom,” I said. “It’s almost over.”

“Where are you?”

“I have no idea, but that’s not the issue. The police will find me soon. Don’t worry about me. I’m going to be all right.”

“Who do I have to kill,” she asked.

“Stay out of it, Mom. The Council is going to handle this.” I heard other voices enter. “The Council is here. I’m giving Alpha the phone again. I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

“I’m going to put you on speaker,” Leo said. “Go ahead.”

“This is Vicki Lawrence. I’m in a rural home with Beta Todd of the Killington Pack.” I heard growls and shouts; I continued anyway. I laid out what had happened; how Todd’s father had set up my kidnapping at the direction of Alpha Theodore. How they planned to use me to produce a mantled heir to Timothy they could pass off as their own. “Todd didn’t know the details of the plan beforehand, and he hasn’t harmed me. He is going to give himself up after calling 911 to this location. I need you to take Alpha Theodore and his mate into custody, grab Timothy and Traci up in Vermont, and make sure no one tips off the Beta that the cops are coming.”

“Are you sure, Miss Lawrence?”

“This is Beta Todd, Mr. Chairman. Everything Vicki said is true. Now that the FBI is involved, this can’t end unless he is arrested and tried.”

“I wish we hadn’t involved humans, but he’s right,” one of the men said.

“We’ll take care of it. Call the cops, and we’ll see you soon.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Council,” I said before I hung up.

My next call was to 911. “911, what is your emergency?”

“This is Vicki Lawrence. I’ve been kidnapped,” I said.

The operator sounded startled. “Do you know where you are, and is your kidnapper still there?”

“She doesn’t, but I am,” Todd said. “My name is Todd Mercer. Our address is N2248 Azalea Trail in Bradley.” He gave her a second to get it typed in. “My father was the one who kidnapped her. His name is Max Mercer, and right now, he’s back at the scene of the crime and pretending he had nothing to do with it.”

“Mr. Mercer is behind my abduction, and he assaulted me before leaving me chained up,” I said. “You need to arrest him before he finds out you’re coming to get me.”

“Ma’am, officers are on their way. I will contact the FBI and inform them as well,” the operator said. “I need you to stay on the line until they arrive.”

“I will,” I said. “Tell the cops to bring boltcutters. Todd doesn’t have a key to the padlock on my collar.”

“Collar?” She was talking over the radio now. “Are you hurt?”

“Max beat me up, I’ve got some broken ribs,” I said.

“I’ll dispatch an ambulance as well. You hold on, Miss Vicki, the first unit is five minutes out.”

“I’m surrendering myself,” Todd said. “I’ll wait out front for them.” He got up and walked towards the door.

“Wait on your knees with your hands on top of your head, and follow instructions,” I told him. “Don’t get yourself shot now.”

“I won’t. I’m sorry you had to go through this, Vicki.”

“I won’t forget what you’ve done, Todd,” I said. He walked out the door, leaving it open. I heard the front door open and close. “He’s outside now,” I told the operator.

“It will only be a few more minutes.” The dispatcher was right; I could hear the sirens approaching. When the cruisers stopped, there was yelling as they took Todd into custody.

I heard the front door opening, and officers yelling “Clear” as they swept the house. A young Deputy was first into my room. “She’s here,” he said. His partner joined him, both looking around in disgust. “Are you all right,” he asked.

“I want to go home,” I said.

Another man came in with a pair of boltcutters. They managed to cut the padlock off and take the collar off. I rubbed my neck, the small cuts and bruises there hurt. “Don’t rub it,” one of them said. “Can you stand?”

“I think so,” I said. “I’ll need help getting up. The bastard broke my ribs.”

“Just stay put then,” he said. “The ambulance will be here in a minute. We’ll take you to the emergency room at West Florida Hospital.”

I brought the phone back to my ear. “Thank you. I’m going to call my Mom now.”

“You’re welcome, dear.”

I made the call to Mom’s phone this time. “Mom? The police are here. I’m free!”

“By the Goddess, I’m so happy now,” she said.

“They are going to take me to West Florida Hospital to get checked out. You need to meet me there, and bring some clothes,” I said. “I look like a mess, and I have a few broken ribs.”

“We’ll be there, baby. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom.” I hung up the phone and gave it to the officer. “You’ll need this as evidence. It was his phone. I just used it.”

As the men started taking photos, the ambulance arrived, and the EMT’s brought the gurney through the house. Working together, they lifted me onto the stretcher without hurting my ribs too much. A minute later, I was in the back of the ambulance. “The FBI will meet you at the hospital to take your statement,” the Deputy who cut off the lock said.

“Thank you, Deputy,” I said.

“We’re all glad you’re safe,” he said before he closed the back doors and smacked it twice to tell the driver it was secure.

The EMT with me hooked me up to the monitors as she talked me through my symptoms. She put in an IV drip, and removed and checked the cut on my cheek that Todd had stitched up. She told me they would have to be re-done. “It wasn’t bad to close the gap, but we’ll get a plastic surgeon to do it. We don’t want a scar to ruin that beautiful face of yours.”

I almost laughed, which hurt. “I must look like a boxer who lost bad,” I said. “I feel like one too.”

“I have to ask. Did those men rape you?”

“I don’t think so,” I said. “I don’t feel any pain or discomfort there.” She relaxed at that. “Max hit and choked me before he left yesterday. Todd cleaned me up and dressed my wounds.”

She gave me more ice packs for my face and ribs, and after talking to a doctor, she gave me some IV medication to help with the pain. By the time we arrived at the Emergency Room, I felt much better.

Then I saw the crowd waiting for me. Press and cameras were everywhere as the ambulance pulled to a stop, and the staff opened the door. The reporters shouted questions at me that I wasn’t going to answer; I just waved one hand and gave a thumbs-up before we were out of sight. “VICKI,” Mom said as she came to my side. She was able to hold my hand for a few seconds before she had to let go and return to the waiting area.

They wheeled me into a treatment room where a nurse cut my clothes off and put me in a gown. The staff, including the doctor, was female. The doctor did a full exam before sending me off to X-ray for films of my face and chest. When I returned, Mom was in the room, and the Doctor was looking at my injuries on a large monitor. “Was I right,” I asked.

“Close. Two broken ribs, one cracked, and a fractured cheekbone. We’ll get you fixed up and out of here in a few hours,” Doc said. She taped up my side around the broken ribs and talked to me about what to do and not do. “The cheekbone will heal on its own,” she said.

The plastic surgeon came in and replaced the stitches on my cheek. “Follow up with your doctor in two weeks to have them removed,” he said as he finished up.

With the medical stuff done, it was time to talk to the FBI. The agents were professional, walking me through what I remembered. I told them what Max and Todd did and how I was able to get Todd to see how he’d been played. “Todd didn’t know what his father had in mind for me, and he didn’t hurt me,” I said.

“He hurt your friend,” the senior agent said. “We’ll be in touch.” He left me his card in case I remembered anything else, then they left.

Mom and Adrienne came back into the room with a nurse and a wheelchair. “Leo couldn’t come, he’s dealing with the fallout,” Luna said.

“You’re ready for discharge,” the nurse said.

“Not looking like THIS,” I said. Mom pulled out a bag, and they helped me put on underwear, a button-up blouse, khaki shorts, and sandals. “I want to see Amy,” I said.

“I thought you would. Amy’s still in a coma, and you can’t go into the room,” Adrienne said. The nurse pushed me out into the hall, where I got waves from other nurses as we went down the hall. We went up the elevator to the ICU.

Kai was sitting in the waiting area, and I squeezed his hand as he got up to walk with us. “I’m so sorry about this,” I told him.

“It’s not your fault,” he replied. “I should have gone with you.”

“Don’t,” I said. “Beating yourself up will do no good for anyone. Be strong for Amy; she needs you.” I thought I was ready to see Amy, but I wasn’t. My best friend was in the hospital bed, her hair shaved, and her head wrapped in gauze. Machines surrounded her, and she looked dead. Only the slow rise and fall of her chest told me she was alive. “No,” I whispered.

“Todd let you go, but he bashed the back of her head in,” Kai said.

Tears flowed down my face as I looked at my best friend in the world. I could plead for leniency all I wanted, but if Amy died in the course of a kidnapping? Todd would never get out of prison.

And if he ever did get out, Kai would kill him.