Ransom in Rio Read online

  “Please hurry,” she whispered then disconnected the call.

  Brayden pulled back onto the road and rammed his foot into the gas pedal. The back tires slipped and threw rocks before they lurched onto the dark road. He throttled the car for the next fifteen minutes to reach her. He searched around in the seat to see if there was a charger for his phone. He didn’t see one, and his phone wouldn’t last much longer.

  He didn’t want to waste his battery, but he needed to call Luke. He waited for the call to connect.

  “Yeah,” Luke said.

  “You’re not going to believe this. When I was on the phone with her, a man came into the room. They made her call Henry Ramos. They requested a ransom for twenty million dollars.”

  “Ramos hasn’t called the authorities. I would’ve been told by now.”

  “Wait. There’s more. They mentioned something about Ramos losing their shipment of drugs. Said they want their drugs back, or they want their money. Do me a favor. Talk to Serena again. Tell her about the ransom on Lexi. See if she talks. Then, go through those files I sent you before I left. Look at them again. I remember seeing a couple of account numbers, but they weren’t like the rest. You’ll notice them right away. Start calling insurance companies. See if there are any K and R policies for Ramos Furniture.”

  “You think he has a Kidnap and Ransom policy?”

  “I don’t know. A lot of companies have them when doing business in countries like this. The policies are voided if the employees know about them, so Lexi wouldn’t know. All of this is my best guess right now. Insurance fraud might be what initially takes him down, if he received any money for Jace’s kidnapping. Call me back when you find out something.”

  Brayden looked around to get his bearings. He was sure now he’d been to this favela before when he'd helped the Brazilian authorities find the man who'd murdered the teen from Texas. The suspect wasn’t found here, but he remembered the area well. And he knew driving a white Cadillac into the town was a stupid idea. There was no way he could look inconspicuous. He pulled off the road into a grove of thick trees and underbrush. He hoped no one would see the car. He'd need it to get out of there quickly.

  He wished he had on something other than a tuxedo. There was no chance of buying something at this time of the night.

  Brayden approached the shanty town and walked down the main street. He scanned the stacked houses, pieced together in a way that made it look as though the whole town might come crumbling down if one wrong wooden slat was removed. He couldn't see anything that looked remotely similar, and found no green car. The sound of a vehicle behind him startled him. He jumped behind a pile of broken bicycles and crouched down to get out of the oncoming headlights. The drug runners chose to work nights to be hidden under the shadow of darkness. If they saw him roaming around their town at this hour, they'd kill him on the spot.

  The car passed, but Brayden waited a few minutes to make sure it was clear. He came out slowly and walked close to the sides of the buildings. A few minutes later, he noticed a green car parked in front of a stand with a big red sign shaped like a woman's high heel shoe. Next to it, a clothing shop. He had a hunch this was where Lexi was being kept. He slipped behind the shoe store and watched the house. A man dressed in expensive clothes with an AK-47 strapped to his side stood out front.

  Brayden took out his cellphone and sent her a text. He prayed she still had a battery left on her phone. In less than a minute, she called him.

  “Lexi?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I'm here. I'm in front of the house. I can't get to you right now. I have to figure out a way to get inside that house.”

  “There's not a back door. It's been boarded up. There's one way in and one way out. And they're not about to let me slip through.”

  “I need you to be brave. I need you to call out to them for help. Tell them you don't feel well. Ask them for water.”

  “No,” she whispered, her voice cracked.

  He knew he was asking a lot of her, but there was only one way he could get into that house, and he had to take his chance.

  “Lexi, you can do it. They won't kill you. They need you alive to collect their money. Hang up, hide the phone, and yell out for them. I'm right outside.”

  She hung up without a reply. He prayed she had the courage to do it.

  She did. The two men in front of the house yelled at her to stop talking. This time, the sharp-dressed one called out a female's name. When she didn't answer, he turned to his skinny sidekick to go check on her.

  The man entered the house. Brayden hoped the one holding the gun would go in too.

  Pulling his gun from the holster under his jacket, he flipped off the safety. He shrugged out of his jacket and tied the sleeves around his waist. His years in Special Ops were some of the hardest to get over. The whole reason for becoming a PI was so he never had to be in this situation again. Killing was easy. Forgetting you killed...unbearable.

  Brayden picked up a large rock and threw it into the street as a diversion. The rock struck a larger one in the middle of the road, sending a loud snap into the night. The armed man spun around, gun aimed into the darkness.

  Brayden picked up another rock and threw it farther this time. A sound like thunder echoed as it hit the green car. The noise reverberated against the shacks.

  “Show yourself, coward!” the man yelled. Somewhere in the distance, dogs began to bark wildly.

  The noise was the cover he needed to make his move. He held his gun at the ready and raced to hide behind the green car, careful to stay down and out of view. He peered through the window of the car, then slumped down. Taking a shot through the car window was risky and he needed his one shot to be precise. Because one would be all he’d get.

  Brayden reached up with a slow motion and tapped the window of the car twice. He ducked out of sight and waited for the man to make his way around the front of the car to investigate. Just one shot. He'd made shots like this from half a mile away. He untied the jacket sleeves from his waist and let it fall to the ground. Without making a sound, he slid around to the backside of the car.

  The leader walked to the side of the car where Brayden had been seconds before. Then shots rang out into the darkness.

  8

  Lexi screamed. Was Brayden shot? The tattooed man bolted out the door with a rifle in his hand. She didn’t know what to do. The only escape was through the front door. She scrambled up from the floor and looked around the dirty house. No furniture, no weapons, not even a table. It was one room with a dirty floor and four walls. Something glimmered in the corner beneath the thick layers of dust. She inched toward it as she faced the door. If they were going to come in and attack her, at least she’d have a fighting chance if she saw them coming. When she reached the corner, she knelt down and picked up the object. It was an old syringe. She handled it with care so she wouldn’t puncture herself and catch something deadly, but like it or not, this discarded syringe was her only weapon and it would have to do.

  She hiked the dress around her knees and braced her back against the wall just inches from the door. Her stomach flipped at the thought of Brayden hurt—or worse. Hot tears stung her eyes. She hadn’t given the feelings gnawing at her much thought until that moment. She knew there was an attraction between the two of them, but the idea of him being out there in trouble made her feel something totally unexpected.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when the door knob rattled. These may be her last minutes on earth, but she wasn’t going to go without a fight. The door creaked open and as soon as she saw the tattooed arm, she lunged with the syringe. She stabbed at his face as he screamed in pain. Gun shots. Loud. Deafening. Her hand froze in midair. She stepped back, the syringe still poised for its next strike. Lexi looked down at the blood on her dress and dropped the needle.

  “Lexi!”

  She heard his voice just before the second round of shots rang out. The man she’d stabbed fell at her feet. His blood oozed
over the toes of her green shoes.

  “Lexi!” Brayden yelled from the doorway.

  She jumped away from the body and ran to the door. Just as she reached him, the woman appeared. “You kill my family!” she screamed as she lunged at Brayden. Sparkling green jewels spilled onto the floor.

  Lexi saw the gun a second too late. It was a small, snub-nosed pistol, but it was enough to kill with. Brayden reached out to stop the woman from attacking him. He hadn’t yet raised his gun when the shot rang out. Lexi didn't think about her next plan, she just reacted. The rifle the tattooed man carried lay on the floor at her feet. She grabbed it and fired without taking time to aim. The woman fell to the ground in silence.

  Lexi threw the gun down. The horror of what she’d just done would hit her later, she was sure of it. Now, she needed to make sure Brayden was OK. He sat slumped against the doorframe. His hand on his left side covered a red stain that grew bigger with every second.

  “Dear God, no! You’re shot!” She knelt down beside him. “Don’t stop applying pressure.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m not.”

  She reached down and pulled up the bottom of her skirt, then tore a wide strip of the green fabric to use as padding to apply pressure to the wound.

  “I want to look at it, but we have to get the bleeding to stop. Can you walk?”

  He threw her a look. “If not, I’m going to anyway. We can’t stay here. This place will be crawling with their people in a few minutes.”

  “Come on.” She helped him up and stood next to him. “Lean on me.” He glanced down at her and smiled but didn’t say a word. She wondered what he was thinking.

  “I have a car hidden just before you get into this town. If we can get to it, we can get out of here safely.”

  “You’ll have to lean on me. Just tell me where to go.”

  “We’ll need to stay in the shadows so they don’t see us.” Brayden looked down at his wound. “I hope I can make it. I’m losing a lot of blood.”

  “You’ll make it. You have to.”

  Lexi led him down the steps and into the shadows behind the houses. They walked as fast as he could go, which wasn’t getting them far. After ten minutes, he said, “Stop, please.”

  “Are you OK?”

  “I need to sit down. This hurts more than you know.”

  “Tell me where the car is. I’ll go get it.” She helped ease him to the ground.

  He shook his head. “No, we’ll do this together.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She waited for him to ask her to help him up off the ground. She hoped the car was close because she could tell that he wasn’t going to be able to go much longer. She pulled out her cell phone; the battery was at four percent. She decided to text Tio Pedro and Tia Sofia rather than waste the battery placing a call. She typed a quick text.

  TIO. TIA. SEND AMBULANCE. ONE MILE FROM MORRO DOS POBRE.

  “What are you doing?” he asked through clinched teeth.

  “Getting help.”

  He didn’t argue or ask anything else. She knew his silence was something to worry about. Although they had barely kissed, the feelings she had were undeniable. She turned away from him, so he wouldn’t see tears shimmering in her eyes and pretended to admire the morning sun rising over the hillside. Thank you, God for giving me another day. Just help me save Brayden. Please.

  “We need to get to that car,” he said. “Help me up.”

  “Is it much farther?”

  “No, it’s right over there.” He motioned with a nod of his head. “Behind that tree and pile of limbs. Look to your left about a hundred yards.

  A band of white glimmered behind a tree up the road. “Just stay here,” she said and helped him sit back down.

  “Wait. You’ll need the keys. They’re in my right pants pocket. You’ll have to get them.”

  Lexi knelt down to where he sat on the ground and looked into his deep blue eyes. Their gazes locked. She reached into his pants pocket and felt the keyring, then pulled it out. She kissed his cheek and smiled. “Stay here.”

  He laughed. “I wouldn’t dream of moving.”

  She ran to the car and jumped into the driver’s seat. Thrusting the key into the ignition, she tried to start the car, but the engine only clicked. She popped the hood, ran to the front of the car, and peered inside. No!” she screamed, slamming her hand against the frame of the car. The battery was gone. Stolen. He should have known better than to leave something like this on the side of the road. What was he thinking?

  He was thinking of saving her. That’s what. And he had. How could she be upset with him? If not for him, she’d be dead by now. There was no doubt in her mind they were planning to kill her.

  Jumping out of the car, she raced back to Brayden. He lay deathly still. She felt for a pulse. If it was there, it was faint and undetectable with her fingers. She laid her head against his chest and prayed. He moved slightly beneath her ear. He was still breathing. She thought about what he’d told her. “You just tell God what’s in your heart,” he’d said. This time she did.

  Brayden had risked his own life to save her. His sacrifice reminded her of Jesus suffering on the cross for her sins. A dam burst inside her as she lay on Brayden’s chest. She thanked God for giving His only Son to die for her sins. God, I want to live my life with Jesus. I need you. I need you. Please forgive me. Please save Brayden.

  She wrapped her hand around Brayden’s and wept quietly.

  9

  Brayden opened his eyes. Lexi was lying with her head on his chest, weeping. He let her cry it all out. He hadn’t seen her cry like that since he’d met her. Lifting a hand to her hair, he smoothed it with his fingers. Her head jerked up to look at him.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Nothing.” She wiped tears from her face. “I couldn’t feel a pulse so I thought you were slipping away from me.”

  “No, I’m exhausted, that’s all. But I have lost a lot of blood.”

  “Brayden, the car won’t start.”

  “What do you mean?” The bad feeling in his gut kicked in.

  “I popped the hood. The battery’s been stolen.”

  He groaned. “Great.”

  “I sent Uncle Pedro a text, but my phone is dead now. I don’t know if he got it or not.”

  He couldn’t remember the last time he had his phone. He felt his pants pockets with his free hand. Nothing. “I must’ve lost mine. Well, we’ll wait here until help comes.”

  “Maybe I can flag down someone.”

  “And take a chance of being picked up by one of those street gangs? They’ll deliver us right back to where we came from.”

  “Then what do we do?” Her voice hitched a little with panic.

  “We pray your uncle got that text message.”

  “I already did.” Tears welled in her eyes.

  He cupped her head in his hand and pulled her to him. “Good.”

  “Brayden, when I was in that nasty shack, I felt like I was really talking to God. Like He was real, and He was there with me.”

  “That’s because He is real, Lexi.”

  “I know, but this was different. I felt a peace like I’d never felt before. I was so scared in that dirty house, and I realized how badly Jesus suffered and then died for my sins.”

  He nodded. “He did.”

  Tears filled her eyes, and he knew he needed to help her stay calm. He smiled at her, raised her hand to his mouth, and kissed it. “I have so many things to say to you right now, but first we have to get out of here. I promise, we’re gonna talk a lot more about this when we get home.”

  “What if we don’t get home, Brayden? Besides, I don’t really have a home to go to.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I haven’t had time to process it, but my dad had something to do with my brother’s death.”

  “Lexi,” he tried to stop her.

  “No, I need to say the words. I did a lot of thinking on that dirty floor. That’s w
here I left all the bad stuff. Right there on that floor where I found out about my family. I also prayed to God for me to find it in my heart to forgive my father and not let anger fill me and ruin my life. Because it will. Just like the grief from Jace’s death was ruining it.”

  She stopped talking and looked away for a few seconds. “I don’t fully understand what’s happening inside me, Brayden, but I’m different.”

  He placed a hand on Lexi’s cheek. “You look beautiful.”

  She laughed. “What? I’ve been lying in filth and no telling what else, my makeup has been cried off, I need to brush my teeth, my dress is torn and…and you’re nuts.”

  He laughed this time. “Nope, still beautiful,” he whispered. He noticed something dark settle over her features. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just realized what I’ve done.” She buried her head in her hands and wept.

  He didn’t have to ask what she meant. She’d pulled the trigger and killed that woman. She’d saved his life just as he’d saved hers. He’d killed to protect her too. Only he held no regret.

  “Baby, you did what you had to do,” he said as he stroked her hair. “It was self-defense. You need to push that deep down right now. We’re still not out of here, and we have a long way to go.”

  She glanced up and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. “You’re right. I’ve got to get you home.”

  He had to admit he loved her grit. She was a tough woman. He had no doubt she was going to get through whatever came her way, and with any luck he’d be by her side to help her through it. He grimaced as pain shot through his side. If they didn’t get him to a doctor soon, he wasn’t so sure he was going to make it. The loss of blood was one thing, but he needed surgery to get that bullet out.

  The sun was up now, heating the morning air. It was thick and humid. He didn’t want to think about what the heat of the day was going to do to him. He closed his eyes and tried to slow his breathing. He heard a car engine in the distance and prayed it was help. That was the last thing he remembered.

  ****

  Lexi waved down Pedro’s car. He slammed on the brakes and jumped out. “Tio, he needs a hospital! Where’s the ambulance?”