Trial by Fire

Her nipples were aching and the feel of his lips nuzzling at her breast sent an explosion of sensation through her small body. She shuddered, once and again, in completion.

"Oh, Lanston, this is what I've been wanting," she moaned.

His hands roamed, claiming her body as his own. He ran his hand across the flatness of her belly and his fingers dipped into the sweetness of her navel as she surged against his thigh between her legs. His fingers found the obstacle of her panties and slipped underneath. He found only softness and heat and moisture as she moaned into his mouth. Her little hand sought and found his heaviness and the world went away and there was only Danni and Lanston and pleasure.

They slept for a while, her back against his belly, her head cradled on his arm and his big hand covering one firm mound. Clad only in the stockings, she roused herself from a dream of warmth and safety and pressed his hand onto her breast. She slowly pressed her bare butt into him and writhed against him for a moment. He awoke and squeezed the firmness beneath his hand. He rolled the hard little nipple between his thumb and finger. He slid it down to explore one firm cheek and sank his fingers into the pliant flesh. It moved over the rise of one sleek hip, down across her smooth belly and tangled in her golden curls. She moaned and disengaged.

"No Lanston, we have to stop," she kissed him. "I could go on like this for days, but you need to go home now. Cover me up and kiss me goodnight and then go back home. I don't want to worry Mom and Dad."

"That was special, Danni. I'll never be able to tell you how much you turn me on," he told her. "I love you with all my heart."

"I love you too, Lanston. I'll never forget when you lifted me down from our shot-up boat and saved me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I'll never forget it either, Danni. It was the best thing I ever did. Good night, sprite." He kissed her, pulled the yellow blanket over her nubile form regretfully, put on his shorts and t-shirt and made his way home.

He heard familiar sounds from his parent's room and shook his head as he closed his door. Everyone seemed to be in a romantic mood tonight. Maybe it was the wedding. There was still no sign of Mason and Lanston imagined that something similar must be going on in Kierra's apartment.

He took off his shirt and collapsed on his bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Outside Hummingbird two men conferred under a tree. They were dressed in black and carried silenced weapons in their hands.

"She's alone. Let's give it a few minutes and then we'll move," the leader said. "Johnson was very specific that she's not to be hurt. This whole family worships that girl and the Senator is confident that Thayer will surrender once we have her. He'll be put on trial and with the Senator's testimony, he's sure to be convicted along with the rest of them."

They waited in the soft rain and Mason emerged from the apartment and went next door and into the Villa. After 30 more minutes, they crept to the apartment door. It wasn't locked and they quickly swooped in on the sleeping girl in front of the fireplace. The leader slipped his hand over her mouth and his companion restrained her legs.

Danni awoke as she was roughly wrapped up in her blanket. She attempted to cry out but the hand over her mouth muffled her voice. She struggled to free herself and managed to get one leg loose. She kicked the man holding her legs in the face with her heel.

"Hold her," his companion cried. "She fights like a wildcat!"

Danni took advantage of her slight freedom and bit the hand covering her mouth. The man swore and jerked his hand away.

"Lanston!" Danni managed one despairing scream, and then the two men overpowered her small form and carried her out the door and down the steps to their waiting car.

Lanston slept for an hour and something awakened him. He thought he heard a cry from the direction of Hummingbird.

He slipped out of bed, put on his shirt and slipped his feet into a pair of flip-flops. He walked out onto the veranda. He saw two figures, dressed in black with what looked like ski masks over their heads. The two figures were carrying a third; struggling madly, covered with a yellow blanket. He recognized that blanket. It was the one he had just used to cover Danni. They threw the blanket wrapped form into the back seat and one of the men climbed in the back as the other slid behind the wheel.

Lanston snatched up his 9mm from his nightstand and ran next door. Danni's apartment was empty.

The car pulled away, and Lanston ran outside and jumped on Danni's scooter and pursued. The car sped down the road, putting distance between it and Lanston as the horsepower of the Mercedes they were driving asserted itself. Lanston kept track of the brake lights ahead as the two men sped toward the harbor.

When they reached the docks they quickly boarded a launch and cast off. They threw Danni's still struggling form into the bottom of the boat and secured her with duct tape. The launch surged away as Lanston pulled up at the docks and jumped off Danni's bike.

The owner of a water taxi was drawn on deck by the commotion and Lanston ran to him. "I need your boat," he cried.

"My boat?" he stammered.

"See that scooter over there? I'll trade you the scooter for your boat."

"Trade for my boat?" the man was confused.

"Are you deaf, man? Stop repeating what I say. I need that boat," Lanston roared, "right now! Oh, and I need your shoes."

"My shoes?" The taxi driver gaped in confusion.

"Close your mouth, Dude. You look like an idiot," Lanston pulled his pistol. "The shoes, now!"

Clearly frightened by this huge madman, the driver sat down and pulled off his sneakers. Lanston quickly stuffed his feet into the sneakers. They were a size too small, but they would have to do.

"The keys, man. Quickly," he roared.

The driver indicated that they were in the ignition. Lanston leaped aboard, fired up the engine and set off in the wake of the kidnappers.

****

Back at Hummingbird, Kierra was awakened by Danni's scream and the noise of the car and Lanston's scooter.

She ran next door, but the apartment was empty. "That looked like Lanston on Danni's scooter," Kierra said to herself. "He was chasing that car. Someone must have taken Danni. I should go get Dad."

She rushed next door and pounded on the Thayer's bedroom door, then ran to Mason's room. "Get up, baby," she cried, "something's wrong."

Reagan and Sara stumbled in, in their underwear. "Kierra, what's wrong? Is the house on fire?" Reagan cried.

"No, something's happened to Danni. I heard her scream. I threw on some clothes and ran outside. I saw Lanston riding away on Danni's scooter chasing a car. He was by himself, but Danni's gone and I think someone must have taken her."

"Okay, calm down," Reagan said. "Let's just get some clothes on and we'll meet at the kitchen table and talk about what we're going to do."

Mason and his parents quickly dressed and they sat at the table while Sara made coffee.

"Who would want to take Danni?" Mason asked. "Why would they do it? If anything happens to her or they hurt her, I'll tear their hearts out." He choked on the words and wiped at the tears that filled his eyes. Kierra sobbed and Sara broke down as well.

"Hey, everyone calm down," Reagan told them. "I don't think they'll hurt Danni, at least not yet. If they wanted to hurt her, they could have done it already. I think I know who's behind this and why."

"Who?" Mason rose to his feet, "He's a dead man when I find him."

"Our old friend Senator Johnson," Reagan said.

"How is that possible?" Sara cried. "He's here?"

"No," Reagan told her. "Prius told me he had showed up on Trinidad and set up a group of refugees as a government in exile. He visited the American embassy in St. Georges about a month ago and he must have got wind we were here. He probably thinks that by taking Danni he can get the rest of us to give ourselves up. He doesn't know how right he is about that, but we're going to stop him. We have to trust Lanston. He's on the trail and I don't think the Senator knows how dangerous that is for him."

"Trust Lanston?" Sara exclaimed. "He's just a baby. So is Danni. Reagan, please don't let them hurt my babies." She sobbed uncontrollably.

Reagan hugged his wife tightly. "I trust them," he said. "Messing with those kids is like playing hot potato with a lit stick of dynamite. The Senator is in for a big surprise. Now, here's what we are going to do.

"Kierra, I have an important job for you to do. Get on your scooter and go get Prius. Tell him what's happened and have him send a car around and get Joseph, Jason and Alex and the Ramsey boys. I know they just got in port last night. Have them go to the cutter. Then you get back to the ART compound and stay by the radio. We may need you here. Keep the security force on alert. Got it?"

"Yes, I'll go right now." She returned to her apartment, gathered up her things, checked her weapon and started for town.

Reagan and Sara packed and Mason went to Danni's apartment and got some things for her. "I know she will want her gun," he said. "She loves that thigh holster." His eyes blurred with tears again. "The thought of anyone hurting that sweet little girl is killing me. She was looking for me a GTO." He choked and his huge frame shook.

"I know, son," Reagan embrace his huge boy. "We all love her. We're just going to have to trust Lanston. Now let's get going."

They drove the company van down to the port. "There's Danni's scooter," Mason said.

They stopped and a man standing near the scooter rushed up. "You okay?" Reagan asked.

"No," the man said. "A crazy young man just stole my water taxi."

"He stole it?" Reagan said.

"Well, he said he would trade that scooter for it, and then he took my shoes and drove away. He was crazy, I tell you. That isn't even my boat. I don't know what Mr. Cruz is going to say when he finds out his boat is gone."

"Send him to the ART compound and tell him to ask for Kierra," Reagan said. "She'll take care of it."

"Take care of it?" the taxi driver cried, "how can she take care of it? My taxi is gone! That boy was crazy, I tell you."

Mason got out of the van and moved close to the taxi driver. He towered over the man. "That 'crazy boy' is my little brother. Our sister has been kidnapped and he was going after her. You have a problem with that?"

The taxi driver looked nervously at the huge man he was facing. Mason's bushy red beard jutted aggressively toward him. He licked his lips as he noticed Mason's huge tree trunk-like arms. "I don't want any trouble," he whined.

"Good," Mason said. "Go to ART, ask for Kierra. She'll take care of it."

They drove to Tyrell Bay and met the rest of their party. They were quickly ferried out to the Ocracoke and the skeleton crew aboard had the cutter ready to go.

"Where are we going?" Joseph asked.

"St. Georges," Reagan told them.

"Why?" Mason asked. "How do you know they're going there?"

"That's where the Senator is," Reagan said. "George has been keeping an eye on him. He has a cousin working at the hotel where the Senator is staying."

"Reagan, did you know this was going to happen?" Sara asked.

"Not this, but I knew he would try something eventually. The man hates us and it's eating him up. I never thought he'd try to take Danni. How can you think that? I'd have had her guarded around the clock if I thought she was in danger."

"I'm sorry, Reagan," Sara ran to embrace him. "I wasn't thinking. I know you would never let anything happen to any of our kids."

They set a course for St. Georges and the cutter hissed through the water at flank speed.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Danni lay tied up in her blanket in the bottom of the launch. The duct tape bit into her ankles and wrists and she was very uncomfortable. There was a little water in the bottom of the boat and she was soon wet and shivering.

"That kid's still chasing us," she heard one of them say.

"Don't worry about it," The second replied. "He'll never catch us now. We'll lose him in an hour or so. He won't know where we're going. The Senator is in St. Georges and we'll be there in four hours."

Lanston was coming. Danni comforted herself with that thought. She had gotten a glimpse of him pulling up to the dock as the two kidnappers pulled away in the launch. She was waiting for an opportunity to escape, but she was so tightly bound that she couldn't wiggle. She would wait for a chance.

Her lips were turning blue and she was shivering uncontrollably as the heat of her small body was leeched away by the wet blanket when they pulled into the harbor at St. Georges. Her captors loaded her in the back of a black van and drove for five minutes or so. They pulled up in back of a large hotel.

They forced a rag into her mouth, pulled a cloth bag over her head and carried her in the back door. She heard the bing of an elevator arriving and felt the car move upward. She was carried along a hallway and she heard the sound of an electronic door key. She was tossed roughly onto a soft surface and the hood was removed.

Senator Stephen Johnson was seated in a chair with a drink in his hands.

"Hello," he said. "I'm so glad you could join us. I have this whole floor rented," he informed her. "I'm going to have your gag removed. You can scream if you want to, but no one is going to hear you. Do you understand?"

She glared at him. "Oh, I know you hate me," he said. "That's okay, but I'm doing this for your own good. Those people you are with are wanted terrorists. I know they have brainwashed you, but I can't leave a child with them. This is for your own protection."

He nodded to his henchman and the man came forward. He pulled the rag out of Danni's mouth.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked. "I really am your friend, you know. I just want to help you get away from those criminals."

"I know who you are," Danni cried. "You're a bastard. You kidnapped me and I'm going to make you pay."

The senator laughed. "How are you going to do that? Turn her loose Thomas and get her another blanket. Can't you see she's freezing?"

"I want some clothes," Danni told him, "and something to eat."

"I'm afraid I can't give you any clothes, you are much less likely to try and run away naked, but we can get you something to eat. Thomas, get her some room service. Meet them at the elevator."

Danni took the dry blanket. She unwrapped the wet yellow blanket. She tried to cover herself as she wrapped the new one around her slim form, but the Senator saw one firm little breast exposed as she adjusted the dry blanket. An evil glint appeared in his gaze.

Thomas returned with a covered dish and a glass of orange juice. She devoured the chicken and potatoes on the plate, ignoring the peas. She hated peas. Johnson turned to speak to Thomas and Danni slipped her fork under the blanket and put the lid back on the dish.

"I'm finished," she said.

"My, you were hungry," the Senator said. "You should have eaten the vegetables, and you haven't touched the juice."

Danni picked up the glass. She drank it. She was very thirsty, but the juice had a bitter taste. She drained the glass. She sat back on the couch. After a few minutes, she began to feel strangely weak. The room spun around her and she collapsed back on the cushions.

The Senator stood over her supine form. "Have you ever heard of Zolpidem?" he asked her. "You probably know it as the 'date rape' drug. I've found it useful before. Sleep like a good girl and we'll talk when you wake up."

Darkness rose up and engulfed her and Danni slept.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Lanston was pushing the water taxi as fast as the old tub would go. It was an ancient craft and the engine smoked badly. He beat on the wheel with his fist. "Come on, you old cow," he shouted in frustration.

The motor launch was a distant dot disappearing on the horizon. Lanston knew these waters well and believed they must be heading toward Grenada. If they continued on their present course, they would arrive in St. Georges in a few hours.

If only he could have taken a faster boat, he fumed. He had no idea why anyone would take Danni, but he knew he was going to get her back. The launch disappeared and all Lanston could do was push the old taxi as hard as it would go. He found a candy bar and a bottle of water in a box and consumed them. He stood at the wheel and pushed on through the wee hours of the morning.

He arrived at St. Georges at 9 o'clock and pulled up at the dock. He didn't know how to proceed. He noticed another water taxi pulled up across the pier. He walked over to the owner and offered to sell the taxi to him. They negotiated for five hundred dollars and Lanston pocketed the money and walked up the pier. He spotted the launch tied off on the other side. He talked to a dockworker who told him the launch had arrived four hours earlier and the occupants had got into a van.

"Were they carrying anything?" he asked.

"They loaded something wrapped in a yellow blanket into the back of the van," the worker told him.

"Did you happen to notice which way they went."

"No, but they were driving a Moringside Hotel van," the man told him.

"Where is that hotel?" Lanston asked.

He got directions and caught a taxi to the Hotel. He walked up to the desk and rented a room. "Do you have a safety deposit box?" he asked the desk clerk.

"Let me get you a card," the clerk went into another room and Lanston quickly turned the monitor, grabbed the keyboard and checked the registration list. He noticed that a Michael Thomas had reserved the whole 8th floor. He returned the computer to its original position, took the key card from the clerk and went to the elevator. He suspected that they holding Danni on that eighth floor.

He got off on the seventh floor and found the stairs. He made his way up the steps and peered through the glass in the door at the top. An armed man was patrolling the hallway. Lanston waited until he passed and then quietly opened the door. Two quick steps, muffled by the carpeting, brought the guard within reach and a huge arm encircled his neck like a python and a powerful hand covered his mouth. The guard dropped his weapon and struggled briefly. Lanston's muscles flexed. He twisted the guard's neck and it broke with a crunch. The guard's body convulsed and Lanston lowered the twitching form to the floor and dragged it into the stairwell. He felt sick, but he swallowed his nausea and proceeded down the hall. He listened at each door until he heard voices behind one. One of the voices approached the door and Lanston concealed himself behind an ice machine.

Two men came out and Lanston was shocked to see Senator Stephen Johnson and Agent Thomas step into the hall. The Senator had a bandage on the side of his neck and he was clearly in pain. They walked away and went into another room down the hall and Lanston quickly stepped to the room they had just left. He lowered his shoulder and crashed through the door.

****

Danni had slept for two hours under the effects of the powerful hypnotic drug. She opened her eyes and saw Senator Johnson leaning over her. He had opened her blanket and was groping one pert little breast. The fork she had concealed slid into her hand. She savagely stabbed it into the side of his neck.

The Senator screamed and clutched the fork protruding from his neck. Blood spurted and he fell to the floor as Agent Thomas ran in. He backhanded Danni across the face and she fell back onto the couch, nearly unconscious. Thomas removed the fork from the Senator's neck and helped him to his feet.

"You little hell-cat, you're going to pay for that," Johnson snarled. He slapped her again. "Tie her up, Thomas. Then help me bandage this up."