Hidden Under Her Heart Page 25

  She walked to the window and looked up. A single star twinkled, smiling at her. Are you watching your brother or sister? Do you forgive me? Her arms felt empty. I wish you were here with me. The baby inside rolled and tapped to her left. What would I name you if I had the chance?

  The star twinkled. Have faith. Faith. Wasn’t that what the pastor’s wife had told her? To have faith in her decisions and know that God would direct them the right way. But then, God had never paid attention to Maryanne. The heavy air sank over her chest, and she peeked at her cell. No messages.

  ~~~

  Maryanne spread her textbooks on the table and glanced at her pregnancy calendar. She sipped a mug of decaffeinated tea. It was Saturday morning, and she was twenty-five weeks and one day pregnant. The baby would be about eleven inches long and weigh 1.5 to 1.75 pounds. She picked up a neonatology textbook and sat down on the rocker. In a few months, Sarah would be sitting here feeding her baby and lulling her to sleep. Maryanne caressed her abdomen. Her throat tightened. Even though the Tanakas said she could be the baby’s godmother, it would not be the same.

  She paged through the textbook. Stay or go? One of the top programs was University of Michigan and the other was U Penn. Her father had agreed to pay for it as long as he won the lawsuit against Lion Ministries. A heat wave burned in her chest. Everything depended on the baby’s paternity and a jury. Those men shouldn’t get away with what they did to her.

  Images crowded her mind, sensations mixed with remembered odors. She shoved the textbook onto the nightstand and gripped her head. How could anything clean come out of such filth? How could the baby mean anything to her when every glance and gesture would remind her of that awful night? Her decision was right. Let the Tanakas raise the baby and love her, and let Maryanne get on with her life. Perhaps in time she’d meet a man who understood her without judging. Perhaps not.

  Her cell phone lit and buzzed with an instant message.

  Lucas: Hey, what’s up?

  Maryanne: Feeling better?

  Lucas: Yep. You free this afternoon?

  Maryanne paused. This guy had the social graces of a mosquito. He’d hung up on her yesterday and now acted as if nothing had happened.

  She texted: Depends.

  Lucas: What’s that supposed to mean? I have a surprise for you.

  Maryanne: How come you didn’t want to talk to me yesterday?

  Lucas: No time to talk. Meet me at San Leandro Marina at 1:00 pm

  Her hands tingled, and she blew through her nose. That arrogant son of a… She entered his number. It rang and went to voice-mail. Her thumbs fumbled and she texted: Forget it!

  Lucas: Sorry, honey. I’m in a meeting. [sad face emoticon]

  Maryanne: Call me when you’re done.

  Lucas: Park near the boat ramp and walk toward Pescador point.

  Was he not listening?

  Maryanne: Not until you tell me what’s going on.

  Lucas: Honey, nothing’s going on. I miss you. [hug emoticon] Gotta run. U be there, ’kay?

  It was his last day in town for a while, and she should clarify expectations while he was gone. Were they still going to try for a relationship after the baby was born? Or perhaps he wanted to end it and go their separate ways.

  Maryanne: Sure. See you.

  Lucas: Great, luv U.

  ~~~

  Lucas shut the door to the bathroom and peeled off his wetsuit. The swim with the OgleNet CEO, Mr. Bowers, through cold water had been invigorating. Lucas had hung back to let the older man beat him, but the workout had gone well. He examined his face in the mirror. The love bite was still purple, but his face was fuzzy with two days growth. Maybe Maryanne wouldn’t see it in the dim lighting. He wasn’t sure if he could face her. It was hard enough swaggering around while Zach and Mr. Bowers ribbed him about the good time he supposedly had at the party. Even worse, Mrs. Bowers had trapped him behind the pool house and pinched his behind while making smooching sounds when her husband turned his back to answer a call.

  Lucas cranked the water to hot and scrubbed himself with a loofah mitt. Barry had to have set him up and put a roofie in his drink. There had been no taste of alcohol. Lucas was sure of it. If anything had happened with the zombie chicks or the Playboy bunnies, no one would believe he hadn’t wanted it. No one, not even Maryanne. He shut off the water and grabbed a towel.

  Zach knocked on the bathroom door. “Hey, someone turned on your cell phone. It popped up on the locator app.”

  “Where is it?” Lucas snatched on his boxers and opened the door.

  “San Leandro.” Zach showed him the map display.

  “What the heck is it doing there? Did you call it?”

  Zach handed the prepaid to Lucas. “I did, but no one is answering.”

  “Let me check the call log.” He woke his laptop and pointed his browser to his carrier’s page. Several text messages were sent to Maryanne’s number in the last half hour.

  “What’s wrong?” Zach bent over the screen behind him.

  “Whoever has the phone is texting Maryanne. That’s her phone number.”

  “Who did she know at the party?” Zach pulled up a chair.

  “Barry O’Brien. Something’s wrong here.”

  “Oh, come on,” Zach said. “We don’t know it’s Barry. Maybe one of the zombie girls is her friend.”

  Lucas jumped from the table and grabbed the prepaid. He entered Maryanne’s number. “Come on, come on, pick up.”

  It went to voice mail.

  “Maryanne? This is Lucas. Please pick up. Who’s been texting you? I lost my phone so it’s not me.”

  He pulled on his clothes and slipped on his shoes.

  “Where are you going?” Zach asked.

  “San Leandro. Can I borrow your smartphone? I need to track my phone.”

  Zach pulled on a t-shirt. “I’m coming with you.”

  ~~~

  Maryanne glanced in the rearview mirror. Her cell phone rang from a number unfamiliar to her. She couldn’t answer it, not with the highway patrol car to her left. Probably a wrong number. She took the exit for Marina Blvd West. A white car cut her off, and she pounded on the horn. Lucas still hadn’t called her. The only reason she was going to see him would be to kick him in the shins.

  She turned left and found a parking spot in the large lot near the boat ramp. The day was partially cloudy and very windy. Maryanne pulled on a windbreaker and stepped out of the car. She looked at her phone. Still no call from Lucas. A voice message blinked.

  She was about to check it when a text message popped across the screen.

  Lucas: I see you. Go toward Spinnaker Yacht Club. Look for the ramp M-L.

  Maryanne tucked her phone into her pocket and marched toward the yacht club. There were several empty parking spots. Why hadn’t Lucas asked her to park closer? Didn’t he care about the baby?

  The wind gusted through her hair. And why would he want to go sailing on such a rough day? Lucas never told her he owned a boat. This had to be another one of his practical jokes. She strode past a green dumpster. No one was there. She ripped the cell phone from her pocket.

  Maryanne: Is this a j—

  A man’s gloved hand covered her mouth, and he lifted her over the ramp to the docks. She squirmed and struggled, but the arm tightened across her waist, bringing on a contraction.

  He pushed her onto a small yacht, slightly easing the pressure on her mouth. Maryanne elbowed a hard torso, and her scream came out in a gurgle. Barry O’Brien removed his gloves and laughed. He was wearing a pirate costume, complete with a black tri-corner hat and a wig of hanging braids.

  “What kind of Halloween prank is this?” Maryanne backed toward the side.

  “Not so fast.” Barry grabbed her. “You’ll go under, but not here.”

  He shoved her up a ladder to the pilot area and handcuffed both her wrists to a rail. “Enjoy the ride. The water’s choppy today, but once we pass the Golden Gate Bridge, it’ll really rock and roll.”


  Maryanne pulled against the handcuffs, but they only dug into her wrists. Her baby had been awfully still since the last contraction. She took deep breaths and slumped down in front of Barry who started the motor and took the helm.

  “What are you going to do with me?” She yelled while scanning the marina. A few jet skiers and wave riders circled past the boat dock area. They were too far to hear her scream over the wind noise and motor.

  He put on his sunglasses, and his perfectly white teeth glinted in the sun. “Taking you on a tour.”

  “What do you want me to do, to sign?”

  “Too late. You let the baby get this big. No, no, no. It’s way too late.”

  “I’ll do what you want.”

  He lowered the motor as he passed the no wake zone. “I have a doctor waiting in a yacht. Let him scrape out the baby and dump it in the bay.”

  A cold wave flooded Maryanne’s chest and chilled her heart. “What? No.”

  “Yes.” Barry steered north. “You with me or not?”

  “No. I can’t let you. I’m twenty-five weeks pregnant.”

  “Sorry, not your call. Unless you want to join your baby in a watery grave.” He set the rudder and opened a trunk, pulling out a small anchor and chains.

  She couldn’t catch her breath. Tingly chills jittered and danced over her face while hot acid surged in her chest. She couldn’t let him hurt her baby. “Why are you doing this?”

  He yanked her close. She couldn’t see his eyes behind the shades, but his jaw tightened and he gritted his teeth. “You insisted you were raped when you enjoyed every minute of it. You moaned and writhed, oh, I know it was good.”

  Maryanne felt the blood drain from her head. “W-what? You raped me?”

  He squeezed her face between his thumb and fingers and shook it. “You kidding? Sluts don’t get raped. They ask for it.”

  His words slapped her face. She growled and snapped her teeth at him. “You drugged me, didn’t you? Tell me. Who got me pregnant?”

  “Lucas Knight, who else?”

  “If it were Lucas, you wouldn’t take me to this doctor on the boat. Why did you try to pin it on him?”

  “You’re really an idiot, aren’t you? I figured you’d cover for him, withdraw the charges and claim it was consensual. Would have been the smart thing to do and avoid the bad publicity for him.”

  Waves of nausea roiled to the swaying of the idle boat. This bastard could be her baby’s father. Maryanne’s pulse swished behind her ears. “You, it was you all along.”

  “Nice try, but everyone there had a piece of you.” Barry removed his sunglasses and glared at her. “Me? I’m only trying to help you. You should have dropped the lawsuit, but no! There’s a court order for your baby’s DNA. But we can still fix it. We’ll tell everyone you fell into the water and miscarried. The baby was unfortunately swept away.”

  “No!” She clutched her belly protectively. “I won’t let you take my baby. Not this time. If you kill me, you’ll go down too. I was last seen with you on your boat.”

  Barry’s mouth elongated sideways. “See this waistcoat I’m wearing? Captain Jack Sparrow costume. Did you know what Lucas was at the party? Shall I show you pictures?”

  Maryanne shuddered and gritted her teeth. Barry pulled out his phone. “Ah… Here. Take a look.”

  A man half-dressed in a pirate costume lay on a bed with two Playboy bunnies. One woman was topless and had her arms across his chest. The other cradled his head in her lap. She still had her bunny ears and fluffy tail on.

  Maryanne turned her head. “I don’t want to look.”

  Barry zoomed in. “Here’s another shot of him dancing with the zombie chicks. See his face?”

  “I’m not looking. It’s not Lucas.” Had to be an impersonator, an actor.

  “Sure, believe what you want.” He uncuffed one hand and gave her the phone. “Look through the rest of the pictures.”

  Maryanne threw it overboard.

  He tilted his head back and laughed. “You really are stupid. Now, the only phone to be found is Lucas’, and he’ll be the murderer.”

  Barry recuffed Maryanne’s hand, took a phone from his pocket, and shoved it into her jacket pocket. Pulling the throttle back, he accelerated the boat to deeper water.

  Chapter 32

  Lucas exited the freeway and drove down the street. He seethed under his breath, and his pulse raced. A police cruiser paced at his side, so he had to remain calm.

  “The GPS shows your phone’s moving,” Zach said. “They’re on the water already.”

  “How far out?”

  “Not much. We can catch them.”

  He turned into the parking lot. Maryanne’s SUV sat at the edge near the water, surrounded by several cars. They parked near it and got out.

  Zach glanced at the display on his smartphone. “They’re just north of here.”

  Lucas ran to the edge of the marina and jumped onto the grey rocks.

  “Hold it,” Zach yelled. “You have no idea which boat she’s on. You’re not thinking of swimming, are you?”

  “We need to borrow a boat.” Lucas looked around desperately. An elderly man was lowering his motor boat down the ramp.

  “Sir, sir,” Lucas called. “Can we borrow your boat? My girlfriend’s out there with a crazy man.”

  The man’s eyes popped wide, and his jowls shuddered. “Get away before I call the police.”

  A group of jet skiers were taking lessons right outside the launch area. Lucas waved and hollered at them.

  A man on a wave rider motored over. “What’s going on?”

  “Can we borrow that?” Lucas shouted.

  Zach punched him on the arm. “Let me do the talking.”

  He pulled out a wad of bills. “Have you seen a man and a pregnant lady get on a boat? About ten, fifteen minutes ago?”

  The man cut his motor and floated closer. “Might have.”

  Zach handed him a few bills. “What did they look like?”

  Lucas rocked from his left foot to his right. He didn’t have time. He jumped in the water and swam toward the jet skiers. “Please, let me borrow your ride. My girl’s in danger.”

  A man glared at him. “Who are you?”

  “Lucas Knight.” He yanked his wallet and held it, soaking wet. “Take my money, my license. I swear I’ll return your ski.”

  The skier came closer and smiled. “You the guy who won Ironman Tahoe?”

  “Yeah. Please.”

  “Wait right here.” The man slid toward the group. “That’s Lucas Knight.”

  Zach jumped into the water and swam toward Lucas. “He saw them. He said a man in a pirate’s costume grabbed a girl. He thought it was for fun.”

  The jet skier returned with a woman on another jet ski. “Okay, buddy. You owe me. Next time we’re in Kona, you train with us.”

  They brought the skis to the edge of the dock.

  “Good luck, mate!” The jet skier handed his to Zach while the woman held hers for Lucas. “You’ll need goggles; these babies are fast.”

  The man with the wave rider said, “I know the boat. It’s a forty-foot speedster. Let’s get ’em!”

  Lucas opened the throttle and leaned into the ski. Thank goodness Zach had taught him how to ride one of these. The wave rider man led the way.

  The rough water and stiff wind pummeled Lucas but he set his teeth on edge, absorbing the shock waves with his muscular thighs. The ski jumped the wake of a speeding yacht. The wave rider man sped toward it. Lucas twisted the throttle all the way and maneuvered to the front.

  The boat accelerated and bounced higher in the water. Suddenly it changed direction, sweeping a huge wave toward them. The jet ski slammed into the wave and twisted in midair. Oh, God! Lucas lost his footing but leaned into the current and powered through. He cut the circumference of the yacht’s turn and closed in. Shit. The yacht headed straight for him. Lucas swerved and passed to port side. A small figure flopped on the top rail. It ha
d to be Maryanne. The man in the captain’s seat pumped his fist. Lucas made a sharp turn and Zach cut around the other side, almost slamming into him.

  Popping noises whizzed, and his ski jolted, the engine sputtering. Lucas could barely see through the spray. He lost control of the ski, and a scraping metallic sound shrieked with a flash of bright green. A wall of cold water slammed him. Lucas scrambled to the surface. The yacht had flipped on its side, its bottom toward him. Had Maryanne fallen into the water? She couldn’t swim.

  Lucas swam toward it.

  ~~~

  Maryanne pitched headlong toward the water. She screamed and her arm sockets jolted. A sharp pain cut through her wrists, and she dangled from the rail. The boat was on its side and sinking. Barry unfastened his lap belt and climbed toward her.

  “We have to get away from the boat. Come on.” He struggled with the keys of the handcuffs.

  Maryanne whimpered. Pain shot through her abdomen and she gasped. “It hurts so bad.”

  The cuffs were loosened, and Barry tossed her clear of the boat. Her back slapped onto the water, shooting her full of icy needles. Maryanne sucked in a breath right before she submerged. She couldn’t see anything but churning bubbles.

  She flailed for something, anything to grab onto. The yacht’s hulk loomed above her, darkness obscuring the sunlight. Her womb contracted and seized with pain. Maryanne gritted her teeth, not daring to take a breath. Her lungs ached. Where was Barry? Would he save her or swim for shore, leaving her to drown? Had he only unlocked her to dispose of the evidence? The handcuffs?

  Everything inside exploded. She opened her mouth. Water flooded, and she panicked. I’m dying. And my baby’s dying. Oh God, forgive me. Forgive me for killing my baby. Forgive me, please. An overwhelming heaviness pressed her chest, and she inhaled more water. I’m going to die and I don’t care. I deserve it. Images and voices floated through her mind. My baby. Lucas. Mommy! Mommy! I don’t want to die.

  ~~~

  The choppy water obscuring his vision, Lucas swam with long strokes and kicked hard toward the boat. How long could she hold her breath? How would he find her? Thank God, he still had goggles on. The listing yacht was heavily taking on more water. He sliced his way through the cold water, every muscle screaming.