Sweet Sacrifice Read online

  SWEET SACRIFICE

  By

  Crystal V. Rhodes

  SMASHWORDS EDITION

  ****

  PUBLISHED BY:

  CRYSTAL INK Publishing

  Sweet Sacrifice

  Copyright © 2002 by Crystal V. Rhodes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  PROLOGUE

  Sash Adams closed the small notebook and tucked it back inside her leather boot when she heard the key click in the lock. With her heart pounding and her palms sweating, she sprang from the bed and positioned herself behind the door of the tiny room. Gripping her gold-plated pen tightly in her right hand, she used her left hand to support her balled right fist. Poised like a grotesque statue frozen in granite, she stood waiting, ready to attack.

  The door opened and her captor appeared in the doorway. The split second it took him to turn and face her was all that she needed to strike. The look of surprise on his face made her next move easy. He was short, about five feet five. They stood almost eye to eye as she sprang forward, propelled by the adrenaline pumping through her system. Instinctively, he jerked backward raising his hands to protect his face. The movement deflected the pen from his face, but the sharp point sliced through the fleshy underside of his arm. Yelping in pain the man staggered backward as blood oozed from the wound in his arm. Sash wasted no time as she struck again.

  Mustering all of the leverage that she could, Sash retained her deathlike grip on the pen and in one single movement plunged it deeply in the man’s slightly protruding stomach. He screamed and staggered backward, struggling to stay on his feet and propelling Sash forward with him. Tottering, she managed to stay on her feet, but was determined to see him fall.

  Drawing her foot back, she aimed for his groin and with as much force as she could manage landed a direct hit. Doubling over he fell to his knees. A second kick beneath his chin forced his head backward and a third kick sent his body crumbling to the floor. Mission accomplished. He lay on the floor bloody and moaning.

  Leaping over the man who lay between her and freedom, Sash raced out of the room that had become her dreaded prison into a second room where another closed door, only a few yards, away stood as a barrier. With a tug of confidence, she pulled on the doorknob. It was locked.

  Swiftly, Sash’s eyes examined the door. It was old, fragile; the wood was aged and cracked. Unlike the former door that contained a deadbolt, the lock on this door was an older, single cylinder lock that required a key. She was sure that her moaning captor had it in his pocket; but there was no time to search—no time to waste. The door had to be opened now.

  Bracing herself, Sash kicked the door with one booted foot, using every ounce of her 125 pounds for momentum. The force of her efforts sent her staggering backward, but she remained standing as the sound of splintering wood was followed by a blast of cool air on her sweat drenched body. The wooden door now stood open.

  Sash moved toward the door and freedom. She was almost there when she felt herself falling forward. She hit the cool concrete floor with a thud. Surprised by the tumble, she glanced over her shoulder to see the cause of her fall. Her captor had a hold of her ankle. A trail of blood marked his journey out of the former room and into this one.

  Fury replaced panic as Sash kicked at him blindly with her free foot. He held on tightly. Spotting a round support pole near the second doorway, she grabbed it and held on but her resistance didn’t stop him. Using Sash’s legs for support he began to pull himself toward her.

  He wasn’t a big man, but he did outweigh her and as he slowly worked his way up her legs toward her torso Sash’s mobility decreased. The stench of sweat and blood from his body made her nauseous as his torturous efforts to keep her prisoner brought him closer and closer to her. His breathing was labored. It came in strangled gasps. All of his strength was being spent in this last effort to win a battle that Sash was determined that he would loose.

  Releasing the pole she twisted her body around as much as his weight would allow and arched her fingers into catlike paws. Reaching down she raked her nails across his face. He howled, as his skin ripped beneath her nails. Releasing her legs, he thrashed wildly at her hand in an attempt to knock it away. Sash wiggled free and scrambled to her feet. Frightened, frenzied, and enraged beyond control, she kicked at his head, his face, and his side. Wherever he was vulnerable she kicked, until he lay on the floor, bloodied and still. Then, spent and trembling, Sash stumbled through the door and up the stairs toward the freedom she had fought for and the child who she knew waited above.

  Calm replaced the frenzied fury of her encounter in the basement as she stole up the stairway. She knew that whatever she had to do she would do it when she reached the top. Carefully, she opened the wooden door just a bit, shuddering as it creaked. Peeking through the crack, she stood in the doorway listening intently, hoping that there would be no response to noise. There was none.

  Cautiously, she entered the kitchen. To her right was the back exit leading to the yard and freedom. To her left was a darkened hallway and beyond was the unknown. She turned left, grabbing a butcher knife off of the kitchen counter as she did so.

  Tiptoeing down the hall, she carefully opened the closed doors on each side of the hall, ready to defend herself. It wasn’t necessary. Both bedrooms were empty. Clothes were tossed about haphazardly in each room—men’s clothes. Working her way toward the front of the house, she found herself in the living room. It was clean, neat and unoccupied. A large picture window looked out onto the front of the house. The curtains were open.

  Hurrying to the window, Sash peeked outside, using the curtains to conceal her presence. Beyond was a wide open field with trees on either side of it but nothing and no one else. Standing there in the empty house with a knife in her hand she felt lost. She had expected a confrontation, a battle between herself and the second man who had been controlling her life over the past few hours, but she wasn’t prepared for this.

  Running back through the house, she looked into each room again, desperately this time, rifling through closets and drawers. She raced to the back door and flung it open wildly, all caution forgotten as fear replaced desperation. The house was empty. There was no sign of her brother, no clothes, no shoes. Perhaps they had taken him outside.

  She entered the backyard, standing still for a moment listening closely for a sound, any sound that would tell her that another human being was present. There was the chirping of birds, the rustling of the wind through the trees, the distant sound of an airplane engine roaring above the trees, but no sign of her brother.

  She wanted to call his name, but she might alert her captor. If the element of surprise was on her side she didn’t want to lose it. Racing to the grove of trees surrounding the open field behind the house, she stood there breathlessly, waiting, listening—for the snap of a twig, the sound of a footstep. There was none.

  She went as far as she could, searching the woods to no avail. Running back to the house she crossed over to the opposite grove of trees and repeated her hunt. Finding a greenhouse, she approached it with no reserve, bursting into the doorway, knife poised and ready to take a life. It was empty.

  She had no idea how much time had passed when she made her way back to the house. She was near hysterics. Her brother was no where to be found. The three telephones in the house were disconnected and there was no s
ign of another house nearby. She needed help and she knew where she had to go to get it. That thought propelled Sash as she started to walk down the dusty road, away from the house that had been her prison. She didn’t know where she was, but she knew where she was going. As the tears streamed down her cheeks she sobbed loudly, trying in vain to calm the fear that gripped her at not having found the little boy. Fervently, she prayed that she would spot the kidnapper on the road before he spotted her, and she was hoping against hope that her brother would be with him.

  As time passed and Sash continued walking, it became evident how isolated the house had been. She had been walking for quite a while and there wasn’t a soul in sight. As she trudged onward, she could feel the notebook that was tucked in her boot. Stopping, she withdrew it and scanned the pages. Her gaze settled on one single name. She needed help, desperately, and she knew where she was going to get it.

  CHAPTER 1

  Sash Adams. Sash Adams. Who in the world was Sash Adams? Brandon Plaine sat behind the old roll top desk that used to belong to his father and contemplated his silent question. At age thirty-nine his memory was as sharp as a tack so he was certain that he would remember her name if he knew her. He didn’t. Yet, the calls from Sash Adams had come over his private telephone line, which was reserved for an exclusive few. Who ever this woman was, she must have gotten the number from him, and it was obvious from her four frantic messages that she wanted to speak with him badly. But darn if he could remember the woman.

  Of course lately his private number didn’t seem to be as private anymore. He had actually gotten a crank call on the same line yesterday. It seemed that fame brought out all kinds of kooks, especially unwanted fame. Brandon glanced at the popular magazine lying on top of his desk and gave a disgusted sigh.

  The face staring back at him was almond brown, clean-shaven and square jawed. The hair was dark brown, and cut close to his head, without the traces of gray he soon expected. The eyebrows were thick and perfectly arched. The eyes were dark brown and deep-set. The lips were full and the smile was noncommittal, revealing stark white teeth.

  To Brandon there was nothing extraordinary about the face on the cover, but women seemed to like it. He had been told more than once that he was handsome. Some women had added the word sexy to that description, pointing out his well built six-foot three frame as evidence. Yet, he doubted that it was his looks, his intelligence or his so-called sex appeal that sparked the interest of most women. More than likely it was his money and the power it brought that attracted them, not the man. It was the image that peered back at him from the cover of magazines that interested women. Nobody wanted to get to know the real man. The women he met were more than happy with the illusion.

  Brandon read the headline beneath his name. Plain Dealing Plaine Style. Even the woman writer sent to interview him had come on to him. Her professionalism had been lacking, that was for certain, but at least she had a way with words. He opened the pages of the magazine and flipped through them until he reached the article about himself.

  There was a black and white picture of him as a young boy with his father and another picture of him as the successful CEO sitting at his desk in his San Francisco office. There were two pictures of him posing with dignitaries and the last picture of him was out on the town with the lady of the moment. He had read the article and it was impressive. All of the articles written about him over the years had been impressive. Who would have thought that there would be so many articles? So many covers? He hadn’t planned it that way. Becoming a media star had never been in the plan. All he had ever wanted was to make his father proud of him. He had achieved that goal and gone beyond it.

  His father had raised Brandon by himself and the two had been very close. When his Dad retired, Brandon’s plan had been simple. He wanted to take the small family newspaper founded and operated by his father for thirty years, and expand its reach beyond the San Francisco Bay area. His goal was to diversify and to increase the voice of African-Americans in the West. Ten years ago he had gone into debt, purchased one bankrupted radio station and formed Plaine Deal Media Incorporated. Now his company was the largest minority owned multi-media conglomerate in the country.

  Plaine Deal Media was at the top of Black Enterprise magazine’s Top 100 Black companies. The corporation owned newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations nationwide. Two years ago, the company went public and mainstream media had discovered that the man behind the company’s success was young, dynamic, handsome and single. Since that time, Brandon’s life hadn’t been the same. In the span of that short time, his face had been on the covers of Black Enterprise, Ebony, Money and Entrepreneur magazines as well as the most recent publication. Success had brought praise and recognition, but he had paid a high price for it.

  Like his father, Brandon had worked countless hours, seven days a week to make his business a success. There had been no vacations. A private life had been all but impossible. He had earned every accolade by the sweat of his brow. For over a decade, work had been all that he knew and all that he lived for, until it caught up with him.

  With a flip of his wrist, Brandon closed the magazine, got up from his desk, stood and looked out of the window. The scene before him was picture perfect. The Pacific Ocean was peaceful and serene. Clouds floated in the sky aimlessly and on the horizon a sailboat skimmed effortlessly along the water as if gliding on angel wings. He loved living on the Monterey Peninsula, despite his initial skepticism about living anywhere other than San Francisco.

  It was his doctor who advised him to make the transition to an easier lifestyle. His words had been simple: slow down or die. They had been offered when Brandon woke up in the hospital after collapsing in his office. Years of long hours, poor diet and little sleep had finally taken their toll.

  Brandon had made the move without fanfare. That had been six months ago. He now ran his corporation from a quaint, adobe style building in Monterey, California instead of from the confines of his corporate headquarters in San Francisco. He did so with a secretary, a few computers, a fax machine and plenty of e-mails. He made a couple of appearances a month at the corporate office and discovered that he could still be effective as a CEO.

  In less than a year, Brandon had changed his entire lifestyle. He now came to work in tee-shirts, shorts and sneakers instead of suits and ties. He exercised and jogged regularly and his once sparse frame was now muscular and fit. He was wealthy and healthy and in control of his world. It couldn’t get better than this.

  Sighing contentedly, Brandon turned from the window and turned his computer off. It was Friday and a holiday weekend. It was time to call it quits and to feed his rumbling stomach.

  ****

  Brandon’s favorite restaurant, a small Mexican cantina located within walking distance of his office, was all but deserted when he entered. The restaurant was too far off the beaten path for the tourist and lunch hour was over for the locals working nearby. With a wave at Luis Torres, the restaurant owner, Brandon swung into a booth near the back.

  He was digging into a healthy plate of enchiladas when he looked up to see a woman sliding into his booth, occupying the seat across from him. Surprised, Brandon sat with his fork suspended in midair, expecting to recognize her face. Quickly he searched his memory bank. The face didn’t register, but what a face—sienna brown, with high, finely sculptured cheek bones, sparkling brown eyes beneath curly lashes, a beautifully shaped nose and rich, full lips. Her dark brown hair was in dreadlocks that fell past her shoulders. They were pulled away from her face into a thick, ponytail held by a rubber band. She wore no makeup but needed none. She was a very attractive woman, although presently she looked harried. Dressed in a wrinkled pair of jeans and a soiled, white sleeveless blouse, she also looked unkempt.

  “May I help you?” Brandon lowered his fork, replacing his look of surprise with one of annoyance.

  “You are Brandon Plaine, aren’t you?”

  “Uh, yes,” Brandon replie
d hesitantly, noting the desperate tone in her voice. Was she seeking an autograph? His unwanted notoriety had resulted in his often being recognized and asked for his signature, but her next words told him that wasn’t the case.

  “Well, I’m sorry to bother you like this, Mr. Plaine, I followed you from your office building and, well…” She bit her bottom lip and swallowed as if gathering courage to continue. “I know this may sound dramatic, but what I have to say to you is a matter of life or death.”

  Life or death? Oh great she was a nut case. Why did he have to attract the crazies? Brandon’s eyes darted toward the cash register where Luis had been standing when he entered. Maybe he could catch his eye and have him come over and remove this fruitcake, but Luis wasn’t at his station. Even the waiters, who were usually so solicitous, were nowhere to be found. He and the nut case were the only two people in the dining area. Hopefully, she wasn’t dangerous.

  Brandon cleared his throat. “Well, I’m certain that this is a matter of life or death, Ms—”

  “Adams. Sash Adams.”

  “Ms. Adams,” Brandon frowned, the name sounded familiar. “But, as you can see I’m eating right now.”

  “I know, but…”

  “And if you need to talk to me about business, you can call my administrative assistant. I’m sure she’ll be happy to make an appointment for you.” Brandon resumed eating, silently dismissing her, but apparently Sash Adams didn’t get the message.

  “I’ve called your office several times today.”

  Suddenly realizing who she was, Brandon swallowed his food so quickly that he almost choked. He coughed to clear his throat. “Oh, yes, I know who you are now. You’re that Sash Adams. I’ve gotten four calls from you today.”