Saving Scotty by Annie Jocoby - Romance Novel

[novel]

Nick
Seven PM had finally arrived, and Ryan and I made our way to Nora's to meet with Elle. She was already there, and she stood up to wave us to her table.
She was dressed in something slinky and sexy, unlike earlier today, when she was in a smart suit. Her dress was red and low-cut, and her blonde hair was free-flowing. She was drinking a dirty martini, and she sipped it suggestively.
As we sat down, she handed us two menus to look at. We looked at it, and decided what to get.
I hated these preliminaries. I wanted to get down to it, so that I could get on a plane and find Scotty, wherever she was in the world. Ryan had already told me that we could fly to wherever in his plane, so we'd be able to leave as soon as we got some information.
After we ordered, Ryan got down to business. "So, let's talk about our partnership."
Elle had other things in mind. "Yes, let's. Of course, we don't have to be all business, do we?" she asked, as she took one of her olives and put it in her mouth while staring at Ryan.
Ryan looked uncomfortable. I nudged him under the table. "Uh, I have to use the restroom. I need to wash my hands."
Ryan immediately got my gist. "Oh, me too. Uh, I'll be right back."
Then the two of us got up to make our way to the bathroom. Once we were in there, I gave him a new idea.
"Elle likes you," I said.
"No shit. You brought me in here to tell me something that's obvious for all to see?"
"Ok. But can't we use that to our advantage?"
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that you can use your charm to find out the information that we need to find."
Ryan sighed. "Iris wouldn't like that one bit."
"I realize that. Listen, I'm not asking you to sleep with the woman. Just, you know, use your charm on her. Flirt with her a little bit. Loosen her up."
"That's your area, Nick," Ryan said. "At least, it used to be at one time."
"Well, it's not anymore. Anyhow, it's not me she's digging, it's you."
Ryan gave me a dirty look, but said "Okay. I'll do it. But Iris better not find out about this."
"Number one, how can she find out? Number two, extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. I know that you know how to wrap women around your finger. I'm asking you, as your oldest friend, to do so here."
Ryan shook his head, but said "okay. You're right. I'll work my magic. But it stops at innocent flirting."
"Goes without saying," I said.
"Okay, then," he said, and the two of us walked back to the table.
"Well, Ryan, I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty to order us an appetizer. I ordered the Roasted Maitake Mushrooms and Goat Cheese Tart."
"Mmmm, sounds good," Ryan said, and gave her a patented come-hither look. Elle looked like she was about to melt.
Dayum, that boy is good, I thought. I almost forgot how good he was. Hell, he'd even give the old me a run for his money.
Ryan leaned in a little further across the table, and put his hand in Elle's hair. "You have beautiful hair. I like it down. It suits you."
Elle giggled and blushed, and shifted in her chair. "Do you think? Do you like this color? I thought it was a little much."
"No, I think that it's beautiful. You're beautiful."
More giggles and she looked down at the table, with her hand over her eyes.
"So, let's get down to business. Before pleasure, anyhow," Ryan said.
"Yes, let's," she said. "Now you wanted to discuss a partnership between your concern and mine. What did you have in mind?"
"Our foundation has $10 million to spend on efforts to end puppy mills. I need to know what Senators to target for these contributions to help get this legislation enacted. Which is where you come in. You have the contacts I need. I have the cash. Let's work together."
"Sounds like a very interesting offer. Very interesting."
Ryan cleared his throat, and looked at me. "Well let's work out the details, and then we can get into more personal topics."
So, for the next half hour, Elle and Ryan hashed out the details on their proposed partnership, while I quietly sipped my scotch. I tried, very hard, to keep my mind off of Scotty, but it was getting more and more impossible to do.
Finally, the two came to an agreement, and Ryan cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. He took a deep breath, and turned his full attention to Elle. "So, Elle. Uh, I'd like to get to know you on more of a personal level. But I was wondering. I mean, tell me if this question is too intrusive, but….what is your, you know, marital status? Are you seeing anybody right now?"
I cleared my throat and nudged him. "Uh, maybe I should cut out right now and go back to the hotel room."
Ryan gave me a look that could kill, but, again, it was so imperceptible that anybody but myself wouldn't notice it. "No, actually, that won't be necessary." Then he raised his eyebrow in a look that said you're staying right here.
Elle looked somewhat uncomfortable, but said "no, not seeing anybody. I, uh, just got out of a messy divorce."
Ryan nodded. "Been there. Trust me." He shook his head. "My ex-wife was a little bit on the cuckoo side. Well, strike that. A lot on the cuckoo side."
I looked at him, hoping that he knew what he was doing. But, at the same time, I knew that I was in good hands. Ryan read people better than anybody I knew, and, if he thought that this was the right path, then it was the right path.
Elle smiled weakly and looked at her glass of wine pensively. "Yes, I know what you mean. My ex, well, he's not exactly playing with a full deck, either."
"Oh?" Ryan said. "What was the issue there?"
"He was a narcissist. Truly. He was also a master manipulator. He was better than anybody that I have ever seen at manipulating people and situations." She drew a deep breath. "I'm really lucky to be out of that situation, to be honest."
"I know what you mean," Ryan said. "Oh, but we did have some good times, though. I mean, we have this amazing beach house in St. Croix. Or we had one, anyhow."
At that, Elle's ears seemed to perk up. "St. Croix? What a coincidence. My ex-husband and I had a house on the beach on that island as well. What part of St. Croix was your home?"
"Cane Bay," he said. "What about you?"
"The same," she said. "What a small world!" She shook her head. "We used to go there every year about this time for a long vacation. That was really the only time that we were happy. I guess because we were able to get away from the big city and all the attendant stresses."
Ryan continued to have a poker face. I, however, felt an enormous smile spread across my face. We're getting somewhere!
But Ryan wasn't as convinced as me that this was the absolute key to knowing where to start looking for Scotty. He knew, as did I, that the couple also had homes in Italy and Greece. "Yeah, our times on St. Croix were magical, but, like you, when we got back, real life got in the way. So, we liked to have multiple vacation homes around the world. We had such a difficult time when we had to face our daily stress that we always needed a place to decompress."
Elle's eyes got wide. "Us, too. That was how we were!" She shook her head. "My husband made a lot of money in the past five years or so, after he switched from being a trader to being a hedge fund manager. So, one of the first things he did was buy vacation homes. At first, I was against it. It just seemed so frivolous and not a good way to spend our money. I know that this is going to sound holier-than-thou, but I really wanted to use our newfound wealth to do some good in the world. But, after we actually started to use these vacation homes, I started to see the wisdom in having them," she said with a laugh.
"Oh, yes. I think that our vacation homes were what kept us together. Let's see, we spent our winter vacations in Gstaad, Switzerland. We both loved to ski. And we really loved to spend our autumns in New Zealand, to enjoy their springtime. What about you? Where else did you and your ex spend your time?"
"Summers in Greece, for sure. That was the best. We had a beach home on Crete, and the beauty of that place can't be underestimated. And we also spent some of our wintertimes in Italy. We had a ski palace in Piedmont, in the Biella Province."
My heart sunk. Greece could probably be ruled out, if they headed there in the summertime. But it sounded like Italy would be a prospect, too, for where he might have taken her.
The haystack was getting smaller, but it was still a haystack.
But Ryan was unruffled. "Oh? Which months did you like to go to Italy? I mean, were there months where the skiing is better than other months?"
"Yes, yes, of course. We usually headed out there for Christmas. We met some locals out there, who became friends of ours, and we enjoyed spending the holidays with them."
My heart soared again. Italy was looking unlikely. It looked like St. Croix might be our best bet. I felt like ending the dinner, right then and there, and running to Ryan's plane so that we could get the hell out of there.
But Ryan was deliberate and cool. "Christmas. Yes. Staying in a ski town over Christmas is out of this world. My ex and I sometimes spent our Christmases in Gstaad. It was always an amazing adventure during that time. We also went there at other times during the years. What about you? Did you visit Italy during the year, or only at Christmastime?"
"No, only during Christmas. That was our thing."
Bingo. So, now we had the town in St. Croix, and we were reasonably sure that the pervert was there with my Scotty, as opposed to being at one of the other places around the world. So, now, let's leave. I was now chomping at the bit.
Ryan wasn't quite ready, though. "So, Italy, Greece and St. Croix. Quite diverse vacation homes. Did you guys go anywhere else?"
"Yes, of course. We adored travel. China, Russia, Australia, Japan, India, Egypt. You name the country, and we probably went there. Unless it was war-torn, of course."
Ryan nodded his head. "But you just went to these places to visit, though, right? Or did you have homes elsewhere as well?"
"Yeah, we just visited these places. Our only homes were in Greece, Italy and St. Croix."
I felt my knee moving a mile a minute under the table. I got out my phone and texted Ryan. "Come on, let's move."
Ryan felt his phone buzz. "Would you excuse me? I didn't want to say anything, but I'm expecting a call. My mother has been sick in the hospital. I need to see if this text has anything to do with that."
"Of course," Elle said, but I could see the disappointment in her eyes.
At that, Ryan got up from the table.
I just looked at Elle through my thick glasses. She smiled warmly at me, but looked around, waiting for Ryan to return.
"So, how long have you been working with Ryan?" she asked politely.
"Uh, not long. About three months. I'm really happy to be able to get the chance to work on animal rights projects though."
"And what do you do?"
"Well, right now, I'm really just in training. But I hope to become the liaison between the foundation and outside funding sources. I mean, our organization doesn't take in the money, but we find people to give it to. Grants and that sort of thing." I hope that she doesn't ask me much more, because I really don't know what I'm going to say.
She nodded her head. "It's good work you guys are doing."
"You too," I said.
Then we both looked around the restaurant uncomfortably. I didn't want any more small talk, and neither did Elle, apparently. She smiled at me, again, more plastic this time.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, but probably was only a few minutes, Ryan reappeared. He had a very serious look on his face. "I'm so sorry. My mother has taken a turn for the worse. I, uh, will have to cut this dinner short. I paid the tab. But, I'll be in touch about our partnership."
Elle nodded. "I'm very sorry to hear that. I hope that your mother gets better."
"Me too," he said. Then he looked at me. "Sorry, Nico. But looks like we have to be getting back to Kansas City ASAP."
I took a deep breath. Thank you, Ryan. I stood up. "Elle, it's very nice to have met you. Sorry we couldn't get to know each other better."
"Yes, it was very nice meeting you, too."
Ever the gentleman, Ryan said "Can I escort you back to your car?"
"That would be wonderful."
So, the two of us escorted her back to her car, which was in an underground parking garage. Elle gave both us a hug goodbye, and she looked longingly into Ryan's eyes. "I really hope to see you soon, Ryan," she said. "Maybe on a more personal basis next time?"
Ryan nodded his head but said nothing. "Perhaps. At any rate, we can really make a difference to those puppies by working together, can't we?"
Elle tried to hide her disappointment at the obvious rejection. "Yes, we sure can," she said weakly. Then she blushed, ran her hands through her hair, and got into her car. "I hope you get in touch with me soon."
"I will," Ryan assured her.
Then Ryan and I turned around and called our limousine.
While we waited for Robert, our limousine driver, to come and pick us up, we chatted a bit.
"That was horrible," Ryan said. "I really feel like shit. Dirty, almost."
"Why?"
"I don't like toying with people's emotions. I hate it, in fact. No offense, but I'm not like you."
I sighed. "No offense taken. But I'm not like that anymore. At all. Scotty has tamed me in a way that nobody ever has. Nobody has ever come close."
"Well, that's good. Let's hope that you stay tamed."
"I will. I have no doubt about it."
Ryan shook his head. "I really hope that I'm not bringing the bad juju, lying about my mother like that. I've always been superstitious about that type of thing. You know, if you lie about something like that, it might really happen."
"I know, me too. But, thanks for doing that. And, thanks for everything. You really are a fantastic friend. I can't think of anybody else who would do what you just did to help me out."
"Of course. But, I'm not finished helping you out yet. I'm going to go to St. Croix to help you look for her. The good news is, we have it narrowed down to the Cane Bay area. It's still going to be difficult to pinpoint just where he is, but we will just have to ask around." Then he paused. "I'm doing this for you, Nick, but, really, it is a long overdue repayment for how you saved me from Rochelle. If it weren't for you, god knows what would have happened to me. I probably would literally be dead. So, I'm glad that I have finally been given the chance to help you out for a change."
"I know, buddy. I'm glad that I was able to help you out when you needed me."
Ryan smiled. "So, I guess we're even, then?"
"I guess we are," I smiled back.

[novel]

Scotty
I had spent the last day or so thinking about how I wanted to die. I had no way out. No hope. Everything was shattered for me. The crystal egg that I thought about when I got the call about Aaron was an apt description for how I was feeling right at that moment. And it didn't just threaten to shatter, but it actually did. Along with my psyche.
I wondered how I could actually do some good for the people I loved, though, before I decided to go through with my plan. I wondered if I could actually get Mr. Lucas to marry me, if I stipulated that he had to put about a million or so dollars into trust for my mother, so that she could get treatment and better herself. She really deserved to have a better life than what she had. She was wounded, too, just like me. I didn't know if something happened to her like what had happened to me, but I always had a feeling that it did. I thought that I could die happy if I knew that she would be taken care of. And, by extension, Aaron.
I knew that I was being naïve to think that money would be the answer to her problems. But I thought that she might have a chance if she could get intensive inpatient treatment, just like Mr. Lucas suggested. She might have a chance for a normal life if she could just kick the bottle. That would make me happy, even if I wouldn't be alive to see her transformation.
Then, after the money for my mom was secured, I would meet with a mysterious accident. I didn't quite know what that would be, but I would make sure that it looked like an accident. That way, Mr. Lucas wouldn't be tempted to withdraw the trust for my mother. If I actually committed suicide, and there wasn't question about that, then Mr. Lucas would probably be so angry that I deceived him that he would cut off my mother.
And my death would be for naught.
So, first thing was first. I had to make my proposal to Mr. Lucas, and tell him that I would marry him on the condition that he put several million dollars into a trust fund for my mother, and see what happened from there.
Over dinner that night, I made my proposal. "So, uh, Paul," I began. "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday. About how you would take care of my mother if I married you."
"Yes, Princess. And I meant every word of it."
"Okay, then. If you open up a trust fund for my mother, and make it conditional upon her staying sober, then I will marry you."
Mr. Lucas clapped his hands together excitedly. "I knew it. I knew it. I knew that there was a kind person under that impetuous bitch exterior. I knew that you loved me."
I felt nauseated just thinking about how Mr. Lucas imagined, in his warped brain, that I somehow loved him. But I continued on. Look at the big picture, Scotty. Your sacrifice can save your mother and brother. I tried not to think about Nick. Just thinking about how I would never get a chance to see him again…I wanted to burst into tears just thinking about it.
It didn't seem fair, that my time with Nick would be so short. It wasn't right that something so magical and pure could be taken away from me so cruelly. But that was the way that fate worked. It was often cruel. In this case, I got a chance to see paradise for a fleeting moment, so that, when hell was visited upon me, as it was since I got into the clutches of Mr. Lucas, it would be that much more devastating.
I took a deep breath. It would have to be soon. I didn't want to live much longer. I wanted to put myself out of my own suffering as quickly as I could. "Okay, then. Let's do this tomorrow. Can you get a trust set up between now and then?"
"Of course. I'll call my lawyer about it tomorrow."
"Good. I'd have to have proof, of course, that you did it. But then we can be married."
Mr. Lucas smiled, and got up to stroke my hair from behind. "That would be amazing. I knew that you would see my point of view. I knew it."
I smiled back. I was looking forward to the next few days myself. But not for the reasons that Mr. Lucas was looking forward to them.
I was looking forward to finally being out of my misery.

[novel]

Nick
The plane ride to St. Croix was interminable. I couldn't concentrate on anything but finding Scotty. I barely talked to Ryan on the plane, because I was just too lost in my own head. For his part, he used the early time on the plane to review proposals for outfits that were contracting with his animal rights foundation and making phone calls, including a kissy-kissy phone call to Iris.
"Hello there, beautiful," he said. "I miss you and I love you. And I love our beautiful daughter, too."
I tried not to resent him and his solid relationship with Iris. He earned it, and he deserved it. It was just that, with the love of my life missing, and my life with her possibly hanging in the balance, I just didn't want to hear Ryan's protestations of love right at that very moment. I knew that part of the reason why he was so effusive was because he felt guilty for flirting with Elle. He didn't even really get into heavy flirting, but even the little bit of flirting he did was enough to make him feel guilty.
Sometimes Ryan was too nice, I thought. But maybe I just thought that because I was always so different. I wasn't anymore, of course. I was a lot like Ryan now. Lovestruck, and would go to the ends of the earth to protect Scotty and ensure her safety.
So, I tried to get some sleep, although it was fitful at best. I kept waking up every twenty minutes or so, because I had nightmares of what was happening to Scotty. I didn't want to think about her being raped, but I knew that was what was occurring. I didn't want to think about her being tortured, but I had a feeling that was happening as well. She never said that Mr. Lucas was physically abusive with her, but I was still so afraid for her physical well-being.
Most of all, though, I had nightmares about how she would be when I found her. She was so fragile anyhow. I had just begun to break through her walls and get to the point where she fully trusted me and could love me with an open heart. But I knew that there was going to be emotional fallout from her experiences now as Mr. Lucas' captive, and it broke my heart into a million pieces.
Every time I tried to sleep, I had these nightmares. I heard her screaming, and I felt her terror and pain. I saw her tears. And I woke up with tears in my own eyes.
Ryan, for his part, looked at me sympathetically after the third time I awoke with a start. "It's going to be okay, Nick," Ryan said. "Whatever happens, everything is going to eventually be okay. It might take some work to get her to where she is recovered from this experience, but with enough patience and love, she'll get through it with you. I speak from experience, remember?"
I nodded. After all that had happened in Ryan's life, I knew that the guy had empathy, not just sympathy. Sympathy is where you feel bad for a person who is in distress. Empathy is where you can actually put yourself in that person's shoes. And Ryan empathized with Scotty. That was what made him so good for this particular job - he not only could keep his cool, and he was the most intelligent man that I had ever known, but he really cared about Scotty and what she was going through. Because he went through something similar in his youth with Rochelle.
"I know," I said. "But it's hard. I don't know what's going on. I don't know if we can find her before some real damage is done to her psyche. I don't even know if we can find her at all. I mean, this is an excellent lead. But who's to know that she's there? Maybe that Mr. Lucas decided to take her to Italy or Greece after all. Just because he doesn't head to Italy or Greece in January, typically, doesn't mean that he didn't decide to head there right now."
"Of course. There's always that risk. But people are creatures of habit. That's what we have to go on right now. We have to believe that because Mr. Lucas usually goes to St. Croix during the winter months, but not at Christmas, that this is what he's going to do now. It's his pattern. Is it a slam dunk that he's there right now? No, not necessarily. Is there a good chance? Yeah, there's a better chance of him being there than anyplace else. So, I have a good feeling that we are on the right track here."
"I do too, to be honest. But what if we're wrong? What then? Do we head to Biella? I mean, that's a province that has over 100,000 people. Still a needle in the haystack."
Ryan sighed. "Yeah, this isn't going to be easy. I never said that it would be. But we have to start somewhere."
I nodded my head, and stretched out a little bit on the leather seat. The air hostess came around and I ordered a Blood Mary from her. Sometimes Bloody Marys helped me sleep. Sometimes not. I was afraid that nothing could help me sleep at that point, but I had to try. I had to have as clear of a head as possible for this mission.
Ryan looked at me and said "By the way. I didn't get a chance to ask this of you. But did you first try to find out where he lived in New York City?"
I shook my head. "I thought about that. But my gut told me that there was no way he would go back to his apartment with her. I figured that if he was devious enough to virtually abduct her from the hospital, then he wouldn't want to go to a place where he could just be found by anybody who would be looking. From what I understand, the guy is a social animal in New York, so he probably had visitors all the time. It would be difficult to keep Scotty secret. So, I didn't even bother to find out where he lived in the city. I don't know, it was just a strong feeling that I had that Mr. Lucas had taken her someplace away from the country."
Ryan nodded. "Well, you should always listen to your gut. In this case, I hope to god that your gut is correct. It would be pretty bad if we go all the way out to St. Croix, only to find that he and Scotty are hiding in plain sight in New York City."
"I know. But, my instincts are leading me in this case. And I have a feeling that we're going in the right direction. I just hope that my instincts are spot-on in this case. Otherwise…" And then I visibly shuddered.
"I know, I know. Just please, try not to think about that. Try not to dwell. I mean, I'm not going to lie. This predator is probably not keeping Scotty in a crystal palace and feeding her peeled grapes. Predators are predators, and they're going to do what they're going to do. I'm only saying this, because I know that you're thinking it yourself. But you have to stay focused on what we're going to do to help her. That needs to be what your main thoughts are right now. But, easier said than done, I know."
"You're telling me. Anyhow, we need to at least try to get a little bit of sleep. It's already after 3 in the morning."
So, both of us stretched out with our blankets, and tried to get some shut-eye. After about twenty minutes, I heard Ryan breathing heavily in sleep.
I, however, was still wide awake.