Corbin (The Mavericks Book 17) Read online

  He left the door open and said, “Go ahead.”

  She realized that he had no intention of shutting the door. She cast him a sideways glance, but her bladder really was full.

  He shook his head. “I couldn’t give a shit about raping you,” he snapped, with a sarcastic look. “Basketball bellies do not appeal to me, so do your thing.”

  For that, she could be grateful. At five months along, she was definitely getting a baby belly. She walked over to the toilet—thankfully hidden behind a partition wall, without a door—and quickly relieved herself. The small room had peeling gray paint, yet was surprisingly clean. At the tiny sink, she washed her hands. She looked around for a towel to dry her hands, but none were anywhere in sight. She stepped out into the main part of the bathroom, hating to leave the comfort of the light, when he looked up and nodded.

  “Get back to your bed and lay down again.”

  The bathroom was attached to the same bedroom, and the light gave her a chance to glance around, trying to lock the images of where they were in her mind, before she had to lay down and knew that he would take away the light. Nellie saw two beds, an empty one—hers—and the second bed with a woman—maybe the roommate Nellie had spoken to earlier. The other woman didn’t appear to be doing so good. “Is she all right?” Nellie asked anxiously.

  He nodded. “She will be. Unless she pulls any more stupid stunts.”

  Nellie wasn’t even sure what that meant because, as far as she understood, this woman had been cooperating. Nellie sat down cautiously on her bed, wincing as the baby gave her a kick.

  He saw the wince and smiled. “So now you’ll start whining and say you need more pillows or comforters or something, right?”

  “No, not that, … only that I could really use some food.”

  “Food is coming,” he said, looking at her. “Good thing you’re not wasting my time.”

  “How would I waste it?” she murmured.

  “By asking stupid questions.”

  Hearing his words, immediately all Nellie’s questions died on her tongue. Especially if asking them would only piss him off. She wanted to ask a ton of questions, but, if he wouldn’t be cooperative, there was no point.

  And, with that, he walked out again. But he’d left the bathroom light on, and, for that, she was grateful.

  She glanced around the room, trying to memorize what was here. One door in and out. She didn’t know if it was locked, as she hadn’t heard a click. It was probably a test to see if she would run out after him, but there was absolutely no point. Nellie wasn’t in any shape, either to run or to even walk right now. And that was something that concerned her in a really big way. She needed food and rest. She was normally in great health and fit, but she was still five months’ pregnant and showing more than she’d expected.

  But what did she know? She lay back down on the bed. There was a single blanket that she pulled up over the top of her shoulders. The room wasn’t cold, but there was a chill inside Nellie that she found hard to argue with.

  Pulling her knees up, she rolled on her side and waited. And waited. Her eyes drifted closed. When she opened them the next time, a man stood in front of her. She jolted but managed to hold back a scream.

  “Good. Hopefully you’ll be one who doesn’t give me trouble.”

  “It’s not my plan,” she whispered, and she noted he held out a plate of food. She reached for the plate and smiled. “Thank you.” She looked around, hoping for a drink.

  He frowned and snapped, “Now what?”

  She hated to ask, but her throat was dry. “Water?”

  “Oh, right. I forgot to pick that up.” He disappeared out the same door. Again he didn’t lock it and popped back in again a few minutes later, with a bottle of water. He threw it onto her bed and disappeared.

  She wasn’t exactly sure why she was getting this treatment. The other woman appeared to be unconscious. Nellie put down her plate and walked over to check whether her roommate was sleeping or dead. She looked peaceful, but she was not showing any signs of waking. Nellie figured it was much more of a drug-induced sleep.

  Shuddering at the thought, she sat down again and ate slowly. It was pretty tasteless, but it was food, and she was not in a position to argue, especially if this guy was weeding out people who were causing him trouble. Something bad could get really ugly, if she didn’t choose the right path. So, for the moment, the path of least resistance was exactly where she would go. What she really needed was somebody to come riding to the rescue.

  An hour later she was woken from a light doze. Her guard tossed a sheet of paper on the bed in front of her. She picked it up and looked at it—a picture of a man—then looked at her guard. “Who’s this guy?”

  “We’re not sure,” he replied, eyeing her closely. “Do you know him?”

  She looked at the black-and-white features again, but it was hard to see the image in the poor light. She shook her head. “No. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.”

  “Take a good look,” he ordered.

  Surprised, she looked at it again, then asked, “May I take it to the light?” He nodded. She got up, went to the bathroom, and held it under the lighting there, and then shook her head. “No, I don’t know him.”

  “Well, he’s looking for you. He’s been talking to your friends and family members.”

  She frowned, then shrugged. “I don’t know anything about him.”

  “Apparently his name is Corbin, and he works for a special arm of the US military.”

  She stared at him in shock. “US military?”

  “Yes.” He narrowed his gaze, as if looking for a lie. “That’s why we’re concerned.”

  She nodded. “Honestly I’ve never seen him before. I don’t know his features, and I don’t know anyone in the US.”

  “Well, we know about your daddy and did expect him to hire somebody eventually.”

  “Right. I don’t know if you’re after ransom money, but Daddy has it.”

  “Makes sense but this isn’t a simple kidnapping case.”

  She nodded. “Okay,” she said quietly. She put the photo on her bed. Something was oddly familiar about him. Yet she didn’t know why. “I don’t know him,” she repeated.

  He nodded. “Good enough for now.” And, with that, he turned and left.

  She wanted to ask about the other women but didn’t. Nellie turned to look at her roommate, only the second bed was empty.

  Had the woman left while Nellie slept? She frowned at that because she didn’t want to think that she’d been out so long. Had they drugged her food? That was even more upsetting because of the baby. That shouldn’t be done at all but definitely not while pregnant.

  As she lay here, she realized the baby wasn’t moving at all. She started to massage her belly and whispered to her child, “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. We’ll get out of this.” Within minutes, her baby moved, and Nellie gave a big sigh of relief. “I haven’t even met you yet, and I have never loved someone more. We’ll get out of this. I promise you.”

  And, of course with that thought, her mind returned to the stranger in the photo. “Corbin …” What kind of a name was that anyway? She had no doubt it was somebody her father had hired. Which made her feel better to know someone was looking for her. But was it somebody good? And what if her father hadn’t hired him? It didn’t matter. Someone was looking for her.

  Feeling better, she snuggled under the blanket, whispering to him, “Well, Corbin, I don’t know who you are or why you’re looking for me, but please find me and my baby soon, damn it.”

  Next Corbin met with the second university student, Louise, who was supposedly a good and close friend of Nellie’s. His first interview had gone longer than expected, and Corbin didn’t want these two witnesses to be aware of each other. It was as much to protect his own investigation, to not taint any testimony, as well as to not put these students in the kidnappers’ crosshairs. While both students were friends of Nellie’s, it had not yet been confirmed that both students knew each other as well. So Corbin was playing it safe.

  He breathed a sigh of relief when Carly left just one minute before Louise appeared. They exchanged greetings, and Corbin asked if she would like a coffee. She nodded, sat down, and Corbin got himself another cup, as he placed her order. Soon he was seated with his next informant. “How did you know Nellie?” he asked her.

  Louise swallowed, her hands nervous, as she gazed about her surroundings. “Will I get kidnapped if I talk to you about Nellie getting kidnapped?”

  Corbin frowned. “I can put a tail on you, if that would make you feel better, feel safer.” He waited for her reply. She was breathing faster now. Corbin waited her out.

  With one more glance over her shoulder, she nodded. It was a discreet nod.

  “Will do.” He immediately sent a text to Hatch, to put someone on this young lady. He smiled when he got confirmation. “Done. He will show up before we are through talking, so he sees you with me and knows you’re the one he needs to protect.”

  “Thank you,” Louise whispered.

  “No problem,” Corbin replied. “This is what we do. Can you tell me what has you so spooked?”

  She stared at him, as if the question itself were insane.

  “What I’m asking is, has someone threatened you, whether in person or via a text or just a note on your dorm room door?

  Her hand immediately went to her chest. “God, no. Is that what will happen if I speak to you further?”

  “No. That’s why my man is coming. Remember?”

  Louise sighed loudly. “Right. Right.”

  “So have you been threatened?”

  She shook her head. “No. But you must understand how, if a parliament member’s own daughter can be kidnapped from a well-known university in broad daylight, it could upset a lot of female students here.”

  Corbin nodded. “I understand. However, both the university police and the local police have been alerted, as has my independent team. Believe me. The university officials don’t want a repeat of this. They are helping me with my investigation as much as possible. Plus the parliament member is making sure the university is on high alert, watching out for the rest of you.” Finally that hand on her chest slowly fell to her lap.

  And their coffees were delivered to them.

  Corbin was thankful for that timely arrival as well. Now maybe he could actually ask his questions and get some answers from Louise. “So how did you know Nellie?”

  She took a sip of her coffee and nodded. “My father was a parliament member at one time as well. I remember the security around me all the time—although I was a child back then, so maybe that recollection is wrong. However, Nellie’s father knew my father, and so I was introduced to Nellie as a child. We’ve never been really close, until now. Until we both started uni here. In fact, we were roommates for a while, living on campus—until she was pregnant and wanted to live on her own.”

  “So what do you know of her boyfriend, the father of her child?”

  Louise shook her head, frowning. “I was shocked that she was pregnant because I didn’t even know she was seeing anyone.”

  “So,” Corbin began, “was Nellie always this secretive about her boyfriends?”

  “No, not at all. At least, not with me and her closest friends. She was always honest and upfront with us. We knew all about the last two men she dated and how her father broke them up each time. Which is why I’m kinda mad at her for not letting me know more of what was going on in her life currently. Although … I knew her father. Overprotective doesn’t begin to explain him.”

  “Three things. I need a list of her close friends, and I want to know more about her father, but, right now, what about those two old boyfriends? Tell me more about them.”

  “Like what?”

  “Names, where they are now?”

  “The last one—that I knew about—was Ali Ewing. Believe it or not he decided to be a priest and is off studying for his bachelor’s degree somewhere so he can be ordained. … I can’t remember where or the name of the university.”

  “Not to worry. I’ll get my team on it.” Corbin promptly texted the info to Hatch so that the team could get on it. “And the other recent beau?”

  “I’m trying to remember his name. He got caught cheating on an exam and was expelled from uni.”

  “Here?” Corbin asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Maybe the dean can help me with that.”

  “Good.” Louise frowned. “I can’t remember his name at all. It might come to me later.”

  Corbin slid one of his cards over to her. “Call me if you remember anything. So, if he’s no longer here, do you know what he’s been up to lately?”

  “I think he was in jail soon after he was expelled. Of course his family was livid and cut him off. So maybe he was stealing food or something? Again, I’m sorry. I just don’t remember any details.”

  Corbin busily texted Hatch again to find this elusive ex-boyfriend. “Was Nellie known to date people like this guy?”

  “Like cheaters, thieves?” she asked. He nodded. “No. No, not at all. She’s a straight arrow and wanted someone whose beliefs aligned with hers.”

  “So dating a married man would be out of the question with Nellie?” he asked, suddenly very interested in the answer and not for purposes of this op.

  “No way.” Louise shook her head vehemently. “You’ve got to understand what it’s like being a parliament member’s kid. The paparazzi are always around to catch you doing the least little thing, turning it into a big scandal in the gossip rags. Our dads had the talk with us about not embarrassing them in the press. Being teenagers, now adults with a sex life, can both be hard on the public faces of the parliament members.”

  Corbin almost chuckled at her grimace. “So now’s a good time to talk about her father.”

  Louise took another sip of her coffee, then sighed. “I know probably every kid, of any age, has had conflicts with their parents at times. But, speaking from personal experience, they don’t have it as bad as parliament member kids do—unless their parents are some celebrities, like actors or royalty or such.” She shook her head. “So comparing my father to hers? I’m just so glad I got mine and not Nellie’s. He was paranoid.”

  “Paranoid, how?”

  “When we were kids, having sleepovers, she came with a whole security detail. My dad may have had one or two on me at the same time, but they were pretty nice about it, staying in the background. No way with Nellie’s dad. He told my dad that Nellie would not attend any overnight stays unless he had a man inside, plus the team outside, as well as full access to my dad’s security, both physical and digital.”

  “Do you know why he was so paranoid?”

  Louise went on to tell him about the earlier kidnapping event that Carly had spoken of not an hour before.

  Corbin sent off another quick text to Hatch. “Anything else?”

  Louise cocked her head, narrowed her eyes, as if considering something. “Seems like there was an earlier incident …”

  “Before she was almost kidnapped at age sixteen?” That had him sitting up straighter.

  Louise began to nod slowly. “I think it was a … fire.” She shook her head at Corbin. “Sorry. That was so long ago that I’m fuzzy on this recollection.”

  “Does Nellie remember it, to your knowledge?”

  “Oh, yes. It was something that set her dad off for sure, but—and I know this will sound weird—she seemed to have fond memories of it.”

  Corbin’s eyebrows went up. “Can you explain that?”

  “Nope. Never knew why. Always thought it odd. But, now that I think of it, she was secretive way back then.” She slumped in her chair. “Wow. Maybe she’s been that way for much longer than I had imagined.”

  “But you understood why she had to distance herself from her dad, right?”

  “Oh, yeah. The man was relentless. Dogging her to get an abortion. Even now at five months’ pregnant. Demanding Nellie tell him the name of the baby’s father. He threatened to cut her uni funding, but Nellie called his bluff, started distancing herself from him more and more. And that just made him more fanatical. He called me more than a few times, questioning me.” She shivered at the thought.

  “Like I am doing?” Corbin asked, to get a reading off her.

  “Not even close,” she spat. “Even after I changed my phone number, twice, he still called me. If he had been my father, I would have disowned him long ago. Yet … Nellie may lay down rules and boundaries with her dad, but she’s still got a soft spot for him. I just don’t get it. He’s horrid to her. If that’s what he sees as love, I don’t want anything to do with it.”

  “What about other family in Nellie’s life?”

  Louise grimaced. “She lost her mom early on. Which kinda explains the overprotective dad issue, I guess. And he never remarried. Huh. Maybe he couldn’t handle the pain of losing someone else?” With that thought, she faced Corbin. “Do you think that’s what has been going on with him?”

  “Could very well explain it.”

  “Hmm. Maybe I should not be so hard on him.”

  “So Nellie has no siblings or aunts or uncles or grandparents or such? Any other close friends you know of?”

  She frowned. “That’s so weird. I knew of our mutual friends, back when we were younger. Now I don’t know of another friend of hers. Wow. Nellie has been keeping some secrets. As to your question about family, I know of no close relatives, that’s for sure. It’s pretty much been just Nellie and her dad for probably … two decades maybe? Oh my God, I didn’t think of that either. Not in the context of her hovering dad or even from Nellie’s perspective. I haven’t been such a good friend if I didn’t notice all that in her life until now, have I?”

  Corbin could tell she was looking for some reassurance. “You can’t go back and fix anything, but you can change things going forward.”