Chapter 84

ARTHUR

Nathan and I asked everyone if they had seen Doris or Nina. I was just beginning to get worried when I saw them talking to the bride by the very front of the venue.

We were only a few meters from them when a large white van sped up, the side doors opened, and a man wearing all black and a black mask leaned far out the door and grabbed Lisa around the chest.

Doris, acting fast, got a death grip on Lisa’s dress. For a few harrowing seconds, there was a tug of war.

When they couldn’t shake Doris off, the kidnappers simply grabbed both women and hauled them into the van.

I ran as fast as I could, faster than I had ever run in my life. I got there just as the van door slammed in my face.

The van floored it, speeding away at what must have been a hundred miles an hour.

I grabbed the bumper and was dragged relentlessly across the gravel driveway for about twenty yards until my grip gave way, and I crashed hard, face-planted into the rough stones.

I jumped up and looked for a way to follow.

A man was on a motorcycle, and I pushed him off with a hard shove. Thankfully the motorcycle started.

I revved the engine and followed the van at top speed, pushing the motorcycle as fast as it could go.

I hadn’t been on a motorcycle since I was a teen, but nothing would stop me from following Doris and hopefully rescuing her.

My heart was in my heart throat.

There were plenty of reasons people would kidnap the award-winning actress. Ransome, fame, rape.

But Doris would just be a hindrance. If I didn’t get to Doris very soon, her life expectancy would be in danger.

Depending on the ruthlessness of these men, they might decide to keep her, let her go, or kill her within the hour.

Probably the latter because they wouldn’t want any witnesses.

I had to get to her.

I leaned forward and gritted my teeth against the wind and my fear. I could not fail.

Who knew how I would single-handedly overpower the kidnappers if I ever caught up to them.

We continued through winding roads and passed smaller and smaller towns. The more isolated the terrain became, the more I began to worry, something I didn’t think possible.

Time dragged on. If this motorcycle ran out of gas, I’d be screwed. There would be no hope of ever rescuing Doris and Lisa.

The other concerning thing was the growing distance between the van and the motorcycle. Barely, but still, I noticed it.

I ground my teeth so hard I might have no molars left in a few minutes.

Just when I was beginning to despair, I heard the loud vrrrrm-vrrroom of a powerful engine behind me, but I couldn’t spare one second to turn around.

I worried that it was another villain who had paired with the kidnappers in the van. Maybe somebody was coming to kill me so the men in the van wouldn’t have any interference.

As the loud, powerful car started to pass me on the left, I could see it was a bright red Bugatti, one of the fastest cars ever made.

The tinted window rolled down. Nathan was in the driver's seat, and Nina was in the passenger seat.

Nathan gunned the engine and, staying in the left lane, sped past the white van, did a hard 90° right turn, and stopped, blocking the road.

Nina leaned out the window. She leveled the gun at the van.

A loud squeal pierced the air, and the smell of burning rubber flooded my nostrils as the van hit the brakes hard, desperately trying to slow down before hitting the red Bugatti.

I held my breath as the van continued to zoom toward the race car.

Nina aimed and quickly shot two sharp rounds, shooting out the van's front tire, which blew out with a loud pop.

Nina shot another three bullets RAT-TAT-TAT in rapid succession. The bullets sprayed, one piercing the van's quarter panel with a ping, one sinking into the bumper, and the last found its target, rupturing the back wheel with a loud burst.

With two tires popped, the white van spun out of control with a screech, doing a doughnut, burning rubber in a 360° turn.

I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid crashing into the van.

At the last minute, I had to jump off the motorcycle while it was still moving, slowly pushing the bike away from my side to avoid landing on it.

The van's side door opened, and Lisa and Doris tried to jump out, but two men held them tightly and pulled them back in.

I heard another shot and shattering glass. Nina had managed to shoot the driver square in the left shoulder.

I took a flying leap into the van, and put the driver in a chokehold with my left hand. The scum bag in the passenger seat pulled a knife. I kicked his chair, but it didn’t do much.

I wanted to punch him, but I realized I didn’t have enough reach without letting go of the driver. He lunged towards me with his knife aimed at my heart.

I managed to avoid it and, stiffening my hand, rammed my fingers into his throat.

He dropped the knife, putting one hand on his throbbing Adam’s apple.

He leaned forward, choking with the pain, and as he did, with my right hand, I gave him a hard punch to his nose. Blood spurted.

Before he could recover, I gave him a hard punch to the eye. I felt his orbital ridge break.

I heard Nathan fighting with the other guys and Nina as well.

The driver slumped from lack of air.

I turned around. All the villains were down.

Lisa, Doris, and Nina ran out of the van.

I looked at Nathan. He glanced at all the bad guys in the van that had been incapacitated and gave me a rueful smile.

Nathan jumped out of the van I followed.

Nathan hopped in the driver seat of the Bugatti. Nina climbed into the passenger side.

Doris, Lisa, and I squeezed into the backseat.

Nathan revved the powerful engine and maneuvered around the disabled van.

Nathan slammed his foot on the gas pedal, propelling the vehicle forward. In a daring move, Nina stretched her body far out of the open window, her fingers gripping her gun tightly.

Nina took aim and fired. Phoom-poom. She hit the van's gas tank. A few heart-pounding moments later, the van exploded, bursting into a ball of flames.

Lisa gasped, and then a second boom, a deafening blast, transformed the van into a spectacular inferno, painting the scene with blazing intensity.

I looked over my shoulder as the flames soared higher and higher.

Nathan stepped on it. We raced away from the crime scene as a small lick of fire flew away from the van and walked down the center road like a ghost looking for a burning lover.

“Oh, my God, oh my god, oh my God,” Lisa said, breathing heavily. "I can’t believe that happened."

Lisa had her hand over her chest and looked pale. Nina twisted and reached back, and held Lisa's hand.

"I can’t believe I was kidnapped!" Then Lisa looked at Doris. “You saved me. You all saved me. Doris, if you hadn’t come to my wedding, I don’t know what would’ve happened."

We all contemplated that for a minute.

“I guess it was a real blessing that someone wrote that special song for you, that you loved Doris’s voice, and that you decided she should be the one to come and sing it for you,” I said.

“Doris, if you hadn’t come to my wedding. I might’ve been a captive or dead. Inviting you to my wedding might’ve been the best thing I’ve ever done."

I looked at Doris with adoration. “I know asking Doris out on a date was the best thing I’ve ever done, so I guess we’re both lucky.”

Doris blushed and looked down, suddenly shy.

“Anyone would’ve done the same," Doris said.

Nobody said anything. But secretly, I thought, I doubt it.

My little dove was brave. She was more of a hawk, eagle, or lion than a pigeon today. Not only was she smart and fast-thinking, she was a hero.

I was very proud of her.

And more in love than ever.