Chapter 25

Two hours later, Alexa knew she’d made a mistake. Doug had been flying her all over Kauai, insisting on showing her the sights. The water she’d sipped when she’d boarded the helicopter was making her feel slightly nauseous, and she wondered if it was because she hadn’t eaten in hours. He’d stashed her backpack with his belongings, so she couldn’t even grab a snack. He’d claimed it had to do with weight distribution, but she felt trapped in the passenger seat as he flew wherever he wanted.

“Where are we picking up Melissa?” she asked for the third time.

“What? Hard to hear!” he said, tapping on his headphones.

Alexa muttered a curse. “Melissa!”

“Alexa? Yeah, you already told me your name, sweetheart,” he said, flashing her a smile. His hand gripped the stick as he turned the helicopter, and he pushed a couple buttons. Alexa didn’t know the first thing about piloting a helicopter, but he seemed capable in that regard. She hadn’t even asked for his pilot’s license or identification, just assumed that it was fine if Melissa had set it up.

At long last, they seemed to be heading in the right direction from what she could tell. Melissa had agreed to a sunset photoshoot, but they needed to get there so Alexa could set up her camera and test the lighting. Plus, there was still the small matter that Doug’s fiancée wasn’t with them.

“Doug.”

He didn’t answer right away, and she repeated herself, slightly louder. “Doug! What time will we arrive?”

He looked over at her again, seeming to finally realize she’d asked him a question. “We’re heading to the canyon now. Don’t you worry. We’ll be there soon,” he said, his smile faltering slightly.

“What about Melissa?” she asked. “I thought we needed to pick her up.”

“Change of plans,” he said gruffly. Doug’s entire demeanor seemed to change as they flew toward the west side of the island. He’d been overly friendly and talkative before, seemingly happy to chatter about the sights as he flew her around. Now he looked more serious, like he was concentrating on something.

Alexa’s gaze tracked over him as she grew more wary. He was a big guy, certainly much larger than her. She wasn’t sure what exactly he could do to harm her in the helicopter. Someone needed to fly it, after all. Unless he was planning to crash it, she was safe enough until they landed.

But then what?

“This is working out perfectly,” he said as they got closer.

She looked over to him. “Oh yeah? We still need Melissa. And I’ll have to get my camera and lenses out to check the light when we land. Do you have a change of clothes for the photo session?”

He glanced down at what he was wearing and chuckled. “Don’t worry about it.”

She raised her eyebrows but didn’t respond. “How’s Melissa going to meet us there? She told me she wanted photos from inside the canyon, not at one of the overlooks.”

“You’ll see when we get there,” Doug replied.

Waimea Canyon finally came into view before she could ask anything else, and Alexa’s breath caught. Despite her reservations about this entire evening, she couldn’t deny it was breathtaking. It wasn’t called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific for nothing. Beautiful earth tones and greenery spread out before them, the jagged rock meeting the evening sky, and she stared in awe at the natural wonder.

Doug was silent, swooping over the canyon as he headed to a specific area he seemed to have in mind. There was a group of people at an overlook, the crowd looking small beneath them as the helicopter flew away.

Alexa frowned. “How’s Melissa going to get down here?” she asked into the headset as he began to make a descent.

“Melissa will be fine where she is,” he said ominously, gritting his teeth together as he finally lowered the helicopter to the ground. The landing was smooth, his skills impeccable, but Alexa’s heart began to palpitate. Something was wrong. Her instincts were screaming at her to get out of there, but where was she supposed to go? They were nowhere near the overlooks anymore, and even if they were, she’d have to figure out how to hike up and out of the canyon. She needed her backpack, she realized. At least she had food and water in it, plus her cell phone. If she needed to get away from Doug, it would be a hell of a lot harder without her things.

Would her phone even work from the bottom of Waimea Canyon?

Briefly, she recalled Austin and the guys talking about how they used satellite phones on missions. What she wouldn’t give for something like that now.

Doug had shut off the engine of the helicopter, the rotors slowing to a stop. He was muttering something to himself as he yanked off his headset, already opening the door. “I’ll help you down,” he said. While his assistance had been welcome at the airport, she was concerned about getting too close to him now. He gestured for her to follow him, and seeing little choice, she did as he asked. She wasn’t sure what good staying seated would do. It’s not like she could fly the helicopter to safety.

Much to her surprise, he handed her the backpack once she was on the ground, rummaging through his own gear. “Let’s head over there,” he said.

She hesitated as she swung the pack over one shoulder, looking around. “That’s not going to be a great view,” she said, trying to stall for time. “I should try to find the spot with the best lighting. And shouldn’t we try to call your fiancée? She arranged this entire photoshoot.”

“I gave her some meds earlier,” Doug said, stalking toward her as his eyes narrowed. “She’ll be asleep for hours. She was excited about today, but I’ve got my own plans for this evening.” Alexa froze, icy cold fear snaking through her. “Don’t even think about running,” he said forcefully, pulling a gun from a hidden holster.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady as she looked from the weapon back to him. “What do you want from me?”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

“If you wanted to hurt me, you could’ve just picked me up in a car at the airport. Why the helicopter? Why are we here?”

“I don’t just want to hurt you,” he said. “I want you to suffer, for it to be days before anyone finds you. I thought about having a little fun with you first, but apparently, you’re just a slut who sleeps around. Melissa is more of a woman than you’ll ever be,” he said, stalking closer.

“You’re Duke,” she breathed, taking a step back.

“Bingo. Admiral Rhinehart will be beside himself looking for his only daughter. The car service Melissa arranged couldn’t locate you at the airport. Car trouble,” he sneered. “They arrived late, and you were already gone.”

“But there’s video. Surveillance. Everyone will see that I left with you,” Alexa said.

“I’ve got a buddy who works there,” he chuckled. “He’ll erase all the footage.”

“There’s flight records,” she protested.

“Which is why it’s a mystery that you arrived at the airport and were never seen again.” He moved closer to her with his gun drawn. “Drop it.” Her backpack fell to the ground. “Now hold your arms out, hands together.” Alexa trembled but did as he asked, watching in horror as he pulled rope from his own bag. He bound her wrists tightly, then marched her over to a shaded area a short distance away, out of view from above. “Sit down!” he ordered, the gun still pointed at her.

Alexa hesitated only a moment then sank to the ground. She wanted to cry as he got more rope out and tied her to a large rock. He wrapped the rope tightly around her abdomen, binding her in place, and she tried to breathe steadily despite her terror. His hands groped at her breasts as he chuckled, and Alexa couldn’t stop the tears streaming down her cheeks. It would get colder tonight, and she only had on shorts and a light, flowy blouse.

Would he kill her before then? Would she be alone out here all night.

Alexa trembled, her fear getting the best of her. She choked in a breath, trying to think of any way out of this.

“It’d be easier to shoot you, but this is more fucking fun.” He knelt and tied her ankles together next, and Alexa was truly helpless, unable to move at all. Her backpack was still where she’d dropped it, but they’d walked several minutes to this location. She couldn’t get anything from it if she wanted. “Let’s see how long you can last out here, princess. You can scream all you want, but there’s no one around. The canyon is ten miles long, most of it inaccessible. It would sure be a shame if someone found you out here, alone and helpless.”

The sun was dipping lower in the sky as he finished his crazed speech, a look of hatred on his face. “This will be your last sunset,” he sneered.

“No. Please!”

Alexa screamed as he turned and shot the rock beside her. He’d intentionally missed, just as he was intentionally leaving her here to die. Tears streamed down her face, and she wondered how late it would be before Callie got worried and notified anyone. Alexa had told Austin that she was getting in a helicopter to fly to Waimea Canyon, and no doubt Callie would contact Wyatt if Alexa didn’t return later tonight. But how would any of them be able to find her? Even if the entire team came and created some sort of search party, it might be too late.

Doug/Duke turned and walked away without another word, his chuckles carrying on the wind behind him.