Taken, page 1
part #6 of DI Kayli Bright Series
TAKEN
DI KAYLI BRIGHT #6
M A COMLEY
JEAMEL PUBLISHING LIMITED
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author M A Comley
Published by Jeamel Publishing limited
Copyright © 2020 M A Comley
Digital Edition, License Notes
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
CONTENTS
Also by M A Comley
Acknowledgements
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Epilogue
Keep in touch with M A Comley
Note to you, the reader
ALSO BY M A COMLEY
Blind Justice (Novella)
Cruel Justice (Book #1)
Mortal Justice (Novella)
Impeding Justice (Book #2)
Final Justice (Book #3)
Foul Justice (Book #4)
Guaranteed Justice (Book #5)
Ultimate Justice (Book #6)
Virtual Justice (Book #7)
Hostile Justice (Book #8)
Tortured Justice (Book #9)
Rough Justice (Book #10)
Dubious Justice (Book #11)
Calculated Justice (Book #12)
Twisted Justice (Book #13)
Justice at Christmas (Short Story)
Justice at Christmas 2 (novella)
Prime Justice (Book #14)
Heroic Justice (Book #15)
Shameful Justice (Book #16)
Immoral Justice (Book #17)
Toxic Justice (Book #18)
Overdue Justice (Book #19)
Unfair Justice (a 10,000 word short story)
Irrational Justice (a 10,000 word short story)
Seeking Justice (a 15,000 word novella)
Caring For Justice (a 24,000 word novella)
Savage Justice (a 17,000 word novella Featuring THE UNICORN)
Clever Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)
Tragic Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)
Sinful Deception (co-written by Linda S Prather)
Forever Watching You (DI Miranda Carr thriller)
Wrong Place (DI Sally Parker thriller #1)
No Hiding Place (DI Sally Parker thriller #2)
Cold Case (DI Sally Parker thriller#3)
Deadly Encounter (DI Sally Parker thriller #4)
Lost Innocence (DI Sally Parker thriller #5)
Goodbye, My Precious Child (DI Sally Parker #6)
Web of Deceit (DI Sally Parker Novella with Tara Lyons)
The Missing Children (DI Kayli Bright #1)
Killer On The Run (DI Kayli Bright #2)
Hidden Agenda (DI Kayli Bright #3)
Murderous Betrayal (Kayli Bright #4)
Dying Breath (Kayli Bright #5)
Taken (Kayli Bright #6 coming March 2020)
The Hostage Takers (DI Kayli Bright Novella)
No Right to Kill (DI Sara Ramsey #1)
Killer Blow (DI Sara Ramsey #2)
The Dead Can’t Speak (DI Sara Ramsey #3)
Deluded (DI Sara Ramsey #4)
The Murder Pact (DI Sara Ramsey #5)
Twisted Revenge (DI Sara Ramsey #6)
The Caller (co-written with Tara Lyons)
Evil In Disguise – a novel based on True events
Deadly Act (Hero series novella)
Torn Apart (Hero series #1)
End Result (Hero series #2)
In Plain Sight (Hero Series #3)
Double Jeopardy (Hero Series #4)
Criminal Actions (Hero Series #5)
Sole Intention (Intention series #1)
Grave Intention (Intention series #2)
Devious Intention (Intention #3)
Merry Widow (A Lorne Simpkins short story)
It’s A Dog’s Life (A Lorne Simpkins short story)
A Time To Heal (A Sweet Romance)
A Time For Change (A Sweet Romance)
High Spirits
The Temptation series (Romantic Suspense/New Adult Novellas)
Past Temptation
Lost Temptation
Cozy Mystery Series
Murder at the Wedding
Murder at the Hotel
Murder by the Sea
Tempting Christa (A billionaire romantic suspense co-authored by Tracie Delaney #1)
Avenging Christa (A billionaire romantic suspense co-authored by Tracie Delaney #2)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you as always to my rock, Jean, I’d be lost without you in my life.
Special thanks as always go to @studioenp for their superb cover design expertise.
My heartfelt thanks go to my wonderful editor Emmy Ellis, my proofreaders Joseph, Barbara and Jacqueline for spotting all the lingering nits.
Thank you to Jaime from the Special ARC Group for allowing me to create a character in your honour.
To Mary, gone, but never forgotten. I hope you found the peace you were searching for my dear friend.
PROLOGUE
“Well, I thought it was such a thrilling experience,” Andy enthused on the drive home from Brunel’s SS Great Britain museum.
It had been his decision to take the kids there. To begin with, Tori, thirteen, and Jake, eleven, had dug their heels in. They’d sat in the back of the car with a mardy expression contorting their faces; however, once they’d parked up at the dock, it was a different story.
“Really, can we go on board and have a nose around?” Jake had asked, his eyes lighting up in sheer pleasure.
“That’s what I said,” Andy had confirmed.
Jaime had watched her children run ahead of them to join the small queue. She was intrigued herself to find out how people lived in Victorian times on boats such as this one. It was smaller than she’d anticipated. It had been launched in 1843, and, at the time, was the largest ship in the world. It was also the first screw-propelled, iron-hulled, ocean-going steamship. A truly revolutionary vessel and forerunner of all modern shipping.
They had boarded the ship and inspected every crevice of the deck and below. Because of its age, the vessel had started corroding many years before and was now kept in dry dock, sealed in a dehumidification chamber, keeping it watertight and airtight. The thing that impressed Jaime the most was the guide’s account of how the ship had embarked on the mission of taking fifteen thousand emigrants to Australia where the Great Britain had eventually run aground.
Jaime glanced over at her children, who seemed mesmerised by the tour guide and the facts he was spilling out.
Andy nudged her and leaned in to whisper, “Go on, admit it, the boy done good bringing us here.”
Jaime smiled and shook her head. “Conceited as ever. It’s been a fascinating expedition so far, I must say. Thank you, from all of us. Although I fear you’ve made a rod for your own back now.”
He frowned and looked down at her. “How come?”
She smiled and tucked her arm into his. “You’re going to have to top this on our next family outing, that’s all.”
His eyes widened, and he pulled a face. “Crikey, I never thought about that. Oh well, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” He elbowed her in the ribs and chuckled. “Get it? Brunel—bridge. Oh gosh, you’re hopeless.”
“I’m hopeless?” She pointed at her chest. “Umm…hasn’t anyone ever told you that if you have to explain a joke then it wasn’t worth telling in the first place?”
He whispered in her ear, “Smart arse.” He pecked her on the cheek, flung an arm around her shoulder and held her close.
“You wouldn’t have me any other way,” she replied, gazing up at his handsome features.
She’d struck the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow when he’d walked into her life fourteen years earlier. She’d steered clear of most men before then, bored with stroking their egos and being ignored when they’d dragged her along to meet their crowd of friends. No, Andy had been special from day one. Always treating her like a princess. He was there, holding her hand during both births, intent on going through the pain with her. He’d also been there when she’d lost one of her sisters to breast cancer six months earlier. That event had knocked the stuffing out of all of them. From that day, she and Andy had decided that life was too short to sit in at the weekend. During the week, between them as a family, they chose their itinerary for the weekend ahead. The kids had been mortified by their father’s suggestion to come here today. Nevertheless, the joy on their beautiful faces proved to Jaime that today’s excursion had been a raving success.
They completed the tour a few hours later, money well spent by all those concerned.
“Where to now, Dad?” Tori asked, linking her arm through his as they walke d back to the car.
“Hey, cheeky, we’re not made of money, you know. It’s back home for us.”
“Sorry, Dad. It’s just that I’ve really enjoyed myself today.”
“Good. Remember that the next time you utter your usual complaint about not going anywhere.” Andy grinned at his daughter.
“I will, I promise.”
Jaime ran a hand over Tori’s hair. They were good kids. Never any bother. Always played with each other nicely in spite of the two-year difference between them. “I’ll tell you what, why don’t I drop you guys off at home and I’ll nip to the shop for some munchies and we’ll settle down to watch a film together this evening? How does that sound?”
“Can we see the new Batman movie, pleeeease?” Jake pleaded.
“We’ll see.”
The four of them piled into the car, and Jaime, the designated driver for the day, drove back to the house. “Any last requests on what snacks you want?”
“A bag of popcorn, the sweeter the better for me,” Tori said, a hopeful grin spreading her lips apart.
“Okay, don’t forget you have a dentist appointment next week, young lady.”
“Ugh…did you have to remind me, Mum? You’ve spoilt my day now.”
Jaime and Andy both laughed as the kids tumbled out of the car and strode towards their detached house.
“Oh dear, maybe I shouldn’t have said that,” she muttered.
“She’ll be fine. Leave her to me. I wouldn’t mind a couple of cans of lager, if you’re asking.”
“Already in my mind to get some for you, love. I won’t be long. Put the kettle on for me, I’m parched and in need of a coffee.”
Andy let the kids in the house and waved her off. She beamed all the way to the Co-op store situated a few streets away. She was lazy, she should have walked instead of wasting petrol, but why drain her energy when she was dying to get back to her family. She drew into the car park located behind the medium-sized shop and rushed through the entrance. In her haste to get the supplies, she bumped into a young man who was on his way out of the store.
He picked up the cans of beer she’d knocked out of his hand and stood, studied her and sneered. “Hey, bitch, watch where you’re damn well going next time.”
“Oh blimey! I do apologise for accidentally bumping into you. There’s really no need to call me that rude name, though.”
He towered over her, his greasy long hair framing his thin face. He appeared sinister with his black eyeliner etched into place. “If I want to call you a bitch, then who’s going to stop me? You?”
Jaime shrugged and retreated a few steps, her gaze dropped. She feared if she looked the young man in the eye that would only incense him further. “Sorry,” she mumbled and turned to walk away.
The man called after her, shouting numerous other defamatory names. Tears pricked her eyes as people ahead of her studied her up and down as if she were worthless. Jesus! That was totally uncalled for. I’ve only come in here for a few items and ended up with a barrage of abuse from a total stranger.
Glancing over her shoulder, she blew out a relieved breath. The man had gone. Several of the shoppers were staring at her. Her cheeks flared under their scrutinising gazes. Jaime shopped in a daze, grabbing the food her family had requested, and took her basket to the till to be served.
The assistant smiled and said, “I’m sorry you were subjected to that. I wanted to step in and say something. The trouble is, you just don’t know how someone like that is going to react, do you?”
“No, you’re right. Thank you for caring enough to say something. I thought I was the one in the wrong there for a minute, judging by the vile looks some of the other customers were giving me.”
The woman finished totalling up the goods and smiled. “You were definitely not in the wrong. I’m just sorry you had to suffer such humiliation. It was his fault, I stand by that.”
Jaime packed her carrier bag and waved the woman’s concerns away. “Honestly, it’s all forgotten about now.”
“You must be a very special person. I’d be seething about an incident like that for days on end. That’ll be eighteen twenty-seven, love.”
Jaime took a twenty from her purse, noticing that she’d now run out of readies. “Thanks. I lost my sister a few months ago to cancer. Something like that kind of puts life back into perspective. If the same thing had happened to me before her death, then yes, it probably would’ve rattled me for a few days. I’ve learnt to block out any negativity now and tend to concentrate on all the positive things happening in this world.”
“Blimey! I’m sorry to hear that. Bloody cancer sucks. It took my mum only last year; she was in her early seventies. Still miss her dearly today.”
“That’s terrible, my condolences for your loss.”
“It is what it is. She had a good life. She’s with my dad now. She was never the same after he died. Here’s your change. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“I will, thank you. What time do you finish today?”
“Not until four, unfortunately. Still, it’s an early day for me. I’m usually stuck here until ten during the week.”
“Oh well. I hope you have an enjoyable evening once you finish. No doubt I’ll see you again soon. My lot seem to eat me out of house and home more often than not.” Jaime laughed, hitched the carrier off the counter and walked towards the exit.
Once she was outside and on her way to the car, she suddenly remembered she needed to get some cash. The machine was immediately to the right of the entrance. After withdrawing her card from her purse, she inserted it in the machine and entered her PIN. She requested fifty pounds and waited for the machine to churn out the cash and receipt, then she made her way around the side of the building to the car park. She opened the back door and placed the carrier bag on the seat.
She took a step back and bumped into someone. “Oops, sorry. I should’ve been watching where I was going, silly me,” she said without turning around. A fist jabbed her in the kidneys, expelling the breath from her body. She stumbled and fell against the car. “What are you doing?”
“It’s payback time, bitch.”
She recognised the voice and her heart sank. “Please, it was a genuine mistake. I’ve already apologised. I’ll do it again, if that’s what you want.”
“Too late. Your sort need to be taught a lesson.”
Her head swivelled. The youth from the shop was glaring at her, his eye twitching at the side. Jaime’s stomach tied itself into large knots. There was something about this guy that petrified her.
Is he high on drugs? Or alcohol maybe? Why pick on me? “I’m sorry, how many more times do I have to tell you that?”
“You can say it until you’re blue in the face, bitch, it ain’t gonna make a scrap of difference. You know that saying, ‘words are cheap’? Well, that’s the impression I’m getting from you. Your apology means jack shit. You just said it because you thought it was what I wanted to hear. Well, you’re wrong about that.”
“I didn’t mean to cause any offence. Please, I have a family to get home to. They’ll be concerned about me if I’m not home within a few minutes.”
He shuffled forward, his groin thrusting against her hip. Relief overwhelmed her that he wasn’t showing signs of having an erection. No fear of him raping me, I hope! He pinned her to the car—there was no way she could escape him.
A woman appeared from behind one of the skips.
“Please, help me. Can you get help? This man’s attacking me.”
The young woman laughed and joined the young man. She placed a hand to his cheek. “You got her then. What now?”
They shared a kiss. Jaime cringed having to hear their moans of pleasure when she was barely six inches away from them. What the hell is going on here?
“Get her bag. See what’s in there,” he ordered, once the pair had parted.
“Yes, I have some money in there. Take that, please, just let me go.” Jaime despised the pitiful plea and the way her voice was quaking. She was determined to remain strong, but how strong? Wouldn’t that anger the man further? She should give in to him and his demands, hopefully then he would consider letting her go.
“I have news for you, bitch. I don’t need your permission to take what I need from you, got that?”
She shuddered; his tone had become far more menacing. She was too scared to utter another word for fear she’d tick him off even more.
