* * *
BELLA ANDBARRIENTOS?Campbell thought with shock after having already returned to his SUV, where he was riding solo. He never saw that coming. Apparently, neither did Kenneth Braison, based upon his negative reaction. How did those two come to be romantically involved, when Campbell thought that she and golfer Russell Kercheval were an item? And just what else were Bella and Juan up to? Or had been?
More disturbing to Campbell at the moment was that Stefanie had texted him earlier to say that she was going to pay Bella a visit. Now he was having trouble reaching Stefanie by phone. Was there a legitimate reason for this? Would Bella—and her latest lover—actually try to harm Stefanie?
While the search was underway for Juan Barrientos and his blue Volvo XC60 SUV, with a BOLO alert out for him and his vehicle, Campbell was about to head over to Bella’s house, when his cell phone rang. He took it out of his blazer and saw that it was Georgina.
Her voice was anxious as she said, “We just got a bead on Barrientos’s SUV. An automated license plate readerpicked up his vehicle on Hepmore Avenue, headed toward Reston Hills Park. There appears to be at least two people inside the vehicle—”
That news caused Campbell’s heart to skip a beat. He drew a deep breath and said, “Turns out that Juan Barrientos is involved in a romantic relationship with Bella Reston.”
“Seriously?” Georgina voiced in surprise.
“Yeah, his Braison Family girlfriend read his texts and discovered it.”
“Do you think Bella is a party to the deadly drug overdoses?” Georgina asked. “Or could she too become a victim of Barrientos?”
Campbell considered the two possibilities. Having known Bella, she didn’t at all strike him as the victim type. At least not where it concerned drug abuse. Or being conned by Juan Barrientos. It seemed more likely that she would be calling the shots in their relationship. That included wanting Mia and Jasmine dead for some bizarre reason that had to be about Bella’s father, Stuart Reston, his former lover, Lynda Boxleitner, and the opportunistic entanglements involving the Braison Family.
After a long moment, Campbell replied with conviction, “I think that Bella and Barrientos are in this together. Right down to obtaining the fentanyl mixed with carfentanil—and poisoning Mia and Jasmine. I also fear that they may have abducted Stefanie, drugged her, and are taking her to the park to leave her for dead like the others.” He sighed. “I need all available units—along with a SWAT team, crisis negotiator and EMS—to get to Reston Hills Park immediately, which is where I’m headed right now…”
“You’ve got it,” Georgina said tensely.
“On the chance that Stefanie is being kept at Bella’s house or was able to return home, get the same personnel to both places—just in case…”
“Okay. I’m close to Bella’s house, so I’ll pop over there myself and take a look, while waiting for backup.”
“All right.”
Campbell disconnected. He pressed down on the accelerator, knowing that every second could be a matter of life and death. He didn’t even want to think about his world without Stefanie being in it for years to come. But how could he not? Hadn’t Mia and Jasmine been the victims of fatal fentanyl poisonings in the park? Could Stefanie possibly avoid their fate?
Yes, if at all possible, in any way, shape, or form, he told himself. How else could he get to tell Stefanie how much he loved her? And wanted to build a life with her—and have a family with as many children as she wanted?
Campbell put on even more speed, determined to stop Barrientos from carrying out another death as, undoubtedly, part of Bella’s agenda.
* * *
STEFANIE FELT WOOZY, sweaty and had trouble breathing as she sat in the back seat of the Volvo, with Juan Barrientos holding her down forcefully and Bella behind the wheel. She was driving them to Reston Hills Park, where they planned to dump her as another fatal overdose victim—and blame it entirely on Kenneth Braison and his Family by association.
At some point—probably after she passed out at Bella’s house—they removed Stefanie’s clothes, so that she was now totally naked and oddly cold in the warm summer-evening temperature. Just like Mia and Jasmine had been forced to endure, humiliation and all.
How long would it take for the authorities—Campbell, especially—to find her body? How would he react to seeing her dead from fentanyl poisoning? Would he accept that Kenneth was responsible for it—ending the life she had hoped to have with Campbell and the children they would produce together—with Bella and Juan getting away with another murder scot-free?
Can I do anything at this point to prevent the inevitable?Stefanie wondered, knowing how weak she felt, while aching all over like living a nightmare. If she could only breathe freely again, before she took her last breath.
Maybe she could find the strength to use her tai chi self-defense skills to fight back.
Or at least die trying to live.
When the SUV drove into the park, Bella found a place to park, then said to Juan in a hardened tone, “Get her out!”
“Okay,” he muttered obediently.
Stefanie felt herself being pulled from the car roughly. Then she heard Bella direct him to take her toward the trail—not far from where Stefanie found Mia. Wouldn’t it be ironic if they both ran out of life at the same spot, leaving someone else to find Stefanie’s corpse.
I can’t let that happen…have to do something, her mind told her. As Juan half dragged, half carried her, when Stefanie was on her wobbly legs as he took a quick breather and let down his guard—it was her one and probably only opening to survive her ordeal—so she went for it.
Feeling she was too weak to attempt a joint lock against Juan—knowing that failure would only result in a countermove on his part that would probably be the painful end of her—instead, Stefanie hoped she could hurt him just enough, and maybe Bella, too, to get away from them. Till help arrived.
