His mistaken Identity

Chapter 19

Jane felt numb and cold inside despite the warm sun that was shining down on her. A shudder raked her spine as though a very cold hand had just traced its fingers down her back. An ugly thought crossed her muddled mind. Maybe it was Enock’s hand from his grave.

She almost jumped out of her skin when a hand suddenly touched her shoulder.

“Easy.”

Following the voice, Jane blinked and realized it was Christopher and they were no longer driving. He stood in the doorway on the back passenger side where she sat. After drawing a deep, calming breath, she let Christopher help her out of the car like a zombie. He carried Tony in one arm and held her elbow in the other.

A soft breeze blew their way, carrying the smell of wet soil and the sound of birds singing in a nearby tree. It was the same smell that filled the air at the beginning of a downpour. Jane inhaled deeply and let herself exhale some of her anxiety away. She tried to remind herself that being a mental wreck wasn’t going to help anyone.

But even as she thought it, she looked over her shoulder, terrified she would see one of the men in a ski mask running their way, ready to finish what they had started. She felt her shoulder tingle as though thinking about the men that had kidnapped her and Tony made the wound reopen and bleed.

Christopher hadn’t wasted any time after the phone call from the security company. He had called the police detective whom he had already approached with the first letters from the kidnappers about a month ago when everything started. He had relayed all the information he had, which was not much, and the detective promised to give the case some extra attention.

That did not say much, but at least the authorities had been made aware of the situation. Jane thought that was a good thing. At least it was a start.

Christopher had then hastily packed what would be needed and got them on the road. Jane hadn’t spoken the entire drive. Not even when they had stopped by a mall and Christopher had asked if she had anything specific she needed. She had no idea how long she had sat in the car waiting, or even an inkling of an idea of what the man had bought. She had been too lost in her own thoughts and fears to hold any sort of meaningful conversation or be aware of what was happening around her. The only effort she made was to make sure Tony was ok.

Jane realized how powerful the emotion of fear could be. She had thought she had left it all behind when she escaped, but she hadn’t. She faced it again. Fear of an uncertain future. It was as though that terror had paralyzed her tongue and every brain cell in the process. Survival was all that screamed throughout her body. The fight-or-flight nerve leaned heavily towards flight. The safety of her son, including her own, hung in the balance until the dangerous men were dealt with. She realized she had begun to relax and breathe a little easier while she stayed with Christopher because she had thought they wouldn’t find them again. Now that illusion was shot out the window. Blown out of the water. Its scattered residues mocked her for her foolishness.

With mammoth effort, she tried to bring her mind to focus on what was happening around her at present. She slowly looked around where Christopher had brought them. Blinking from her daze, she realized he had packed the car in front of a little one-story house. The house looked new, or at least recently renovated, and painted a fresh coat of white. The immediate area around the house was covered in white crushed stones. A few weeds had sprouted in between the stones and added to complete the view rather than take from it. It made the little house stand out like something out of a postcard picture.

Beyond the house, in either direction, were vast fields of different crops in various shades of green and height. She could see maize in one field and what looked like tomatoes in the other, with the support poles arranged in lines like military men. From the distance, she couldn’t tell what the other fields had, but it all looked so green and healthy, like someone had really taken the time and effort to make it so.

She blinked and looked around, taking note of more details. Closer to the house now, she spotted some farming implements on the other side of the house and a blue tractor parked next to them.

She opened her mouth, but after hours of not speaking, her voice came out raspy. “Wha…?” She cleared her throat and tried again. “We are on a farm?”

A sigh of relief exhaled from Christopher’s chest. He had been concerned with her silence. A soft smile touched his lips as he, too, looked around with a look of pride in his eyes.

“Yes, we are. It’s mine. One of my many smaller projects.”

There was something about planting a seed and seeing it grow into a full crop that made a man feel like he had achieved something. Christopher held a lot of pride in his little farm. With only a handful of workers and almost zero knowledge of agriculture, he could say he had done pretty well so far.

She looked around again, blinking as though to clear her eyes. Christopher wondered what was going through her mind. Did she like the place? He would have loved to show her around, but he still remembered her near-fainting episode just that morning after the call. She needed to relax and rest.

So did the boy in his arms, who had begun to stir. He needed to set them up in the house. Then he had to make one more phone call.

An hour later, Christopher leaned against his car with his mobile phone pressed to his ear. Thomas was on the line. Christopher had given his friend the rundown of everything and explained his powerful urge to protect Jane and Tony, and therefore leaving the city for the time being to guarantee their safety.

“Oh boy, you have fallen head over heels for the damsel in distress,” Thomas said.

Maybe, but Christopher was ready to discuss it with anyone, not even his friend. “Don’t be ridiculous. I barely know her. I am only keeping them safe. Anyone in my position would do the same thing.”

Of course, Thomas wasn’t buying his excuse. “Hmm. Sure. Or simply put… You are in love.” Thomas said, ignoring the groan Christopher let out.

“You are delusional. I had no idea you were a closet romantic. Do you write poems and leave roses on women’s doorsteps in your spare time too?”

“Ha! Well... If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like one… ladies and gentlemen… It is a duck! And in this case… It is Love!”

“Are you drunk?” Christopher asked in an irritated tone.

Thomas laughed.

“What was I supposed to do, man? These people are not playing around… They found my new offices and threw a damn rock through the bloody window! They will come after her and her son if I don’t do something. Hell, they will come after me as well.”

Thomas had sobered. He sighed. “I know you are doing the right thing, I am not trying to judge your actions or make fun of your predicament… I am just saying… Perhaps the little woman and her son have begun to mean more… From the day you saw that picture your heart has never settled. It could be the silver lining in this whole nightmare. Think about it… There were other options you could have gone with, but you picked this one… to protect them with your life. You are putting a hell of a lot of yourself into this. Admit it.”

Christopher closed his eyes a moment, then opened them and looked at the house where he had left Jane and Tony taking a nap.

There was no way he could stand aside and watch harm befall either Jane or her son Tony. It was true, he would sooner take a bullet for them. But was that love? He didn’t know. And he really didn’t want to dig into it just yet.

But his brain wouldn’t be persuaded so easily. The memory of the kiss they had shared was still bright and fresh in his mind. Did he want to repeat it again? Most definitely. But he wasn’t going to jump on the roof and say he was in love, announcing to anyone who cared to hear. That was just absurd. Besides, it was hardly the time for such thoughts.

“I called you to inform you and ask you to keep an eye on my business while I am away… not for you to weave up fairy tales fit for a harlequin fiction novel.”

Another burst of laughter could be heard over the phone. Christopher pulled it away from his ear and glared at it before pressing it back. “Are you done?”

Thomas continued to laugh. It sounded like he was just about to hunch over and grab his abdomen from the force of it. Christopher ended the call angrily. He made his way back to the small house, some of Thomas’ words turning in his head. He entered the house and found Jane asleep exactly where he had left her. She had one arm firmly around her son, as though she feared someone would take him while she slept.

It ate at him to see her that way. Christopher could only imagine how much fear flowed through her veins after the first-hand experience she’d had with the kidnappers last time.

He stood in front of the sleeping duo and made a silent promise. ‘I will not allow anything to happen to either of you.’