An unlikely romance sprouts from a chance encounter between Cliff and Hannah after she spurns his good deed. ----------
Cliff tries doing a good deed for financially distressed Hannah by paying for her expensive car repairs. He expects nothing in...
Cliff checked the time. Izzy had been gone too long. He wanted to drive Kayla home and return before the party ended in the hope of finding and talking to Hannah.
"We've waited long enough," Kayla said. "I'll text your sister later."
Aaron grumbled and pushed his chair back from the table. "I'm going to find her. She had a lot to drink and is probably talking the ears off one of her friends."
"Tell her we said goodbye," Kayla said.
Cliff led Kayla around the throng of dancers to the exit. He sighed after leaving the building and ran a finger around his shirt collar. "It was way too hot in there. This cooler nighttime air is refreshing."
Kayla agreed.
Cliff handed his ticket to the head valet who, in turn, handed it off to one of the runners. There was something familiar about the guy, but Cliff couldn't place him. During the few minutes it took for his car to be retrieved, Cliff looked around hoping to maybe catch a glimpse of Hannah. Madison stood in line behind them ready to follow in her car.
The valet pulled up in Cliff's Corvette, jumped out, and hurried around to open the door for Kayla.
"Thank you," she said.
When Kayla stepped up to him, he grabbed her from behind, wrapping an arm around her midsection.
Kayla screamed.
He held her in front of him as a shield and pulled a box cutter with his other hand, holding the blade against her throat.
It took Cliff a moment to recover from his shock. He shouted, "Don't move, Kayla, that's a razor blade."
The head valet yelled at his subordinate to release Kayla at once.
The man holding Kayla ignored him, fixed his gaze on Cliff, and shouted, "You're supposed to be with Hannah. Where is she?"
Cliff finally recognized James from when he had caught glimpses of him at Hershey Park. "I don't know."
"I guess it doesn't matter. You took something from me. Now I'm going to take something from you."
Madison already had her handgun out and aimed at the man, but with Kayla as a shield, she couldn't shoot.
Fear threatened to paralyze Cliff, but his concern for Kayla's safety kept him focused. "James, listen to me. You have no idea who you're holding. You're going to get yourself killed."
"How does it feel?" James taunted, "to lose someone you care about."
Kayla was in near hysterics, crying and struggling. Madison remained calm and spoke into a radio in her collar.
If only he could reason with the guy. "James, in a couple seconds an army of armed protection agents are going to boil out of the door. If you don't let Kayla go right now, they will kill you."
"If they do, I'll be taking this girl with me to hell. She'll keep me company."
"Don't do it!" Cliff pleaded.
Moments later, a ring of men with guns pointing at James surrounded him. He seemed astonished that Cliff had told him the truth. Addressing Kayla, he asked, "Who the hell are you, anyway, some famous actress?"
"Please, let me go," she begged.
With so many guns pointed his way, Cliff could sense James having second thoughts. Maintaining his grip around Kayla's waist and the blade to her throat, he slowly moved toward the driver's door. "Change of plan. This princess, whomever she is, comes with me."
"No, no," Kayla shouted and started to resist anew.
"Kayla, please don't struggle with that blade against you," Cliff shouted.
Hannah suddenly appeared. "Let her go, James."
The sight of her made James freeze.
"It's me you want. Not that girl." She walked toward the car, hands at her side, non-threatening.
Cliff's breath caught. She looked so beautiful in her little black dress. "Hannah, don't."
"It's the only way out of this, right James?"
James regarded her.
"I'm getting in the passenger seat," Hannah said. "I'll let you take me, but you have to let Kayla go."
Just then, the senator and his wife, Izzy and Aaron, Cliff's parents, and a knot of other guests all burst from the event center. They all started shouting, transforming the scene into utter chaos.
By now, Hannah was inside the car and had closed the door. James backed to the open driver's side door and folded himself into the seat, pulling Kayla down along with him into his lap. When he was completely in, he gave Kayla a shove, sending her sprawling toward Madison where she fell to the ground. He pulled the door shut and burned rubber.
Everyone on the senator's protection detail levelled their handguns at the departing car's taillights.
"Don't shoot," Cliff screamed. "You'll hit Hannah!"
"Stand down!" the senator shouted.
They lowered their weapons.
The senator and his wife rushed to Kayla. She sat on the ground wearing a stunned expression. One of her knees was skinned and bleeding.
Madison's car had been parked behind Cliff's Corvette and was idling. "I'm going after them," he shouted and jumped into the driver's seat.
"No!" Izzy screeched. She tried climbing onto Cliff's lap to prevent him from closing the door. "You can't, Cliffy. You can't. I don't want you to. He might have a gun. He might hurt you. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Cliff spoke to his sister in a calming tone. "Let me do this. You know how much I care for her."
"But, Cliffy?"
"Please, Izzy."
Breathing heavily, she backed away. "You come back to us."
"I will." He closed the door.
While he had been reasoning with Izzy, Madison had joined him in the passenger seat. Cliff turned to her. "With all due respect, ma'am, I'm borrowing your car. Don't try to stop me."
She faced him. "With all due respect, sir, you need to think this through. It's after dark. That man already has a head start and is driving a faster car. You don't know which way he went. How do you expect to follow him?"
Cliff despaired as her words sank in. She was right. He had no idea where James might be heading. He banged the palms of his hands against the steering wheel. "What am I going to do?"
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Hannah was brave exchanging herself for Kayla. Let's hope she can handle what comes next.
