“She’s their collateral, Joe, they won’t return her. My father has set up an attack on the Dubois family. He wants me back in Paris by next week. Honestly. Joe, I think he is trying to kill me to get back at me for leaving the family. I am supposed to be meeting my father at the pier tonight. If I don’t show there will be trouble. The question is, can we get to Vicky before tonight? Please don’t take chances, Joe,” he pled. “My father’s threats are real. I will tell my father I will meet him, but I may be followed. I am going to try and cover my tracks. I will ask Vicky’s father for his jet. In the meantime, scan every motel in the area.” I heard the despair in his voice; he cared for her.
“Dammit, Luc, she’s pregnant,” I blurted out, feeling enraged with the situation. I should have made it to New York sooner, I should have watched over her more carefully, she was a mess. I couldn’t imagine how she was taking the abduction.
Luc was silent, even though I knew he heard my revelation. “Luc?” I called out. I knew he was still with me because I can hear his breath on the phone.
“Please go look for her and don’t let anything happen to her, I know what I need to do. Joe, if I don’t make it there by tonight, you need to get her back, you need to pool all your resources together and get her back,” he begged while his voice cracked. On file, it had looked like he had walked away from the family business, but like I’d seen before; it is not so easy to walk away from families involved in organized crime. They would rather see you dead than free.
“Luc, I’m getting her back either way, she’s my little sister and that’s my niece or nephew she’s carrying,” I assured him. “I will also alert the airport and borders as well,” I added on.
“Just make sure she’s okay, I will take care of things on my end,” he said and then the line cut out. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
In our small town, stuff like this didn’t happen. There had always been petty robberies, nothing like a person being taken. I Googled every hotel in a ten mile radius then I headed back to the house. It was still filled with guests, and I plastered on a smile while I headed up the stairs and into my parents' old room. They had a safe in their closet, and I stashed my guns there. Placing one gun in the holster on my hip, I put the other smaller revolver in my boot. Whoever had taken her may be armed. I whispered in Marie’s ear again that I would be gone for a while and asked if she could close up after the guests leave. A few of the guests eyed me warily and some looked at me understanding that I may have lost my shit after everything I’d been through. I continued to smile and nod my way out the front door.
I began to circle the city in the Tracker, going from motel to motel. I knew the police had cruisers and I provided a picture, but I needed to do this my way. The first two motels were closer to town and they came up empty, no black Mustang had stopped there. The sky had turned dark as I followed the GPS on my phone. The next motel was ten miles out.
Chapter 26
Luc
This whole situation was completely messed up. Whenever I pictured being sucked back into my father’s dark world, it never went down like this. I wasn’t sure if I could trust the person on the other side of the phone calling himself Joe Molino, so I had no choice. I called Bryce. A man like him was connected to all the major political people in Washington DC, and he was also connected to the authorities as well. It would only take a phone call. I knew he was going to take the news of Vicky’s abduction hard, but I felt like I had my back up against a wall.
I dialed his number and a few rings later he picked up, “Luc…what’s going on?” he asked with a worried tone.
“Things have become complicated, Bryce. My father is here in New York City, but I just got a phone call from a man claiming to be Joe Molino…he said that a car with two thugs just drove off with Vicky. I need you to verify that this Joe Molino is her brother. He claims to be DEA.”
I heard him gasp through the phone. He probably wanted to kill me right now for getting his daughter mixed up with my life. “Let me make a quick phone call, Luc. The director of the FBI should have some answers.”
“I don’t think we should alert the authorities, I don’t want my father ordering her death sentence. Right now, he thinks I will comply. I don’t want him to think otherwise. I don’t want to set off any alarms where he is concerned. I think we should keep the abduction quiet. If the abduction hits the media and people know she is your daughter, it will cause a frenzy, and we will lose our chances of getting her back.”
“You’re right, Luc, I will call just to inquire. I won’t tell him the reason. Vicky did mention her brother. He had taken off on her and hadn’t been in touch for over a year. She was quite upset when she spoke of him,” Bryce explained.
“I know Bryce, she told me about him too. Listen, can I take your jet? I need to get to Thunder Bay,” I asked. I hated asking for things, especially something so big but I knew I was on a time constraint. It’s 1:30 in the afternoon and my father was expecting me at the pier at 8:30 p.m. tonight.
“Yes, Luc, but what are you going to do?”
“Please have the jet ready and then send two black SUV’s to my apartment in twenty minutes. I need both drivers wearing driver’s caps, and I need a passenger with dark hair in a black suit in one of the cars,” I explained.
“Your father is following you…you're hoping to divert him.”
“Yes, have the other SUV follow my SUV halfway and then have them drive to the front door of Tyson. We should also probably have a third unmarked car following from behind, so we can track my father’s movements. He will be following us closely and I can’t take any chances.”
“I’m on it, Luc, calling the director right now,” Bryce answered with a clipped tone. I wanted to apologize for this mess, but there was no time for pleasantries right now. We had to get Vicky back. I closed the phone and head to the safe in my room. I had a few registered guns that I packed into a black bag. It was good that I didn’t have to clear regular customs with the jet; they should be easy to hide. I also packed a few unmarked guns. I’m not stupid; I was expecting my father to follow me to Thunder Bay. I just hoped that Vicky wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire. The mere thought destroyed me, but I knew I needed to keep my head clear right now to save her.
A moment later, my cell phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Luc, it’s Bryce, it isn’t a lie, Joe Molino is DEA. He’s been on vacation due to his father’s death. He checks out. You better call him if he’s in Thunder Bay. I’m packing a bag and heading over to the jet. I will meet you there.”
“Bryce, I don’t think you should come.”
“Luc, she’s my daughter. I’ve let her and her mother down too many times. I need to help her now,” he said and the phone clicked dead.
I packed my things and left through the front doors of the apartment building. It was raining, which meant there would be more traffic. As I requested, there were two SUV's lined up waiting for me. I opened the door to the second one and nodded to the man, who was a passenger in the backseat. Then I closed the door and walked over to car one and got inside.
Chapter 27
Vicky
The men drove off with me in the backseat. I didn’t realize I was crying until the dark guy in the passenger seat turned his head. “Shut up, bitch,” he spat out with his raspy accent. He had a stocking over his face so I couldn’t tell what he really looked like.
I tried to control my shakes, but I felt so cold. Then the driver, who was wearing a black cap and sunglasses said to the other guy, “Just knock the bitch out.”