The dark man turned around, this time he was holding a gun in his hand. As I noticed the black revolver, my hands immediately went to my stomach and I thought of the child Luc and I created. I thought of how he warned me about his family, and I took it so lightly. I was in a bad place at the time, I didn’t care for my life, I had felt alone and abandoned. Of course I took it lightly because I didn’t care. Now I cared, now I had a baby growing inside me, now Luc had taught me to hope, to dream, and now it was all going to be taken away from me. I was no longer invincible.
The revolver connected with my head sending shooting pain through my skull, I knew that if I didn’t play unconscious, I was getting another one of those shots. So I closed my eyes and fell back on the seat, trying to slowly breath through the pain.
The two men began to mutter in French. This was one of those times I was kicking myself for not paying attention in French class. They said something about auto, which means car, and le motel, which I assumed, is motel. Only problem was that I didn’t get the in between words. My head felt like it was splitting in two but at least playing knocked out had gotten both men off my back. I wondered what Joe must have thought watching me drive off. I wondered if he even saw me.
I wished I could call Luc and he could save me again. He had become good at saving me. I didn’t even have my cell phone. I felt frustrated and driving in the backseat of a car didn’t help my nauseous state, but I knew I needed to keep my shit together. These men were dangerous, and my life depended on it. What felt like at least an hour later, the car began to slow down and I opened my eye slightly to see that they had pulled up to a motel. The driver stepped out of the car, smacking the door behind him and walked to the motel entrance.
I closed my eyes but I could feel the gaze of the other man on me, it made my skin crawl. “You think I am a fool, I know I didn’t knock you out,” he muttered to the backseat. I kept my eyes shut and I didn’t answer. My heart rate went from erratic to berserk. I didn’t want to die, not now, not with a baby growing inside me. I wondered where Luc was. I wondered if Bryce had caught on to what was happening, he for sure must have the resources to find me or help Luc. The other man returned to the car and we were driving slowly again. My entire body felt clammy and weak, but I knew I needed to hold on.
Chapter 28
Luc
Now that Henri was dead my father would force me to come with him. As I predicted there was someone following me when I left my apartment, but according to Bryce’s source, they lost me and followed the other SUV. It was times like this that I was thankful for my skills and abilities, but I didn’t get out of there alone. All of Bryce’s drivers and security personnel were all ex-military or had served in law enforcement. Given his status. he needed that type of reassurance. We made it to the airport in record time and Derek, Bryce’s driver, pulled up to the jet, which was already running and waiting for takeoff.
“There you go, Mr. Lebaum,” he said, opening the door for me. “I just took Vicky here yesterday. She was quite sad,” he said with a solemn face. I knew that he must know that we are together. He had been her driver for a while before my own driver began to accommodate her.
“Thanks, Derek.” I smiled curtly. I didn’t have time to explain anything and I felt guilty enough as it was. She left town to bury her father after I was an asshole to her and pushed her away. When I find her, I had a lot of making up to do.
I boarded the jet and waited for takeoff. Only we were still on the tarmac not moving, when I saw another black SUV pull up beside the jet. It was one of Bryce’s cars. A moment later, he stepped out wearing a pair of jeans and a black baseball cap. I’d never seen him in anything but a suit. He took a black bag and swung it over his shoulder and made his way over to the jet.
“Luc.” He nodded. “I need to find my daughter.”
“I know, Bryce, I know. I’m freaking out here. This is bad,” I admitted. I didn’t want to scare him but it was the truth. The jet revved its engine and we sped down the runway. Moments later we were airborne. “My father is really pissed off about Henri’s death. I know he’s out for revenge, my only guess is that he is hoping I get killed in the crossfire too. He’s been watching me here in New York for the past two years. I’m such a fool.”
“Go easy on yourself, Luc, you knew it was a possibility you were being watched,” Bryce said, leaning back in the chair across from me.
“I know, that’s why I had no right to fall in love with your daughter,” I frowned.
“You don’t control who you love, Luc, trust me I know. My family tried to force me into loving my first wife but I never did,” he said with a distant look in his eyes. “I loved Vicky’s mother. I was a fool not to go after her.”
“I am dangerous, Bryce, you see how my family operates? She will never be safe and that’s if we can even save her now.” My body shuddered at the thought.
“Luc, my friend from the FBI is sending undercover agents to Thunder Bay. They will be in unmarked cars, but do you have a plan?” Bryce asked, looking at me. His eyes looked creased and tired. He looked stressed out.
“I do, Bryce, but I can’t tell you that plan. I just need you to trust me.” I replied.
“I trust you Luc and I believe you love my daughter, but I also trust that you can’t do this alone. I’m here to help. So spit out your plan now because we are going to refine it and make it work,” he said and I knew it was an order not a request.
“Okay, Bryce, here’s my plan….”
Chapter 29
Joe
After driving ten miles out, I was met with defeat. The lady at the front desk had not seen a black Mustang. I’d called into the police station as well, and the Mustang had not been spotted yet. Fear crawled its way up my throat. I had spent the last two years fucking up big time. I acted like a little shit and my sins have caught up with me. My mother’s death stung so hard I felt like I couldn’t breathe for the first six months. While I was drinking on the beaches of Mexico, I left Vicky to fend for herself. I left my papa to fend for himself, and now he was dead. I was terrified that my sister would meet the same fate and that I would get sucked even deeper into the black hole I had just recently swum out of.
I drove around for another hour. I knew that as the moments ticked by she might be getting further and further away. Vicky’s cell phone rang.
“Hello!”
“Joe, its Luc. I am here in Thunder Bay.”
“That was fast.”
“Yes, I have a plan. I need you to listen,” Luc said into the phone. I sat quietly and tried to figure out if this could actually work. I turned the car around and headed for my parents' house. The undercover FBI agents and Bryce Andrews would be meeting me there. I’d had time to process the fact that Vicky and I didn’t share the same parent’s for two years, yet knowing I was about to meet her biological father was painful. The words radiated in my head. I was about an hour out right now. It was going to take me time to get back.
“Okay, Luc, I’m on my way back to you,” I replied, as I swerved the car in the opposite direction.
The hours were passing by and I was not stupid. I knew our chances of finding her depleted with the passing minutes.
Chapter 30