They hung up. Neither of them moved for a few seconds. Tracy’s emotional outburst made everything feel more real. Almost as if the gravity of the situation hadn’t truly sunk in. A hollow, gnawing feeling had settled in the pit of his stomach. A black hole formed in the center of his chest. It was as if he’d been run through with red hot steel. Air felt like lead in his lungs and each breath was struggle. It was like trying to breathe in ice water. And he knew that feeling wouldn’t go away until they got Audrey and Becca back safe and sound.Bella began to fuss in her crib.“That’s our cue,” Lucien said. “Go into my apartment and pack up some clothes. My stuff should fit you.” Lucien tossed him the keys.“Okay.” Damian’s response was wooden. “Anything else?”“There is some paperwork on a desk in there. And a laptop. Pack that up. And anything else you want.”“Okay. I’ll be back in a few.”Damian walked out of the apartment and into Lucien’s.Lucien let out a bitter laugh. It seemed like
“Or when you got arrested?”Tracy piped up as she came downstairs. “Or when you were trying to find Audrey?” She sat next to Mark,her hands fidgeting with her bracelets. The soft tinkling noise added a strange soothing tone to their tense atmosphere.“We really don’t need to get into Damon Whitlock right now,” Mark said.“He’s someone we know from a while ago. Yeah, he’s impressive, but his services come with a price. And that is all I’m going to say.”“That’s all you better say,” Mark added. He rubbed his hand along Tracy’s back.Tracy and Damian looked at each other, the question still burning in their eyes. But it seemed they came to a silent agreement. There were more pressing matters.“Fine. For now,” Tracy said. “So, what have we got? Has the kidnapper called?”“No,” Lucien said. “Nothing yet.”“I’ve got people following your cousin.He hasn’t made many movements, himself. But there has been a lot of movement around him,” Mark explained. He indicated a series of photos he had set
“I fucking knew it!” Tracy cried. Angry tears spilled from her eyes as she slammed her hands on the table. “That crazy, evil bitch! I’ll rip her apart myself!”“Lucien m, I know you want to be out there, looking for your girl.”Damian bristled every time Captain Whitlock referred to Audrey as Lucien’s girlfriend. It grated along his nerves like sandpaper across skin.“But you have to be careful,” the captain continued. “I suggest that you stay put. As far as I know, he doesn’t know where you are. You need to keep it that way. I’m assembling a team of officers. Just say the word and I’ll send them to you. You have to stay out of the search.”“Thanks, Captain,”Mark answered.Lucien was frozen in stunned fury. “We’ll be in touch.”“I was also able to confirm your other friend was there as well. A miss Becca Royce.”“Shit!” Tracy whimpered.“We’ll get your friends back,” Captain Whitlock assured them all. “And the people responsible will pay for what they’ve done.”Captain Whitlock hung u
“You fucking bastard!”Lucien thundered.“Temper,” the caller teased. “You better be nice to me, or my hand might slip.”“Tell me what you want.” Lucien struggled to keep himself in check.“Eyes on me,” Captain Whitlock he whispered. “Breathe.”“That’s a good boy,” the caller said. “You’re going to sign a contract handing over all of your shares of Reynolds Industries. Every last one. You’re going to hold a press conference announcing your decision to the world. Your empire will fall and a new one will rise from its ashes. When asked why you’re doing this, you will say that Gary Reynolds was involved in several fraud investigations, and you don’t want to be a part of it. Understood?”“Yes,” Lucien said through clenched teeth. There’s no doubt now. It’s Eugene.“An hour after you’ve made your announcement, you’ll receive a message with a location.”“Audrey will be there? And her friend? I need confirmation that they’re okay,” Lucien demanded.“You know about the other one?” the kidnappe
Her head throbbed. She could feel her pulse in her temples.The low hum of distant conversation could be heard. Her wrists were raw from rubbing against the rope that bound them. The dark room was cold, and her teeth hurt from chattering. The side of her face stung from where she’d been slapped some time earlier. She’d never known how much fear could hurt. It chilled her bones with an ache so powerful it took over her senses. It ate away at her focus and strength. The worst pain of all though, came from her chest. Her breasts were swollen with the milk that should be feeding her baby.“My baby,” she groaned.“She’s fine, Audrey. Don’t lose hope. You know she’s safe.”“Becca,” Audrey whimpered. “It hurts so much.”“I know,” Becca winced at the sound of Audrey’s voice. The agony she was in was evident. She feared that infection may set it soon. If it hadn’t already. “I know it hurts. But everything is going to be okay. Think of Bella, and Lucien, and Tracy, your dad, and Damian. Think o
“If you kill her, he’ll hate you!”Becca yelled, trying to get Mia to stop.“At first,” another slash, another scream. “But overtime, he will learn to love me again!”“What the fuck is going on here?” a man’s voice echoed over them, and the door opened again. With the light that streamed in, Becca was able to glance at Audrey. She looked to be bleeding everywhere. Her face, belly, chest, arms.“If Audrey dies, your plan won’t work!”“Dies?” the man seemed annoyed, but then he took in the scene. “You dumb bitch! Get the hell out of here!” he yelled at Mia.“But…”“I said get out!”Mia scrambled off the floor and scurried out of the room.“Fuck,” he swore. “Now I have to get someone to patch this up. Shit.”“Please just send her to a hospital!” Becca implored.“Not until Lucien completes his end of the deal. Then he can take you both to the hospital himself.” He walked out, muttering about sending someone soon to bandage her up.“No, please! Come back!” But he was gone. “Audrey?”“Becca…
“No, Lucien.Not a ‘good’ suit. This needs to be a bad ass suit. The kind that people wear in movies for this kind of thing. It’ll give everything more impact.”“I thought he wanted me humiliated,” Lucien raised an eyebrow.“Well, yeah. But you’re going into battle. You’re going to need armor.”Lucien pondered about that. Captain Whitlock was right of course. This was a war. But all of his suits were at his home, and he couldn’t send anyone there for risk of them being followed back. Until Audrey was safely back in his arms, and Becca was freed, he couldn’t allow any mistakes or slipups. Everything had to be precise. But something in the back of his mind tugged at him. Something will go wrong.“This is going to work… isn’t it?” Lucien asked.“What do you mean?”“Following the plan. Doing what Eugene wants.”“As long as he reacts the right way, it will.” Captain Whitlock sat back. His body language said relaxed. But his eyes… There’s that look again. “Follow your instincts, Lucien. This
Lucien’s phone rang, startling everyone. Captain Whitlock rushed back into the room. He wordlessly signaled his team to begin recording and set up another trace. After everything was set up, he made sure that everyone knew to remain silent. With a nod, he told Lucien to answer.“You have some more demands for me?” Lucien answered.“I’m beginning to hear some rumblings about an announcement,” the caller said. “That’s good. However, I am inpatient. I am moving up the deadline to two o’clock this afternoon.”“Fine,” Lucien answered. He tried to sound unbothered. But the truth was his blood froze in his veins. Do we have enough time?“Fine?” the caller repeated. “Well, well, well. Aren’t we confident?”“Is there anything else?”“The contract we spoke of will be sent to your office. After the press conference, you’ll walk up to it and sign it. The instructions on how to send it to me and how to recover your precious women will be with it. Understood?”“Yes. Let me speak to her.”“I’m afrai