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

“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

Right. Lucien walked up to the large collection of microphones and took a deep breath. You are Lucien fucking Reynolds, he reminded himself. You’re going to do this and get your woman back.**********Back at Mark’s home, the pressure was thick. The three of them were glued to the TV, barely able to breathe.“This is it,” Damian said as they watched Lucien walk to the podium. “You think he’s got it?”“I know he’s got it,” Mark said.“He has to,” Tracy added. “Everything is riding on this.”“It’s going to be okay,Tracy. You’ll see. Captain Whitlock already has people in position. As soon as the announcement is made, he’ll give them the signal to move in.”**********Lucien could feel every eye on him. Mark, Tracy, and even Damian’s were on him as well. It was unnerving, but somehow empowering at the same time.“Hello everyone,” he said into the microphones. “If you’d give me your attention, I’d like to begin.”The unrest among the press died down and their rapt attention was his.Lucie

Yes, sir!”“Thank you all for coming,”Lucien said as he concluded the press conference. “I am giving this city my solemn vow that Reynolds Industries will continue to serve its people with the utmost veracity and transparency. I am personally dedicated to bringing this individual or group to justice. Another press conference will be held at such a time when more is uncovered. No further questions or comments at this time. Thank you all again.”Calls and cries erupted from the crowd, begging for another statement as Lucien walked away. Once he was away from prying eyes, he removed the earpiece and called the captain.“Do we have them?” Lucien asked.“There’s a problem,” Captain Whitlock answered.“What problem? Are they hurt?”“They weren’t there. The call was being fed through a burner phone. Essentially, Eugene called this phone, and someone else added you to the call. It’s sloppy, but good enough to throw off a trace.”“What does that mean? Did we fail?” His stomach fell to his feet

“I’ve sent the name of the hospital to your phone, Damian,” the captain said. He was panting as though he’d been running.“What happened?” Tracy asked.“It was bad. Really bad.”“What was bad?” Damian asked.“The trace led us to a decoy spot. Lucien’s ex-wife was there. It was a trap, I think, to lure him there. She was… not okay.”“Was?” Tracy picked up on his use of past tense.“Nothing gets past you, huh? She um… confessed to being part of the kidnapping plot before she um… shot herself. In front of him.”“Fuck,” Tracy whispered.“’Fuck’ is right,” the captain lamented. “He was in a bit of shock. I wouldn’t be surprised if he somehow still thinks this is his fault somehow.”“What do you mean ‘still thinks’?”Damian asked.“The stuff she said to him… it wasn’t good. She got in his head, I think. He may seem fine. But he’s hurting. I know what he said, about her being nothing to him now. And she very may mean nothing to him… but something like that… it does things to you.”Looking at