by R. B. Schow
“I’m Chuck, so yes.”
“Chuck, I feel like I’m a bit early,” she said, looking him up and down. “Where is the kid?”
“Upstairs with my wife for the next few minutes.”
And this is where the babysitter sees Chuck’s three-quarter erection which then queues the music.
With such a long terrible day behind him, and finally a bit of peace and quiet, Camden slowly undressed, keeping his eyes glued to the screen, especially when the caption, “Four hours later…” came on.
In the video, the camera focused on the babysitter. She was asleep on the couch with her shorts wedged too high up her backside.
That’s when his cell phone rang. Cursing, he hit pause on the remote, inhaled deeply, then let out a measured exhale. He checked the caller ID and it said PRIVATE.
“Camden Fox,” he said, ready to rip into any reporter calling him this late.
“My team is just about to cross the border,” Leopold said. “Yergha spoke with the border attendant who took payment to let in the van we saw in the video. He’s been put on leave pending an internal investigation, but I will personally hold on to his information in case we need to pay him a visit, which we probably will. Either way, we’re trying to track the van now.”
“What should I do?” Camden asked.
“Nothing. We’re likely dealing with the cartel. With the recent opening of the border, most of these narco-traffickers are like caged animals that just got loose. There’s going to be a lot of gang activity and a lot more trafficking, which means your kids could get lost in the mix. We’re going to need more hands on deck.”
“Are you asking for more money?” he asked.
“I’m going to double the size of the team, but not at any additional cost to you. I only tell you this so you know why I’m not with my team just yet. Once my additional assets are in place, if I’m needed on-site, I’ll be there.”
“Who are these other two assets?” Camden asked.
“Heavy hitters.”
“Aren’t Esty and Yergha the heavy hitters?”
“We’re all at the top of our game,” Leopold said with unwavering confidence.
“Indulge me, Mr. Wentworth.”
He took a deep breath, thought about it for a moment, then let out a long sigh and said, “One of the assets, she’s like death before death died. This woman will tear your heart out like an attack dog. She’s a wild card, part of my kill squad, and probably the most dangerous of the four of them.”
“And the other one?”
“That would be a Californian with a bad attitude, a God complex, and the need to mete out a severe amount of retribution, more for personal reasons than anything else. He’s a bit tricky, but when he’s on, the man will run headfirst through brick walls for you.”
“The first forty-eight hours are the most important hours in a kidnapping, Mr. Wentworth.”
“You don’t have to tell me the stats, Camden. My people are already on it. I just want two more assets in place should we need them, which at this point, I’m feeling like we will.”
“Alright, then…I guess I’ll just what—wait by the phone?”
“Try to get some sleep, if you can. The next two days will feel like the longest days of your life and you’re going to need your energy.”
“I know this is your thing and all, but honestly, how in the hell am I supposed to sleep when my wife and daughters are out there with God knows who suffering God knows what?”
“Do the best you can,” he said.
And with that, they said goodnight and hung up the phones.
“Now where was I?” Camden asked out loud, his focus narrowing. He un-paused the video just as the father and his throbbing erection made the twenty-year-old wake up extra fast.
The phone rang again, to which he barked out a short string of curse words. Picking up the phone, he said, “It’s nearly midnight.”
“I’m aware of the time,” the nameless, scratchy-voiced man said. “You were supposed to check in with me half an hour ago.”
“I just got off the phone with Leopold and I’ve barely managed to take a breath, let alone dial your number. Were they supposed to be taken over the border?” he asked, “Because that wasn’t our agreement. And why the hell did you shoot my security detail?”
“Who does Leopold have on the job?” his contact asked.
“Estella and Yergha, plus he’s also going to retrieve some lady and a man in California.”
“That’s good, Camden. Really good.”
“Did this thing go off the rails already?” Camden asked the man whose name he did not know.
“This is all under control, Camden.”
“If it was under control,” he said, losing his erection and slamming his laptop shut, “they would be in the United States of America, not freaking MEXICO!”
“What are you doing right now, Camden?” he asked.
“Unsuccessfully trying to rub one out.”
“Well, go back to it. If that’s the only way to unwind, then unwind.”
When the line went dead, Camden cursed the man, and then he cursed the two interruptions. With no more interest in the video, he went into the bathroom and imagined he had a twenty-year-old maid that needed to clean the sheets at midnight and didn’t want to go home to her abusive husband. He couldn’t get himself to that place, though, because the whole situation felt out of his control no matter what the scratchy-voiced old man said. Giving up, he shut off the lights, flopped down on the bed, and closed his eyes hoping for sleep.
He expected to have nightmares, especially after he learned that his family was taken across the border, but that night—for some odd and unexplainable reason—he slept like a baby for the first time in years. Perhaps it was because the payout for using his family as bait was more than he’d ever make as a U.S. Congressman, and as quarrelsome and antagonistic as politics was becoming, this was his escape hatch. He had it all worked out...
….he just didn’t think the whole thing would come undone on day one.
Chapter Nineteen
LEOPOLD WENTWORTH
Leopold called Esty just after she and Yergha crossed the border into Mexico. She answered the phone sounding a bit tense and then she asked where he was.
“I’m taking the jet to Blacksburg. I’m starting to think we need to put the second team in place now that this thing is shaping up to be an international incident.”
“Do you think Camden can keep a lid on things long enough for us to find the wife and kids?”
“Maybe, but who knows,” he said. “Having Kiera and Atlas active doubles our chances of a positive, quiet outcome.”
“Do what you have to do, but we’ll be working leads down here.”
As his limousine pulled onto the private airstrip, he spotted his plane then began collecting what little luggage he had on his person, just in case.
“I’ll text you when I land,” Leopold said, “but it might be an in-and-out thing.”
“With you, it’s always an in-and-out thing,” Esty joked. In the background, Leopold heard Yergha erupt in laughter.
“Bye smart-asses,” he said before disconnecting.
The limo pulled to a stop, the driver opened the door for him, and then he boarded his private jet. The pilot told him it would be a few minutes before they could taxi out to the runway. They were awaiting the tower’s approval. Using the time wisely, he opened his phone and dialed Cira.
“Hi, Leopold,” she said, slightly seductive, but not so much that it had him thinking twice.
“Cira, love, how do you feel about sunny California these days?”
“I’ve been dying to visit there?” she said, phrasing it as a question.
“Indeed, you have,” he said.
“Are we going together?”
“No, babe, I’m headed to Virginia.”
“For Kiera?”
“Yes.”
“At this hour?”
“I have alerted my
contact within Monarch Industries,” he said. “She tells me Kiera is in a twenty-four-hour training cycle and that when she is done I can have her.”
“But she’s yours, not theirs.”
“Apparently the people training her are far more important than either me or those missing girls. We’ll see. If I can free her sooner, we’ll get back to Texas and hopefully complete the timeline of events.”
“What about me?” she asked.
“You’ll have to get Atlas out of prison without me.”
“Um…you remember last time, right?” she asked. “Not only was Atlas a dickhead, but he said no, and then Dicampli said no.”
“And I had to make him say yes,” Leopold said.
“Yes, you did.”
“I remember threatening the warden with irrevocable damage. That was supposed to pave the way for future extractions, Cira. You’ve been training, right?”
“A lot, actually,” she said.
“You’re ready then?”
“I’ve trained five hours a day, six days a week since Russia,” she said. “Hell yes, I’m ready.”
“Then don’t act worried about a spineless twat like Fabian Dicampli.”
“What if he doesn’t respect me the way he does you?”
“That’s a fair question,” Leopold said. “If he takes that tactic, you make him respect you by any means necessary.”
“By any means necessary?”
Nodding into the phone, he said, “You are about to be your own woman within this organization, Cira. You’ve already leveled up. It’s time to get in the game with the heavy hitters, and the only way to do that is to be a heavy hitter.”
“I’m ready,” she said, confidently.
“I’ll know you are if you meet me in Texas with Atlas. Otherwise, we can try again next time.”
“I appreciate this,” Leopold.
“I know you do. Now go and take what’s yours.”
He hung up with Cira and shut off the phone as they taxied toward the runway. When the jet took off, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, having decided it was time to recharge the batteries.
By the time he arrived in Blacksburg, Virginia, just before he was set to be picked up by a driver and taken to the Virginia branch of Monarch Industries, he turned on his phone and saw that several texts had come through.
Two of them were from Stacy and Emily, who thought sending him nude pics of their boobs smashed together would be cute. The other one was from his hacker, Codrin Pichler, telling Leopold to call him ASAP.
Leopold dialed Codrin’s private number just as the plane touched down. The Romanian answered the phone, chewing something squishy. Gummy worms, maybe?
“What’s up, Codrin?”
“They were taken to a warehouse, and another van came out, a carpet van,” Codrin said. “That was the van that took them to the border.”
“Great work,” he said.
The hacker gave Leopold the exact lane, described a transaction of license plates and papers then said he had a perfect picture of the border attendant’s face.
“Can you get me a name and an address?”
Another text came through. “That’s me,” Codrin said, stuffing more food into his mouth. “I just sent it through.”
“You ran facial recognition already?” he asked.
“My version, not theirs,” Codrin said. He guzzled something then burped obnoxiously, and then he said, “My shit’s better. Way better.”
On his way back with Kiera, Leopold would compare notes with the information they received from the border attendant. Then, if necessary, he would pay the man a visit.
Outside the jet, he saw his ride waiting for him. He collected his things then said to the pilot, “Wait for me, I shouldn’t be too long.”
“And if you are?” he asked.
“Wait anyway.”
Chapter Twenty
CIRA KINGSLEY
Cira called and secured the first available commercial flight to San Francisco International Airport, arranged for an Uber to meet her out front, then smiled when a younger man arrived in a Toyota Corolla a few minutes later. She didn’t expect to talk with anyone on the drive to NorCal State Prison, but the kid ended up being personable, friendly, and a little cute. Smiling, she asked, “How does your girlfriend feel about you driving all kinds of people around day and night?”
“Good enough to leave me for a guy with a desk job and a Tesla,” he said with a smile.
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Why?” he asked. “If that’s the measure of her loyalty, then she’s better off with someone else and, quite frankly, so am I.”
“That’s a good way to look at it.”
“I think so, too.”
“The truth in this world—well, the world according to Cira—is that men like pretty girls, but pretty girls like men with money, power, and prestige. I know it’s simple and sounds shallow, but it’s honest and it’s true. The only things that change in life are the window dressings.”
He seemed to think about this for a moment. “Actually, I think you’re right.”
“I know I’m right,” Cira said. “I wish I wasn’t, but I’m pretty sure I am.”
He turned and looked at her, gratefulness in his eyes, but also a hunger for more of her wisdom.
“I’m pining after a man who has money, but it’s not the money I’m after, it’s him. He has a confidence that rivals any other man I’ve ever met, but he likes women of all sorts, doesn’t believe in marriage, having kids, or settling down.”
“What does he do?”
“Whatever he wants, he’s that rich.”
“Does he know you like him?” the kid asked.
“I’ve made it clear.”
“But you’re an attractive woman.”
“Thank you,” she replied, thinking he was sweet, “but sometimes not even looks and sex appeal are enough. That is the great unknown. That thing that defies the ordinary and keeps us in our own lanes, never merging, always wanting.”
“Why are you going to prison?” he asked.
“I’m picking up a friend,” she said.
As the dark highway passed with the night sky black and full of stars she could not see, Cira drifted off in thought. She was thinking about Atlas, wholly unaware that she’d fallen into such a quiet reminiscence that she had just vanished from the conversation. A realization struck her. She sat a little taller in her seat and then she turned and looked at the driver and felt bad for that unannounced lapse in conversation.
“I’m sorry I drifted off there. Our conversation sparked a memory that just wouldn’t let go.”
“That’s okay,” he said.
“In matters of love or the potential for love, I sometimes think it’s the ones who come from nowhere and take you by surprise that really get you. These are also the ones who do a number on you. What’s your name again?”
“Andrew.”
“Andrew, never discount the value of an unusual encounter. This is where life holds its greatest surprises.”
When they entered the prison grounds, the guard told them there were no visitors this early, but Cira said, “Warden Dicampli is expecting me. Is he in yet?”
“He just came through.”
“Perfect. Will you let him know Cira is here to see him? And please tell him, that my boss—his personal friend, Leopold Wentworth—was unable to make the trip but that I will be meeting with him instead.”
“He has an appointment with Leopold Wentworth then?”
“Are you unfamiliar with Mr. Wentworth?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” he said. “Just being honest, ma’am.”
“First of all, don’t call me ma’am, and second, I assure you that for the money he invests in this godforsaken place, Leopold Wentworth has a standing appointment. All you need to do is let Fabian know that I’m here.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Was I not clear the first time?” she asked rat
her harshly.
“I’m sorry,” he said, flustered. “Cira, was it?”
“Yes, it’s Cira,” she said.
After a short call that involved the guard turning and looking at her several times, said guard hung up the phone and said, “He will see you now. Are you familiar with the check-in procedures and where to go?”
“I’ve been here before. So yes, I’m aware.”
“Enjoy your day, Miss Cira.”
Turning to Andrew, she said, “The Chinese did it best when they invented sweet and sour. Sometimes you get to be sweet, but most times, in this world, you have to be sour.”
“I like the sweet side of you, Cira,” he said.
When she squared up with Andrew, she pulled a fifty from her purse and handed it to him. “This is for your college fund, but I also wish to give you a piece of advice if you’re open to hearing it.”
“I am,” he said, hanging on her word.
“Be savage in your life. Don’t do anything half-assed. Dream big then put practical plans together and go after those plans with a ferocity unmeasured by anyone you know, anyone you don’t know, and everyone you one day hope to know. They say you can do anything you want in life and that’s simply not true. They say everyone has a soul mate in life but I believe you can have many soul mates. You have to work your ass off, meet the right people, and take measured risks. You have to be smarter than everyone else, more cunning, and above all, you have to know that you can do and have anything you’re tenacious enough to go after. But it takes effort, some good luck, and an iron constitution. When you hit it big, and you will if you operate like this, use your money, wealth, and power to attract a better quality woman, and vet her long enough to make sure she’s not bat shit crazy, which most of them are. If she truly loves you, spoil her relentlessly but own her ass in bed and never do anything to chase her away or make her feel she has the right or the need to visit another man’s bed. If you don’t do these things, you will be just like everyone else. However, if you want the life and you want the girl, then be savage, Andrew. Be flat out freaking savage.”
With that, she drew a deep breath, let it out slowly, and watched him marinate in all of the practical wisdom she could convey in less than a minute.
