by Dale Mayer
“It is, indeed,” Bram said. “It is, indeed.”
Very quickly Gerard’s brother, Joe, was ordered to attend the meeting that morning with Gerard’s sons. Groggy from being woken up, Joe said, “I’ll be there in a few hours.”
Gerard interrupted. “Don’t bother. I’m sending the chopper now.”
“This must be important,” Joe said.
“It is,” he said. “I’m calling a family meeting.” And he proceeded to wake up the rest of his family, ordering them all to attend earlier than planned.
Griffin had asked that Gerard make the calls with speaker engaged, so Griffin heard a lot of groaning and bitching on the other end of the calls, but nobody flat-out said no. Gerard was the money and the power behind the company and the ultimate head of the family hierarchy. When he said jump, they all jumped. But it was easy for Griffin to see that some of them were very tired of jumping.
When he hung up the phone, Gerard stared at it for a long time. “A lot of dissent is all around, isn’t it?”
“It could very well be too tight a glove on some of them for too long,” Griffin said boldly. “Everybody starts to chafe after a while.”
“So what’s the answer? I’m not ready to retire.”
“Bring them in more,” Jax said. “Give them more responsibility, and give them a bigger role in running the company.”
“They already are though.”
Bram made an odd sound.
Gerard looked at him and asked, “Aren’t they?”
Bram shrugged. “Not as much as they’d like to be. You do keep them fairly tightly held.”
“Well, that’s because I’m not ready to hand over control of the company,” he snapped.
“Of course not,” Bram said. “But then you have to expect that people want more, want to move up the ladder. And when they want more for a long time, they eventually do something about getting more. So you should listen more closely to what they say. Pick up on these disgruntled moments. Allow people to be honest with you, to share a different opinion. Your sons are capable businessmen in their own right. Your brother has been with you since the beginning. Hell, your father started this company, and you two inherited; but you made it massive, and Joe’s been left in a supporting role all this time. That, however, doesn’t mean that any of them are behind the kidnapping or this latest assault.”
“Have your security feeds been checked?” Jax asked. “Do we know if any other men came onto the grounds overnight?”
“Not that I’ve seen,” Bram said. “I’ve got two men looking right now.” Just then his phone rang. He answered it, frowned, and said, “Make sure you’ve got a full coalition of men. I want all four of them brought into Gerard’s office.” He put away his phone and said, “They found two others outside and have a line on two more at the stables.”
“Six men?” Gerard asked. “What the hell?”
Bram nodded. “Six. What we’re trying to do is make sure we catch them all right now. So we can finally get to the bottom of this.”
“Do you have enough men?” Jax asked. “We can help.”
“We’re good,” Bram said, “and my security team has been fully warned after all the interviews yesterday that something was up.”
“Right, so make sure only men who were cleared yesterday are on this,” Gerard snapped.
Griffin, already feeling like something else was going on, said, “I don’t like it. It still feels like distractions.”
“From what?”
“I don’t know,” he said, “but I don’t like it.” He pulled out his phone and quickly phoned Lorelei. There was no answer. He bolted to his feet and said, “Where’s Amelia Rose’s room? I don’t like this.”
Gerard looked at him, already standing, and asked, “Did you contact Lorelei?”
“Yes, and there’s no answer.”
“Let’s go,” Gerard said.
Jax stood guard on the prisoners with Bram while Griffin and Gerard raced up to Lorelei’s room. Before they got there, Griffin already knew they would be too late. Gerard bolted into his daughter’s room and froze. Her bed was empty, the guard out cold down the hall, and there was no sign of either of the girls. He turned in horror to look at Griffin. “What the hell?”
Griffin didn’t bother answering—he was already heading downstairs and outside.
Chapter 13
Lorelei woke to a pounding headache. It didn’t take long to realize that she’d been knocked out and taken prisoner by somebody. That she had been walking into Amelia Rose’s room at the time terrified her even more. Where was Amelia Rose? She desperately tried to stay quiet as she rolled over, searching for her, but the pain almost blacked her out. When she could control her breathing enough to control her pain, she opened her eyes, found Amelia Rose lying beside her.
Her eyes were wide open, and she had a finger to her lips.
Grateful that she was unhurt, Lorelei sank back down and tried hard to get her brain to function again. She could hear voices outside, but the smell told her where she was. At least where she hoped she was.
They were in the stables.
Hay, sweat, and manure filled her nostrils. Surely somebody in the house would notice. Gerard was already well aware of the attack on Griffin and Jax, meaning that she and Amelia Rose should be found soon enough.
Amelia Rose’s gaze was terrified as she gently rubbed Lorelei’s face, but she didn’t say anything.
Lorelei didn’t know if the child wasn’t speaking because they weren’t alone, which was possible, or because she was too shocked to say anything. Lorelei captured her finger and held on. Either way, it was not good.
As she waited for her headache to ease back, Lorelei took stock. She wasn’t tied up or restrained in any way, which meant either they were under guard or they were in a locked room. As she looked around, she recognized the horse tack room, confirming that they were, indeed, still on the property. That made her feel much better. She knew where she was, and she wasn’t too far away from Griffin.
And, at least for now, Amelia Rose was okay—but not for long. The voices were loud, irate, and close to her. She didn’t really recognize any of them though. She rolled over ever-so-softly. The tack room had half doors, and the people arguing were just outside, so it’s not like she and Amelia Rose had any way to leave without being seen. That explained why Amelia Rose wasn’t talking. Lorelei quickly checked her pocket, found her phone, and sent Griffin a text. Tack room, stable one.
Then she slipped her cell back into her pocket, held her finger up to Amelia Rose’s lips, and whispered, “Griffin.”
Immediately Amelia Rose’s eyes grew wide, and she nodded. Hope entered her gaze as she realized that maybe, just maybe, a rescue was coming.
Lorelei lay here, quiet, trying to discern the voices and how far away they were, as she took stock of their options. She needed a weapon, any weapon. The bedroom lamp had done a hell of a job, so what could she use in here? There were bridles and bits, both which, when swung with a hefty motion, would give a hell of a blow. But, if she moved, somebody was likely to know that she was awake. She studied one of the bits hanging on the wall and motioned at it with her head. Amelia Rose followed her gaze, saw the bit, and frowned. Lorelei whispered, “Weapon.”
Almost immediately Amelia Rose understood; she snagged the bit off the wall and came back beside Lorelei. The bit was attached to a metal lead. She separated the two so that they each had a weapon, one a little less effective than the other, and, when she heard footsteps, quickly laid on top of both of them, back into the same position, and closed her eyes.
“The oldest one’s still out,” one of the men said. “How hard did you hit her?”
“Not hard,” somebody said.
At that, the man walked away again.
“What about the kid? Is she still asleep?”
“They both look it,” he said without much care. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s easier if we just kill them now.”
“
No killing,” a sharp voice came from the far side. “We agreed, no killing.”
There was something about that tone. The voice had been partially disguised, but it was almost identifiable. Lorelei frowned, thinking about it, but it was hard to focus, not to mention her brain still felt scrambled. She didn’t know how long it would take for Griffin to set up a plan. What she didn’t want was for them to get caught too. No point in trying to rescue the two of them if they all ended up captured. She pulled out her phone and sent yet another text. Hurry.
This time she got a response. Almost there.
She held it up for Amelia Rose to see. She smiled and hunkered down closer to Lorelei. The two of them just lay here, waiting and knowing that the attack would come when they least expected it, and they wanted to be ready to take advantage of any opportunity they could. When it happened, it was even more of a surprise because it came from the other end of the stable.
They heard voices, then grunting and sounds of a fight, and then, just like that, Griffin opened the stall door and raced into the room beside them. Gerard was right behind him. He reached for Amelia Rose and hugged her close, whereas Griffin grabbed Lorelei and just held her tight. She cuddled in closer and said, “See? I told you that we shouldn’t be apart.”
He laughed. “You didn’t say anything about that.”
“Maybe not,” she said, “but I’m saying that now. This is ridiculous every damn time, and who was it this time?”
“Unfortunately it was the same as the last time,” Gerard said, his tone thick with emotion.
Only Lorelei didn’t have a clue. “Why are we in the barn?” she asked. “Wouldn’t it have been smarter to take us immediately off the property?”
“Well, that was in progress,” Gerard said. “But who do you know who spends so much time in the barn?”
She looked at him in horror. “Surely not Wendy?”
Gerard nodded ever-so-slowly. “Yes, Amelia Rose’s mother. But we have no proof yet.”
“Or it was made to look like she’d be the guilty party?” Lorelei suggested, hoping for the best.
Griffin didn’t say anything. Lorelei looked to him for confirmation, but a thoughtful look passed his face. She nudged him. “Is that your take too?”
“Partly,” he said. “I’m not sure if that’s all of it though.”
Gerard looked at him in shock. “What are you saying?”
“Not sure yet,” he said. “But how about we get the girls back to the house and take our prisoners in for a little interrogation?”
Gerard snorted. “How about we just deep-six them all?”
“Can’t get answers off a dead man,” he said, “or a dead woman, for that matter.”
Trying to stand wasn’t easy. Lorelei’s legs were still a little bit goofy. She looked up at Griffin, his arms around her, and she said, “You know that it’ll be almost impossible to sleep now, right?”
He just smiled and didn’t say anything.
She sighed. “I guess I’ll have to get used to it though.”
“You would anyway,” he said. “I still have a job.”
“True,” she said. “I couldn’t possibly be with somebody who was unemployed.”
He chuckled. “Is that what we are, somebody with somebody?”
“Hell no,” she said. “I’d never sleep alone again if I had a choice.”
“Well, I’m hardly just a replacement for a teddy bear,” he said smoothly.
“Well, you’re very teddy-bear-like, but you make a hell of a better protector.”
“What kind of a protector was I? You were kidnapped yet again.”
“I wondered for a moment there if that was Gerard’s doing.”
Gerard looked at her and said, “What?”
“Well, you’re the one who sent me to Amelia Rose’s room.”
“Sure, to keep her safe,” he said in outrage. “I wasn’t expecting my own wife to be finagling her daughter’s kidnapping.”
“Well, did you start divorce proceedings?”
He flushed. “I’m thinking about it, but I haven’t done anything officially.”
“Well,” Griffin added, “somewhere along the line, she got wind of her future, and, before she would let you have Amelia Rose, Wendy decided she would take her daughter and enough money to make sure Wendy would be okay. … I’m not sure if that money was for Amelia Rose too, but most likely it was because the child makes a good bargaining chip later on too.”
As the solemn group made their way back to the house, vehicles arrived.
Lorelei glanced at Griffin and asked, “What’s this all about?”
“Gerard called a family meeting to get to the bottom of this,” he said. “And this is him sending out the word and ordering everybody to show up.”
“Right, and Wendy was supposed to as well, wasn’t she? I thought someone said she was out of town.”
“I’m pretty sure she was already here,” Griffon said. They walked into Gerard’s adjoining offices, which had been opened to make it more of a boardroom. Griffin approved of everybody being in one spot.
With Bram running security, the prisoners were all led in; Lorelei and Amelia Rose stayed in the hallway, and Gerard’s sons gasped, “What on earth, Father?”
“Amelia Rose, Lorelei, and Nurse,” Gerard said with great difficulty, “were just in Thailand for a holiday.”
“Right. And were kidnapped. We know all that. Are these the men responsible?” asked one of his sons.
“Yes,” he said.
“Is Amelia Rose okay?” asked his other son.
Gerard nodded. “I can’t tell you what kind of a nightmare I’ve been through dealing with this.”
Amelia Rose and Lorelei stepped inside.
His sons stared at Gerard, then turned to look at Lorelei and Amelia Rose.
Lorelei nodded and said, “Yes, we are safe. We only got home a few hours ago.”
“You didn’t tell us she was safe,” his eldest son protested, staring at Gerard, anger deepening the lines on his face. “Why didn’t you tell us? Amelia Rose is our sister too.”
“I did tell you that we did a ransom drop, and nobody came to pick it up. It was all very hush-hush. Instead, these men”—he motioned at Jax and Griffin—“rescued both of them in Thailand and returned them here to me.”
“And Nurse?” one of the sons asked, looking around. “Is she in bed?”
“She was murdered in Thailand,” Gerard said in a heavy voice. “Her death was to make the girls stop trying to escape. It’s been a very difficult few days because I was reliving the whole nightmare I had already been through with your older brother. Anyway, the long and short of it is, the girls were rescued, and Mary’s body is being returned tomorrow, where we will bury her ourselves.”
The brothers looked stricken at the news of what happened to Nurse.
That made Lorelei feel better. Although Nurse was set in her ways and potentially a pain in the butt to a lot of people, Lorelei hadn’t had any problem with her. But Mary had raised all of Gerard’s children over many years—and even Gerard too as a child—so the family ties were strong. Gerard’s sons were still in a daze as they listened.
Joe, Gerard’s brother, then spoke. “I don’t understand why you didn’t tell us about their safe return. You know we would have been there to help and to support you after what you’ve already been through.”
“They’ve barely been home for one day. Plus I’ve been sorting out who is behind all this. And fast, before the company was impacted.”
“Of course. Always the company. Jesus, even when it was your own daughter,” Joe said, shaking his head.
One of Gerard’s sons nodded. “But it would have been devastating to the company shares and would have been a sign of weakness,” he said. “Lots of our business competitors would have taken the chance to completely annihilate us, if they could have.”
“Exactly,” Gerard said, sounding surprised at his son’s insights.
Lorelei gl
anced at Griffin and whispered, “Feels weird to be here for a family meeting right now.”
“Maybe,” he said, “but that’s where we need to be with all the players in one room.”
Just then Gerard’s wife walked in, yawning, tying her robe around her. “Good Lord, I only got in during the wee hours of the morning and look at what’s going on here.”
“What’s going on?” Gerard asked, his voice full of contempt.
As soon as she had entered, several security men stepped up, blocking her escape.
“What’s going on is that the jig is up for you.”
She looked at him in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
Although they suspected Wendy was responsible, they hadn’t caught her in the act of doing anything involved with this mess.
Amelia Rose brought it all to a head. She walked over, stood in front of her mother, and said, “Did you really get me kidnapped in Thailand and have Nurse killed?”
Her mother stared at her in horror. “What are you talking about? Of course not. I would never do that!”
“Actually you would,” Gerard said. “Particularly after I said no way were you getting custody of Amelia Rose.”
At that, his wife turned her fury against him. “She’s my daughter.”
“She’s also my daughter,” Gerard said, fatigue in his voice. “I was more than happy to share custody. Until you pulled this stunt.”
“I didn’t do anything,” she snapped. “How can you even begin to think I’d hurt Amelia Rose?”
But then Lorelei understood something else. “I just heard your voice in the stables,” she said. “You did something to disguise it, but I figured it out.”
Wendy turned to her and, in a mocking and disdainful way, said, “You’re already traumatized from being kidnapped, and now you’re pointing blame at me and expect anybody in their right minds to believe you? Obviously you need some time off.” She turned to her husband. “I suggest we lay her off and give her a paid holiday. I’m sure we can find somebody better suited to teach Amelia Rose whatever it is you think she needs from a private tutor,” she continued with a roll of her eyes. “But we certainly don’t want somebody who is as mentally unbalanced as Lorelei is now.”
