Family Ties

by Tricia Andersen

  “Hmm…less than four hours. You Irish are wonderful parents,” a deep, masculine voice purred on the other end.

  Sloan’s face twisted in rage. “Oliver, you bloody bastard! Give me my daughter!”

  “Really, Sloan. We’ve barely met and you use my name like that? And I believe you’re not the one with something to bargain, I am. How’s that beautiful tiger of yours? How’s she holding up? Poor mama without her cub.”

  Abbey lunged for the tablet in fury until Sloan caught her in his arms and clenched her close. “What do you want?” Sloan demanded, his brogue low and dangerous.

  “I don’t know. My employer hasn’t given me terms to offer you yet. Whatever it is, expect to pay double. Ame has a little friend here to keep her company. It’s going to be difficult to explain to the young man’s parents why he’s missing.”

  “As soon as you know, call me. And I warn you, do not lay a finger on my daughter or her friend. If you know who I am you know I am fully capable of making you suffer until you beg me to kill you. Then I’ll make you suffer more before I snuff your pathetic life out. Do you understand me?”

  Oliver laughed. “You are such a tough guy, aren’t you? I’ll be in touch.” The phone disconnected.

  There was silence. Gordon finally spoke. “Where is he, Bartholomew?”

  “Heading west toward Los Angeles. It has to be a private jet. Give me a few seconds and I’ll get the flight number and final destination.”

  “Thank you, B,” Sloan breathed.

  “No worries. She’s my niece.”

  “What’s the plan, Gordon?” Logan queried.

  “Back Dakota’s truck into that clearing in the trees where we found the tire tracks. We can’t afford questions at the moment from Dakota’s parents. I don’t want to hurt them. They’re missing a child too. But we can’t risk the questions. Then we bring our kids back home.”

  Bartholomew cleared his throat. “They’re on a jet refueling in Los Angeles. Its destination is Sydney, Australia.”

  “Why Sydney?” Abbey wondered

  “I have no idea.”

  Everyone looked at Gordon. He sighed. “Go home and gear up. I’ll stick back to command and protect the other children. I’ll devise some sort of decoy to keep Dakota’s parents busy. Meet at the airport as soon as possible.”

  They all nodded in response. Abbey led Sloan up the stairs to get ready to leave. She knew she wouldn’t sleep, not until her daughter was home safe. And the sooner she found Ame the better.

  »»•««

  Ame could barely open her eyes. Her whole head felt like a ton of bricks. She heard the shuffle of shoes nearby. Shaking her head, she forced herself to look in that direction. Dakota was pushing himself off the ground from where he was lying, looking just as groggy as she was. Between them were two sets of iron bars. Lifting her head, she studied her surroundings through the fog. They were each in separate cages that looked quite a bit like the ones lions were kept in the cartoons she used to watch on television when she was younger.

  She struggled to remember what happened. She remembered being forced from the van roughly by one of Oliver’s thugs while the other handled Dakota. She remembered something that felt like a pin prick on the back of her neck. Then that was it. That was all that came to her mind.

  “Ame,” Dakota mumbled weakly.

  Ame scrambled on her knees across the smooth metal floor of the cage. She wiggled her hand through the bars of hers until they stretched inside his enclosure. With a smile he weaved his fingers with hers until their palms touched. “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Just a little groggy. You?”

  “The same.”

  Dakota paused. “Ame, why are we here?”

  Ame stared into his deep brown eyes. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “Please try.”

  “Well, you know my parents, right?”

  “I do now.”

  Ame cringed at his words. All right, I deserved that. “My parents aren’t just the owners of Sloan Enterprises. They’re kind of like spies. I mean, I’m not sure if they’re actually spies. I know that sounds farfetched but…”

  “It does. But I’m locked up like a circus animal so right now I’ll believe about anything.”

  “My dad’s from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He joined the Irish Republican Army. I guess he has a lot of enemies I didn’t know about. My mom was just an author when they met. But now she’s involved in all this too.”

  “So your parents go out and fight crime? Or are they on the other side?”

  Ame laughed. “They’re the crime fighters. But they haven’t for a long time until now. They sort of retired to raise my brothers and sisters and me.”

  “Does your grandpa and grandma know? I mean, that would have to be a shock to know your kids do that.”

  Ame laughed weakly. “My Grandpa was my Dad’s handler in Northern Ireland. He was IRA too. My Uncle Robert and Uncle Bartholomew aren’t really my uncles. They were my dad’s bodyguards. And Uncle Logan isn’t my uncle either. He was trained after my dad’s case in Belfast. The only ones of the bunch that are actually my blood relatives are my Grandma and my Aunt Maggie. Grandma is Mom’s mom and Maggie is Dad’s sister.”

  Dakota’s eyes grew wide at her revelation. “Wow. That’s amazing. How long have you known?”

  “I’ve known about Dad for a couple years. That’s when I started lying about him living in Europe. The rest I just learned about recently after these guys showed up at school to try to kidnap my siblings and me. It kind of came out then. Before all this they were just normal billionaires to me.”

  “Normal billionaires?” Dakota teased as he laughed.

  Ame giggled again. “Yeah, that sounded strange to me too.”

  Their laughter echoed through the steel warehouse for a bit. Dakota grew serious. “Do you think they can rescue us?”

  “Of course they can. I believe they will.”

  He smiled. “Good.” His eyes focused on the hand he held through the bars. “Your hands are really soft.”

  She couldn’t help but blush. “Thanks.”

  The sound of metal crashing against metal startled them both. Reluctantly Ame let go of Dakota’s hand and pulled hers back through the bars. She definitely didn’t need Oliver breaking it when he found them so close. Who knew what the psychopath would do?

  Oliver rubbed his hands as he crossed the cement floor of the warehouse to them. Behind him were wood planks balanced over a large hole. “Good morning, children. I trust you slept well,” he greeted.

  “You drugged us,” Dakota accused as he slowly rose to his feet.

  Oliver chuckled, an evil tinge to his voice. “I’m surrounded by tough guys on this mission. Sit down, Junior. You’ll be getting up soon enough.”

  “What does that mean?” Ame questioned.

  “Well, sweetheart, it means that your daddy and mommy are on their way to find you. They called. We talked. And being the top notch mercenaries they are they figured out where to go first. There’s already a Sloan Enterprises jet on its way. When they get there, they’ll find the first clue to my little scavenger hunt.”

  “Where are you sending them?” Dakota demanded.

  “Australia, mate. They’re going down under. Didn’t expect that when you woke up, did you? Ever been there? Your little girlfriend has. Haven’t you, sweetheart?”

  “When I was like four,” Ame objected confused.

  “Exactly. That’s why I sent them there. It’s a starting point to lead your daddy on a little scavenger hunt with you as the prize. It ends when he meets up with an old friend.”

  “Who?”

  “You’ll see.” He turned at the ringing of his cell. “Hold on a moment.” Whipping it from his pocket he walked away to answer it. Both Dakota and Ame were silent. She strained to hear what he was saying.

  “Yes, sir. Our plan is going smoothly…I understand. I promise no harm will come to the children. The sedative I used wa
s completely safe…Yes, sir. We have proof the O’Riley’s are on their way. It should be soon…Their next stop is Bangkok…Yes, sir. The girl looks almost identical to her aunt…See you soon, sir.”

  Oliver hung up the phone. With one glance toward them, he snapped his fingers and pointed at them. “Sam, Chad, give them something to eat and drink and let them use the restroom.”

  Sam, the larger of the two goons, unlocked Dakota’s cage and pulled him out. Dakota shot Ame a wink as the thug led him to a door along the wall. Sam nudged him inside and slammed the door shut.

  Chad, the smaller of the two men, shuffled across the warehouse with a sandwich wrapped in cellophane and a bottle of water. “Here, eat,” he grumbled.

  Ame whispered a thank you before she tore open the sandwich and took a bite. She nearly finished both her food and water before Sam pounded on the door. “Come on, kid. Hurry up.”

  There was no response. Sam fought the door knob, unable to open it. Taking a step back, he plowed his large boot into it, springing it open. All he found was a leg snaking through the window near the ceiling.

  “Get back here, kid!” Sam grabbed Dakota’s foot and yanked him back, wrapping his strong arms around him and dragging him back to the cage.

  Chad opened Ame’s cage and pulled her out. “Let’s go.”

  She stumbled behind him as he led her to the bathroom. After what she saw she wasted no time. Even Chad looked shocked when she popped out of the door. He led her back to her cell and disappeared with the other men.

  “Are they going to sedate us again?” Ame murmured.

  “If they are, maybe we can sneak out when he comes back,” Dakota suggested.

  “His guys are really big,” Ame countered.

  “Let me make the move again. I won’t leave here without you.” He shook his head. “You’re parents may be heading to Sydney, but we’re still in the States. I caught a glimpse of the skyline. I think we’re in New York City.”

  The door opened once again with a bang. Oliver returned flanked by his two men. The smaller of the two, Chad, toted a very dangerous semi-automatic rifle in his arms. With a gasp she scuttled to the corner of her cage.

  “Afraid of guns, sweetheart?” Oliver crooned. “Are you sure you’re an O’Riley? If you intend to go into the family business, you’d better get used to them.” He motioned to his henchman. “Chad here will be babysitting you today. He has no patience for children. No talking. No screwing around. I suggest you take a nap.”

  “And no touching each other,” Chad followed with a growl. “If I’m not getting any, neither are either of you two.”

  Dakota rose to a crouch and wrapped his hands around the bars. He shook them violently. “Don’t talk like that to her,” he warned.

  “Sit down, sport. You aren’t reaching any of us from in there.” Oliver slipped his foot through the cage, shoving Dakota to the ground. The boy snarled as he landed on his rump.

  “When my dad finds you, he’ll make you pay,” Ame warned.

  “He’s already threatened me. You’re too late.” Oliver pointed from from one teen to the other. “Now be good. I want a good report from Chad when I return. I’ll be back after I go chat with the scavenger hunters.”

  Ame rose to her knees as Oliver strode away laughing. “Dad? Mom?”

  The barrel of the rifle in her face settled her back down. A deep growl from Dakota briefly drew the gun away. She curled up in the corner of her cage then looked at him. It was going to be a long, terrifying wait. She just hoped her parents would find them soon.

  Chapter Six

  Abbey glanced over her shoulder to watch the rest of the team disperse. She took a deep breath. Hopefully in a few moments she would be reunited with her daughter. Readjusting her earpiece, she waited for the word from Gordon.

  “Are you all in position?” Gordon queried, his deep brogue breaking the silence.

  “Yes,” Abbey answered into her microphone.

  “Aye,” Sloan followed.

  “Yeah,” both Bartholomew and Robert chimed in.

  “Si,” Logan finished. Abbey rolled her eyes. Leave it to him to be the jokester. Logan still got giddy as a kid when they went on a mission. Must have watched too many spy movies as a kid.

  “Then proceed carefully. I want you all back in one piece. Understand?”

  Abbey snuck closer to the large warehouse door. Her assignment was easy and the same as with every mission – get as high as possible. The men would take the fire fight on the floor. Even though she knew the primary reason she was sent up there was to keep her out of harm’s way, it gave her the best place to do what she did best, just set up her sniper rifle and disarm threats. Easy peasy.

  She slipped around the door and pressed to the wall. Her eyes darted to find higher ground. Instead what she saw made her heart drop. The warehouse was deserted except for two empty cages with steel bars. The long string of curse words coming from her husband through her earpiece told her the others discovered the same thing.

  “What’s going on?” Gordon demanded.

  “They’re not here,” Robert reported. “No kids, no bad guys. Just two empty cages.”

  “I don’t think they were ever here,” Bartholomew added.

  “Are you certain?”

  “Each of us came through every possible opening. And there’s no sign of life. No trash. Everything but the floor is covered in dust. Yeah, no one is here or has been here.”

  “Then where the bloody hell are they?” Sloan barked.

  Bartholomew slung the pack off his back and pulled out his tablet. “Let me see what I can find.”

  Abbey dropped her rifle to her side as she approached the cages. Studying them, she kneeled when she caught sight of a photo lying on the floor of one. “Sloan!”

  He jogged over to her. “What is it, luv?”

  She picked up the photo and handed it to him. “Why is a picture of us in Sydney at the complex grand opening lying here in this cage?”

  He frowned as he looked at it. “I don’t know.”

  “Let me shed some light on that, Tiger.”

  Every head in the warehouse popped up at the sound of the voice. Sloan snarled. “Oliver, you bastard! Give me back my daughter.”

  The disembodied voice chuckled. “Really, Sloan. You should really speak nicer to me. I do have Ame’s and her little boyfriend’s lives in my hands,” Oliver remarked.

  “What do you want?”

  “Let’s play a game. You come find us. I’ll leave you clues to lead to the right place. You have four days or I slit the young’uns throats open. The first clue is on the back of that photo.”

  “Don’t lay a hand on them,” Sloan warned.

  “Clock’s ticking, papi. See you soon, beautiful.” The sudden long silence told them Oliver ended the connection. The men drew out their flashlights and pointed the high powered beams into the dark areas of the warehouse.

  Bartholomew wandered away and pointed his flashlight into the far corner. “There’s a speaker transmitting by wifi. The plug in for it looks new. Whoever wants us to go on this mission spared no expense to send us on it.”

  Abbey bit back a growl. Oliver gave her the creeps. Sloan flipped the photo in his hand over and frowned. “A passport stamp. But it’s smeared nearly beyond recognition. Only a little bit is clear.”

  The group gathered around him and studied the smudge. Robert spoke first. “Whatever it is, it’s on my passport. I recognize it.”

  “Mine too,” Logan added.

  Bartholomew’s eyes narrowed. “It’s the stamp for Thailand. I bet it’s a clue for Bangkok.”

  “Bangkok, Thailand?” Logan questioned confused.

  “The Gauntlet,” Abbey breathed.

  “I agree with Abigail,” Gordon replied through the earpiece. “Oliver is leading you on some sort of wild goose chase using the children as bait.”

  “When I get my hands on him, he’ll regret he did that. Let’s return to the airport,” Sloan comm
anded.

  “To where? We have no coordinates. We can’t go knocking on doors in Bangkok and hope we find what we’re looking for. The Gauntlet has top notch security. No one can just go waltzing in there,” Robert countered.

  Sloan snarled at the comment then sighed. Bartholomew interjected. “Since we assume this has to do with the Gauntlet I’ll search around there. I’m pretty certain I can find footage of any activity around there before the plane lands.”

  “Excellent. Let’s go then.”

  Abbey shuffled off after her husband as they all made their way back to the SUV that brought them to the warehouse. She gazed out the window as she heard Sloan making arrangements for takeoff. Even the typical bite normally found in his voice was defeated. She must not have been the only one who thought that. The person on the other line must have thought the same thing because Sloan had to repeat everything he said.

  The slight delay in the flight gave the group a chance to eat. Abbey wasn’t sure when they would get the opportunity again. Sloan arranged for supper in a private room at their complex. The booming nightlife that personified the complex had already begun, half clad women in sparkly dresses giggling in groups together or on the arms of their lucky dates. Abbey growled in disdain as several stopped to flirt with Sloan. Her heart was already torn between fury and sorrow. She didn’t need to deal with Sydney’s finest tramps along with it. Glancing up at Sloan, she saw the lack of interest in his eyes. It was the first time since they were together she didn’t see him eat up the attention like a fine, rich dessert. All she saw was worry, a foreign concept to her husband. Squeezing his hand, she forced a smile at him. The one he gave her back was equally labored.

  The walk to their dining area was quiet. The only one who seemed to be in a hurry was Bartholomew, who all but sprinted there to get a better Wifi signal so he could continue working.

  Sloan held Abbey’s hand tight in his as he led them inside. Platters of prime rib, vegetables, potatoes, and rich desserts spread across the table. Everyone stared at it for a moment before turning to him.