by T N Lowe
“I guess we’ll find out when the ‘boss’ gets here,” I say, taking a seat on a box next to Samuel.
Chapter Thirty-One - Patrick
Shauna is sitting across from me in her father’s office. She is giving me an update on how it’s going with tracking Fi-Fi’s cell, “We’ve traced it t…..” she stops talking as Landon charges into the office, the door slamming against the wall. “What the fuck is going on, Patrick. Erin texted that she’s in trouble.”
I take a deep breath and look at Shauna, not sure what to tell him. Shauna’s eyes are glued to Landon and are at risk of popping out of her head. Looking up at Landon, I see why. He’s is livid; no……he passed livid ten seconds ago. “We don’t know exactly what’s happened. We know that Fi-Fi and CJ have been kidnapped. Fi-Fi texted Erin and said they were kidnapped but they were okay. But she also said the house might not be safe.”
“Yeah, but what about my wife?” Landon hisses.
Fuck! He’s not gonna like my answer. And for the first time, I fear what Landon Jefferies will do to me. “We didn’t even know she was in trouble until you said something.”
Landon roars, then punches a large hole into the wall with all his frustration.
“What the hell is going on?” Maks yells from behind Landon.
“This doesn’t involve you, Maks,” Landon seizes!
“The hell it doesn’t! You’re scaring the piss out of my, wife, so tell me what the fuck is going on,” Maks demands, moving past Landon. He squats down, murmuring to Shauna, checking to see that she is okay.
Shauna nods to whatever Maks asks her, “It’s okay, Maks. Landon is upset because Erin, CJ, Fi-Fi, and Tomas have all been kidnapped. We don’t know where they are for sure or if they’re okay. And we’re not even sure if the house is safe.”
“The house is safe. I have my best men standing guard along with the best security money can buy,” Maks offers, trying to help put Landon at ease.
“No offense Maks, but if you can buy them, what makes you think someone else hasn’t paid them more to get information on us or turn on you?” Landon asks with anger still tinting his voice.
Maks stands to his full height and chuckles, “Because they know who they are working for. They know if they cross me, there is nowhere for them to run. I will find them and I will kill them, and their families.”
Shauna flinches and I shake my head. Maks is a good guy and will do anything for you. But, true to his word, cross him and he will have no problems seeking his form of retribution.
“Okay. But what are you doing to finding my wife?” Landon asks.
“I was able to trace Fi-Fi’s phone; the last known location was within a five-mile radius this side of Westminster, Maryland. It’s about two hours from here,” Shauna explains.
“Great! Let’s go,” Landon replies.
“It’s not that easy Landon. The area is rural with dense forests. And they could be anywhere in those five miles. We don’t even know where to begin,” I tell him, seeing his anger returning.
“So what are you doing?’ Landon asks through gritted teeth.
“I’ve requested satellite images of the area. After we know more of what’s in the area, we can send men to find them.”
“And how long will that take?” Landon asks.
“A couple of hours.”
“A couple of hours? Do you know what they can do to her in a couple of hours?!” Landon roars.
“Unfortunately, yes, I do know what they can do. I’ve been in your shoes before,” I empathize, reliving those moments when Lena was taken from me.
“I have too! This is the second time Erin has been taken from me. The first time had a happy ending but I know how easily it could have gone the other way,” Landon spits, dropping his chin to his chest and takes a deep breath. As he looks up, I see the pain and fear in his eyes, “Find her. Please! I can’t do this without her.”
Walking to his side, I put my hand on Landon’s shoulder, “I know, buddy. We’ll get her back. But we need to be smart. Go be with Cain; I’ll let you know the second we know anything.”
Landon nods as the secure line on my desk rings. I sit in the desk chair and answer with a brisk, “Patrick.”
“Sir,” Lane, Samuel’s head of security, replies. “Umm… is President Walsh there with you?”
My eyebrows shoot upward on my forehead, “No. He was at Camp David last time I spoke to him.”
“Shit!” Lane mutters. “That’s what I was afraid of. I hate to report, but someone has taken the President.”
“Taken……taken where?!” I demand.
“I, um…, don’t know, sir.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? It’s your job, Lane. Now where the fuck is Samuel?”
“Last we knew he was at Camp David. He called to say he was going to return to Washington via helicopter.”
“When was this?”
“Three hours ago,” Lane breathes.
I stand quickly, letting the chair fall to the floor. “You’re telling me the President of the United States has been missing for three hours?’
“Yes sir,” Lane replies, sounding more like a frightened child than a grown man.
“Call everyone,” I bark. “Everyone is on this. I don’t care what they are doing. Find Samuel!”
“Y-yes sir,” Lane stammers as I slam the phone on the desk.
Bending, I pick the chair up from the floor and flop down into it. Closing my eyes, I take a deep, cleansing breath, and blow it out.
‘Oh no!
No, no one knows.
But…..no! no! no!
This is so much worse than I thought.
“Fuck, gather everyone in the living room,” I order.
Chapter Thirty-Two - Rylie
Shauna pokes her head into the T.V. room where I’m watching a movie with her brothers, Manus, Brenn, and Carson. “Patrick wants everyone in the living room, pronto.”
“Okay,” we answer as Carson pauses the movie.
Walking into the living room, I plop onto the couch next to my dad. Shauna, Maks, and her brothers sit on the opposite couch next to their dad. Liam is sitting on the couch with his wife, Hui, tucked into his side. Li Wei is seated in the armchair next to Hui and is holding her hand, Jai standing behind him.
Patrick is standing in front of the fireplace with Lena curled into his side. Landon and Cain are standing next to the couch; both looking pissed and I get a bad feeling that Patrick will say isn’t good.
Liam looks at me and smiles, “You good baby sis?”
“Yeah. Just missing Tomas.”
“I’m sure he’s good,” Liam offers
“I hope so.”
Patrick clears his throat and I turn my attention back to him. “There is no easy way to say this, so I’ll just do it.” He pulls Lena closer, “CJ, Fi-Fi, Erin, and Tomas have been taken, and Samuel is missing.”
Everyone talks at once. “What do you mean they’ve been taken?” I shout.
When everyone turns to Patrick for answers, he begins, “Forty-five minutes ago Shauna received a text from Erin stating Fi-Fi and CJ have been kidnapped. Fi-Fi said they are okay, but she thought the house was compromised. Maks and I have guaranteed that the house is safe; there’s nothing to worry about. Shauna was able to trace Fi-Fi’s cell to a general, five-mile radius around Westminster, Maryland. I’ve requested satellite images of the area. Once we know what we are looking for, I will send in men to bring them home.”
“How long,” I demand to know.
“I’ll have the images at the top of the hour. We find what we need; the men will leave within two hours,” Patrick answers.
I clench my jaw and grind my teeth. Two hours on top of the time they have already been missing. What if…..he wouldn’t, would he? Dad feels me stiffen and pulls me into his side. I tug free from his hold and blurt, “What if it’s Hector or Roberto? They know Tomas betrayed them. They might know Erin and Fi-Fi helped Shauna and I escape. What if they took
them to make an example of what happens when you cross them?”
“Rylie,” Patrick breathes, trying to placate me, “we haven’t ruled anything out. Right now we want to find them and bring them back in one piece. We’ll deal with the ‘who’ after we know they’re safe.”
“But……,” I try, but Dad cuts me off.
“Honey, one thing at a time. First we need to find them and make sure they’re safe. We can always catch the bad guys later.”
I nod and curl back into Dad’s side.
“As for Samuel,” Patrick starts again, pulling a sobbing Lena into his chest and rubbing her back, “he has been missing for four hours now. The last time anyone saw or spoke to him was at Camp David. He requested to be brought back to D.C, but when the helicopter arrived to transport him, Samuel was missing. This means that whoever we are dealing with has power and pull. Whoever took Samuel was able to get past the Secret Service and past his private security. In a way, this is a good thing.”
Lena’s head pops up, and while I can’t see her eyes, I know, she is giving him a death stare. “It helps us narrow down who we are looking for, princess,” Patrick replies, an apology in his tone, rubbing her back. Lena nods then buries her face in his chest again.
Turning his attention back to the room, Patrick continues, “There are only a handful of people who can get past the Secret Service and security without an appointment or authorization. Two of those people are in this room; and of course, we’ve been here with you all so that rules us out of the equation.”
Patrick scans the room then places a kiss to Lena’s forehead and says, “And it gets worse.”
“Worse?” Manus asks.
“Unfortunately,” Patrick mutters. “You all know The Family was founded by Niall Walsh Sr., Sinead Sullivan, and Arthur Daly, former members of an Irish street gang. What you don’t know is that the descendants of these three founding members are what we referred to as the council members of The Family. They are the only ones who can approve changes to The Family. When Maks wanted to marry Shauna and bring the Vory into The Family, the council members had to approve it.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with what’s going on?” I ask.
“Today the council members are Lena Miller-Walsh-Love, Riona Murphy, and Connor Daly. If they are unable to vote on an issue, another member of their family can take their place. Whoever took Erin, CJ, Samuel, Tomas, and Fi-Fi must know this and want them to approve something, and it has to be big.”
“I don’t feel so good,” I hear Shauna whisper to Maks.
“Maybe you should lie down, Pchelka,” Maks offers.
Before Maks can move to help her, Shauna bends forward and empties her stomach on the area rug in front of her and Maks. Then she closes her eyes and goes limp in Maks arms.
“Gross,” Brenn and Carson say together.
“Shit,” Maks curses, lifting a limp Shauna into his lap as Connor rushes to his side. Maks gently pats her cheek, frantically calling her name.
“Baby girl. Open your eyes,” Connor commands, brushing the hair from her face. The rest of the Daly boys close in around her.
“She needs a hospital,” I cry.
“It’s not safe for her to leave,” Patrick cautions.
“I’m a doctor. I can care of her,” Li Wei offers.
“You’re a doctor?” Connor asks suspiciously.
“Yes,” Li Wei chuckles. “I am a doctor. As a young man, I wasn’t sold on taking over for my father so I went to medical school. I worked at the finest hospital in Hong Kong for several years. I was in my mid-thirties when some unfortunate circumstances changed my path and I had to take over for my father.”
Connor looks to Hui, who nods, “Yes, he is a doctor. When my brother and I were younger he patched all of our scrape s.”
“You have a brother?” Carson asks.
“Yes, Jai. He is my brother.”
“I thought Jai was a computer guy.”
Jai laughs, “I am; and I also happen to be Hui brother and Li Wei’s son.”
“Wow, you three are full of surprises,” Breen mutters.
“I knew,” Liam shrugs.
“Okay, let’s move her upstairs. You said she is pregnant?” Li Wei asks Maks.
“Yes, thirteen weeks now,” Maks answers, quickly before standing with Shauna in his arms.
“She has been under a great deal of stress. It could be the pregnancy hormones amplifying the stress she is under and passing out is her body’s way of dealing with it. But I will know more after I examine her,” Li Wei offers.
Maks nods his mouth tight, his jaw ticking, and worry in his eyes as he walks to the stairs with Shauna.
Li Wei turns to Jai and asks, “Can you please get my bag from my room?”
Jai nods and runs from the room while Connor, Manus, Brenn, and Carson follow Maks.
Half an hour later Le Wei returns with Connor, Brenn, and Carson in tow. “Shauna will be okay. She needs to rest though,” Li Wei announces. “Maks and Manus are staying with her and I will check on her again shortly.”
“Why don’t we eat lunch?” Lena offers. “It’s been a trying day for all of us and we need to keep our strength up.”
“Good idea,” Li Wei agrees.
After lunch, Maks and Manus join us. “Shauna is okay, she is resting,” Maks grumbles, looking frustrated.
“She kicked us out,” Manus adds. “She pukes, passes out, scares the shit out of us, and then has the nerve to kick us out.”
“That is your sister,” Connor confesses.
Maks’ phone rings, breaking the conversation about how frustrating his wife can be. He pulls it from his pocket and barks, “Yes.” Maks listens, then replies, “What does he want?” He listens again then sighs, “Which one?” Maks asks as he looks to me, then Patrick. He puts the phone on speaker and demands, “Say again.”
“A man is here to speak to Rylie Love sir,” the man on the other end of the line says.
“Does anyone know you are here?” Patrick demands as Dad and Liam come to stand by me.
“Of course not,” I spit. “I’m not stupid.”
“What is his name?” Patrick asks into the phone.
We hear muffled speaking then, “Roberto Carballo, sir.”
I suck in a breath and feel my body begin to shake. Dad feels it and pulls me tight to his chest, “He will not hurt you.”
“How the hell did he know we were here?” Patrick asks.
“Put him on the phone,” Maks orders.
Dad runs his hand through my hair, trying to soothe me, murmuring, “They will not let him hurt you,” he coos.
“Here he is sir,” the man answers. Then we hear a heavily accented baritone Hispanic voice say, “This is Roberto.”
“How did you know where Rylie was,” Patrick asks into the phone.
Roberto laughs, “You are not the only one with powerful friends. Now may I speak to my daughter?”
“She is not your daughter,” Liam spits.
“Oh, she is. And we have some matters to discuss in private,” Robert answers.
“We’ll call you back,” Maks barks, then ends the call.
I remember the feel of his hands around my throat, squeezing the life out of me; I see the anger on his face and the overwhelming scent of his cologne fills my nostrils again. Dad shakes me from my nightmarish flashback, my hand flying to my throat, and I continue to tremble and I gasp for breath. I was there; like it happened yesterday, not a month ago.
“Look at her; she is not going anywhere near that man. I don’t give a fuck who he thinks he is,” Dad bellows. He holds me tighter and mummers sweetly into my hair, “Don’t worry, honey. That monster will not hurt you ever again.”
Patrick kneels in front of me, “Honey, it’s your call. Do you want to talk to Roberto?”
Honestly it is the last thing I want. The last time I saw Roberto, he terrified me, and he would have killed me if Tomas hadn’t stopped him. I open my mouth to say someth
ing but then I look up and see Landon and Cain talking in the corner. Both men look like hollow shells of themselves.
“It’s okay. You really don’t have to,” Liam offers.
If Lena or Shauna were in this position, they would do it. They would risk everything to help the people they loved. I have to do it; I have to help rescue the people who risked everything to save me. “He might know where the others are. If there is a chance, I have to take it. Tomas would do it.”
“Okay honey,” Patrick comforts me, giving my knees a light squeeze. “But you are not going alone. Liam and I will go with you.”
“No, I want Landon and Cain with me.” The two men look at me. “They need to know if he has any information more than I do. They will come with me.”
“Rylie,” Dad scolds.
“No Dad. I have to try and help rescue Erin and Fi-Fi. They risked everything to save Shauna and me. Tomas……well, I love Tomas. And he helped to keep me safe; he tried to help Shauna too. But Gennadi had his men on her.”
“Okay sweetheart,” Dad relents.
Patrick looks up at Landon and Cain then nods, “Okay. If that is what you want, Landon and Cain will go with you.”
Maks and Connor stand, moving quickly, and disappearing down the hall. Dad and Patrick help me from the couch. We amble towards the front door with Liam, Cain, and Landon trailing behind us.
We reach the entryway and see that the entry table is covered with an arsenal of weapons. Maks greets us, holding up black vests. Handing a vest to Cain and Landon, Maks explains, “These are bulletproof vests. They will not stop a bullet if they shoot you at close range, but they can stop up to a .50 caliber bullet.”
As Maks is explaining this, Connor slips the vest over my head and adjusts the Velcro straps at my shoulders and around my waist. “It’s not a perfect fit but it’s better than nothing,” he says, then kisses my cheek.
I watch as Maks checks the guy’s vests then hands them each a big gun and a small handgun from the table. “You know how to use that?” Maks asks. Landon looks at him like he’s stupid, then does something and the gun makes loud noises. I jump in an effort to get away.
