“Alex?”
“No, James.” I had to take several deep breaths to get my heart rate down. Karen watched me with wide eyes and then she said, “I’m so very sorry.”
I managed a smile and said, “Don’t be, Karen. I overreacted. Thank you for letting me know.” I smiled at them both and went down the stairs. James and Michael were indeed in the sunroom. James had his back to me but I could see Michael’s little face looking up at his grandfather as he held him out in front and sang to him. He was singing, “You are my Sunshine” and Michael looked enthralled. I waited until he finished and then I said, “Good morning.”
James turned towards me and looking abashed he said, “Oh, you caught me. Good morning.”
“It was a beautiful rendition, wasn’t it Michael?” My baby was craning his neck and his beautiful eyes were trying to track my voice. It’s the little things like that when you’re a parent that makes your whole day. James noticed too. He smiled at the baby.
“You hear your mama, don’t you handsome boy. Here you go, there’s your mama.” He handed him to me and said, “Thank you for him.”
I laughed. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like him because there’s a definitive no return policy.”
He looked sad and I realized that probably wasn’t the smartest statement in lieu of what he’d told us the night before. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me.”
He shook his head. “Please don’t apologize; I know that you didn’t mean anything. You know something Victoria?”
“What sir?”
“First of all, stop calling me sir. It’s James. Anyways, I absolutely cannot stand Cassandra. I never could. I didn’t care that she was from the same social class as Alex, she was just rotten to the core and I knew it the first time I met her. I don’t know if Alex told you or not, but I’m a pretty good judge of people.”
“He did tell me and I agree with you about Cassie, I’ve always thought the same thing.”
“Well what I wanted to tell you is that I think my son did about one hundred percent better this time. I read all the crap the tabloids printed and I could care less about any of it. Anyone with half a brain knows they don’t print the actual truth in those rags. If Alex loses a customer or two because of it, that’s their loss. I honestly don’t think anybody in this day and age is going to care anyways. My point is I hope you’re not letting any of it bother you. I know that all of this unwanted attention is probably new to you.”
“It definitely is… and I was really worried about it at first. I wasn’t worried about how it made me look; I honestly could care less about that. I was worried about Alex’s business and I am worried about my son reading it someday. You know with the internet now, nothing ever goes away.”
He nodded and then looked at the baby who had snuggled against my chest and went back to sleep. “He’s a Reigns, so he will have to be taught about the press and the paparazzi at a young age unfortunately, but I don’t think they’ll be able to tell him anything that’ll make him think poorly of his Mama.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “I’m going to see what Cook has cooking in there. I’ll let you two get on with your morning routine.”
He left and I sat in the rocking chair next to the window. The sun was streaming in and I leaned back and closed my eyes. After a minute Michael started fussing and when he did, I opened my eyes just in time to catch the flash of a shadow at the window. I screamed causing the baby to cry. I didn’t realize there was security inside the house, but a huge bald guy came running in.
“What is it Miss?”
“There was someone at the window.” He called on his radio for back-up as he ran out. I took Michael and went out of the glass-enclosed room. I was suddenly afraid to stand next to a window; what was happening?
“Victoria, are you okay?” James and Cook ran out from the kitchen.
“Yeah, there was someone at the window. Security went after him.” Cook put his arm around me. James looked torn as if he was thinking about going after them himself. Before he decided to do that, the big guy came back in. He was talking on his radio and carrying Jason by the scruff of his neck. I lost it as soon as I saw him. I pushed my poor baby into a shocked James's arms and while the security officer still held him, I slapped him hard across the face. “You son of a bitch!”
The security officer’s lips twitched. Cook was laughing outright and poor James still looked shocked. “You know this guy?” Mr. Security asked me.
“Yes, unfortunately. This is Jason Bowers, my ex-boyfriend.”
The security officer whose name badge I can see now says “Joe,” tossed Jason into a chair. I could see then that his hands were cuffed together at the back with a pair of plastic cuffs. “Don’t move,” he said, threateningly. He got back on the radio and gave his superiors Jason’s name. They told him the police were on their way.
“What were you doing here, Jason? How did you even get on the property?” I wanted to slug him again. The coward wouldn’t even look up at me.
“He’s not talking to me either,” Joe said. “Of course as soon as I got ahold of him I shoved his face into the pavement and cuffed him. I guess he’s not fond of foreplay.” Jason was still looking at the floor.
I looked at Joe and asked, “Did someone call Mr. Reigns or should I do that?”
“He’s been called,” Joe said.
“Good, thank you.” I took the baby from James’s arms and told him, “I’m going to feed him and then shower. Will you let me know if they need me before that? I can’t stand here and look at him or my kick-boxing classes are going to start kicking back in.”
James smiled and said, “You pack a mean punch there. You go on ahead and I will definitely call you if they need you.”
Still shaking from either fright or fury or both, I headed up the stairs. I sat in the nursery, far from the window even though it was upstairs, and fed Michael. He ate like a little glutton, finally passing out like a drunk on New Year’s Eve. I put him down gently in his crib and taking the baby monitor, I headed for the shower. I showered quickly and dressed. When I came back out, there was another security officer at the door of Michael’s nursery. He saw my curious look and took out his I.D. and held it out to me. I went over and looked at it and then I handed it back and peeked in at the baby.
“Thank you.” He gave me a nod and I went back downstairs to see what was happening down there. I found them all still on the sunporch, only now there were two more security officers and two police officers and one man that looked like a detective in the room as well.
“Vicki!” I turned around and Alex was there. He opened his arms and I folded into them. “Are you and Michael okay?” I nodded and pulled back just a little so that I could see his face.
“We’re fine. I’m sorry you have to keep rushing home. You’re never going to get any work done.”
He laughed. “I don’t care, as long as you two are okay. I hear I shouldn’t make you too mad either. Dad says you fight like Ali.”
I laughed too. “Not quite… but yes, not making me angry is a good thing.”
“Did this idiot say what he was doing here?”
“Before he went upstairs he didn’t say anything.”
“His mouth probably hurt,” he told me with a wink. I looked in at Jason. He looked so pathetic. Just a year ago he was on top of the world. He had a great job and a big circle of friends. I have no idea how he fell so hard so fast. He was still looking at the floor and refusing to speak.
The man in the suit came over to me and said, “Mrs. Reigns?”
“Victoria,” I said. I wanted to say, “Not yet,” but I wasn’t sure that was appropriate in this situation.
“Victoria did you see Mr. Bowers outside the window?”
I nodded, “But, I only caught a flash. I don’t know if he was actually looking in or just running by.”
“It doesn’t matter. This is private property either way. I’d like to know how he got in here.
I had trouble at the gate.”
“Who was there when you came through?” Alex asked.
The detective looked at his notepad and said, “Elliot.”
Alex shook his head like he didn’t know him but I had a sudden thought. “What’s his last name?” The detective looked down again and said, “Hanson.”
“Oh my God!”
“What?” Alex and the Detective were both looking at me.
“Elliot Hanson is Jason’s best friend. They’ve been friends since they were kids.”
“Damn it!” Alex’s face was bright red and his fists were clenched. He took out his phone and called the front gates. “Is Elliot Hanson still here?”
“No. He left about a half an hour ago.”
“Okay, I need his home address.”
“I’ll get it for you sir and call you right back.”
“Just text it, thanks.”
He disconnected the call and looked at me again. “What does he look like?”
“I haven’t seen him in a while, but last time I did he had short dark hair and a mustache and goatee. He’s about six foot and he’s broad shouldered, usually.”
I heard the sound of a text tone in his hand. He glanced at it and said, “Okay baby, thanks. I’m going to go with them.” James was standing behind me.
“I’m going too,” he said. Alex looked at his father like he was going to protest but something in James’ face changed his mind.
“Alex… what if it’s not safe?” I had a really bad feeling about this. I didn’t want him to go. I was suddenly afraid for his life.
“I’ll stay out of their way and let them do their job, but when they have this creep in custody, I want to be there to hear what he has to say for himself.”
I nodded slowly. I was worried and I felt sick, but I wasn’t going to be able to stop him. If I thought I could get away with going, I would go too. “Be safe.”
“I will.” He kissed me softly and said, “I love you.”
“I love you too.” I watched him go, surrounded by his security staff. The two officers that the detective left behind were getting Jason to his feet. He looked like an old man trying to stand up, Joe’s tackle must have done a number on him.
I walked up to him and he flinched. Good, I want him to feel afraid and humiliated. The sight of him alone disgusted me. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to waste my time hitting you again. I just want you to know how disgusting I think you are. The only place I ever want to see you again is in court.”
“You don’t understand,” he whispered.
“What Jason? What is it that I don’t understand?”
“They’re going to kill me.”
“Who?”
“The people I owe a quarter of a million dollars too.”
“How the hell do you owe so much money, Jason?” He didn’t say anything. “Gambling? You’ve been losing at the track again and borrowing money?” He still didn’t answer. I knew his fondness for the track; that had to be it. “You know what, I really don’t care. You thought that you could get money to pay your gambling debts by hurting my family?” Still nothing. The officers on either side of him were looking at me. “Just take him please. I can’t stand to look at him.”
When Jason was gone I went up and sat in Michael’s room. The security officer was at the door and Michael was still asleep but after finding out that one of them was working with Jason, I didn’t trust anyone anymore.
CHAPTER NINE
ALEXANDER
Dad and I followed the police and security in my SUV. Neither of us spoke. I couldn’t believe how close we had just come to losing Michael. I could see Dad out of the corner of my eye. He looked worn down and I wondered how much of that was PTSD from re-living the worst part of his life.
Elliot Hanson lived in a nice neighborhood in Redondo Beach. It was a high rent district and when we pulled up into the circular driveway Dad said, “He must have been winning on those ponies at some point.”
“Maybe or maybe this isn’t the first kidnapping attempt he’s been involved in.”
The detective came over to my window and said, “I need you guys to park it on the street and wait there.”
“Can my security man go in with you?”
“Yeah, Joe can come in.”
“Okay, thanks.”
It was hard, but Dad and I did as he asked. I parked along the street and turned off the car and then we watched. We were parked out of the line of fire if it came to that, but we could see the detective and two officers that had joined him here and Joe, at the front door. They knocked and a few seconds later the door was pulled open by a busty blonde in a bikini. She had a surprised look on her face and I could see her shaking her head. The detective must have asked to be let inside because she stepped back and let them pass. She did something before she closed the door that Dad and I both noticed; she looked over towards the garage. I turned the ignition of the SUV back on and waited. Maybe three minutes passed when we saw him. At least we had good reason to assume it was him. A twenty-something year old guy in a muscle t-shirt and jeans with tattoos covering his arms was pushing a street bike out the side door of the garage. We waited and when Elliot hit the street, he took off fast. I took off after him and handed Dad my phone. “Call Joe, he’s in the house with the detective. Tell him what’s going on.”
Dad pushed the call button and seconds later I heard him say, “Joe, this is James Reigns. Alex and I are chasing Elliot. He’s on a Honda CRV street bike. It’s green and he’s heading north on PCH towards Carnelian. Okay. No, tell him we’re following at a safe distance and so far I don’t think he even knows that we’re here. Okay.” Dad hung up and said, “The detective says for us to stay back, he’s putting out an APB so if we see law enforcement we need to stop and get out of the way.”
“Yeah, okay.” Right. I’m not stopping until Elliot does. I want this to be over. I want to enjoy my beautiful family for a change without all of this drama.
We followed him up to Carnelian and he made a right on Ardmore. I looked at Dad and he said, “I’m on it.” I saw him send a text to Joe and then he said, “He’s headed to Manhattan Beach.”
I nodded. I still didn’t see any cops. Where the hell are they? Elliot gave no indication that he knew we were behind him. I kept following him as he made a left on Manhattan Beach Blvd. He was heading straight down towards the beach. He pulled into the lot near the pier and got off the bike. I parked the SUV and saw Dad sending a text as I got out. I’d taken about two steps when Elliot looked over and saw me. I might not recognize him, but he sure as hell knows who I am. As soon as he saw me, he took off running. I took off after him and heard Dad getting out of the car behind me. Elliot was running towards the sand instead of away from it which I thought was strange. There was no Marina here, so he couldn’t have a boat. He ran into a men’s restroom and I went in after him. That was my first mistake.
“Hello Mr. Reigns.” Elliot had a gun pointed at my face.
“Hello… Elliot, is it?”
The bastard smiled. “Lock that door behind you.” I did as I was told and then he said, “Nice to know you finally know my name. You drive by me every day and cut me a check once a month and I’ll bet when they figured out it was me that let Jason on the property you had no idea who I was. You’re way too important to worry about the little guy who protects your precious estate and your illegitimate family.” He was goading me. He wanted me to make a move. I wanted to, so badly. I wanted to feel my fist connect with his face and I haven’t been in a fist-fight since high school. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction, however. If he wanted to shoot me, he’d have to do it from where I stood. I heard my father begin banging on the steel door. The little building is brick and the door is about two inches of steel. It’s made to withstand the high tide. It was also a fortress. Elliot knew what he was doing when he came in here.
“What do you want, Elliot?”
“Money, of course. I’m sick of watching
you stinking rich people flaunt your wealth while the rest of us have nothing.”
I cocked an eyebrow and said, “That house in Redondo Beach is pretty nice.”
“It belongs to my girlfriend and she’s about to kick me out. The IRS and child support take most of my check. I’m barely left with enough to pay rent much less pay for anything else. I borrowed a lot of money from a guy who is demanding payment. I’m not going to let him take it out of my hide while I watch you pigs live like royalty.”
“So you thought you’d just… steal a baby and solve all of your problems?”
“That was stupid Jason’s idea. I was going to snatch the maid who is suddenly the hoity toity lady of the manor.”
Maid To The Billionaire: Forever His (Part Three) (Billionaire Romance) Page 5
