“Give me a few, Joe, I’ve located his name, it’s been changed to Lebaum…” she said, as if she’s speaking to herself. I already had that info.

“What else?”

“He’s in New York City, Manhattan to be exact.” Shit, that doesn’t help much.

“Angel, can you check license plate # DREK 530 for me?”

“Damn, Joe, give me a second here, I know I am a genius, but you’re too demanding today…okay… yes…. this is a rental car. It was rented from Budget Rent-A-Car this morning in Thunder Bay….it was rented by a Justice Davies….let me guess, you want me to check who Justice Davies is?” she giggled.

“You got it babe.”

The phone was silent as I waited to hear what she had to say, hoping that this was a good lead. “Shit Joe, Justice Davies was an eighty-four year old man that died in St. Catherine’s last year,” she said regretfully.

“Shit, dead end…did you get Blanchard’s cell?” I asked, clenching the steering wheel too hard. There’s no doubt that someone took Vicky, the question was, do I contact the authorities?

“Here’s Blanchard’s cell, 212-698-7569.”

“Thanks, Angel, you are one helpful girl,” I said then I clicked the phone shut.

I began to dial Blanchard’s number but then I hung up, he probably wouldn’t accept a call from an unknown number. I picked up Vicky’s phone and his number was already in her contacts. Clearly I am slow today. I pressed the number and the phone began to ring…. “Hello,” he answered with a thick French accent.

“Blanchard,” I bit out.

“Who is this?” he asked cautiously.

“My name is Joe Molino, I am Vicky Molino’s brother,” I responded with a deep voice, showing him I meant business and he better not hang up.

“Why are you calling from Vicky’s phone? Is everything okay?” he asked with a concerned tone. He hadn’t been shown on record to have any connections with the Blanchard family for the past two years, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t groomed and raised by them.

“Yeah, Blanchard, someone just upped and took her right off the street using a rental car with a fake name,” I explained. He began muttering in French, I was assuming it was expletives of some sort.

“My fucking father….he’s here in New York. He has come to bring me back to France. My brother was recently shot and killed…” he explained. I knew all this already. “My father wants me to come back into the family business. He knows I was dating your sister, he must have taken her to ensure I follow through on his orders.”

“Look, Blanchard, my sister doesn’t know this but I work for the DEA. I know exactly who you and your family are…I don’t plan on losing her, so start talking….”

Luc went on to tell me about the current threat and how his family summoned him back to France.

“Listen, Joe, I am coming to Thunder Bay. Whoever took her won’t be able to cross the border with her too easily. You should scan the area motels,” he suggested. I could tell that he was furious and trying to rein in his anger. I wasn’t sure if he was one of the good ones, but I knew he’d been close with my sister.

I called the Canadian police and we put out a search for a stolen black Mustang, hopefully it wouldn’t get too far. It was still too early to file a missing person report, but we could at least get a location on the car. I also anticipated that whoever took her would keep her within the Canadian border since it would be hard to get her across. I was completely out of my jurisdiction and I was on vacation leave, this was just bad.

Luc said he was getting on the first plane to Thunder Bay, and that he would call his father and find out what’s going on. I began to drive around the city looking for the Mustang, but I knew they had probably gotten far enough by now.

Vicky’s cell phone rang and Luc’s name came up on the screen. “Yeah, Joe, I spoke with my father…” he drawled and I could tell by his defeated tone that this wasn’t good. Dammit. I hit the steering wheel, I needed to bury my father in two days, and I couldn’t let anything happen to her.

“What is it, Luc, spit it out.”

“She’s their collateral, Joe, they won’t return her. My father has set up an attack on the Dubois family. He wants me back in Paris by next week. Honestly. Joe, I think he is trying to kill me to get back at me for leaving the family. I am supposed to be meeting my father at the pier tonight. If I don’t show there will be trouble. The question is, can we get to Vicky before tonight? Please don’t take chances, Joe,” he pled. “My father’s threats are real. I will tell my father I will meet him, but I may be followed. I am going to try and cover my tracks. I will ask Vicky’s father for his jet. In the meantime, scan every motel in the area.” I heard the despair in his voice; he cared for her.

“Dammit, Luc, she’s pregnant,” I blurted out, feeling enraged with the situation. I should have made it to New York sooner, I should have watched over her more carefully, she was a mess. I couldn’t imagine how she was taking the abduction.

Luc was silent, even though I knew he heard my revelation. “Luc?” I called out. I knew he was still with me because I can hear his breath on the phone.

“Please go look for her and don’t let anything happen to her, I know what I need to do. Joe, if I don’t make it there by tonight, you need to get her back, you need to pool all your resources together and get her back,” he begged while his voice cracked. On file, it had looked like he had walked away from the family business, but like I’d seen before; it is not so easy to walk away from families involved in organized crime. They would rather see you dead than free.

“Luc, I’m getting her back either way, she’s my little sister and that’s my niece or nephew she’s carrying,” I assured him. “I will also alert the airport and borders as well,” I added on.

“Just make sure she’s okay, I will take care of things on my end,” he said and then the line cut out. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

In our small town, stuff like this didn’t happen. There had always been petty robberies, nothing like a person being taken. I Googled every hotel in a ten mile radius then I headed back to the house. It was still filled with guests, and I plastered on a smile while I headed up the stairs and into my parents' old room. They had a safe in their closet, and I stashed my guns there. Placing one gun in the holster on my hip, I put the other smaller revolver in my boot. Whoever had taken her may be armed. I whispered in Marie’s ear again that I would be gone for a while and asked if she could close up after the guests leave. A few of the guests eyed me warily and some looked at me understanding that I may have lost my shit after everything I’d been through. I continued to smile and nod my way out the front door.

I began to circle the city in the Tracker, going from motel to motel. I knew the police had cruisers and I provided a picture, but I needed to do this my way. The first two motels were closer to town and they came up empty, no black Mustang had stopped there. The sky had turned dark as I followed the GPS on my phone. The next motel was ten miles out.

Chapter 26

Luc

This whole situation was completely messed up. Whenever I pictured being sucked back into my father’s dark world, it never went down like this. I wasn’t sure if I could trust the person on the other side of the phone calling himself Joe Molino, so I had no choice. I called Bryce. A man like him was connected to all the major political people in Washington DC, and he was also connected to the authorities as well. It would only take a phone call. I knew he was going to take the news of Vicky’s abduction hard, but I felt like I had my back up against a wall.

I dialed his number and a few rings later he picked up, “Luc…what’s going on?” he asked with a worried tone.