“Things have become complicated, Bryce. My father is here in New York City, but I just got a phone call from a man claiming to be Joe Molino…he said that a car with two thugs just drove off with Vicky. I need you to verify that this Joe Molino is her brother. He claims to be DEA.”

I heard him gasp through the phone. He probably wanted to kill me right now for getting his daughter mixed up with my life. “Let me make a quick phone call, Luc. The director of the FBI should have some answers.”

“I don’t think we should alert the authorities, I don’t want my father ordering her death sentence. Right now, he thinks I will comply. I don’t want him to think otherwise. I don’t want to set off any alarms where he is concerned. I think we should keep the abduction quiet. If the abduction hits the media and people know she is your daughter, it will cause a frenzy, and we will lose our chances of getting her back.”

“You’re right, Luc, I will call just to inquire. I won’t tell him the reason. Vicky did mention her brother. He had taken off on her and hadn’t been in touch for over a year. She was quite upset when she spoke of him,” Bryce explained.

“I know Bryce, she told me about him too. Listen, can I take your jet? I need to get to Thunder Bay,” I asked. I hated asking for things, especially something so big but I knew I was on a time constraint. It’s 1:30 in the afternoon and my father was expecting me at the pier at 8:30 p.m. tonight.

“Yes, Luc, but what are you going to do?”

“Please have the jet ready and then send two black SUV’s to my apartment in twenty minutes. I need both drivers wearing driver’s caps, and I need a passenger with dark hair in a black suit in one of the cars,” I explained.

“Your father is following you…you're hoping to divert him.”

“Yes, have the other SUV follow my SUV halfway and then have them drive to the front door of Tyson. We should also probably have a third unmarked car following from behind, so we can track my father’s movements. He will be following us closely and I can’t take any chances.”

“I’m on it, Luc, calling the director right now,” Bryce answered with a clipped tone. I wanted to apologize for this mess, but there was no time for pleasantries right now. We had to get Vicky back. I closed the phone and head to the safe in my room. I had a few registered guns that I packed into a black bag. It was good that I didn’t have to clear regular customs with the jet; they should be easy to hide. I also packed a few unmarked guns. I’m not stupid; I was expecting my father to follow me to Thunder Bay. I just hoped that Vicky wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire. The mere thought destroyed me, but I knew I needed to keep my head clear right now to save her.

A moment later, my cell phone rang.

“Hello.”

“Luc, it’s Bryce, it isn’t a lie, Joe Molino is DEA. He’s been on vacation due to his father’s death. He checks out. You better call him if he’s in Thunder Bay. I’m packing a bag and heading over to the jet. I will meet you there.”

“Bryce, I don’t think you should come.”

“Luc, she’s my daughter. I’ve let her and her mother down too many times. I need to help her now,” he said and the phone clicked dead.

I packed my things and left through the front doors of the apartment building. It was raining, which meant there would be more traffic. As I requested, there were two SUV's lined up waiting for me. I opened the door to the second one and nodded to the man, who was a passenger in the backseat. Then I closed the door and walked over to car one and got inside.

Chapter 27

Vicky

The men drove off with me in the backseat. I didn’t realize I was crying until the dark guy in the passenger seat turned his head. “Shut up, bitch,” he spat out with his raspy accent. He had a stocking over his face so I couldn’t tell what he really looked like.

I tried to control my shakes, but I felt so cold. Then the driver, who was wearing a black cap and sunglasses said to the other guy, “Just knock the bitch out.”

The dark man turned around, this time he was holding a gun in his hand. As I noticed the black revolver, my hands immediately went to my stomach and I thought of the child Luc and I created. I thought of how he warned me about his family, and I took it so lightly. I was in a bad place at the time, I didn’t care for my life, I had felt alone and abandoned. Of course I took it lightly because I didn’t care. Now I cared, now I had a baby growing inside me, now Luc had taught me to hope, to dream, and now it was all going to be taken away from me. I was no longer invincible.

The revolver connected with my head sending shooting pain through my skull, I knew that if I didn’t play unconscious, I was getting another one of those shots. So I closed my eyes and fell back on the seat, trying to slowly breath through the pain.

The two men began to mutter in French. This was one of those times I was kicking myself for not paying attention in French class. They said something about auto, which means car, and le motel, which I assumed, is motel. Only problem was that I didn’t get the in between words. My head felt like it was splitting in two but at least playing knocked out had gotten both men off my back. I wondered what Joe must have thought watching me drive off. I wondered if he even saw me.

I wished I could call Luc and he could save me again. He had become good at saving me. I didn’t even have my cell phone. I felt frustrated and driving in the backseat of a car didn’t help my nauseous state, but I knew I needed to keep my shit together. These men were dangerous, and my life depended on it. What felt like at least an hour later, the car began to slow down and I opened my eye slightly to see that they had pulled up to a motel. The driver stepped out of the car, smacking the door behind him and walked to the motel entrance.

I closed my eyes but I could feel the gaze of the other man on me, it made my skin crawl. “You think I am a fool, I know I didn’t knock you out,” he muttered to the backseat. I kept my eyes shut and I didn’t answer. My heart rate went from erratic to berserk. I didn’t want to die, not now, not with a baby growing inside me. I wondered where Luc was. I wondered if Bryce had caught on to what was happening, he for sure must have the resources to find me or help Luc. The other man returned to the car and we were driving slowly again. My entire body felt clammy and weak, but I knew I needed to hold on.

Chapter 28

Luc

Now that Henri was dead my father would force me to come with him. As I predicted there was someone following me when I left my apartment, but according to Bryce’s source, they lost me and followed the other SUV. It was times like this that I was thankful for my skills and abilities, but I didn’t get out of there alone. All of Bryce’s drivers and security personnel were all ex-military or had served in law enforcement. Given his status. he needed that type of reassurance. We made it to the airport in record time and Derek, Bryce’s driver, pulled up to the jet, which was already running and waiting for takeoff.

“There you go, Mr. Lebaum,” he said, opening the door for me. “I just took Vicky here yesterday. She was quite sad,” he said with a solemn face. I knew that he must know that we are together. He had been her driver for a while before my own driver began to accommodate her.

“Thanks, Derek.” I smiled curtly. I didn’t have time to explain anything and I felt guilty enough as it was. She left town to bury her father after I was an asshole to her and pushed her away. When I find her, I had a lot of making up to do.