After driving for thirty minutes, my heart was racing fast in my chest. I knew deep down that my father could give the order to kill her, and everything would be over. I would be finished. I would have nothing to live for.

I called Joe back. I just had an idea, “Luc?”

“Yeah, Joe, you said you checked out the car rental today. Is there anyway we can get a look at the cameras from the car rental place, so we can get a description of the men that took Vicky?” The phone was quiet for a minute and I could hear Joe muttering, maybe he thought I lost it.

“Luc, I will drop Bryce off at the car rental and he will have a look at the footage. I like how you think, Luc. Once we get a description, Bryce will call it into his friend at the FBI and….”

“Yes, Joe,” I continued on his train of thought. “We need their cell phone numbers. Maybe we can track their cell phones. We need to do this fast Joe, my father must have been watching your parents’ house, but now he’s going to wherever those thugs have Vicky.”

“I’m driving out on the highway, but we don’t have time to be wrong about our location.”

“Luc, I just dropped Bryce off at the Budget Car Rental. I’m going to call someone I work with, she’s already found some info this morning, maybe she can hack the cameras,” he suggested.

“Okay, Joe let me know,” I said, ending the call. I was pretty sure my father’s goons took her to the motel by the lake. It looked like it was far enough out in the forest and away from the highway that they would think they wouldn’t get caught. My gut told me I was right but a mistake now could cost Vicky her life. I drove down the dark highway, and I was approaching the exit for the motel. I had my black bag beside me, filled with guns. My pulse raced and I began to sweat just thinking about it, but I had to do what I had to do to save Vicky and our baby. Thinking of the baby made my eyes swell with tears. I felt like I’d been given a second chance at life with Vicky, and my father wanted to take it away from me.

My cell rang, “Hello?”

“It’s Joe, Luc. Your location is smack on. There are two cell phones there. Both men are on a watch list with the FBI, and they are both French. You were smart to tell me to leave Bryce behind, I don’t need the guy getting killed trying to help us. Vicky doesn’t need to lose another parent.”

“You’re right, Joe, but what about you, you’re her brother. She told me you disappeared on her, but she never mentioned you were DEA,” I said, as I exited off the highway. The side road didn’t have much lighting and the road was unpaved.

“She doesn’t know I am DEA, Luc. I don’t want her worrying,” he said. It sounded like a warning to keep my mouth shut.

“I’m about three minutes out. Where are you?” I asked, as I drove down the last long stretch of road.

“I’m about five minutes out. I’m right behind you, but I am calling for back up now.”

“Joe, I think you should wait. If there is too much noise or someone close by, it can really mess things up.”

“Do you have guns, Luc?”

“Yes, I’m not a fool, Joe, you are about to walk into some fireworks. I hope you are prepared.”

“Oh, I’m no fool either, Luc. I’m very prepared. I’ve dealt with the likes of people like your family,” he cackled.

“I hope so, because I don’t need Vicky upset about you getting hurt either.”

“I’m good, Luc, just watch your back.”

“I’m here, Joe. The place isn’t too busy. I will go around back and look for the Mustang.”

“Good luck, Luc,” Joe said and I ended the call. I needed to get my weapons on and I needed to get to Vicky. I saw the black Mustang parked outside one of the rooms. I parked on the other side of the motel because I didn’t want to alert them that I was here. Parked beside the Mustang is a black SUV. My fucking father…

I strapped a gun over my back. I had another tucked into the front of my jeans and another smaller handgun at my ankle. I slowly walked toward the motel room. I saw a car pull up behind me in the distance. I assumed Joe had arrived. I scanned the area but it seemed that no one was outside. They must all be in the room. My cell phone rang.

“Hello, Luc. Don’t be so secretive, come join the party,” my father said, opening the front door to the motel room. I closed the phone and placed it back in my pocket as I walked through the door. There were four men inside the room, including my father. Everyone was armed. Vicky was tied to a chair with a gag around her mouth. My fists clenched and my blood boiled.

“Long time no see, Son,” my father drawled in French.

“Pleasure as always, Father,” I replied and my father threw his head back.

“Brother.” My younger brother Justin nodded. I couldn’t believe my father brought him here. Why?

“Justin.” I smiled. I knew he always felt prisoner to this life too, but he was too weak to disobey my father. I felt sorry for him. He looked torn in the moment.

“So what’s on your mind, Luc?” my father asked, sitting on a chair and folding his hands in his lap.

“It’s very easy…give me Vicky and we leave and you leave us alone.” I grinned.

“If only life were that easy,” he said with a smug grin. Asshole!

“Why do you need so many men around you, Father? Do you fear I would hurt you?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. I was giving off a no fear attitude, but my insides were torn up, I needed Vicky out of that gag and those ties now.

I walked over to the other side of the room and stood in front of Vicky. The two men holding guns cocked them, getting ready to make a move. Justin stood there looking defenseless, while my father still had the same devilish grin. And then I just lost it. I took the risk that my father wasn’t armed because he usually had other people doing his dirty work, and Justin was not Henri, he wasn’t going to shoot me. That meant it was me, taking down two men. It was doable. In a swift motion I grabbed both of their cocked guns by the tips and pulled them from their hands, then I took each gun and whacked the two men in the face. They both fell forward in rhythm. I pushed the two guns under Vicky’s chair and got back to beating the shit out of the two goons. I elbowed one in the face, while doing a roundhouse kick, which landed in the other guy's abdomen. With both men down, I took turns throwing strong punches and beating them to a pulp. As I predicted, Justin didn’’t move, and my father watched with the same smug look like he was proud of what he created. With both men on the ground, my father began to clap. Then he stood up from the chair with a wide smile on his face. Justin looked nervous. My father reached down and picked up one of the rifles that was under Vicky’s chair and my heart sank.

“I taught you well, Son, you see what an asset you would be back home? No one can fight like you. No one has your brains to problem solve their way out of a situation like you do. You are a mastermind and now this charade is over. Time to come home, Luc,” my father said. I knew it was an order with a threat. The gun was now pointed at Vicky and my stomach sank. As strong as I was physically, she was my weakness. She was my heart.

A moment later, Joe entered the room with a gun pointed on my father. My father still had the rifle on Vicky, and now Justin had a handgun pointed at Joe. This was a fucking mess.

“Put down the rifle, motherfucker,” Joe hissed to my father. He hadn’t given Justin a sideward glance.

“Who is this fool?” My father asked, still smiling.

I didn’t answer. My father then pulled a small revolver out of the back of his pants and pointed the rifle at me and the revolver on Vicky.

“Who should I shoot first, Luc? You or Vicky?”

I noticed Joe hadn’t flinched at all from my father’s words and kept his gun pointed on him. That’s when it happened, my father shot and I saw red. There was one shot, then another shot. Joe was shooting. Vicky was bleeding. Shit! Vicky was bleeding. Alarms went off in my head, and I felt like I was having an out of body experience. Justin shot Joe, and Joe shot Justin, my father shot me and there was only one person left to shoot.