by Dale Mayer
“Meaning that, there’s a prenup, where she doesn’t get very much and can’t stand staying with him and wants a new way to start a new life but with tons of money?” she interpreted Jax’s comment.
Both men looked at her in surprise but then nodded. “Exactly.”
“That’s a bit rough,” she said. “But honestly, I could see her having her own daughter kidnapped. She’s not family oriented but is all about Gerard’s money and the house and living the high life.”
“Can you give us an example of what you mean?”
Her voice lowered as she leaned closer. “Gerard is no saint but tries to keep his affairs quiet, but she’s makes no attempt to be discreet—jumps all men between fifteen and fifty, anywhere and anytime, even if Amelia Rose is around. Drinks like a fish and shows no loyalty to her husband at home or out in public. I know he’s sick of her, but I don’t know if he’s done anything about a divorce yet. Honestly, I can’t believe he’s put up with her antics this long, even if she is Amelia Rose’s mother.”
“And that sucks,” Griffin said. “It’s bad enough to think that you’ve been kidnapped because of your father’s business dealings, but do you really want to hear that all this terror you were put through was because of your mother’s machinations?”
“What about Nurse?” Jax asked. “What was the relationship between Amelia Rose’s mother and Nurse?”
Lorelei winced. “The worst,” she said slowly. “Wendy wanted Mary fired. Said Nurse was old and useless.”
The two men exchanged hard glances.
She shrugged, then frowned. “But to go from wanting Nurse fired to then arranging for the woman to be killed, … that’s pretty cold, even for Wendy.”
“Depends on what ransom money might have come through.”
“But they didn’t have to kill Nurse for that,” she protested. “She could have been rescued, and the mother still gets her money. Then she leaves behind Gerard and Nurse. Maybe even Amelia Rose. Oh my …”
“Surely Wendy or whoever won’t even try for a ransom now that Gerard knows his daughter has been rescued, or is another party in play?” Jax asked.
Just then a text message came from Gerard. Ransom note just came through. Twenty-five million. Unmarked bills tomorrow night at a specified location. Please confirm you still have my daughter.
Instead of responding by text, Griffin hit Dial and handed the phone to Lorelei, as she turned to watch Amelia Rose still resting on the couch.
As soon as she heard Gerard’s voice, she said, “Gerard, this is Lorelei. We have her. She’s sound asleep.”
“Oh, thank God,” he said, and she could hear the fear and anxiety threatening his voice. “So, what the hell’s going on here?”
“I’m putting you on speaker,” she said, and she hit the button and laid the phone on the table.
“I highly suspect,” Griffin said, “we have kidnappers who lost their bait but will try to get the ransom money anyway. While they still look to recapture your little girl, they’ll see if they can get a money drop and run.”
“So they’re assuming then that you guys have gone to ground and haven’t contacted me. Is that it?”
“Well, if it wasn’t for your daughter remembering the number of your red phone,” Griffin said, “the normal route would be to take the little girl to the police, right?”
“Or at least a consulate, yes,” he said.
“In which case, the media would have already found out.”
“Particularly given our names,” he affirmed. “So, … because the media hasn’t told the story, you’re thinking that the kidnappers don’t know who has my daughter and Lorelai or if their two victims escaped on their own or if somebody even worse has them. And, while they track down the location of their victims, they’ll still stick to the plan.”
“Wouldn’t you?” Jax challenged.
Gerard sighed. “Of course. Anybody would. So I still have to show up at that meet.”
“Get MI6 assistance and set it up so you snag whoever is picking up the money. That event is set to happen on English soil, so MI6 would want to take part in this.”
“They are already involved,” Gerard said.
“Good. And hopefully, with any luck, we’ll snag whoever is behind it on your end. We’re still on the lookout here for the kidnappers to make another move on the girls, but just know that, at the moment, we’re all safe.”
“Good,” Gerard said, his voice stronger. “Lorelei, you still there?”
“Yes, Gerard, I’m here.”
“I just wanted to say,” he said, his voice choked up, “I wanted to say, thank you. Thanks for keeping Amelia Rose safe.”
She smiled. “I said I would. It’s been a pretty rough trip so far. So, the next time you plan a holiday, may I suggest we pick the South of France?”
He gave a burst of shallow laughter and said, “That sounds like a good idea to me. And I will ask that you keep looking after her the same way as you have been. I don’t think I could stand to lose another child.”
“We have no intention of letting that happen,” Griffin said.
“Good,” Gerard said. “Losing one was horrific. The thought of losing another one? … No, I’d rather shoot myself first.”
After that conversation ended, Lorelei decided it was time to call it a night. This had been one long ugly Tuesday. She went to bed early after Jax moved Amelia Rose from the couch to a proper bed, hoping that maybe she and Lorelei could finally get a decent night’s sleep. They were obviously still in danger, hiding from whoever was after them locally, but there had been an amazing amount of progress. She knew the men were staying up for a while, sorting through the information.
It was all a bit confusing for her because she was more about teaching her charge instead of studying new people close up. She knew Gerard considered himself a great judge of human character, but he’d married Wendy, so how good a judge could he be? Not to mention the fact that they were still married and that confused Lorelei. Unless it was only for Amelia Rose’s sake, in which case the marriage would be done relatively soon or at least in seven years when Amelia Rose became an adult. To think though, that the mother might have had a hand in her daughter’s abduction was beyond Lorelei’s comprehension.
No, she refused to believe it until there was proof.
Amelia Rose was a gorgeous little girl inside and out, and she was just on the brink of entering young womanhood. Lorelei knew Amelia Rose would take the world by storm in whatever direction she chose. But more than that, Lorelei had been privileged to be a part of Amelia Rose’s journey so far. At one point in time, Lorelei wanted children of her own, so tutoring Amelia Rose had been an interesting trial. Lorelei laughed at that word because there hadn’t been very much in the way of trials with the child. So maybe it wasn’t a good test after all for having a child of her own.
And, of course, she’d started on the job when Amelia Rose was already six, so Lorelei had missed her early years. Amelia Rose adored spending time with her poppy but not so much for time spent with her mother. In that way, Amelia Rose instinctively understood the difference between quality time versus just putting in time. Lorelei could easily see the reason why.
Still, it was late. Better she stop this endless mental loop and get some sleep.
Lorelei had her suitcase now, giving her clean PJs for tonight and fresh clothes for tomorrow. She quickly had a shower, taking extra long to do her hair, which was dark blonde and looking almost black with dust and dirt. She rinsed and washed it several times and then, when she stepped out, not wanting to go to bed with it all wet, braided it in a thick plait down the center of her back. Finally clean and realizing she could afford to sleep, at least right now, she dressed in her summer pajamas of a camisole and matching boy shorts and crawled into bed.
She was hoping that the monsters would stay away tonight. But she was afraid, as tired as she was, that was almost an invitation to let them in again. And she’d have no control because sh
e’d be asleep, and her subconscious would be running the show. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted off. But it wasn’t long before someone chased her and the child, her lungs burning as she tried to carry Amelia Rose along and to help her move faster and faster. Lorelei could feel the panic threatening to choke her. And, when she finally woke up with a cry choking in her throat and her heart pounding desperately to get free of her chest, she sat up in bed and gulped air.
Griffin stood in her bedroom doorway, staring at her.
He took three short steps to her bedside, sat down, and pulled her into his arms.
She burrowed in deep. “Will the nightmares ever stop?”
“Yes,” he said, “they will. But maybe not as fast as you’d like them to.”
She didn’t even want to contemplate his words. But it was understandable. Time helped heal and added distance to a lot of things. She sighed and tried to pull back, but he had nothing to do with it. He just held her close and whispered against her hair, “Relax and remember that you’re not alone. We’re here to help, and we’re here to protect. Your cry was terrifying enough that it almost gave me a heart attack. So I need these few moments.”
That gurgled a laugh out of her. She looked up to see his grin flash. “You said that on purpose,” she murmured.
He grinned, nodded, kissed her on the temple, and said, “I did, but you’re obviously feeling a little bit better. Now lay back down, and I’ll pull the covers over you. If you want, I’ll stay in the chair in the room.”
“No,” she said, “I should be fine.” At least she should be inside. She didn’t know if she would be or not. But it was ridiculous to think she would need him to stay in the room with her. She curled up under the covers, and he tucked her in and dropped yet a second kiss on her temple, making her wonder at the ease and naturalness of it on both their parts. And then she listened as he walked away. She counted his steps to the doorway and then couldn’t do it. “Stop.”
He froze, returned to her side, and whispered, “What?”
She groaned. “I don’t want you to stay, mentally, because I know I need to handle this,” she whispered in frustration. “But just the thought of you leaving right now is making my heart pound, and I can hardly breathe.”
Instead of grabbing the chair on the far side, he nudged her over and laid atop the covers beside her. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him. “Sleep,” he said. “It’s much easier to deal with everything in life if you have rest. When you don’t, the problems seem bigger and much harder to find a way around. So, let’s sleep tonight and worry about it later.”
She hated being weak. She hated knowing the sense of security that just being in his arms gave her. But she wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. As long as he insisted, she could acquiesce. She snuggled deeper into the blankets, yawned once, and then whispered, “Thank you.”
He gently hugged her closer and whispered, “You’re welcome. Now go to sleep.”
When she woke yet again a few hours later, arms were wrapped around her and held her close. She twisted and turned until she saw it was once again or maybe still Griffin. She opened her eyes to reassure herself and, seeing his gentle concerned face, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again. When she woke yet again, she struggled less, recognizing his touch, and finally fully woke this time. It was early morning, and he snored gently beside her. She smiled and whispered, “I wonder if you got enough sleep.”
She checked the time to see it was past seven in the morning. She slipped out of bed, grabbed her clothes, dressed in the bathroom, and then walked away, leaving him to snooze gently on her bed. She stepped out into the main apartment to find Jax up and making coffee.
He looked at her, smiled, and said, “Is he still sleeping?”
Embarrassed, she nodded and whispered, “I don’t think he got much sleep though. I kept waking up, screaming.”
“To be expected,” he said seriously. “And I would have done the same, but he got there before me.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
She chuckled. “Not likely.”
“Absolutely,” he said. “Not to make this all about the danger right now, but we need you as focused and as capable of running if need be as we can.”
She immediately winced, hearing the reason behind his wish to help her. “In theory,” she said, “I know that. But, in reality, it sucks to think that’s the reason he was in there.”
“No,” Jax said, “don’t misunderstand.” He pressed the button for the coffee and turned to face her. “That’s the reason either one of us would have gone to settle you, but he didn’t have to stay. He did that because he cares.”
She could feel the warmth blossoming inside. “Dangerous time to be caring about somebody,” she said lightly. “It’s likely the danger that’s heightening his emotions.”
“Maybe for you,” he said bluntly. “But this is the work Griffin has done for years. I don’t remember a single case where he spent the night holding a woman close just so she didn’t have to battle nightmares on her own.”
She sagged into the kitchen chair, thinking about that. “He really lives up to his name, doesn’t he?” She tried to add a note of humor to it but there was a softness in her voice, and she knew that Jax caught it.
He nodded. “He’s always been a protector. And he’s been hurt a couple times.”
“Haven’t we all?” she asked, staring off in the distance. She gave herself a mental shake and said, “While I was battling demons, what kind of night did Amelia Rose have?”
“She slept like a rock,” he said. “Unbelievably so.”
“She always has had that ability,” Lorelei nodded. “I was very jealous of it, even before this trip.”
“You don’t sleep most of the time?”
“I do,” she said, “when I’m in my own bed, but I’m not as comfortable being out and about in the world, so traveling generally impacts my sleeping.”
“That’s the same for a lot of people,” he said. “But at least you’re doing fine now.”
“I’m definitely doing a lot better, after some sleep,” she said. “Not to mention a shower and a clean change of clothes.” She motioned at the clothes she had on. “I wonder why they never cleaned out our rooms before?”
“I bet they’re regretting it now,” he said, “because they obviously lost that advantage. Not to mention the fact that we knew where you weren’t.”
“Can they track Griffin?”
“I doubt it,” Jax said. “He’s a shadow in the night.”
“But even shadows …” she whispered, trying hard to still panic in her heart, “shadows create shapes.”
He nodded seriously, brought cups over to the table, and sat down as they waited for the pot to drip. “But he’s very good at what he does. And we won’t be here for long anyway.”
She looked at him in surprise. “That’s too bad,” she said. “I was hoping you’d stay.”
“No,” he said, “we all have passage back to England.”
“Interesting,” she said with a frown. “How are we traveling?”
He smiled. “Underwater.”
She stared at him in shock. “What?”
“We need to get you out of sight of cameras and away from everybody, so our choices were public transport, private transport, or we had to get creative.”
She stared at him. “Underwater? Not scuba diving, right?”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “We got this.”
She hated to say it because she knew they did have it, but it was still disconcerting. “Does Gerard know?”
Jax shook his head. “Better that nobody knows. We want to make sure there are no leaks and no betrayals anywhere along this process.”
“Fine,” she said. “I’m all for that. What’s the first step of this unique journey we’re taking?”
“Some interesting flights,” he said with a grin. “You don’t get seasickness or motion sickness, do you?”
Sh
e shook her head. “No, both Amelia Rose and I are good travelers that way.”
“That’s good,” he said as the coffeemaker beeped. “Because this could be a fun ride.”
He got up, poured the coffee, and wouldn’t say another word.
Griffin had woken up as she left and took a few moments to go to the bathroom, scrub his face, and begin the day. He walked out hearing Jax telling Lorelei about the next step of the journey. Griffin headed for the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. “Have we confirmed all the details yet?”
“Almost,” Jax said. “Just the first leg is in question.”
“Right,” he said, “and that’s the most important one.”
“I think it’s more or less resolved. We’re just waiting for a final confirmation.”
“Do we have time for food?” Lorelei asked.
“We do,” Jax said.
On that note, Griffin walked to the fridge and pulled out eggs and bacon. A little bit of chicken was left, but they had pretty well scoffed up everything else. He brought out those leftovers from the fridge too and said, “This is what we have to work with.” He started the eggs and bacon and watched as Lorelei got up and snagged a piece of chicken and stood there by the table, eating it.
“How did you finally sleep?” he asked, his voice low and soft, but that gaze of hers, well, it would melt his heart if she lit it.
She smiled up at him. “Well, at least I slept, thanks to you. You didn’t have to spend the whole night, you know?”
“In order for you to get to sleep, yes,” he said, “I did.”
“Did you get any sleep?” she asked worriedly. “There’s no point in your rescued kidnap victims being safe and able to run if the guy who is protecting them isn’t.”
Jax laughed beside her. “She’s got a point there, Griffin.”
“I slept pretty decently,” he said, surprised that he felt strong and capable. As soon as the bacon was perfectly cooked, he laid it on a paper towel and mixed up the rest of the eggs into a scramble. With the last of the bread, he made toast and said, “Food’s a bit of a mix-up, but it’s what we’ve got.”