by Maddie Wade
He kissed her again and let her go, “Come on, work to do, bad guys to catch.” He grabbed her hand and turning opened the door. Zin was stood a few feet down the corridor with a smirk on his face.
“Get your mind out of the gutter Zin it was purely PG,” Jace growled.
Lucy looked at Zin, and Jace, and then practically climbed up Jace’s body. “But it won’t be later baby,” she said and wound her arms around his neck and laid a hot wet one on him.
Jace kissed her back and tried to stifle a grin. ‘God, his woman was hot.’
“Fucking hell Luce! Are you trying to get your boyfriend killed,” shouted Dane as he came out of Zack’s office? Lucy and Jace broke away - a grin on both their faces.
Lucy turned to her scowling brother and gave him the finger, “Bite me, bro,” she laughed.
Jace watched Dane shake his head and walk towards the entrance.
“I’m gonna tell dad you did that,” Dane said.
“Tattletale,” she shouted and poked her tongue out.
Zack walked out of his office and looked at them both, “Children behave and get some fucking work done,” he bellowed at them.
Dane and Lucy looked at each other, and both burst out laughing, “Yes dad,” they said in unison.
Liam who had been quiet up until now laughed too. “I think I’m going to like working with you jokers,” he said.
Jace smiled at Lucy and went to let go when her phone went. She dropped her hands and grabbed her phone from her back pocket. “Hello,” she answered. Jace and the others watched as she nodded and then her face went deathly pale. “Are you sure?” she asked, then, “Uh huh, yeah okay.” Jace felt Dane and Zack crowd in close to them. The atmosphere was suddenly buzzing with tension.
Lucy hung up and looked at him, than at Dane, “That was Roz,” Jace felt Zin move in close behind Lucy, “She has intel that Lizzie is the target,” she said, and her voice sounded shaky.
“Fuck,” Zack said and paced back to his office.
“Who’s with Lizzie?” Dane asked, and Jace wasn’t sure who the comment was directed at, but Zack walked back out with his phone to his ear.
“Dan, who do you have on Lizzie Bennett?” Jace noticed she had gone back to her maiden name after her split from her husband.
Zack pointed at Lucy as he waited for Daniel to find out who was watching Lizzie. “Call your sister now.”
Lucy quickly dialled her sister, and everyone waited with bated breath as it rang and rang and went to voicemail.
“Try the shop,” Dane said, and Jace could see the tension in his face as he tried not to rip the phone from Lucy and take over.
“It’s just ringing…..” Lucy stopped when the phone was answered.
“Liz,” Lucy said, and her relief was tangible. “Liz who’s with you?” there was a pause then, “Okay well I want you to shut up the shop and don’t open the door until we get there okay. We have a situation. No, no everything is fine I just need you to do as I ask.” Jace touched his hand to Lucy’s back in silent support, and her eyes came to him. Her face went panicked for a second then Lucy shouted, “Liz! Liz!” then the sound of crashing could be heard and the unmistakable sound of gunfire.
Dane was off and running before Lucy had even moved. Zack started shouting orders, “Everyone gear up we have a situation at Lizzie's Boutique.”
Liam and Zin followed Dane, and Lucy was right behind them. Jace grabbed her arm to stop her. She twisted sharply and looked at him, and he knew she thought he was going to try and stop her.
“You good?” he asked instead, and he saw relief flood her eyes. She nodded.
“Okay let’s move,” he said and followed her into the weapons room where they all loaded up for war in minutes.
Chapter Nineteen
Lizzie straightened the antique vase on the mahogany wood side table display near the front of the shop. She’d spent last night doing the books, and the shop was turning over a steady profit.
A few more months living with her dad and she would be able to put a nice chunk of change down on a property for her and Mateo. Her mouth tipped into a smile as she thought of her son.
No matter what had happened with her marriage, her son was the best thing to happen to her. If she was honest with herself, she’d known before she had walked down the aisle that it was a mistake, but she’d pushed it to the back of her mind and put it down to last minute nerves.
It was funny but they got on much better now the pressure was off them. He was good father just a rotten husband, and maybe that was in part her fault too. Liz looked out the window and noticed the tall man smoking by a black Volvo XC90. Lucy had told her it was just a precaution.
Lizzie didn’t like it though, and the thought of someone watching her every move gave her the creeps. She wasn’t like Lucy; she had a normal job with a normal life. While she acknowledged that at the time her blood had pumped with adrenalin and a tiny bit excitement during the kidnap of Skye, she had actually hidden behind Nate’s mother.
She turned suddenly as she heard a noise from the back room, but as she listened, she heard nothing else. Bloody hell all this cult nonsense and having guards trail her was driving her mental.
Her landline rang, and she answered in her normal professional manner, “Good Morning, Bennett’s Antiques how may I help you?”
“Liz!” she heard her sister’s relief over the line.
“Hey Luce,” she said with a smile. She adored her sister and was beyond ecstatic to see her so happy with Jace.
“Liz, who’s with you?” Lucy said urgently.
“Nobody. Just the guy you sent to watch me is outside by his car, though. Why what’s going on?” she asked slightly unnerved by the tone in her sister's voice.
“Okay. Well I want you to shut up the shop and don’t open the door until we get there okay. We have a situation.”
“Is something wrong?” Lizzie asked again.
“No, no everything is fine I just need you to do as I ask.”
Lizzie was about to reply when a large muscular arm snaked in front of her and grabbed the phone. She was spun around by the move and as she did her arm flung out and knocked an antique Tiffany lamp of the desk. The phone clattered to the floor, and she went to scream and then stopped. Her hand grabbed for her chest to stop her heart from hammering.
“Jesus Christ Smithy, you scared the heck out of me.” The man in front of her just looked at her his head slightly tipped to one side. It took Liz another few seconds to acknowledge the empty look in his eyes. Her hand fluttered up to touch his arm but stopped as he grabbed her upper arms.
“You need to come with me,” he said in a monotone. Lizzie realised something was very wrong and went to wrench out of his arms and grab for the phone. He must have read her intentions though, and raised his arm, with a gun in it. He put a bullet in the wall next to her head, and his booted foot smashed down on the phone. The fear running through her blood was very real now. He heart was pounding so fast she thought it would beat right out of her chest.
She was so confused. She had met Smithy countless times through Dane, and he had always come across as a gentle giant. His warm friendly eyes and the ease with which he bantered with Dane and Jace. Even the care he had taken around others, always going out of his way to play football with her son when he had been around him had made her wonder how he could be the cold, ruthless man needed to do his job in the SAS.
She was under no illusions now though. This man had the cold dead eyes of a killer, and the thought made her fight or flight reaction kick in. She’d always thought that she would be flight, but it turned out she had more of Lucy and Dane in her than she thought.
Kicking her leg out she managed to nail him in the shin with her pointy stiletto. It made him swear, and she took the second to pivot on her foot and grab for the solid silver paperweight on her desk. Her moment was short lived though as he grabbed her from behind in a bear hug, pinning her arms against her sides.
He lif
ted her off her feet, and she flailed her legs trying to catch him in the leg, all the while yelling blue murder at him. He gave her a gentle shake, and she stilled.
“Stop fucking wriggling,” he snarled. He used his weight to pin her to the desk and secured her wrists behind her. He then turned her and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of spuds.
The indignity of it was humiliating. Lizzie prided herself on her ladylike behaviour, and this was not ladylike in the least. Strangely though she didn’t feel fear now only irrational anger and indignation. No matter how he was behaving she didn’t think he would hurt her.
Liz watched her shop become an upside down blur as tears filled her eyes. She always got teary when she was angry. “Smithy where are you taking me? Put me down and let’s talk about this. Better yet why don’t you take me to Jace and Dane they would love to see you and I’m sure they could help sort everything out.”
His sure stride faltered, and she thought maybe she had got through to him, but then he spoke. “I don’t know who they are. Now shut up, or I will gag you.” He said angrily.
Lizzie went silent. What the hell did he mean he didn’t know who they were, Dane and Jace were two of his closest friends. What the frigging hell was going on here and where was he taking her and why.
As Smithy lowered her into the back of his white van, she caught the focused dead look in his eyes, and it made her shiver. Maybe she should have chosen flight. She had the strangest feeling that her life was about to change immeasurably and it would not be for the better.
As he closed the door, she prayed that Mateo was safe. In her heart that was all that really mattered. She also knew with a surety that she couldn’t pinpoint that Dane and Lucy would come for her.
Not in all her years had she been surer that if anyone could save her, it would be her siblings. After all, they had been saving each other all their lives.
~~~
Lucy was holding her shit together by a thread, and she knew Dane was too. She had never been more grateful than she was at that moment to have Jace, Zin and Daniel by her side. Zack had stayed behind to coordinate with Will. They were following everything through the GPS on the watches they all wore. The watches also had a mic and camera, which had been remotely activated by Will. Daniel was taking the lead, and for once Dane was happy to let him. She could tell how rattled Dane was by what had happened.
They had teamed up into two groups. Her, Jace and Zin taking the front and Dane and Daniel taking the back. Arriving on the scene, they had noticed Jack’s man was unconscious in his seat. She had initially thought the worst, but he was alive and seemingly well, just unconscious.
Jace checked his pulse and relayed the information back to Zack. Lucy was relieved as she knew he had recently gotten married and had a kid on the way. She’d attended his wedding reception.
Zin instructed her to take a right, Jace to take a left and he would go in first. Shouldering the door, he eased the handle down and entered with his weapon up. Zin quickly cleared the door, and she and Jace followed. They cleared the room, and listened while Dane and Dan cleared the backroom. It was clear as well, but there were signs of a struggle. Her heart was in her throat as she took in the broken lamp, crushed telephone and the silver paperweight on the floor.
Lizzie hadn’t made it easy for whomever had taken her. Her eyes looked closely and relief flooded her as she realised there was no blood. That was a good sign it meant Lizzie was alive most likely. She felt her brother move to her and heard his low growl at the sight of the broken lamp.
She turned and grasped his arm, “There’s is no blood Dane that’s good, just remember that.” His ravaged face broke her heart. Dane had always been their protector, and after everything he had been through with Lauren, he didn’t need this.
Lucy prayed her sister could stay strong until they found her, and they would find her. Whomever had taken had just sealed their death warrant.
“Does she have CCTV?” Jace asked. Lucy swivelled and looked at him.
“Yes, she does,” she replied, and headed for the back room with the others on her heels. They entered Lizzie’s office, and Lucy’s throat went tight when she saw a picture of her, Dane and their dad from this past Christmas on her desk. There was also one of Liz and Matty, both smiling into the camera.
Lucy shook off the feeling and sitting down, opened her sister’s computer. She quickly typed in the password quietly thinking that when she found her sister, she going to be having words with her over her security. Finding the CCTV program, she quickly punched in the time. The video feed opened in a new window, and she pressed play.
She saw her sister looking out the front window and then watched as she went to answer the phone at the desk. Lucy turned the sound up so she could listen.
She smiled as she saw her sister grin when she realised it was her on the phone. Lucy gripped the underside of the desk as the happiness leaked from Lizzie’s face to be replaced by fear.
All the air rushed out of her lungs as a man came on screen. She felt Jace go statue still beside her and Dane sink to his knees next to her. They all watched in horror as one of their own, someone they considered family, kidnapped Lizzie.
They watched it to the end then Lucy rewound it, and they studied it again.
“Stop. Rewind that bit,” Daniel said, and Lucy did as bid. “Listen,” he commanded, and they all listened as Lizzie tried to reason with Smithy.
“He doesn’t have a clue who she is or who she is talking about when she mentions you and Dane,” Zin said as he directed the comment at Jace.
“Look how gentle he is with her, even when she kicked him he didn’t hurt her,” Lucy said.
“So, what are you saying, Luce?” Dane asked.
“I’m saying he is not acting of his own free will,” she replied and stood to start pacing as she thought it through.
She looked up at Jace, and he looked as devastated as Dane did. She went to him and got close so that he had to look at her.
“Jace didn’t you say that Megan was meant to drug you but didn’t.” she asked and saw light dawn in his beautiful eyes.
He looked up at Dane, “Yes, she was meant to drug me, but didn’t as you all know. But the rest were given the drug. Smithy has no idea who Lizzie is or who we are and is behaving like a robot. He is completely under their control.” He said disgustedly. “Fuck, do you know what this means? It means,” he continued not giving anyone a chance to respond “that all of those highly-trained SAS soldiers are like their own personal army, to be used as they wish.”
Dane punched a wall behind him, and his fist went straight through the plasterboard.
Everyone ignored him as Lucy spoke. “It also means he won’t hurt her; the mind control might control how he acts but not who he is at heart. You saw how gentle he was with her and that is the Smithy we know. The man who would stop his car for a rabbit in the road rather than kill it senselessly.” She went to Jace and slipped her arms around his waist as she faced the others. “He won’t hurt her, I’m sure of it,” She kept her eyes on her brother who ran his hand through his hair.
“I hope your right Luce because if he does, friend or not he is dead.”
“If he hurts her Dane, I’ll help you.”
“Right, come on. Let’s get this back to Fortis and get Will on this. He’s already tracking the van through the traffic cams, and it’s headed south.” Daniel said. The team packed up Lizzie’s computer, secured the shop and made sure one of the Eidolon team was there to help their man before leaving for Fortis.
~~~
Lucy shouldered her way through the front door of Fortis and shook her head in the negative as Ava and Celeste looked at her. Both women had become friendly with Lizzie and both looked upset.
Lucy took the time to stop and talk to them as Daniel and Dane carried on through. She was itching to get moving on things, but she couldn’t walk past as people she had come to care about worried about her sister.
“Hey girls,”
she said as she neared and bent to pet Samson who instantly nuzzled her neck.
“What’s the news?” Ava asked
“We know who took her, and we know it is related to the Divine Watchers, but we don’t know where.” Lucy stood.
Ava reached a hand out to her, “If anyone can find her you guys will,” she said.
Lucy felt tears welling at the kind words. She brushed at the tears before they could fall and instantly found herself in Jace's arms. She laid her head on his chest and sucked in some breaths.
“I’m okay,” she said and looked at Celeste who looked really upset. Lucy reached out and touched her hand and as she did Celeste paled, and heart-breaking sobs racked her body. Zin who up until then had been quiet, cursed and hauled Celeste into his body. She went willingly, and Lucy looked at him - the big man spoke softly to the woman as her body shook.
Rattled by her reaction she curled herself into Jace. Samson had been sitting at Celeste’s feet, but when she got upset he had instantly stepped between Lucy and his owner. It was as if he sensed the pain Celeste was feeling was because of her
A few moments passed and then Celeste pulled back and wiped her eyes on a tissue Ava had produced. Zin stepped back to give her room, and the young woman laid her hand on the dog who relaxed instantly.
“I’m sorry I over-reacted. Time of the month,” she laughed, and Lucy’d tried not to laugh as Jace tensed behind her and Zin coughed and then headed for the door.
“I’ll um just go help Dane and Daniel,” he said.
“Wait up I’ll come too,” said Jace as he dropped a kiss on her head and chased Zin down.
All the women broke into laughter as the men disappeared.
“Guaranteed to make a man run,” Ava laughed.
They all sobered after a second. “Seriously, though, I am sorry for over-reacting.” Celeste said.
Lucy held up her hand. “Don’t be. Its nice to know Lizzie has people in her life who love her as much as I do.” Lucy felt her voice break, and Ava put her arm around her.