by C. L. Wells
“This isn’t the Nick Bartonovich that I knew,” he said finally.
Nick paused, trying to decide how to best answer that charge. Honesty, he decided, was the best approach. “Look,” he began, “I got cancer. I had an operation followed by a long recovery…it changed me.”
J.T. was looking straight into Nick’s eyes, looking for some sign of deception.
“If I could go back and do things differently… there are a lot of things I would change,” Nick continued, “but right now, I don’t have time to go through all of that. Sasha needs our help and I’m asking you to please help me.”
J.T. picked up a portrait-sized picture of Sasha. He could see the eyebrows and mouth were his, no doubt. The nose was thankfully Katrina’s. He remembered Katrina’s perky nose. He smiled. If there was any way this girl was his, and she certainly looked like she was, then there was no way in hell he was going to pass up the chance to help her. He wanted to get to know her, to make sure she was o.k., and to have some kind of relationship with her.
“O.k.,” he said, still looking at the picture. “Tell me what I need to do.”
“The kidnapper wants a ransom and says that you must be the one to deliver it. He will call in about eighteen hours to give more details. No police or else. I need you to come back to the States with me. I have a plane waiting at the airport for us now.”
J.T., still looking at the picture, began to nod. “O.k., but I have a request, too,” he said.
“Name it,” Nick replied.
“James and Laura will be coming with us.”
“I hardly see how they can help,” Nick replied.
J.T. looked up at Nick with determination in his eyes.
“Eight years ago, you used me to take almost eighty million dollars out of a bank, leaving me a fugitive from my own country and living under a false identity. Now you waltz in here and tell me I have a daughter that you have known about for years but haven’t bothered to tell me about until now. In addition to that, you want me to risk going back to prison for the rest of my life to help get her back from a kidnapper.”
“Back Stateside, you have money, power, resources, everything. You have your own network of contacts and hired hands. James and Laura are my network. They are the people I have had to rely on for years. We trust each other with our lives because we can’t fully trust anyone else. I’m willing to take it on faith that this girl is who you say she is. I’m willing to go out on a limb and believe you don’t have some scheme up your sleeve to lure me back to the States and turn me over to the feds. Now I’m asking you to trust me a little bit and bring Laura and James along to help out. I trust them, and if everything is what you say it is, we need people we can trust to help us out on this.”
“O.k., I hear what you are saying,” Nick replied. “If you think they can help, then bring them along, but we need to leave soon. She may be your biological daughter, but she is my adopted daughter and I love her very much. The clock is ticking and we need to get moving. Where are they and when can they get here?”
J.T. went to his office to retrieve his cell phone. He called James and Laura on a three-way call. Once he had them both on the line, he briefly explained the situation and asked them if they would consider coming back to the States with him to help get his daughter back.
“Wow,” Laura exclaimed. “That is a huge bombshell, J.T. I don’t want to be the black cloud here, but are you sure she’s your daughter?”
“Well, the paperwork looks authentic enough, and then there’s the pictures. She’s not my spitting image, but the resemblance is pretty strong. I think there is a good chance Nick is telling the truth. Besides, he could have turned me in at any time in the last eight years if he wanted to, or sent his goons to kidnap me again, for that matter. Nick’s changed too, he’s different somehow. Strange as it is for me to say this, I think I trust him on this one.”
“Well, if you feel that confident about it, I’m in,” Laura replied.
“What about you, James?” J.T. asked.
“With all we’ve been through, I’m not about to let you two go back to the States alone. I’d be glad to help you out, J.T. Just tell me when and where.”
“Be at the airport in twenty minutes. I’ll text you the gate info on the way.”
J.T. threw some items in a backpack and headed out the door with Nick. Thirty minutes later, James, Laura, J.T., and Nick were on an airplane and headed back to New York.
Chapter Forty-One
Silas pulled in to Toakama, West Virginia at about 10 a.m. in the morning. He pulled the RV behind one of the abandoned buildings and shut off the engine. It had been a long day. He cut Sasha loose so she could go to the facilities and eat something, then secured her back to the captain’s chair with a generous amount of duct tape. She would be uncomfortable and probably wouldn’t sleep much through the night, but she was young and would be fine after a day’s rest back home in her comfy bed in New York City.
Toakama was an abandoned mining town in the middle of nowhere. It had been a thriving little town until the mine shut down after an explosion that had killed twenty workers back in the 1950s. The mining company had shut down the mine and moved the workers to a more profitable location about a hundred miles away. A few residents stayed around, but without anyone to support the local businesses, eventually everyone had either died or moved away.
There was only one road leading into the little town, making it perfect for this ransom exchange. The road was about three quarters of a mile long and terminated in a cul-de-sac that served to allow people to turn their vehicles around and head back out of town. The road into town crossed over a fifty-foot gorge just before the city limits. The gorge had a bucolic stream flowing at the bottom of it and the whole town was surrounded by forest. The mountains rose behind the town, leading further up into the Blue Ridge Mountains. A post office, a barber shop, a grocery store, a hardware store, a diner, and even a small town hall at the end of the street were among the various brick buildings that lined the main street that was Toakama.
Silas had liked hiking since he was a kid. He had discovered this place on a hiking trip that he had taken years before. Being in the great outdoors helped him clear his head. When he had begun to plan the kidnapping, this was the first place that came to his mind as a potential exchange location. It was perfect. It was surrounded by rugged terrain, he could see anyone trying to enter the town on the one road in or out, and you could hear a pin drop in the deserted streets. The buildings offered perfect cover so he could watch the whole drop-off without being seen. And best of all, it was in the middle of nowhere, with the next populated town being twenty-five miles away.
He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a six-pack of beer, then headed up the hill about a hundred yards. From this spot, he could see the RV and the whole town below. He popped the top on the first beer and enjoyed the view. Not too long from now, he was going to be a very rich man. He smiled at the thought and took a drink from the can.
After he had finished three beers, he went back into the RV and took a nap in the back. Later in the day, he would have to double check on all the preparations he’d already made, and there was no sense being tired when he did so. He slept like a stone and dreamt of buying a nice house somewhere in a tropical island, and being reunited with Maggie and Tommy when this was all over.
He woke up about two hours later, feeling an intense need to relieve himself. He went outside and up the hill a few yards behind a tree and took care of business. He thought to himself that he felt like a million dollars. Then he laughed and said out loud, “I feel like ten million dollars!”
Before he made his rounds to check on all of the items he had prepared for the ransom exchange, he went back into the RV and took Sasha’s gag off to give her a drink of water. After all, he told himself, he was no monster. When that task was done, he went to work.
He walked behind the row of buildings on the upper-side of the town’s main street. He could see t
he tarpaulin-covered Jeep from where the RV was parked. It looked just the way he had left it a few months before, except for the generous dusting of pine needles and small twigs on top of the tarpaulin.
After he removed the cover, he reached far under the seat and retrieved the keys, checking first to make certain there were no black widows or other creatures lurking underneath. He popped the hood, connected the battery, and jumped in the driver’s seat. He had brought an extra battery just in case, but he hoped he wouldn’t need it. He turned the key and the engine tried to turn over twice, then roared to life. He smiled. Everything was going according to plan.
He un-holstered his .38 revolver, which he carried in a shoulder sling, and checked the ammunition. It was good to be prepared when you were in the woods by yourself. You never knew who, or what, you might run into. He left the jeep running to warm up the engine and went back inside to get Sasha. He walked her out and put her in the passenger’s seat, leaving her hands bound and putting on the seatbelt for her. He couldn’t afford to leave her here alone – she was his ten million dollar ticket.
He climbed up in the driver’s seat and put the Jeep in gear, driving up a mountainside road that looked like little more than a trail. He needed to make sure this old logging road hadn’t been blocked by any fallen trees during his absence. It would be a shame to get stuck trying to remove a tree from across the road with ten million dollars in the back of his vehicle. He was under no illusions about what he was about to do. He knew Nick Bartonovich would come after him as soon as he knew his daughter was safe. Having a quick escape route available was essential.
He drove for about thirty minutes up the winding road before he had to stop and remove a small tree that had fallen across the pathway. Luckily for him, it had cracked in two when it hit the road, making it easy to roll out of the way and down the hill into the woods to the left of the road. He had a small chain saw in the back of the jeep in case he needed it, but rolling the broken parts of the tree downhill was even easier. He got back in the Jeep and drove for a few more minutes without encountering any obstacles, and decided he had come far enough. He turned the Jeep around and headed back to town.
Back at the RV, he let Sasha sit at the table inside while he cooked some hamburgers for them on the stove. He waited to remove the duct tape from her hands until they were ready to eat, just in case. She ate like a horse. Silas thought to himself that it must be the mountain air. He was hungrier than usual himself and cooked them both another hamburger.
“You eat pretty good for a girl,” Silas said, putting down the second hamburger in front of Sasha.
“Thanks for the second hamburger,” she said as she began eating. “Why are you doing this?” she said at last.
Silas looked up at her from his hamburger and smiled, “You mean, besides the money?”
“Yeah, I guess,” she replied hesitantly.
“It’s complicated. I gambled, I lost a lot of money on a crooked gambling site that your dad ran, I lost a good job, my wife left me, yada, yada, yada.” He took another bite from his hamburger and washed it down with a swig of beer. Sasha didn’t say anything, just waited.
“I guess at some point I decided that I deserved a better hand than the one I had been dealt. I was a cop, at one time, and I saw a lot of crooked guys get away with a lot of money while I was keeping the law and struggling to pay the mortgage.” He shrugged his shoulders. “So I decided it was my turn to walk away with some of that money.”
He looked at Sasha. “It’s nothing against you, but whether you know it or not, Nick and J.T. Thornbacker didn’t get rich because they were nice guys. This money they are paying me with was stolen from some other people.”
Sasha’s anger got the better of her and she said without thinking, “Nick is not a crook!”
Silas looked at her for a minute before he spoke. “Listen, Sasha, I don’t expect you to agree with me. But enough about me, it’s time for dessert.”
Silas went to the refrigerator and took two ice cream bars out of the freezer, handing one to Sasha before sitting back down at the table. She took it from him and opened it up, thinking how strange it was for this man who had just kidnapped her to be giving her ice cream. They ate dessert together in silence.
After they were finished, Silas said, “O.k., time for you to go back in the chair. I can’t have you running off now, can I? Go to the bathroom first, though; it may be a while before you get a chance to go again.”
Sasha reluctantly got up to go to the tiny RV bathroom. Silas remained in his seat while she did. When she came out, Silas was still seated, finishing up his beer. She walked over in the direction of the captain’s chair, resigned to being restrained with duct tape again. When she got close to the door and noticed Silas wasn’t out of his seat yet, she suddenly saw an opportunity to escape. She lunged for the door, opened it up, and dashed outside before Silas could stop her.
Silas realized his mistake too late, jumping up and heading out the door, running after her. Sasha had a good head-start on him of about fifteen feet. Silas had never been much of a runner, and he knew he couldn’t outrun her if all things were equal. Just as Sasha began opening up a bigger lead, she tripped on the exposed root system of a large oak tree and fell down. Silas didn’t miss his opportunity, closing the distance between them before Sasha regained her traction.
He reached down and grabbed her arm. Sasha turned and bit him as hard as she could. Silas released her and let out a yell, but he shot out his leg and kicked her in the stomach before she could stand up. She buckled to the ground with a groan as Silas briefly looked at his bleeding hand to assess the damage. Silas’ days as a cop subduing suspects on the streets of New York had been fine-tuned over the years. No uptown socialite teenager was going to get the better of him in a street brawl.
Sasha sat up on the ground, trying to breathe and stand up at the same time. Silas’ anger got the better of him and he stepped forward and back-handed her hard across the face with the same hand she had just bitten. Sasha went down like a sack of potatoes, letting out a whimper as she hit the ground. Silas didn’t wait for her to regain her footing or even sit up. He grabbed her by the forearm and began dragging her back to the RV.
“I told you that you would get hurt if you tried to get away, didn’t I? Why did you have to go and do that?! Huh?!”
By the time they had reached the door of the RV, Sasha had still not regained her footing. Silas grabbed the top of her pants from behind with one hand and the back of her shirt with the other, lifting her up onto her feet and pushing her into the RV. Sasha collapsed onto her hands and knees on the floor.
Silas stepped into the RV and shouted at her, pointing to the captain’s chair, “Get in the chair!”
Sasha practically crawled up in the chair. She was bleeding from her lip and her left eye had already started to swell up. Tears were coming down her face as Silas busied himself taping her hands and feet into position. When he was done taping her to the chair, Silas grabbed another beer from the refrigerator and stormed out of the RV.
Chapter Forty-Two
The airplane ride back to New York was filled with activity. After an awkward first greeting between Nick, James, and Laura, Nick began a briefing that covered everything he had told J.T. Once James and Laura were up to speed, Nick began making phone calls.
He first called Mia to make certain she had obtained the required ten million in one hundred dollar notes, as the kidnapper had specified. She confirmed that all was ready. The next call he placed was to someone that J.T. knew from personal experience – bad personal experience.
“Victor, I need your assistance on an important job…. Yes, we leave tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. This is not the usual job. It is a rescue of sorts. It seems some lunatic has decided to kidnap my daughter…. Yes, the usual fee, plus a bonus when she is returned unharmed. A six man team would be fine…. We don’t know yet where it will be. I suggest you have your plane fueled up and ready to go anywhere. Oh, and V
ictor, you remember that job a few years back in the Cayman Islands? Well, those three will be joining us…. Yes, life is strange sometimes. It’s a long story and I don’t have time to tell you now, but suffice it to say that this time we are all working together…. O.k., I’ll call you at this number as soon as I have more details.”
Nick disconnected the phone.
“You’re still hiring that mercenary to do work for you?” J.T. asked.
“Yes, he’s the best. As you know from personal experience, he gets the job done,” Nick replied without his usual sly smile.
“I thought you said the kidnapper said no cops? How do you think he is going to react to a bunch of commandos armed to the teeth showing up on the scene?” J.T. queried.
“Probably not very well if he ever sees they are around, but I’m not prepared to depend solely on the promises of an unscrupulous kidnapper for Sasha’s safe return. I’m planning on being prepared.”
“I can’t argue with that. Just make sure these guys stay out of sight unless we need them. We don’t need the kidnapper or kidnappers to be spooked and do something crazy. By the way. Do we know anything more about him/her/them?”
“Nothing,” Nick replied. “I received the message on Sasha’s phone and the battery was taken out shortly thereafter, preventing us from tracing the call.”
J.T. turned to James and Laura. “Thanks for coming, you two. I needed to have some familiar faces backing me up on this,” he said.
“Don’t mention it,” James replied. “Business down at the shop was getting a bit slow anyway,” he continued with a smile.
“Yeah, besides, it will be good to see if these fake IDs are as good as Nick said they were,” Laura quipped.
The plane landed at the airport and everyone filed into an awaiting SUV once they had de-planed. James, Laura, and J.T. were relieved that they were able to avoid any scrutiny of their documents for the time being. They sped along the highway and into the city, arriving at the Bartonovich residence in early afternoon.