by Lesia Reid
“No, it wasn’t suspicious, I thought he was playing.”
“You’re fired,” Sebastian said.
“Sebastian,” Deana said. She knew he was angry. It was not the woman’s fault. She was thankful that at least she had called the number Joey had left even if she was rude and thought it was a crank call.
“I’m pissed,” Sebastian said. “We had him. He was in our hands for god’s sake.”
“But it’s not her fault,” Deana said. “This is misplaced. At least we know he has gotten away. He knew enough to call here.”
She hugged him. She felt his muscles bulged under his shirt. She loved this man for being angry that they couldn’t find her son, their son. A buzz sounded in Bill’s office. The sit-in receptionist had a boy on the line. Bill put the phone on speaker.
“Hello, miss,” Joey’s voice was clear and strong. “I have to take one more bus. I don’t know where I am, but the bus is late. Tell Sebastian I am coming to Man-hat-tan. Miss?”
“Joey!” Sebastian and Deana said together.
“Mom? Dad?” “Yes, son we are here,” Sebastian said. “Where are you? Which bus depot are you at?”
“I have to go, the bad men are here. Merda!”
They heard the scramble out of the telephone booth and feet running. There was no scream, which was good. Joey was on the run.
“My god,” Deana said and buried her head in Sebastian’s chest. She was crying again. “Joey.”
Sebastian held her. He was feeling the pain as much as she was. Joey was a smart boy. Strong and smart like his mother, if only they knew where he was.
For the second time in as many days, Joey found the strength to outrun his captors. He was so close now, closer because his mom and Sebastian were in Manhattan waiting for him. This gave his legs strength he never knew he possessed. How had the bad men found him? If they knew he was taking the buses, it was only a matter of time. He was starving and tired. He needed to know where he was. Sebastian went through every single document on Antonio Pacelli. He had too many properties for them to search it all, and it could take days or months even to find him because Antonio was no longer in the Brooklyn house Deana remembered. All they had was Joey, if Joey got away and if he could call again.
“We have to tell ourselves he’s okay,” Sebastian said to Deana. He hadn’t fired the receptionist. She was apologetic and distraught that she may have cost them the life of their child. She was new to the job and was not trained how to handle a situation such as this other than being polite and hang up. All she knew of Sebastian Torrance was from office gossip; he was rich, single and an eligible bachelor. He had visited the New York office once since she had been there, and he never wore a ring nor was he accompanied by a wife.
“He sounded okay,” Deana said. “Thank heavens he remembered you owned Torrance Construction. I know we will find him.”
“Deana,” Sebastian said. “This might be a bad time, but when this is over, we’re getting married, no protests. I cannot tell you how I feel at this point and I know you must be feeling the same way. I will make him my son.”
“He is already your son,” Deana said.
“I have the location of every billboard, every bench ad in New York,” Bill walked in with two sheets of typed paper.
“Tell me if anything rings a bell,” Sebastian said to the receptionist.
She scanned through the city names quickly. The boy had never said a specific street, only city names.
“This,” she pointed to Westchester on the paper. There were three billboards and five bench ads in Westchester.
Sebastian checked all the locations against any property that had Antonio Pacelli on the deed. There was none.
“Are you sure?” Sebastian asked.
“Yes, he called Manhattan, by a funny name. That’s part of the reason I thought it was a joke. He said he was nine. He took a bus.”
Sebastian was on his laptop.
“What are you doing?” Deana asked.
“All New York transit routes are on the internet. If we can place any of these ads to a route, then we can start there, work our way forward. He called three times each time after a bus ride. He was specific—he was heading to Manhattan. You know Joey is chatty, and I’m sure someone must have asked him why he was riding alone. He had to be pretty convincing to get on a bus.”
Half an hour later they were each on a phone to two transit lines that both had bench ads. Sebastian hit the jackpot.
“Yes, this is Sebastian Torrance, his father—Oh, did he?—East Chester Bay—a cut on his leg. Thank you, I’m grateful for this.” Deana got off the telephone. Sebastian was pumping the air with his fist. She swore she had never seen him this happy.
“That’s our boy,” he said to Deana. “He told the driver his name was Joey Torrance and he lost us in Manhattan. She said he looked fine except he had a nasty cut on his leg. She left him in East Chester Bay and I have the number.” He was dialing as he spoke.
“Yes, this is Sebastian Torrance. My son was on one of your buses earlier today heading towards Manhattan—Edison Avenue. That would be nice. Thank you.”
He called the number for the Edison office transit. Joey was in Melrose.
“He’s five miles from here maximum. Let’s go.” Sebastian took Deana’s hand. “He will be home by tonight. If he calls, tell him to get to a hotel and give them my cell phone number.”
Chapter 19
The limousine raced towards Melrose. The couple sat holding hands, each giving their own silent prayer for a boy who was brave enough to escape his kidnappers.
Joey was in the mall. He wasn’t sure who was a bad man from who were the good men. He wanted to give-up. Every muscle, every bone in his body ached. He found a pay phone and tried to dial the number again. He had sweated most of the morning and each time the ink had faded some. Now, the numbers had faded beyond recognition. He almost cried. There was no way of calling his mother again.
He’d just about lost his will when a strong pair of hands lifted him from behind.
“Let me go!” he shouted.
“Be quiet,” a male voice hissed at him. Joey didn’t recognize the voice as the man in the woods. This was someone else, a different bad man. “If you don’t shut up, they’ll find you.”
He didn’t heed the voice. He was kicking and screaming, and the man was moving out of the mall, apologizing for ‘his son’. Joey was shoved into the front of a car and the man got in. He couldn’t get out. The doors were closed and the locks missing. The only way out was the way he was shoved in— through the driver’s side door, and the man was sitting there.
“Shut up!” the man barked. “Do you want Tony to find you?”
Joey looked at the man now, he recognized him. He was one of the men who’d chased him across the lawn. Joey opened his mouth and screamed as loudly as he could, even as the door of the car slammed shut.
“If you don’t shut up, your father is going to find you and there will be hell to pay,” the man said.
Though he was frightened, tired and his throat hurt from screaming, Joey recognized that this man did not say I will take you to your father.
“Who are you?” Joey demanded in a hoarse voice.
“A friend of your mother’s,” the man said through gritted teeth.
“Don’t start screaming again! I knew your mother before you were born. Now keep your head down and stop shouting!”
“Where are you taking me?”
“To your mother. No more screaming, okay?”
Joey nodded, because he couldn’t scream even if he wanted to, his throat was soar and he was tired.
“You’re a bad man,” Joey said. “My mom and dad are going to make sure you go to jail.”
“Yes, I probably deserve to go to jail, but for now, I just need to get you to your mother. My name is Luigi Ventura. Here,” he handed a cell phone to Joey. “Call your mother. Tell her here you are at the clock. She will know what it means.”
�
�How do you know my mother is here?”
“Because your father knows,” Luigi said. “Now call her.”
Joey didn’t trust the stranger, but he dialed the cell phone number for his mother. She answered on the first ring.
“Mom,” Joey said.
“Joey, where are you?”
“I’m with a man. He said to tell you I am at the clock.”
“Luigi?” Deana asked. “Is his name Luigi?”
“Yes, but he’s with the bad men who kidnapped me. He was with them yesterday. I’m locked in his car. Mom, please come and get me.” For the first time he acted like an eight-year-old and broke into hysterical tears.
“Joey,” Deana said, feeling the pain of her son. “Stay with him. I’m on my way. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“But Mom—”
“He’s not the worst kind of bad man,” Deana tried to comfort her son. “He’s a coward, but he can help you. I am coming to get you, Joey.”
Luigi pulled the phone from him.
“Mia?”
“Luigi.”
“Tony knows you are here. This has to be fast.” He hung up the phone. Deana gave instructions to the limousine driver.
Five car lengths behind, another car followed Luigi all the way to the clock.
Joey had never been happier to see any two people in his life. As soon as the car was parked and Luigi let him out, he raced towards his mom and Sebastian who were waiting under a giant clock.
“Joey,” Deana cried, hugging him.
Sebastian hugged them both. They got Joey in the limousine before focusing their attention on Luigi.
“Mia,” Luigi said, meeting her half way between his car and hers. “Thank you,” Deana said.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you those years ago,” Luigi said. “I’m sorry I betrayed you to Tony. I hope my soul can escape purgatory by this one act.” “Thank you for returning our son,” Sebastian said.
Luigi looked at Sebastian from head to foot. He should be the one standing up for Mia now, not this stranger that held her so protectively. “So the prodigal daughter returns.” Deana would recognize that voice anywhere. After ten years, Simone Pacelli sounded the same.
“Tony will have your head for this, Luigi. Good thing I know you never really got over this stupid little wench.”
“Watch it,” Sebastian warned.
“Oh, so you are the man in her life. The famous Sebastian Torrance.” Simone covered the distance between them quickly. She was a Deana remembered—beautiful, tall, lithe with natural honey blond hair. She wore an expensive designer suit and equally expensive black boots and as always, she wore excessive amounts of jewelry. For Sebastian, he could see where Deana got her looks. The raven black hair must have been a gift from her father.
Behind Simone, Tommy snarled at her. Deana saw that the scar she made ten years ago only made him look more brutal. But she was no longer fifteen, and she was not afraid of them.
“I have nothing to say to you, Simone,” Deana said.
“Of course not, but this is a two for one treat. Tony should be here in oh say, five minutes. Did you think you would escape us forever?” “He’s your grandson,” Deana said. “How could you sit idly by and let Tony kidnap him?”
“Because every boy deserves to be with his father,” Simone said. They were standing eye to eye. “Does your man know how much of a bitch you are? And what would a rich man be doing with someone like you? Is he paying you for your favors, you certainly have stepped up?”
Deana didn’t think about it. She didn’t realize it until Simone was reeling back from the slap on her face. When at last she was calm, she could see the marking of her hand across her mother’s face.
“You bitch!” Simone shouted, rubbing her cheek where the slap stung. “You’ll have to do better than that, Simone,” Deana spat at her.
“You are the most selfish, self-absorbing piece of yesterday’s trash that I know. Pigs make better mothers than you. No wonder father left you. He saw you for exactly what you are—a blood sucking leech with a heart of brick.”
“Let me take her,” Tommy said.
“You’d have to go through me first,” Sebastian tried to move Deana, but she didn’t budge.
“You know why I never liked you?” Simone said.
“I don’t care,” Deana said.
“Because you were like him,” Simone said. “Every time I looked at you
I could see him, Angelo.”
“That’s not my fault,” Deana said. “He left you because no one was good enough for you. You are incapable of loving anyone but yourself.”
The sound of hands clapping and a sardonic laughter from the west caught their attention. It was Antonio Pacelli. Deana had not seen him since she stabbed him. He was not as bulky as she remembered him, and he walked with a slight limp. Her lips curled in a slight satisfactory grin. He should have been dead. If she’d gone for the heart, they wouldn’t be here now.
“Who are you?” Tony demanded. “It seems Mia always had some man or the other trying to take her fight.” He looked at Luigi in disgust. “I will deal with you later.”
“I am Joey’s father,” Sebastian said.
“Ah, the famous Sebastian Torrance,” Tony said. “What’s a big city boy like you doing with Mia? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Antonio Pacelli— Joey’s father. And make no mistakes about that, a boy can have only one father. This business does not concern you. I will give you the chance to leave with your pretty-boy face intact.”
“Do not offer me anything,” Sebastian said. “I offer you the opportunity to walk away from this.”
“I love this man,” Tony laughed. “Where did you get him, Mia? This is my yard, my playfield. Do you think you can walk in here and threaten me?” “No, but I’ll tell you this,” Sebastian said.,“I will leave this playfield in rubble if you don’t stay away from Deana and Joey.”
“You’re outnumbered three to two. And don’t think Luigi is going to help you. He’s a coward. Right now, in his mind, he’s trying to figure a way to get rid of you and up Mia’s skirt. He’s always had a soft spot for her, and I’m sure she had one for him.”
“If he’s a coward and he stands up to you, what does that make you?” Deana said.
“Mia, Mia, Mia,” Tony said as one would talk to an inept person. “I haven’t changed in nine years. Don’t even think of insulting me. I will cut you down like I did nine years ago. Then it was more fun, though.”
Sebastian’s hands formed in fists. But Deana put her hand on his. “You didn’t have that limp nine years ago,” Deana said. “This time you won’t be limping. The last thing you will see before you die is my face. I am no longer afraid of you, Tony. I am afraid for my child, but I’m not afraid of you.”
“Mia,” Luigi said, “Go! Take your man, your son and go.”
“The drama gets better,” Tony laughed. “I’ve had enough of this. Tommy, get the bitch, Simone get the boy and we’ll ask Mr. Torrance to come politely.”
It happened faster than Deana or Sebastian could get a grip of the situation. One minute Tommy was coming towards her, the next minute he was stumbling backward, a hole in the center of his forehead. Simone let a little scream, and tried to scramble away from the body. Tony for once in his life was quiet.
“Go,” Luigi said. “This chapter of your life is closed.”
“Luigi, you cannot be like them,” Deana said even as the reality of what happened to Tommy sank in.
“It is not like you think. Angelo DiMarinetti says hello. Now go.” “My father?”
“It’s better if you don’t know. Tony’s beaten many raps before, this would be no different. He spent nine years looking for you and your son because you took away his chance to hurt another woman the way he did you. There are no more answers and explanations here.” He looked at Sebastian. “Love her all you can, she deserves it. Take your family and go.”
Sebastian had to pull Deana away. They ran towards t
he limousine with both Tony and Simone shouting curses at them.
Chapter 20
“Why do I have to wear a suit?” Joey was complaining.
“Because all men wear suits to weddings,” Sebastian helped him with his bowtie. “And you want to look good walking beside Britney.” “But she doesn’t get to wear a suit,” Joey argued.
“No, she wears a pretty dress like your mother. See.” They stood side by side looking in the mirror. “We look like perfect gentlemen.” “We look like lawyers. Except they wear long ugly ties. I’m never going to be a lawyer. It must be depressing dressing like that every day.”
Sebastian chuckled. The adoption paperwork, Joey’s birthday party, planning a wedding and planning the move to Sebastian’s beachfront house had started the minute they were in the limousine and speeding towards the airport in New York.
It was now the last week of August, ten weeks since the ordeal in New York. Deana had anxiously scanned the newspapers in New York. Like her childhood, there weren’t any stories involving the clock and the Pacelli family. Sebastian encouraged her to forget it. Now, on their wedding day, five weeks after Joey’s birthday, he was having his first official father-son moment.
“What do you want to be when you grown up?” Sebastian asked. “I don’t know. Now that I’m nine I should know. Trevor knows he wants to be a policeman like Uncle Carl.”
“You know Torrance Construction will be yours when I retire,” Sebastian said.
“Dad, I don’t want to work in an office like you. Flying all over and having the limousine is cool, but I want to do something fun. Aunt Thelma said I should be a politician or a salesman because I could talk Eskimos into buying ice.”
“You have a lot of years to think about it.”
“I should get a job playing video games. I would like that. Uncle Carl says Trevor and I will fry our brains out doing that. But Aunt Thelma said not to mind him because he used to be glued to a pinball machine.”
“You could design video games. Right now, we better get moving or we will be late.”
Deana and Sebastian returned from their honeymoon three days before the start of school. Joey stayed with the Waynes during their absence. “We have to get you a haircut,” Deana said as she prepared dinner in the huge kitchen.