Tangled Web
By Sarah & Lanie
Chapter 23
Cory Enterprises
9:45 AM
Tess walked down the hall toward her office. She had straightened her hair today, pushing it behind her ears and curling the ends into a flip. Her black pantsuit was an elegant cut with its snowy-white collar and cuffs.
As she slid behind her desk, she spotted the small envelope in the center of her desk. Her curiosity was instantly piqued. She looked up at the door wondering if Matt were watching her. He and Amanda had been behind closed doors again this morning. Some of the Cory investors had been grumbling about some of the risky moves made by Matt and Amanda, so they were trying to soothe them by putting together a package which was proof positive that the risk would pay off in the end.
Tess gingerly ripped open the small envelope and pulled out a simple white card.
Meet me at the Harbor
Club.
11:30 AM sharp
Tess smiled as she brought the card to her lips. "What are you up to Matthew Cory?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Matt breezed into his office to pick up some files before returning to the boardroom. He grabbed the files and started out the door, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the small white envelope in the middle of his desk. Curiosity got the best of him, so he set the files aside for a moment and grabbed the envelope. He ripped it open and read the note inside.
Meet me at the Harbor
Club
11:30 AM sharp
He grinned as he tucked the note inside his jacket pocket.
"Ah, Tess, I can't wait," he said out loud as he walked out the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harbor Club
10:00 AM
Donna picked up the phone in her office as it rang. "Harbor Club, how may I help you?"
"Good morning, Donna. Isn't it a lovely day?" a man asked.
"Emmanuel? Is that you?"
Emmanuel Logan chuckled. "Indeed it is. You're very quick on your feet. I was hoping that I might persuade you to join me for lunch today."
Donna frowned, not really interested in sharing any more time with the man. "As nice as that sounds, it's really too short notice for me to get someone to cover for me here. Can I get a rain check?"
"Why don't I just meet you there, then? Surely you can take a break for dinner with a friend. Let's say around 11:30?"
Donna could not see any way to get out of it gracefully. "11:30 it is. I'll see you then, Emmanuel."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
McKinnon Cottage
Vicky hurried around the house, gathering up grocery bags as she went.
"I've got to get these snacks to Foster Park for Kirkland's class picnic by eleven," she said out loud.
Vicky walked quickly to the mirror to check her appearance. She was wearing a blue and white pinstriped maternity shirt and a pair of navy slacks. She stood sideways and smiled.
"Well, girls, are you ready to go to your brother's picnic?" she asked as she rubbed her hand across her stomach.
Vicky picked up the bags of groceries, then grabbed her purse as she walked out the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
David's Townhouse
David stared at the computer screen. He'd pulled up a web site for The American Journal of Psychiatric Medicine. He read through an article with keen interest, then pulled out the phone book. He flipped through the pages and found the number he was looking for. David quickly dialed the number. "Yes, please transfer me to someone in the neurology department… Hello, my name is David Halliday. I need to schedule a CAT scan… No, I don’t have a referring physician… My condition? Well, I'm not exactly sure… What do you mean I need a diagnosis first? Can’t you just give me the damned test and tell me if there's anything… I apologize for losing my temper, but I really am in a big hurry… I don’t care about insurance forms. I'll pay for the thing myself… Trust me, I have plenty of money to cover the… Fine, fine, then can you make me an appointment with one of the staff neurologists? … I don’t care. Whichever one is available first… No, I don't need a psychiatric consult! A neurologist will do nicely… Next Monday at two will be just fine… Oh no, thank you."
David slammed down the phone. "No wonder insurance rates are outrageous. You have to get an appointment with some quack just to arrange a simple test."
David was marking the doctor's appointment on his calendar when a knock sounded on the door. "Yes?"
Winston opened the door. "Miss Cindy is here to see you." Cindy stalked past Winston into the room. "Thanks, Winnie. I won’t be staying long." Winston gave his employer a sympathetic glance before shutting the door.
David stood up and rounded the desk. Cindy was wearing a figure-hugging fire engine red and black patterned mini-dress held up by spaghetti straps. David drank in the sight of her legs encased in black-toned hose, their length emphasized by her black and red spike-heeled pumps. She was dressed to kill, and her expression was equally lethal. David leaned back against the edge of the desk and crossed his arms, shooting Cindy a curious look. "What's wrong, Cindy? Did you break a nail? Is this a manicure emergency?"
Cindy glared at David, not allowing his blatant teasing to have an effect on her. She also tried to ignore her reaction to the way his dark blue suit brought out the color of his eyes. "I know you think I'm a superficial bimbo, but the answer to your question is 'no'. Sorry to disappoint you."
David pushed away from the desk and walked over to where Cindy stood. He placed his hands on her shoulders and said, "Where on earth did you get the idea that I think you're a bimbo? I've never said-"
Cindy shrugged hard to dislodge David's grip and scathingly replied, "Ok, you never said 'bimbo', but 'inflatable party doll' isn't exactly flattering either."
"Cindy, I said that months ago, and as I recall, at the time you were trying to seduce me to get your hands on my money. That has nothing to do with now, and you know it. So why don’t you tell me what's really bothering you?"
"You want to know what's bothering me? Look in the mirror, pal."
"Me? What did I do?" David asked with wide-eyed confusion.
"It's what you haven’t done. You haven't told me where you went or why."
David took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling as if praying for patience. "Why does this bother you so much? It was just a business trip-"
"Bull!" Cindy shouted angrily, drawing David's eyes back down to hers. "This all started long before your secret trip. You've been acting weird for weeks now. When are you going to trust me enough to let me in on what’s going on with you?"
"It's not a matter of me not trusting you, Cindy. I do. It's just that… I don’t really know how to say this… It's not that I won’t explain. I can't explain. Do you understand?"
"No, I don't understand, but that's the whole idea, isn’t it? Keep Cindy in the dark because she's too stupid to understand and too useless to help."
David grabbed Cindy's arms and pulled her against him. "Dammit, stop putting words in my mouth!" Cindy's agitated breathing pressed her chest against his with each inhale. David stared down into her eyes. The anger and hurt were still there, but he could see that she was as affected by the contact of their bodies as he was. David crushed his mouth against hers. Cindy immediately responded. They embraced wildly, barely able to breathe as they devoured each other.
It's taken much too long
To get it right
Would it be so wrong
To maybe find someone
A miracle
Cindy's hands suddenly raised to David's chest and she shoved him away with a frustrated cry. "No! Not this time. We're going to settle this thing here and now." Her breathing was still heavy from the incredible kiss. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong or not?"
And all you really need
Is everything you can never be
And so you'd give it all
For a miracle…
David stared into her eyes. He realized that she desperately needed to hear the truth, but what could he actually tell her? All he had to offer was a story that he had a hard time believing himself, and he'd actually experienced it. He could just imagine how Cindy would react. She'd think that he was lying or crazy… probably both. What if she walked out of his life? David wasn't prepared to take that chance. "I can't," he replied with quiet resolution.
Cindy braced herself, trying to keep the pain she felt from showing. She wanted to help David, but he wouldn’t let her. He obviously didn’t trust her enough to share what was going on with him. "Well, I can’t keep doing this," she said in a voice that shook. "I can't be around you, knowing that something is wrong, and not ask you what it is. It hurts too much. So I tell you what, I'll work at my place from now on. And if you're ever ready to let me in on what is wrong… You'll know where to find me. Goodbye, David."
You never really know
What it is
Not until it goes
And if it comes again
It’s a miracle
What you miss is love
In everything below and up above
And could she bring it all
A miracle
Cindy turned and walked out of the study. She kept hoping that David would follow her, would call her back. But he didn’t. She walked out the front door and climbed into her car. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she sped toward her apartment.
David stood in his study and tried to digest what had just occurred. He had expected Cindy to come back, to tell him that she could wait for him to tell her the truth. But she hadn't. "Brilliant move, Halliday. She walked out anyway. What are you going to do now?"
Is there a trace
Inside her face
Of a lonely miracle
And so you wait
And lie awake
For a lonely miracle
All you wanted was a...
All you needed was a miracle
A miracle…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Harbor Club
11:25 AM
Tess walked to the entrance and waited for someone to seat her. Donna walked toward her wearing an amber organza blouse embellished with delicate scrolled embroidery, a satin tie belt, and black slacks. She smiled warmly when she saw Tess.
"Hello, Tess. Your table is ready," Donna greeted.
"Thanks, Donna," Tess responded as she followed her to a table in the center of the room.
Tess settled in and waited for Matthew to arrive. She only waited a few minutes before he appeared in the doorway looking very handsome in his navy sport coat and French blue shirt. He smiled widely as he spotted Tess. He walked to her and pressed a brief kiss on her lips before taking his seat. He reached for her hands and she gladly placed them in his.
"You take my breath away," he admitted as he leaned forward.
Tess smiled back at him, becoming drugged by his very presence. "Maybe you'll allow me to practice my resuscitation techniques later."
Matt laughed, "Why Tess Richardson, are you suggesting that we go parking?"
Tess's eyes sparkled with laughter. "Something like that."
"I cannot tell you how happy in makes me to see you smile. It's like the sunrise in the morning."
"Don't be getting all poetic on me here, Matt," she said, then became serious. "You make me happy."
Matt reached across the table and touched her cheek. "I love you so much. I plan on making you happy for the rest of our lives."
Tess placed her hand over his. She started to respond to him when she saw someone familiar out the corner of her eye. She closed her eyes in disgust.
"Tess, what is it?" Matt asked then turned so that he could see her line of vision. He stiffened when he spotted Emmanuel Logan taking a seat at a nearby table. "Of all the nerve….excuse me, while I take care of a very big pain in the…."
"No, Matt, just leave him alone. I want to spend a little time with you, and ignoring Emmanuel Logan is easy."
"Are you sure? Because I would love to throw him out of here."
Tess smiled as she grabbed his hand. "Defending my honor is one of your most attractive qualities, Matthew Cory. So why don't we just concentrate on us and forget that there is anyone else in this room?"
Matt looked over his shoulder at Logan again, then nodded at Tess. "You've got it."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Foster Park
11:45 AM
"Ok everyone, gather round!" Mrs. Holvey called to the rowdy group of children that comprised her second grade class. When the noise died down and all the students were seated, she said, "I'm sure that you're all enjoying this beautiful day, but we're here to learn as well as having fun. What we're going to do is have fun learning. How does that sound?" A sound of approval rose from the grouping.
"On the picnic table over there, I have set out some paper sacks, one for each of you. Go and get your bag, then come back to the circle." The children all rushed over to find the bag with their name on it. They returned with their sacks and looked up expectantly.
"We're going to have a little nature adventure. Inside your bag, you'll find a list of items you need to collect from around the park. Each of you has different things to find. This is going to be a team effort, not a competition. Once you've located all the things on your list, find a classmate who hasn't finished yet and help them. Your parents and some other helpers will be stationed around the park to help you. Anyone who needs to collect something near the lake must have a helper, ok? Let's go everyone!"
A man stood at the edge of the woods, watching as the group of children dispersed from the circle. On the park road behind him, a gray panel van and two sedans idled quietly with drivers at each of the wheels. He pulled out a walkie-talkie and pressed the send button. "Ward, have you located the Harrison kid's shadow yet? Logan said there would definitely be one."
"I think I've spotted him. I can’t be sure until the kid moves further away from the picnic area, but this guy smells like a Fed to me."
"Keep an eye on him. When you get the chance, take him out quick. We can't move on the kid until his watcher is taken care of. And make sure he doesn't have a chance to call his buddies before you incapacitate him. We need a few hours to get the kid out of the country before the Feds are tipped off."
Marcus Chase returned the walkie-talkie to his pocket and shook his head slightly. "I can't believe I got roped into taking this Harrison kid… again. But saying 'no' to Emmanuel Logan is not a good idea." He walked over to the van and leaned in the open window to talk to the driver. "Keep your eyes open and be ready to move. When this thing goes down, it will go down fast."
Marcus walked back to the edge of the woods and resumed watching Kirkland Harrison. Finally, the kid moved further away from his classmates and into the wooded area on the far side of the lake. Not five minutes later, Ward's voice came through the radio. "The shadow's been neutralized. He's definitely a Fed. No sign of any others."
"Did you give him the injection?"
"Yep. He won't wake up for at least twelve hours, and he'll have one hell of a headache when he does. What's next?"
"Get back over here in case we need you. I'll set things in motion." Chase switched channels on the radio and instructed, "Franklin, the kid is in your sector. Move him in our direction."
"Got it," Franklin replied. He slipped the radio back into his pocket and walked over to the boy. "Hello… Kirkland, that's what the bag says. What are you looking for?"
Kirkland looked up at the man and held out his list. "I'm trying to find a purple leaf. Have you seen any of them?"
"As a matter of fact, I have. You see that group of trees? I think I saw some trees with purple leaves on them over there."
Kirkland grinned. He only had the purple leaf remaining on his nature list. His bag already contained a jar with a cricket in it and a twig shaped like the letter 'Y'. "Thanks, Mister!" he said enthusiastically before running off in the direction Franklin had indicated. "You're welcome!" he replied, then pulled the walkie-talkie back out of his jacket. "Chase, he's coming your way. Should I head over to you?"
"Yes, but stay out of sight until he's in the van." Marcus smiled to himself and awaited the arrival of their prey. Soon, he saw a towheaded boy walking down the paved road toward him, examining every tree he passed. Everything was going according to plan…
Vicky raced over to the picnic shelter with grocery bags in hand. "Sorry I'm so late. I had a bit of trouble on the way here."
"It's not a problem, Mrs. McKinnon," Mrs. Holvey replied. "Lunch time isn’t for another hour yet. You said you had some trouble on the way. Nothing too serious, I hope."
"No, just some jerk rear-ending me. I wanted to exchange insurance information and have it done with, but he refused to take responsibility so I had to call the cops and fill out an accident report. Enough about that, where is Kirkland?"
"The children are on a nature hunt, so I'm not exactly sure where Kirkland is." At Vicky's concerned glance, the teacher smiled comfortingly. "You don’t need to worry. We have nearly three helpers for each child. Besides the parents, the student teachers from the university are helping too. No one is going to get lost."
Vicky returned the teacher's smile, but she still felt a bit nervous after her visual scan of the park didn't turn up Kirkland. "Well, I'll go pitch in and see where my son has gotten himself to."
Marcus Chase approached Kirkland and said, "Hi Kirkland. How are you doing?"
"I'm trying to find a purple leaf for my nature bag. Have you seen any?"
Marcus crouched down so he was at eye level with the boy. "No, but I'm sure we can find one. Say, did you watch the Cubs game on Sunday?"
Kirkland grinned. "Yeah! Sammy hit two home runs! It was awesome!"
"Yes, it was a great game. Do you know who else watched that game Kirk? Your Dad."
Kirkland's face fell. "No he didn't. My Dad is dead."
"Actually, he's not dead, Kirk. Your Dad is alive. It was all a big misunderstanding." Marcus saw the look of skepticism on the boy's face, but he also noted the glint of hope there as well. He wanted to believe. Marcus pulled two items out of his jacket pocket. He handed one of them to Kirkland. "You see that Kirk? That's a picture of your Dad with the sports page from yesterday."
Kirkland's eyes widened. The picture showed his Dad holding up a newspaper with the headline Sosa Cracks Two Homers - Cubs Win 5 to 2.
Marcus pressed the play button on the micro-cassette recorder in his hand. Kirkland's eyes flew from the photograph to the tape recorder upon hearing the sound of his father's voice. "Son, it's your Dad. I can't tell you how much I've missed seeing you and telling you that I love you. I know this must be very confusing, but I am alive and I want to see you. I would have come myself, but it was impossible. So, I've sent my friend to come pick you up and bring you for a visit. You don't need to worry about telling your Mom. I'll make sure to let her know that you're with me. You can trust these men because they're my friends. I love you very much Kirkland, and I can’t wait to see you."
Marcus pressed the stop button on the tape recorder. "You see, Kirk? I'm a friend of your Dad's, and I'd like to be your friend, too. Are you ready to go see him?"
Kirkland hesitated. He knew that he wasn't supposed to go places with strangers. But his Dad said it was ok, so… "Ok! Let's go!"
Marcus walked with Kirkland to the van. He was sliding open the side door when he heard a voice call out, "Kirkland! What are you doing?"
Before Marcus could stop him, the boy ran a short distance down the road toward a woman. "Amanda! Amanda! Guess what? My Dad is alive!"
Kirkland stopped in front of Amanda, holding up a picture to her. "Look! My Dad is alive and he sent this guy to pick me up! Isn't that awesome?"
Amanda's eyes flew from Kirkland to the man standing next to the gray van. The man was making no threatening moves, but the hard look in his eyes made Amanda's blood run cold. She continued staring at the man as she took the picture from Kirkland, not even bothering to glance at it. This was obviously a kidnapping attempt, but she didn’t want to scare Kirk. "Kirkland, I know for a fact that you've been told never to go anywhere with a stranger."
"But he's not a stranger. He's a friend. My Dad told me so."
That statement drew Amanda's full attention to Kirkland and away from the man standing near the van. "Your Dad told you so? Did you speak to him?"
"No. But the man has a tape. Dad couldn't come himself."
Amanda's eyes flew back to the man. "I'm sure there's a very good reason for that, Kirk." Amanda reached into her shoulder bag for her cell phone. "Why don't I make a call and share the good news?"
"Great! Make sure you tell my Mom that Dad's ok and I went for a visit. Bye, Amanda!" Before she knew what he was doing, Kirkland ran back to the van and jumped into the open door. "Kirk, wait!" she shouted, but it was too late. The man had already slid the van door shut. As he started walking toward her, Amanda frantically tried to dial her phone. "Ah, ah, ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Amanda looked up. The man was pointing a gun the size of a small cannon at her. She had already pressed the digits 9-1-1, but she hadn't hit send yet.
"Why don't you toss me that phone and we can discuss this without getting blood all over the place."
Amanda stared at the man. He looked perfectly capable of shooting her without batting an eye. She quickly heaved the phone far into the bushes and brambles next to the road. "You want it? Feel free to go looking for it."
The man chuckled. "You're a handful, aren't you? That's ok. I have others to help me deal with you." Marcus pounded twice on the side of the van and it pulled away. Amanda's heart dropped into her stomach as she helplessly watched it disappear around a bend in the road.
Her motherly instincts provoked Amanda into anger. "What kind of monsters are you? You convince that little boy his father is alive so you can kidnap him more easily. This is obviously some kind of… trick." Amanda had finally looked at the photograph Kirk had given her. It wasn't a picture from a thirty-five millimeter camera. It was the kind you would take with an instamatic. Amanda knew that with this type of film, it was practically impossible to fake the photograph. The hair stood up on the back of her neck. "My God… This is real, isn't it?"
Marcus gave her a chilling smile. "Well, there's a brain under that blond hair after all. Don't you agree?"
Amanda heard a deep voice coming from her right and saw another man approaching her, holding an equally large firearm. "Too bad her timing sucks."
Marcus gave a nod of mock concern. "Yes, that is a pity. Keep an eye on her while I find out what we should do with her." While Franklin kept his gun trained on Amanda, Marcus pulled out his cell phone. He was about to dial when he heard someone approaching from behind him. "Kirkland? Where are you?"
Amanda silently prayed that Vicky would turn around and search in another direction. Her hope turned out to be futile. Vicky rounded the curve in the road, saw the scene before her, and stopped short. One man was holding a gun to Amanda's head while another stood next to a navy sedan… pointing a gun directly at her. "Amanda? What's going on here?"
"I'll tell you what's going on," Marcus said with feigned calm. This operation was turning into a nightmare. They needed to get out of this park before the entire second grade class came waltzing down the road. "We have your son, Mrs. McKinnon. So I suggest you do exactly what I say if you ever want to see him again."
Vicky's eyes widened with panic. She shot a glance at Amanda. Amanda's expression confirmed the truth of the man's statement without words. Vicky forced herself to remain as calm as possible. "I'll do whatever you want. Just give me my son back."
Marcus removed a listening device from his pocket and put it inside Vicky's purse. "First thing's first. I want you to go over to the teacher and tell her that Kirkland has a stomachache and you're taking him home. I will be listening to every word you say. If you do anything at all to give away what's happening here, you will never see Kirkland again. Moreover, I will not hesitate to put a bullet between your eyes the second you get out of line. Am I making myself clear?"
Vicky nodded somberly. Marcus smiled coldly. "See? I'm a reasonable man." Marcus turned his gaze over to Franklin. "This place is getting much too crowded. Take Blondie to the warehouse until I find out what we're supposed to do with her. Mrs. McKinnon and I will be along shortly."
Franklin directed Amanda toward one of the waiting cars. Marcus held up a hand and said, "Wait a minute." He motioned Ward over with a jerk of his head. "Keep an eye on Mrs. McKinnon a second. We don’t want her getting any less than bright ideas." Once Ward had Vicky under guard, Marcus looked back at Franklin. "Toss me her purse." Franklin took the purse from Amanda's shoulder and threw it to him. Marcus dug through it until he came up with Amanda's keys. Holding them up, he asked, "Where did you park your car, Blondie?"
Amanda contemplated lying, but considering the situation, she didn’t feel in any position to play games with these very dangerous men. "It's a white sedan, parked in the south lot."
Marcus smiled, clearly pleased by her cooperation. He turned to Vicky. "What about you?"
"The lot near the picnic shelter."
"Ok. You and Blondie go ahead without us. We'll send a cleanup crew to get her car later. We'll meet you at the warehouse once Mrs. McKinnon has given her stellar performance." Franklin nodded. He and Amanda climbed into the back seat of the car. It turned around and quickly left the park. Marcus turned to Vicky. "Let's take a ride over to your van, shall we? We can’t have the teacher questioning why Kirk isn't with you. We'll tell her we dropped him off first." Vicky nodded and got into the backseat of the second car. Marcus climbed in beside her, and Ward sat in the front with the driver.
On the short drive along the park road, Vicky frantically searched her mind for what to do. These men had her son, so she had to cooperate. They must want money and she would give them however much they asked for. She couldn't say anything obvious to tip off the teacher, but maybe she could add something to the conversation that seemed innocuous. She had no idea what would happen to her at the warehouse they kept talking about. She needed to find a way to convey something of what was going on when Jake and the police started looking for her and Kirk.
The sedan parked next to Vicky's minivan. Vicky and Marcus got out of the backseat. Ward also got out and went to the trunk. He removed a high-powered rifle with a scope and draped a trench coat over it. He headed for a small copse of trees near the edge of the parking area. Marcus turned to Vicky. "Remember, Mrs. McKinnon, I'll be watching you and listening to every word you say. One false move and my friend over there will shut you up permanently."
Vicky swallowed past the lump of fear in her throat. "I understand."
"Good! Now go over there and put on your best concerned mother act. It shouldn’t be too much of a stretch, all things considered."
Vicky restrained the impulse to glare at him. She had to be careful for Kirk's sake. She walked over to the shelter and tapped Mrs. Holvey on the arm. When the teacher turned and faced her, Vicky said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but Kirkland isn't feeling well, so I'm taking him home."
"I'm so sorry. I know he was having a good time earlier. Is it serious?"
"No, it's a stomachache. I'm sure he'll be fine. I just didn’t want you to worry when we didn't come back for the picnic." Vicky knew that she had to take her chance now. She turned as if to go and purposely ran into the picnic table, dropping her purse. Mrs. Holvey bent down to help her pick up the few items that had spilled out. Vicky hoped the motion of shoving things back into the bag muffled the sound through the listening device enough that she wasn't being overheard. "By the way, Jake said he might stop by here later this afternoon. If he does, please tell him what happened and that Justine dropped by earlier to say 'hello'."
As both women straightened, Mrs. Holvey said, "I'll be sure to do that. I hope Kirk is feeling better and back at school tomorrow."
Vicky offered her a weak smile and replied, "I hope so too. Bye." As Vicky walked away, Mrs. Holvey looked at her curiously for a moment, then returned to her picnic preparations.
Vicky got back to the car to find her son's captors waiting for her. The one who seemed to be the leader clapped a bit and said, "Fine performance, except dropping the purse. That's a bit more skittish than a woman with a sick son would act."
"I am nervous, as you well know. It was an accident."
Marcus shrugged. "No harm done." Marcus reached into Vicky's purse to retrieve the minivan keys. He handed them to Ward and said, "You drive. I'll keep Mrs. McKinnon company in the backseat." They all climbed into the van and took off, with the sedan following shortly thereafter.
They arrived at the waterfront and drove past a section of warehouses. Marcus pulled out the walkie-talkie and said, "We're here. Open the door." A large loading door on an unlabeled warehouse slid open. Ward pulled the minivan in and the sedan followed. The large door slid shut behind the vehicles as they parked in the cavernous open space.
Marcus escorted Vicky toward an office at the back of the warehouse. Franklin and the driver were there, holding Amanda at gunpoint. Marcus looked around at each man in the group. "You keep an eye on these two while I find out what we're supposed to do with them. And no conversations, understand?"
Marcus walked out and shut the office door behind himself. He strode a few yards away and blew out a heavy breath as he rubbed his temples. He could feel the beginning of a giant headache, and it had the name "Harrison" written all over it. Marcus pulled out his cell phone and dialed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The Harbor Club
The waiter arrived at Logan and Donna's table with their meals. As Donna poured dressing on top of her Cobb salad, she gave Emmanuel's plate a look. "You should be careful about ordering steak done that rare, Emmanuel. It's dangerous."
Emmanuel smiled charmingly as he cut into his porterhouse and speared a piece. "I'm irresistibly drawn to living dangerously. Besides, I like my meals a little sanguine. I'm an unapologetic carnivore." Emmanuel was about to put the piece of steak in his mouth when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out and checked the caller id. He removed his napkin from his lap and stood up. "Please excuse me, Donna. I need to take this call."
Emmanuel strode out onto the terrace surrounding the club. He could feel Tess Richardson's eyes following him, and he smiled to himself. This was working out better than he could have hoped - She wasn't letting him out of her sight for a moment.
Emmanuel answered the phone. "Mission accomplished?"
"Yes," Marcus replied. "The kid is on his way, but we ran into some complications."
"Such as?"
"Such as Vicky McKinnon and, according to her driver's license, Amanda Sinclair. They showed up in the middle of the operation. They both know we took the kid, and the Sinclair woman knows that Harrison is alive. What do you want me to do with them?"
Emmanuel kept his expression blank for the benefit of "Ms. FBI" while he pondered what to do about the "complication". There was always the option of eliminating them, but he hated to get his hands dirty over something trivial like this. A thought occurred to Logan that caused a satisfied smile to spread across his lips. "Here's what I want you to do…"
Once Logan finished telling Marcus what he wanted done and how, Marcus replied, "I'll take care of it, " and hung up the phone. He slipped the phone back into his pocket, feeling his headache growing worse by the second. "This damned Harrison kid is more trouble than he can possibly be worth," Marcus muttered under his breath. He walked back into the office and wreathed his face in smiles. "I hope you ladies have your passports up to date," he said sarcastically. "'Cause you're about to go on a little trip."
Author's note: The lyrics quoted in this chapter are from the song "Miracle", recorded by Vertical Horizon on their CD Everything You Want. Click on the hyperlinked title to listen to a Real media clip from the song.