Chapter Eleven
Jonah
By the time, I got to work Shane was elbow-deep in a meeting with a new client discussing employee security clearance. Most companies these days vetted prospective employees to the fullest extent legally. That was where we came in. At Bradford Securities, it was one of our specialties. We had numerous employees, including Shane and myself with top level government security clearances. We could delve deeper than the average employer any day. Because this was the part of the business my brother and I built, we took a lot of pride in our work. I had no doubt that Shane would get the new client to sign on the dotted line. Heading to my office to catch up on some work, I checked in to see if my IT guys had any luck finding more on Ally than I had. Somehow, I doubted it.
It was early afternoon when Shane came in to brag about signing our newest client. “I am on a roll, big brother! That is two new clients in two months now. I think I deserve a bonus. A beautiful one that is blonde, blue eyed and stacked. Boom baby! What are you up to this weekend, Jonah?” Shane inquired and I knew he was really fishing to know about my plans regarding Ally.
“Well, tomorrow we will both be at the signups, idiot. But, then I have a date later with the most beautiful brunette in town.” I threw at Shane to make him jealous.
“No fucking way! She said yes? To you? After all this time? Fuck man, I lost. Shit, I lost fifty freaking dollars on that stupid bet,” Shane said to me with obvious disappointment.
“Fuck that damn bet, you asshole! You bet against me didn’t you, bubby?” I spit out with pure sarcasm knowing he hated his childhood nickname. I just sat there and smiled like that cat that ate the canary. “You should never bet against me when it’s about something or in this case, someone, I want more than the air that I breathe.”
“Have you or Brent been able to dig up anything at all on Ally? Our guys are at a dead-end without pushing too far. I held them back so we didn’t set off any alarms anywhere,” I told Shane.
“I warned you about that Jonah. Be very careful or you could wake up one day and Ally and Sam will just be gone, as if they were figments of your deranged imagination. Neither Brent nor I have come up with a damn thing. Yet. I still have some feelers out but it could take a while to hear back from them. They are deep undercover and can only relay information back occasionally. So, keep with your plan to get her to trust you. Right now, it’s the best bet. I also think you should talk to Frank. He is retired Army and a Ranger at that. Don’t count him out because of his age. That man is still a badass at sixty. He could very well help us keep an eye on them. From what I have seen he would take it personally if you didn’t clue him in,” Shane finished telling me as my cell phone rang.
I looked down to see who it was. I didn’t recognize the number and decided to hit end, sending it to voicemail. Setting down the phone on my inherited desk that was once Dad’s, I thought over what Shane had said. He was right. He had an excellent record of investigation and his instincts were on point as usual.
“Ok, you and Brent keep digging. I will talk with Frank and see if he knows anything, not that I think he would tell me, but I need to start somewhere,” I said feeling as if we were on the same page.
Right then my phone rang again and it was the same number. Aggravated that it was likely a telemarketing call, I answered like an angry grizzly bear woken from hibernation early, “Hello?”
“Hello, Jonah?” a female voice spoke panicked in my ear.
“Who is this?”
“Bella.”
“Bella who?”
“I work at the diner with Ally.”
“Oh, ok. What can I do for you Bella?” I calmed down and listened politely. Sitting up straight in my chair, all of a sudden sent Shane into detective mode and had him leaning closer so he could hear her too.
“When was the last time she called you Bella?” I looked down at my watch while Shane did the same thing.
“She called me like fifteen times, Jonah. And now when I call her back, it just goes to voicemail. I am so worried, I called the diner, but they said she never showed up for work. She is never late for work, like ever,” Bella told me in a scared voice.
“I understand, Bella. But could you please tell me what time was the last message Ally left you?” I asked again trying to hold my temper.
“That was about, hmmm, almost an hour and a half ago. She never made it to work which only takes her a few minutes. I’m so worried Jonah. I called Frannie too, but she doesn’t have her cell phone turned on. Only a house phone and she didn’t answer either. It’s her day off so, she is most likely out shopping. What should I do?” the girl actually whined at me for Christ’s sake.
Gritting my teeth, it dawned me what the problem was.
“Did anyone bother to offer her a ride to work considering her tires were slashed last night and she had no transportation for today?” I ground out the question.
“Oh! Oh! My goodness, I didn’t even think of that. You are a pure genius, Jonah. I could just kiss you right now!” I cringed inside at that thought.
“Listen Bella, thanks for calling me and letting me know. I know where to look and I will go get her and take her to work. Can you call Frank and let him know please?” I asked as politely as my temper would let me.
“Oh, I already talked to Frank. He said it was really slow today so he tried calling her to tell her to take the day off, but he couldn’t reach her either. So, he told me to call you as soon as possible and that’s exactly what I did, too,” she said to me as if she deserved a medal or something. Rolling my eyes to Shane, he just smiled and wiggled his eyebrows about what Bella said.
“Thanks Bella, I will take care of her. Let Frank know for me please,” I said as I ended the call.
“Well, well, well, looks like you have two women that want a piece of you, bro. I will do you a favor and give Bella the reward she so deserves for being so helpful,” he said as he stood to leave, giving me a shit-eating grin.
I rolled my eyes at him again. Pushing passed him, I grabbed my worn leather jacket and stopped to say, “Go for it Shane, but when she turns you down don’t come crying to me.” I quickly walked out, remembering the shocked look on Shane’s face and laughed to myself.
I had to get going. Somewhere out there, my girl was walking and it was about to rain. Hell, there had been thunderstorm and tornado warnings all morning. As I turned the ignition, the winds suddenly picked up and a bolt of lightning clashed in the sky. Damn! Time to fucking go!
As I pulled onto Main Street, the gusts were starting to twist and throw trashcans and debris every which way. That was not a good sign. Trying to hurry, but also trying to keep an eye out for Ally, was getting harder. Then the skies opened and hail started falling. Boom! More lightning and thunder. The hail was getting bigger and coming down faster. Ally was out in this? I had to find her now. This was a killer storm. One of many that we had endured in the Mid-West since the beginning of time. She was smart enough to find shelter. But where would she go? If she made it to the highway there was nothing to protect her out there. Nothing.
Instincts kicking into gear, I headed to the exit for the highway. Hell, I had driven in sandstorms worse than this I was good in a crisis and this certainly qualified as one. Flipping on the radio, I listened to the warnings. It was bad. A tornado was spotted on the ground about twenty-five miles out. Shit! Time was running out. I had to find her. People were quickly pulling off the exits left and right, looking for shelter. Gunning the engine and flipping the wipers on high, I sent a prayer to God above that the tornado would lose steam before getting here. Hold on Ally, I will find you my girl.