Chapter 22

 

Hunter

 

The New York branch’s presentation was intriguing and had a lot promise. I could already envision triple gains in the next couple of months once we launched their product.

While the rest of the execs were talking, exchanging words and ideas with the team presenters, Lark was gunning down the flaws and making them cover the loopholes. On any other day, I would be standing up somewhere in the middle taking over the discussion, telling each team what to do to get the ball rolling on this thing.

That’s what I should’ve been doing today, but it wasn’t.

I only caught bits and pieces of their presentation, and kept checking my phone, scrolling through my emails as if there was an item there I neglected to take action on. I saw Lark take a quick glance at me a few times, and I knew she could tell I was being different today, but refused to point it out in the middle of the meeting. Instead she took over my duties enough, that when the meeting was adjourned, and everyone had finally left, she compiled all of the files and looked me straight in the eye.

“Pardon my rudeness, sir, but you’ve been spacing out the entire day. Is there something the matter?” she asked politely yet critically. I shook my head.

“No, I don’t think so. I do feel like something’s wrong though for some reason,” I admitted, not liking the lurching feeling in the pits of my stomach.

“Something wrong? You mean from the presentation?” she asked.

“No, it’s not about the presentation or anything about the meeting. I just feel anxious all of a sudden and I don’t know why.”

“Hmm that’s strange. Earlier this morning, you were completely fine. Shall I call a doctor?” she asked and I winced, shaking my head.

That’s not it, I thought, as I continued to shake my head no.

“Well, here’s some good news to ease your mind. Jamie called me a few hours ago, and she said she got a lead from one of her auction house connections about where your grandmother’s portrait could be,” Lark shared.

My heart leapt at the mention of her name, my gut clenching again, and I turned my head toward Lark with furrowed eyebrows.

“Really? What exactly did she say?” I asked.

“She said the portrait was bought recently, and she was on her way to the buyer’s address to verify it. Here is the address,” she said, taking her phone out to show me the message.

“How long ago was this?”

“It says I got her text about four hours ago,” she replied.

“And has she tried contacting you since?”

“No, sir. She hasn’t.”

My heart started to beat faster against my ribs, and I pulled out my phone to check if she called me. Nothing since her text six hours ago, right after I left for work.

“Try calling her,” I ordered, and Lark pressed the phone to her ear. She frowned and tried again.

“The call keeps getting rejected, sir.”

The hairs on my arms went up and started tingling, my breath becoming quick and shallow. I was getting worried.

“Try again!” I barked, but changed my mind and called her myself. She never rejected my calls.

Just then someone picked up and my heart stopped as a deep, throaty chuckle answered the call.

“Hello, Drake. Worried about your girl?” the other line said.

“Who is this?!” I fired back, my hands starting to feel clammy. Lark’s eyes widened and I placed the phone on speaker so she could hear it too.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the voice sneered. “But maybe you should hurry up before I get too lonely.”

“If you lay one finger on her, I’ll—,”

“Careful, Drake. I’m the one making threats here. You should be a good boy and just listen. If you want your woman, and this pretty little picture back, you’re going to have to do what I say, understand?”

I cursed under my breath, my hand clenching up with a combination of rage and worry. I imagined Jamie being tied up, or worse.

“What do you want?” I asked, using every bit of my willpower not to beg this man.

“That’s a good lad,” he said, releasing another throaty laugh that made me want to hurl my phone to the wall. “Write down this address, and that’s where I’ll meet you.” I nodded to Lark and she already had a pen and paper ready, waiting for the info.

“Go ahead and tell me,” and he spat out the address, while Lark began to look it up.

“Now just remember, Drake. If I find out you brought the cops here, then your girl, your painting, and your reputation will be full of blood, you hear me?”

“Alright just…just don’t hurt her,” I pleaded.

“I’m going to enjoy hearing you beg for her life. I’ll see you soon, Drake. And remember: No cops.”

The call ended, and I looked over at Lark who had already marked down the quickest route.

“It’s an abandoned warehouse, sir, a few kilometers near the border,” she said, showing me the map.

“I need to get over there,” I said, grabbing the note and putting it in my pocket.

“Sir, please don’t make any hasty decisions, let’s think this through. They could be setting you up in a trap,” Lark said.

“You think I don’t know that?!” I exploded, burying my hand through my hair. “But I can’t think straight! I—I don’t have any choice!”

“Calm down, sir. You’re more rational than this,” Lark said softly. “We’ve explored any and all loopholes in every business situation we’ve come across so far. Let’s use your gift of shrewdness here.”

I took a deep breath and willed my thoughts to unscramble. Lark was right. If I had any chance of getting Jamie back safe, then it was with a clear head. I was better than this, and I was a hell of a lot craftier than this motherfucker.

Suddenly, the wheels in my head began to turn.

“How far away is the address Jamie gave you from the place the kidnapper wants me to meet him?” I asked her.

“Not too far,” she answered, checking it out. The kidnapper was stupid enough to do it somewhere near.

“Check who owns both properties. The fucker said I’m not allowed to bring cops to the warehouse, but now I know where he lives.”

“And what about the warehouse, sir?

“You let me worry about that. Just do what I tell you and I’ll try to keep you updated once I get there,” I said, running off to my car.

Thank God I chose to drive myself today. I got in, reversed out of the parking lot and punched it, traffic lights be damned. I put my phone into the holder and scrolled through my contacts until I found what I was looking for. I hesitated, unsure how this person was going to respond after how I treated him, but I didn’t have any other option. I needed his help, and Jamie was a thousand times more important than my pride.

I pressed call and waited for the receiver to pick up.

“Grandfather? It’s me. I need…,” I took a deep, shuddering breath before completing my sentence.

“I need your help.”

 

***

 

I arrived at the warehouse with time to spare, my heart hammering in my chest as I got closer. There was a chance the kidnapper just wanted me dead, and would shoot me the moment I walked in, but I had to believe he wanted something more.

I banged my hand on the door three times and it opened. I stepped inside, and the muzzle of an automatic rifle was immediately shoved into my cheek, forcing me to put my hands up in surrender. Another man from behind put my hands down and tied them behind my back before kicking me into gear, making me walk in front of them as they occasionally prodded my back with the gun.

We went through a series of doors. It felt like they were trying to circle me around and confuse me, but I remembered every twist and turn.

I felt Jamie’s presence even before I saw her as one of the men swung the door open, revealing my precious girl. She was sitting in the middle of the small room with a singular bulb hanging down as light. I forgot about everything and ran over there when I suddenly felt a pain in my gut as a fist drove itself into my stomach.

I coughed loudly, doubling over in pain, and the throaty chuckle from the phone erupted into the room. Eyes blazing, I slowly turned my head up to the source.

“Westleton,” I spat, glowering at him.

He was standing behind Jamie, his filthy grubby hands placed on top of her shoulders, squeezing enough to make her wince. His boys pulled me up and kicked me closer to them, making me drop in front of Jamie. I stared into her tear-filled eyes, and mouthed are you okay? to her. She gulped and nodded.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” I assured her, and Westleton laughed.

“You sure about that? That is just precious,” he chided.

“What do you want?” I said with a scowl.

“Funny you should ask,” he said before nodding to someone behind me.

They picked me up again and punched me in the face hard, making me spit blood. Jamie whimpered and fidgeted in her seat, but her arms and legs were tied up to the chair, keeping her from moving.

“Please stop! Don’t hurt him!” Jamie cried.

“Please, stop! Don’t hurt him!” Westleton whined, mocking her. He turned her face toward her and got unbearably close, his mouth splitting into a cruel sneer.

“Let go of her!” I said, prompting another smack in the face. I tried to focus on her despite my vision spinning.

“No, I have another idea,” he said, his hold on her jaw tightening enough to leave a bruise. “Maybe I should have a taste of what a 1-million-dollar girl feels like.”

“No!” I bellowed, trying to get out of my restraints. His men grabbed me from behind and forced me on my knees in front of them, forcing me to watch.

“Oh yes, that is very good idea. After all, I’ve been thinking about what those pretty little lips taste like ever since you popped out of that bird cage,” he said, before swooping down and planting his disgusting lips on hers. I struggled from my holds and tried to swipe at Westleton. He suddenly cried out and pulled away, holding his hand over his mouth while Jamie glared at him with a smirk, a trickle of blood dripping from her mouth.

Westleton stuck his tongue out, and I saw the muscle dripping with blood before he stared at Jamie in fury. He raised his hand and backhanded her face enough to send her chair flying, dropping her to the side with a loud clank.

“Insolent girl!” Westleton yelled, spitting out blood. “That’s it! Take the portrait! I’m sure it’ll be worth a lot more than this whore. And as for these two,” he said, moving closer to my face.

“Leave them here to burn!” Westleton bellowed. His men threw me to the floor, and I crawled on my side toward her, paying no attention to them as they scurried away, carrying Clara Louise with them. My eyes roved over Jamie’s body, searching for any more damage.

“Jamie, are you alright?” I asked desperately, and she nodded.

“I’m okay. But what about the painting?” she asked, and I shook my head at her.

“Don’t worry about it. Everything’s going to be okay,” I assured her.

“How is that? I know what Westleton is planning, Hunter. He poured kerosene all over the place. He was planning to set it on fire with you in it! How can you be so calm?!” she cried, struggling against her restraints.

“Because it’s all taken care of, trust me,” I told her. “Just wait.”

Almost as if on cue, we heard a number of footsteps coming our way, and I lifted my head to see them.

“You Hunter Drake?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah. Get me out of here,” I said, and they pulled me up, cutting my binds. Jamie was frozen in shock as another pair set her up and went to work on her restraints as well, and when she was finally free, she turned her head and looked at me, a billion questions in her eyes. I placed my arm around her shoulders and followed the men out.

“I’ll explain later,” I said, pulling her tighter against me.

When we got out of the warehouse, I smirked as I watched Westleton looking bloodied and crumpled, struggling weakly against the men holding him. He glared at me furiously.

“You’re not going to get away with this,” he said.

“Oh, but I believe I can,” and the look on Westleton’s face was priceless. Looks like you’re going away for a long time,” I said, smirking at him. I walked over to one of the cars, pinpointing to the leader right away and nodded.

“Thank you for coming,” I said, and he smirked back and lifted his chin up confidently, the tattoo of a gecko on his neck showing from his collar.

“Your grandfather just turned in a favor. Besides, this place was easy to scope out and plant my men around. These other guys really hadn’t thought this one through,” he said and I snickered.

“That’s what I thought, too,” I extended my hand and he took it, shaking it firmly. “I’m truly grateful for your help.”

“Your Grandfather said we’d be dealing with each other a lot more from now on, so it’s nice to be meeting you under…interesting circumstances,” he said before nodding over to his car. “Come on. I’ll give you two a ride home and I’ll have one of my boys take your car. We can talk on the way.”

Not having the energy to drive us back to the estate, I agreed, and Jamie and I scooted inside the passenger seat, my arm still wrapped around her. She placed her head on top of my shoulder, and her shaking eased, finally safe.

“Hunter, what just happened? I don’t understand a thing,” she said and I chuckled.

“I had Lark look into who could’ve possibly taken you, and it was great that you texted her the address when you did. It made her search easier. Then on the way, I called my grandfather because I remembered he had connections with a…let’s say an underground group specializing in these types of things. He called them up, they set up unnoticed, and just waited until I gave the signal to Lark, who was standing by on my phone the whole time. And Westleton and his guys saved them a lot of trouble by walking out by themselves right into them.”

“Oh, wow. You had it all figured out then,” Jamie said, and I blushed, trying not to sound too confident.

“You know, you could be a great asset to us,” the leader said, looking at us through the rear-view mirror. “What do you say? Want to join our gang?”

I chuckled and shook my head, squeezing Jamie tightly. “That’s a great offer, but I’m just going to stick to being a CEO for now. I think I’ve put my girl through enough hell as it is.”

 

***

 

After Jake, the gang leader, dropped us off at the Estate, he shook our hands again and left with the rest of his men, handing me my grandmother’s portrait.

“Give our regards to your grandfather,” he said, before driving off.

“Why does your grandfather have connections with a Mafia group?” Jamie asked, making me chuckle.

“Why? Are you scared?” I asked back, and she shook her head as we turned towards the entrance.

“No. I was just wondering who those guys were, and why they came to help.” she answered, making me snort.

“All I know is that Jake and a few of his men benefited from my grandfather’s foundation. They’re his scholars,” I replied, and her eyes widened.

“And that’s all I really need to know,” I finished.

“I’m just glad you and your grandfather are finally getting along well,” she said, her voice brimming with pride. I hesitated to answer.

“I’m not sure we’re quite there yet, but I am grateful for his help. Maybe this is a start,” I said before entering the premises.

“Oh! Before I forget,” she said, grabbing the portrait from my hand and turning it toward me with a smile. “Technically, I was still the one who found it, so I’m giving this back to you.”

I smiled at her, then at the serene smile on my grandmother’s face.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“You’re welcome,” she said sweetly, before pinning the portrait on her side and taking my hand in hers, intertwining our fingers. “Now let’s go thank your grandfather together.”