S2: Chapter 10: Live and On Air

Vic pulled himself up from the floor and pulled out his cellphone. He quickly punched in Yvette’s number and waited.

…“Hello…?” Brett asked sounding a little groggy.

“They took them…they took my family.”

…“What? Who took them? What are you talking about…?”

...“The Russians...! They kidnapped my family.” Brett could hear that Vic was distraught and fighting off tears. He paced the same space in front of Dustin’s desk as he reread the note they’d left for him. “Get Yve please we have to find them...!”

“We’re on the way!”

Brett shook Yvette as he threw on some clothes. “Babe? Babe wake up.”

“What?”

“We have to go hurry and get dressed.”

“Go? Go where?”

“Vic’s family’s been taken. They left him a ransom note demanding $5 million and a clock of 10 hours.”

Hearing the news sobered her quickly and she tossed on a pair of jeans and shirt and started out the door. “Wait, where was he when he called?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Get Dustin on the line and tell him to meet us at the city dump. I’ll call Ryan and Vic.”

After driving to the location Yvette instructed, she led them into a building in the back of the lot and down a set of stairs that led into an office building. “You can set up over there,” she sighed as she dropped a bag near the door.

Dustin’s eyes opened in bewilderment at the high tech equipment stored in the room. He rushed towards one of the desks and immediately placed his laptop near it and plugged in to the rest of the systems.

Brett took the note from Vic and sat it beside Dustin as they went over it piece by piece.

“We’ll find them Victor, don’t worry.”

He wrapped his arms around her neck and she hugged him back even tighter.

“Do you remember anything out of the ordinary these last few days?” Ryan asked settling in on the sofa. “Any tails you had to shake, anyone watching your family or anyone that gave you a bad vibe?”

“Nothing. I wasn’t paying attention like I should have I know it. I just…I’ve been so focused on working out this case nothing else seemed to strike me.”

“I’m sorry Vic…”

“I’m not blaming you Yvette.” He bit his lip to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. “You’re my family too and I wanted to make sure you were safe.”

She nodded her head and poured him a glass of water. He took a seat beside Ryan on the couch and hung his head in his hands. “FUCK! I should have been more careful! I should have…why did she follow me to that hotel?!”

“I just finished analyzing the letter and envelope. No latent prints except yours Vic and the seal was pre-glued. It’s not apparent where the letter originated but I’m still running it through a scan to see if we can get anything. What’s her phone number?”

“Why?”

“Well you said you called her and the Russians answered. If they continue to use her phone I can place a tracer on it and find them a little faster. If they were fool enough to leave it on, it’ll make the search results quicker as well.”

Vic rambled off the number and Dustin set his program to work tracing her location through recent calls as everyone hoped it would be as simple as the phone remaining on.

Victor was still constantly pacing the room, running his hands through his hair and loading and unloading several weapons to try and distract himself. He was in pain; that much was obvious. But he wasn’t prepared to talk about anything yet.

“How are you feeling?” Brett asked running a soothing hand along Yvette’s neck.

“I’m fine Brett. Just trying to remain focused for Victor.”

“Right, that’s not what I mean.”

“I know what you mean and I’m fine. I can’t think about it, not right now. If I do I don’t know if…,” she sighed as his question brought back the pain she felt hearing the doctor tell her she’d lost a baby she never knew she carried. She clenched her eyes shut and took in a breath.

“We have to get to the hospital soon Yve. Dr. Yates said that it’s best to take care of this as soon as possible.”

“And we will. We just have to get Vic through this first. Brett please; I’m trying to keep it together but I can’t if you won’t let me. I’m not glass Baby, I promise I won’t break. Not yet…not now.”

“I’m getting something,” Dustin said tapping at the screen. “Ah shit…this just went from bad to worse. Look,” he brought up what he was watching on his screen to the projector and everyone turned as the camera came into focus in a darkened warehouse.

The location could not be ascertained from the surrounding environment. The windows to the building were covered over in black paint, there were no stickers or markings of any kind on the crates that lay scattered around the room and the room itself was designed to maintain silence within its walls.

Simone sat tied with a blindfold covering her face and her hands behind her back. “Simone!” Vic cried as he looked at the screen. “What is this Dustin? Where is she?”

“I don’t know. I just know that this link was on the FBI’s abduction list, Vic. I just hacked it. All I can tell is it’s a live feed from somewhere and from what it looks like they are transmitting from a private network. I’m trying to work around it now but it’ll take some time.”

“TIME? I have 8 hours to find them! God! How could I have been so stupid?”

“Vic this isn’t your fault,” Yve started.

“Then whose is it? I lied to her about that mission and made her suspicious enough to follow me! I’m the one that married her and swore to protect her with my dying breath! It’s because of me that they are sitting somewhere held captive by some maniac Yvette! I have to find them!”

“I’m tracing the feedback and getting a dozen hundred or so IPs and locations. I’m going to run the feed through my programs and try and narrow down the location but that will only be available for as long as her captors keep the transmission going.”

…“Vic? Vic if you can hear me, they told me
to tell you that they don’t have patience.
You shouldn’t look at the clock as your
time because if they don’t get what
they want soon…they’ll…”

…“SAY IT…!” a man yelled in the background

…“They’ll have to show you they aren’t
kidding. They haven’t touched me
but he said he’ll take his trade out
if you don’t hurry…”

The transmission ended and Dustin yelled his frustrations. “It wasn’t long enough Vic, I’m sorry.”

Victor stood and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I’m going after them.”

“But you have no idea where you are going!” Yve said rushing forward and blocking his exit.

“That doesn’t matter. My wife! My family needs me and I can’t sit here and do nothing! They hit her Yve! She was bleeding! I promised her she’d never have to live a day in pain with me, ever!”

“I can’t let you out there Vic you can’t…

“Get out of the way Yve! I’m not listening to this another second while they are out there hurt and afraid now MOVE!” She folded her arms into her chest and stood her ground. Vic grit his teeth and clenched his fist tight, grinding his fingernails into the palms of his hands until he broke the skin and caused it to bleed. “GET OUT OF MY WAY YVETTE!”

“No!”

Vic tried side stepping her and she held his arms and pushed him back towards the desk. He struggled to free himself from her grip pushing frantically at her and prying her fingers from around his arms and legs. He was swinging and jerking wildly his fist flew towards Yvette’s face and she ducked and pushed him backwards into the wall.

“Hey!” Brett yelled rushing towards them.

Yve turned and waved him back letting him know she could handle him and she wanted him to let it out.

She grabbed for him again this time catching a wild fist square in the jaw. Brett grew angrier and rushed forward to help and again Yvette waved him off.

“Vic I know you’re not yourself right now and I forgive you. But you need to calm down! I don’t want to fight you and I don’t want to hurt you!

“I’m sorry Yvette. I didn’t mean…I didn’t mean to hit you. I have to get out of here,” Vic said shaking his head. “I need to do something.”

“No Vic wait!”

“Yve, let him go,” Brett said pulling her back. “He needs to find a calming state and he needs to cool off.”

“He doesn’t need to try and do this alone Brett!” She pushed him off of her and rushed after him.

“Vic please come back inside. We’re working as hard as we can for you on this! Rushing out like this isn’t going to help anyone!”

“I need to find them Yve!”

“And we will but not like this! Are you going to knock on every door in town? We have no idea if they are even still in Bridgeport!”

“No…they are here and I’m going to find them!” He jumped into his truck and drove off ignoring her protests and pleas to stop.

Vic drove recklessly through the busy downtown streets. He didn’t hear Yvette as she tried explaining that this city was possibly not the right one. All he could see was his wife’s crying face and his children huddled in the corner holding one another. He had to save them and he would save them at all costs.

He screamed his frustrations as he sped through yet another red light and picked up speed to get to his destination quicker. He didn’t see the red sedan entering from his right into the intersection. The driver honked his horn furiously at Vic, unable to stop he went careening into the side of Vic’s truck and was pushed head long into another passenger vehicle.

Dead silence fell over the scene as nearby pedestrians rushed forward to help with the accident. The woman was pulled from her burning car and carried off to the side of the road as the group moved to the white sedan that was pinned into the street lamp.

After freeing him, he moved to the police truck that sat tilted on its hood and rotating a tire just off the curb near the top of the intersection. It’d had barely missed crashing through a nearby corner store but little could be said about the displays and curbside vendors sitting nearby.

“Are you ok in there?” a Samaritan yelled as he rushed to the driver side. The seat was empty and he immediately surveyed the rest of the vehicle. Checking under the truck and the displays nearby turned up empty as well. He scratched his head as he watched another passerby call for medical assistance and then set to put the fire out.

Vic stumbled down the street with his gun clutched tight in his hand. His head was pounding and he dabbed at the spot of blood trickling down his forehead. He was concussed; he knew it, but there was no stopping. He had to save his family and he would no matter what it took.

“Dustin?”

“I’m working on it Boss.”

“Yve take a look at this,” Ryan said turning the audio up on the television.

…“I’m standing on the scene 
of a horrendous accident that occurred moments
ago. The occupants of both the vehicles behind
me were medevaced to local hospitals.
But the driver and/or passengers of this
government vehicle have not been found…”

“Victor!” Yvette gasped as she watched the media feed.

…“Sir could you tell us what you saw…?”

…“This black truck just came out of nowhere
and the driver of the red car was unable
to stop and went flying into him before
spinning a few times and hitting the other
vehicle here. Me and a few others
rushed to free everyone but
the person in the truck was nowhere in sight…”

…“Police are still searching for the
driver of the black truck and ask that
if you have any information to
contact the tip line. Stay tuned to
Channel 7 Action News Live for an
update. Back to you in the studios…”

“I’ll continue to track Vic and call you with the location, just go!”

Brett, Ryan and Yvette rushed from the room and quickly out the garbage dump. “He’s out of his fucking mind,” Ryan sighed as he slid into the back seat of Brett’s car.

“Yeah, but you would be too if anything happened to Stefanie.”

Ryan grew quiet during the trip as he thought about his baby sister and the pain that she was going through at the hands of his step-father. Brett was right; if he had it his way the man would be six feet under but short of proof his hands were tied. He didn’t like the idea that Stefanie was hit by him and had she not begged him to let it go, he’d have returned the favor tenfold.

Dustin called with a location to an abandoned warehouse in the water district and the team hurried to meet Victor before more disaster struck. Brett turned on the lights and rushed faster through the city. 

They got to the location and found it quiet. They threw on protection, grabbed a weapon and headed towards the building. Brett ran towards a back door as Yve and Ryan took the front entrance. “Be alert, there’s no telling who or what is inside.” She nodded at Brett and he charged through the door as she and Ryan stepped in on guard.

Victor immediately turned and fired off three rounds in his direction dropping Brett to the ground in pain.

“Vic! Drop the weapon it’s us!” Yvette cried from behind him. He turned and found Ryan standing beside the front wall and Yvette slowly approaching him.

“Shit.” He lowered his gun and looked in Brett’s direction and Yve rushed towards him.

“Baby?”

“I’m fine. I’m vested but fuck does that hurt.” She helped him to his feet and he looked at Vic.

“You shot me!” Brett yelled running towards Vic and tackling him to the ground. His fist landed hard against his left cheek and Vic spit a mouthful of blood to the side before kicking Brett off of him.

“Brett stop!” Ryan said blocking his attempt to get back to Vic.

“It was an accident!”

“An accident! You need to holster that damn thing until we get to the target! I’d prefer not having another ‘accident’!”

The team did a clean sweep of the location searching through the several rooms and staircases and came up empty.

“There’s nothing here. We should get back to the control center with Dustin.”

“I can’t…I have to find them Yve.”

“And we will Vic; we just need to be patient and let Dustin work. When he traces back the link to the video we will have your family Victor.”

He calmly followed back out to the car and they got back to the room with Dustin. “Any changes?” he asked.

“Yeah, I was able to narrow down the IP to a city called Madison. Whoever is hosting the broadcast is clever. They are using a dynamic IP so the exact spot keeps changing but they didn’t realize they went through a dedicated server and that one has a static IP which is where I got the city from. He is also only transmitting in bursts of two minutes making it harder to lock on to a signal.” He blew out a breath and looked up at Vic. “I’m working on it man. It’s just taking a little longer than normal. They have a professional on this.”

Vic looked up at the clock and dropped down onto the sofa. “We have to find them.”

…“Vic? Victor can you hear me?”

The broadcast began playing again and he rushed towards the screen. “Baby,” he cried, tears flowing freely from his eyes as he traced her face with his fingertip.

…“In a few hours they said they
will send you something;
an incentive to work faster on getting
what they want. Victor, I love you
and I know you’ll get us out of
here. But in case you can’t; in case it’s
too late I want you to take care
of my family, our babies. I want
you to promise me you’ll move on. I
don’t…you were the only man for
me. Thank you for the incredible
gift of love you returned and the
happy family you provided…!”

The transmission ended and Vic remained on the floor crying into his arms. Yvette started for him and Brett pulled her back, shaking his head to indicate he just needed a moment for himself. “She’s saying her goodbyes! FUCK!”

“Have you spoken with Sierra since she left Vic?” He shook his head no but didn’t look up. “Dustin get her on a secured line please. We need to know if she is safe or if they grabbed her too.”

He dialed a number for her and after two rings, she picked up.

…“Who is this…?

“Hey Sierra, this is Yvette you…”

…“Yvette? This is highly unusual. Is Everything ok…?

“No, it’s not.”

…“What do you want? How did you get this number? Why are you calling…?” her questions were coming back to back and Yve was going over what she should tell her in her head. Vic came over and grabbed the phone.

“Simone was taken. They took Aisha, Kiara and Chase too,” he explained as the tears dried on his cheeks. “We just needed to know you were ok.”

…“Taken? What the hell do you mean taken Vic? Who took them? What happened to my sister…?”

“We’re working on that.”

…“I’m coming out…!

“No! It’s best you remain where you are. I don’t want you getting into anything here too. They might come after you also.”

…“FIND THEM VICTOR! FIND MY SISTER…!” she yelled before hanging up. He looked at the phone and then towards Yvette before pacing once more within the tiny room.

Dustin yelled again as his next attempt was met with a bold warning and another dead end.

“I have to go.”

“And I’m coming with you. We have to get to your house. Simone said they would send you something.”

“I’ll call you with any updates,” Dustin said as he turned his focus back to the computer screen.

They got to the house and Vic looked around sighing as he could smell Simone’s sunflower perfume in the small space of the living room. He picked up a picture frame and ran his finger along the shape of her jaw, smiling tenderly as he fought back the tears. “I’m a terrible husband; father. I can’t even keep my own family safe. I don’t deserve them; never did.”

“This isn’t your fault Victor, you have to understand that. There was no way to control the outcome of that mission and we were under orders. We did what was necessary to protect…”

“The Bureau? The fatcat higher ups that couldn’t get dates and settled on fucking whores? And who was to protect us when the shit hit the fan? Where are they now Yvette? Huh? Still sitting behind their fucking desks enjoying a morning tea while my wife and kids sit tied in a dark warehouse with the monsters they sent us after! If they think for one second I don’t hold them accountable, they’ll see how wrong they are!”

Yvette understood his rage and his threat towards the superiors that put him in this position. Her eyes wandered towards the coffee table and the gift box sitting on top of it. “What’s that?” she asked nodding towards the gold ribboned box.

“Something I bought for Chase,” he said following her gaze.

“Then what’s this?” she said pointing towards another box with a green ribbon near the door.

Vic did a double take at both boxes before heading towards the one in the living room. He glanced up at Yve then back to the package before slowly unwrapping it and dropping the lid to the table. He gasped and a look of shock crossed his face. Yvette moved closer and peered inside. “Oh my God!”

“NO!” Victor yelled after he got over the shock of seeing the hand lying in the box. “NO!” He grabbed the box and threw it across the room. It landed with a sickening thud against the wall spilling the contents onto the floor. He tossed the table with the same emotion and strength yelling as he watched the contents fly everywhere.

He didn’t stop there, overturning the chairs, the television, and ripping pictures from the walls before crashing to the ground in despair. Yve moved towards him and wrapped her arms around him. “We’ll get them Vic. All of them! It’s not over we can still find her.”

“She must be so scared Yve. So hurt, lost and she’s only thinking about how I’m going to save her; how I’m coming to her rescue like her white knight!”

“When you find them, you will be. We won't let them get away with this. We should get back to the hideout and see if Dustin’s made progress. We will find them I promise! He is good at what he does.”

Victor jumped up from the floor pushing her back and wiped his face. “None of them will live past this day! All of them will die by my hands!” he said storming from the house. Yvette followed him close, grabbing the keys to the truck and driving them back to the hideout.

He entered the building and immediately approached Dustin. “Your time is up WHERE IS MY FAMILY?!”

“What was it?” Brett whispered to Yve as Victor continued yelling at Dustin.

“Her hand; they cut off her hand and sent it to him.”

“Jesus! He’s going to be a man possessed when we pin them down,” Ryan said frowning.

“Can you blame him? I just hope we get to them before…”

“I got it! I got it! I got it!” Dustin yelled.

Victor leaned over him, memorizing the address and everyone geared up.

“Victor…”

He glared at Ryan before stomping to the door. The team drove with haste to Madison City and the address to an abandoned warehouse. Victor jumped from the car before it came to a complete stop; his gun aimed at the ready.

Without warning he fired towards the two men standing near the door dropping them to the ground. Their screams caught behind the sounds of gurgling blood.

“Vic! You don’t know who all are involved; there could be innocent people in there! You can’t just shoot them!” Yvette reasoned.

“Watch me!”

He threw open the door and more loud blasts from his shotgun sounded before the rest of the team could make it inside the building. Ryan stepped over the body of four men and watched as Vic shot more up on the balcony. One of the men near the door was still breathing and Ryan hurried towards him. “Where are they?” he yelled gripping the man’s shirt tight in his hands. “Answer me and I’ll make your end quick!”

He pointed towards a door near the end of the hall. Ryan dropped him back to the ground and stood over him, sending one bullet to the middle of his forehead.

“Vic!” he yelled gaining his attention. “Back room.”

Victor jumped down from the stairs and rushed towards it. Unyielding he kicked open the metal door and stepped inside.

“Dat’s far enough!” the Russian said as he held a gun on Simone’s head. “Ve made a deal, vhere is my money?”

“Shoot him Vic,” Simone begged. “Just shoot him!”

“Simone I can’t he’ll shoot you.”

“Our kids need you Vic. You have to get to them!”

“I’m not leaving you here!”

“You have to! Please, just let me go. I love you.”

“I love you too and I’m not watching you die,” he whispered.

“Sometimes sacrifice is the only way.” She jerked and moved away from Andrei a little and he squeezed the trigger sending his shot into her back.

“SIMONE!” Vic yelled before lifting his shotgun towards the man’s chest. He fired once, the radius of the blast produced a large hole in his torso and he flew back, firing once more towards Simone and she landed on her side on the floor.

Victor approached the man, stood over him and fired again into his head. Blood and grey matter flew everywhere and quickly the man was soaked in blood as well as the floor beneath him.

Victor dropped his weapon and ran towards Simone. Her breathing was shallow and he tried soothing her as he untied her arms and removed her blindfold.

“You came for me,” she choked through shortening breaths and the taste of blood in her mouth. She reached up to wipe a tear from his eye as he hugged her tighter.

“Of course I did. Just hold on Baby, help is on the way.”

“I can’t Victor, it hurts too much and I’m cold. I know I won’t be able to...”

“Just hang on Baby,” Vic cried. “I got you, I’m here now and everything will be ok, you’ll be ok. You can’t leave me and just think about our kids. They’ll be so happy to see you and know you’re fine.” His wails grew louder as her pulse grew weaker. “Please Simone I need you; fight for me.”

“I...can't Victor,” she cried. “Too much...blood loss.”

“Yes you can Simone, you’re stronger than this you can handle it. I just need you to fight for a little while longer Baby, please.”

“They’re almost here,” Ryan said watching him from the door. The sirens could be heard in the background as the rescue wagons and police rushed to the building. “Brett found the kids, they’re unharmed.”

He nodded at Ryan’s words as he continued stroking a hand across Simone’s face. “See? Our babies fought. They pulled through for you and you have to do the same for them, for us!”

“They...knew like I did...that you’d…come…my hero,” she forced a smile through the pained expression on her face. “You’re always…there.”

“I told you before I could never let you go. I love you too much, even when you yell at me,” he tried laughing as his tears fell quicker. “You aren’t going anywhere now either.”

“You have to...take care of…the kids. I love you Victor and I always…” her last words slurred as her head dipped and she went limp in his arms.

“Simone? Simone no! Wake up Baby, please!” he said shaking her before cradling her more in his arms. “Wake up! Our babies need you, please!” He began rocking her back and forth as he felt her last breath. “Simone…” he whispered as his tears fell into her hair. “I need you, please! Please don’t leave me here. Don’t leave me alone without you, please! Come back...,” he cried. “I’m sorry Baby. I’m so sorry, please forgive me. Don’t go...”

“POLICE!” two officers yelled rushing through the front door. They moved towards Ryan, “Drop your weapon!”

“I’m a Federal agent,” he yelled showing them a badge.

The EMTs moved quicker and tried pulling Simone’s body from Vic. He hesitated at first, kissed her cheek and let them attend to her. She was gone and he stood watching their attempts to bring her back and knew it was too late. He dropped his head into his hands and sobbed as he watched them lift her lifeless body onto the stretcher and draw a sheet over her head.

“Vic? Vic your kids,” Ryan reminded him. “Yve and Brett can’t stay here; we have to get to them. They need you now.”

They hurried up the stairs to find Brett holding Kiara as Chase and Aisha clutched Yvette tight. Yve looked at him and he shook his head. She lowered hers and looked at Chase.

They both rushed for Victor and he held them close, afraid of letting go. “You’re safe,” he cried as he held them. “I’m so sorry about this, I’m so sorry.” Chase and Aisha held him just as tight as he continued apologizing and they too cried.

“Vic we have to…,” Yve started.

“Go,” he said in hushed tones taking Kiara from Brett and kissing her. “I’ll see you later.”

Brett and Yvette jumped from the back window and rushed into the woods behind the building, quickly removing their raid gear as they tried blending into the crowd.

“We don’t have a car…”

“We can…” Yvette collapsed.

“Yve!” he rushed towards her and pulled her into his arms. “Fuck it’s the baby. I told you we needed to get to a hospital.”

“I know…,” she moaned as she pressed her arm against her stomach. “It hurts.”

“Just hold on, I’ll get help.”

He looked around behind him and moved towards a red Jeep parked on the side of the road. Using his elbow he broke the driver’s side window and hopped inside. Quickly he hotwired the vehicle, scooped Yvette into his arms and drove frantically back to Bridgeport and Dr. Yates’ ER.

She awoke in her bed in the hideout; Brett was pacing beside the bed watching her sleep. He smiled and sat next to her as she sat up.

“How are you feeling?”

“Fine. A little lightheaded but other than that.” Her hands rubbed along her stomach and she looked at him.

“He’s gone.”

“He?”

Brett nodded sentimentally. “You were five weeks along; he’d just reached 2mm in length and…” he smiled weakly.

“I’m sorry, Brett.”

He rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand before caressing her cheek. “It wasn’t your fault Baby, please understand that.” He kissed her forehead and stood from the bed. “Get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake.”

“I need to talk to Luciano.”

“No you need to rest. It may have been mild surgery but that doesn’t mean you can do all of the things you did before. Please, just stay in bed. Luciano isn’t going anywhere.”

“Yes he is. We don’t need him for long and I have no intentions of keeping him hostage.” She took in a strained breath and pulled herself up. Brett helped her stand as she clenched her eyes in pain; little stars danced in front of her face and she reached out for him.

“You shouldn’t do this now Yvette! You can barely breathe!”

“It’s now or never, Brett.”

She entered the tiny cell adjacent from the kitchen and found an empty room. Anthony screamed behind her as he charged with a chair over his head. Yvette turned as quick as she could watching him head towards her.

Brett fired a round at him and 2 more in the air. “Do it, please. Try me and I’ll fucking drop you where you stand!”

Luciano laughed and threw the chair to a corner. Brett moved towards Yve. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” she smiled before looking at The Guns. “Stay close.”

“Of course.”

“What is it that you want Yvette?”

“Conversation.”

“So talk; just know that when I get out of here, you won’t have a leg to stand on.”

“And you know that Nicholas would never let you harm me, so why pretend?”

“Nicholas,” he laughed. “My faithful and loving son. I have to admit, there is truth in those words, he would never want to see you harmed. But he isn’t the one heading this family now is he? Family is very important Yvette; you should learn that. Every minute, every second is precious and you should spend them cherishing those times because you never know when the day might be your last.”

She backed away; a smirk spread her lips as she replayed the threat again in her head. “You know Guns, I’ve been shot, stabbed, beaten, strangled, thrown from a moving car and chased by the very assassins I worked for but it wasn’t until recently I learned what real pain was,” she bit her lip and looked at Brett. “But you know what? I’m still standing. So you can save your breath I’m not interested in harming you and I don’t care to listen to your empty threats, I just want answers.”

“Ah! The enemy of my enemy…”

“Is just one more asshole standing in my way! Why are you working with Harrison?”

“Working with? I’d use that phrase very loosely, I’m not ‘working with’ anyone. Harrison is working FOR me.”

“Why? What purpose do you need government trained assassins?”

“The same reason I needed you Yvette. Competition is stiff these days. I have the Yakuza, Russians and even the Armenians moving in on my territory. I’m simply showing them that if they want to trade on American soil, they can die by American hands. Plus it does further my other ventures.”

“And me?”

“You were Harrison’s problem, not mine. Well I take that back, it goes much deeper than him. But Harrison saw you as a distraction and under orders from his Company he tried to take you out. That had nothing to do with me. If you want to know who ordered your hit, I suggest you talk to him.”

“You’ve been doing this a while haven’t you?” she turned and looked at Brett. “One of the last missions I ran for the Company was wet work of an Armenian captain. That came direct from you didn’t it?”

He shrugged. “It was always a pleasure working with you. Everything was always done so precise; flawless. You were definitely the best hitter I’d ever encountered. Why do you think my son dated you? Keep your enemies close…well, I didn’t expect him to fall in love with you but it worked out fine either way.”

“Oh don’t look so shocked Yvette,” he sneered sucking on his teeth. “We knew who and what you were from the moment you set foot into my casino. Undercover; the government had been trying to get their claws into me since I was 12 and you know what? They failed at every turn!”

“Until now! You’re in bed with them Anthony. You’re working WITH the very government that sought to destroy you and your family. Everything you’d built was going to come crashing down and so what? You thought making a deal with the Devil would get that back for you?”

“I am the Devil Yvette! Haven’t you learned that yet?”

She moved closer to him, a scowl turning her soft features down until she was inches from his face. “Well if you don’t stay out of my way, I’ll send you back to Hell where you belong.” She started for the door and sighed. “Let him go.”

Brett drove Guns to the closest subway and dropped him off.

“You seem to care about Yvette. My son made that same mistake. Just a piece of advice, I’d watch my back with that one. She doesn’t care about the people in her life; you should see that from her history. And if I were you, I’d sleep with my weapon on the ready.” Guns slid out of the passenger seat and headed towards the pay phone on the corner as Brett made his way back to the hideout.

Yve paced the small bedroom rethinking her conversation with Anthony. He had one thing right, family was important; even more now. She’d lost her baby and Victor had lost his wife.

She grabbed her phone and quickly dialed a number sighing a breath of relief as she heard his voice on the other end.

…“Daddy…?”

Scott’s heart stopped as he listened to the voice call for him again. Feeling his breath catch in his throat and a bead of perspiration form on his forehead he swallowed hard and forced his nerves to remain steady. “Yvette?”

…“It’s me Daddy. I…I just wanted to call and let you know that I am safe and that I love you too. I know the value of family and I know you’re hurting right now. But I trust that you are strong enough to maintain your focus and keep on that brave face…”

“I knew you weren’t gone. I knew you…Yvette I’m sorry about everything. I’m sorry Angel; I wasn’t able to keep you safe and I’m sorry that you’re out there alone and…”

…“I’m not alone Pop. Thanks to you I’ll never be alone. I can’t talk long but I promise I’ll make everything better again. I love you and…I’ll see you soon…”

She disconnected the line and Scott fell to the couch hanging his head as he held on to those last words: See you soon.

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