Maid To The Billionaire: Forever His (Part Three) (Billionaire Romance) (6 page)

“The people I owe a quarter of a million dollars too.”

“How the hell do you owe so much money, Jason?” He didn’t say anything. “Gambling? You’ve been losing at the track again and borrowing money?” He still didn’t answer. I knew his fondness for the track; that had to be it. “You know what, I really don’t care. You thought that you could get money to pay your gambling debts by hurting my family?” Still nothing. The officers on either side of him were looking at me. “Just take him please. I can’t stand to look at him.”

When Jason was gone I went up and sat in Michael’s room. The security officer was at the door and Michael was still asleep but after finding out that one of them was working with Jason, I didn’t trust anyone anymore.

CHAPTER NINE

ALEXANDER

Dad and I followed the police and security in my SUV. Neither of us spoke. I couldn’t believe how close we had just come to losing Michael. I could see Dad out of the corner of my eye. He looked worn down and I wondered how much of that was PTSD from re-living the worst part of his life.

Elliot Hanson lived in a nice neighborhood in Redondo Beach. It was a high rent district and when we pulled up into the circular driveway Dad said, “He must have been winning on those ponies at some point.”

“Maybe or maybe this isn’t the first kidnapping attempt he’s been involved in.”
The detective came over to my window and said, “I need you guys to park it on the street and wait there.”

“Can my security man go in with you?”

“Yeah, Joe can come in.”

“Okay, thanks.”

It was hard, but Dad and I did as he asked. I parked along the street and turned off the car and then we watched. We were parked out of the line of fire if it came to that, but we could see the detective and two officers that had joined him here and Joe, at the front door. They knocked and a few seconds later the door was pulled open by a busty blonde in a bikini. She had a surprised look on her face and I could see her shaking her head. The detective must have asked to be let inside because she stepped back and let them pass. She did something before she closed the door that Dad and I both noticed; she looked over towards the garage. I turned the ignition of the SUV back on and waited. Maybe three minutes passed when we saw him. At least we had good reason to assume it was him. A twenty-something year old guy in a muscle t-shirt and jeans with tattoos covering his arms was pushing a street bike out the side door of the garage. We waited and when Elliot hit the street, he took off fast. I took off after him and handed Dad my phone. “Call Joe, he’s in the house with the detective. Tell him what’s going on.”

Dad pushed the call button and seconds later I heard him say, “Joe, this is James Reigns. Alex and I are chasing Elliot. He’s on a Honda CRV street bike. It’s green and he’s heading north on PCH towards Carnelian. Okay. No, tell him we’re following at a safe distance and so far I don’t think he even knows that we’re here. Okay.” Dad hung up and said, “The detective says for us to stay back, he’s putting out an APB so if we see law enforcement we need to stop and get out of the way.”

“Yeah, okay.” Right. I’m not stopping until Elliot does. I want this to be over. I want to enjoy my beautiful family for a change without all of this drama.

We followed him up to Carnelian and he made a right on Ardmore. I looked at Dad and he said, “I’m on it.” I saw him send a text to Joe and then he said, “He’s headed to Manhattan Beach.”

I nodded. I still didn’t see any cops. Where the hell are they? Elliot gave no indication that he knew we were behind him. I kept following him as he made a left on Manhattan Beach Blvd. He was heading straight down towards the beach. He pulled into the lot near the pier and got off the bike. I parked the SUV and saw Dad sending a text as I got out. I’d taken about two steps when Elliot looked over and saw me. I might not recognize him, but he sure as hell knows who I am. As soon as he saw me, he took off running. I took off after him and heard Dad getting out of the car behind me. Elliot was running towards the sand instead of away from it which I thought was strange. There was no Marina here, so he couldn’t have a boat. He ran into a men’s restroom and I went in after him. That was my first mistake.

“Hello Mr. Reigns.” Elliot had a gun pointed at my face.

“Hello… Elliot, is it?”

The bastard smiled. “Lock that door behind you.” I did as I was told and then he said, “Nice to know you finally know my name. You drive by me every day and cut me a check once a month and I’ll bet when they figured out it was me that let Jason on the property you had no idea who I was. You’re way too important to worry about the little guy who protects your precious estate and your illegitimate family.” He was goading me. He wanted me to make a move. I wanted to, so badly. I wanted to feel my fist connect with his face and I haven’t been in a fist-fight since high school. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction, however. If he wanted to shoot me, he’d have to do it from where I stood. I heard my father begin banging on the steel door. The little building is brick and the door is about two inches of steel. It’s made to withstand the high tide. It was also a fortress. Elliot knew what he was doing when he came in here.

“What do you want, Elliot?”

“Money, of course. I’m sick of watching you stinking rich people flaunt your wealth while the rest of us have nothing.”

I cocked an eyebrow and said, “That house in Redondo Beach is pretty nice.”

“It belongs to my girlfriend and she’s about to kick me out. The IRS and child support take most of my check. I’m barely left with enough to pay rent much less pay for anything else. I borrowed a lot of money from a guy who is demanding payment. I’m not going to let him take it out of my hide while I watch you pigs live like royalty.”

“So you thought you’d just… steal a baby and solve all of your problems?”

“That was stupid Jason’s idea. I was going to snatch the maid who is suddenly the hoity toity lady of the manor.”

“So what now, Elliot? They’re not just going to let you walk out of here. If you kill me, you’ll be up for murder, so far, you haven’t really done anything. You might be better off calling this whole thing off now.”

“I’m not going to jail and I’m not going to get killed by some damned loan shark. What I am going to do is live out the rest of my life on a comfortable island somewhere at your expense.”

I felt my blood pressure rising. The thought of this man with his hands on Vicki… or Jason’s with his hands on Michael… I felt like my head would explode. I forced myself not to react. I could still hear Dad pounding. He sounded desperate. I opened my mouth… I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, but I was interrupted by the sound of a man’s voice over a megaphone.

“Elliot Hanson, this is Detective Salas of the L.A.P.D. My phone number is 555-6718. I need you to call me Elliot. Let’s work this out without anyone getting hurt, okay?” Elliot looked like he was thinking about it. He finally reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Before he could even dial, it was ringing. He pushed accept and put it on speaker. The detective waited a beat and then he said, “Elliot? Are you there?”

“I’m here.”

“Is Mr. Reigns with you?”

I didn’t say anything; I looked at the sweaty man with the gun and waited for my cue. He finally said, “Yeah, he’s here. He’s here to help me.”

“Okay, can I talk to him, Elliot? Can I hear him say he’s okay?”

Elliot gave me a chin nod and I said, “This is Alexander Reigns. So far, I’m fine.”

“Good! Good! Thank you, Elliot. Now we need to work on getting you two out of there and somewhere safe, okay?”

“No. We’re not coming out until I hear a helicopter land out there.” He was staring at me, gauging my reaction as he said, “Mr. Reigns is going to arrange for a helicopter for me and some spending money. Once that’s here we’ll be on our way.” He was going to use me as a shield. That wasn’t my biggest worry though. I was worried that he really was going to get away.

“Elliot, that’s not the best idea. You’re still in misdemeanor territory here…”

“Shut up!” Elliot hung up the phone and then looked at me and said, “Give me the number.”

“What number is that, Elliot?”

“The one that gets me a helicopter.”

I gave him the number of my private hangar. When the phone was answered he motioned at me with the gun and I said, “Hi Becky, this is Alex Reigns.”

“Hello Mr. Reigns. How are you today?”

“I’m in a bit of a pickle here, Becky. I need to speak with Doug now.” She must have heard the urgency in my voice because I heard her yelling for Doug right away.

When Doug got on the phone he said, “Boss, what’s going on? I just heard a news brief about you being taken hostage.”

“I need you to listen carefully Doug. I need you to bring the chopper out to the south end of Manhattan Beach and land it on the sand near the bathrooms.”

“What? Sir I’ve never…”

“I know, Doug. I’m sorry to ask. I wouldn’t if I had any other choice.”

He hesitated and then he said, “Is this cleared with law enforcement?”

“It will be.”

“Okay sir, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Doug.” I hung up and told Elliot. “You need to let them know he’s coming.”

Elliot curled his lip and said, “You do it and then call whoever can get your money out of the bank. I want two million in cash.”

“Do you know how long it will take to get that much cash together?”

“They have an hour before I start shooting you in your limbs.”

I called my PA next. “Amanda, it’s Alex.”

“Alex? Oh my God are you okay? I just saw on the news…”

“Amanda, I need you to listen to me, okay? First of all I need you to call and make sure Vicki and Michael are okay. I don’t know if she’s seen or heard any of this. Call the house and tell them to make sure the television and radio are all off.”

“Okay…”

“Good. Next, I need you to call Brent and Harlan at the bank. I need two million in cash ASAP. Tell them to get it from wherever they need to take it. I need it quickly…”

“And unmarked,” Elliot said.

“And unmarked,” I told her.

“Okay boss. Are you okay?”

“I will be. Hurry now Amanda, please.”

CHAPTER TEN

VICTORIA

I was still sitting in Michael’s room, watching him sleep when I heard Liz’s voice in the hallway. “Is she sleeping?” I got up and stuck my head out the door. She looked at me with a mixture of relief and sadness. I wondered how she knew anything was going on. Cook must have called her.

“Come on in, Liz.” She came towards me and threw her arms around me. She hugged me so tightly that I could barely breathe. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. It’s been a strange morning.”

“Oh my God, you don’t know…” The security officer stepped in then. He was on the phone.

I was looking from him to Liz and I chose her first and said, “I don’t know what?”

“Miss Victoria this is a Detective Salas from the LAPD. He wants to speak with you.”

“Oh my God! Alex!” I grabbed the phone. “This is Vicki. Is Alex okay?”

“This is Detective Salas. I’m a hostage negotiator…”

“Hostage? Alex is a hostage? Oh my God!”

“I know it’s hard Miss but if you calm down for just a second, I’ll fill you in.”

“Okay.” I listened quietly as the police officer told me the man I loved with every fiber in my body was trapped inside of a stone room on the beach with a maniac with a gun. I could feel the bile rising in the back of my throat and my hands were shaking so hard that I dropped the phone. I dropped down into the chair and bent forward with my head in my hands. I was going to throw up.

Liz picked up the phone and said, “Vicki’s not feeling well. Is there anything else you needed to tell her?” She put him on speaker.

“No ma’am. Just let her know we’re doing everything we can and we’ll let her know as soon as we have a resolution.”

Liz hung up and handed the phone back to the security officer. “He said,
when we have a resolution,
not,
when he’s out safe
.”

“Oh honey, they have to say that… I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to keep him safe.”

“He’s alone in a stone box basically with a desperate man who has a gun. What can they do?”

“I don’t know,” she said. She looked like she was going to cry. “But I do know that Alex is smart. You tell me that all the time. He loves you and Michael and he’s going to do whatever it takes to get back to both of you in one piece… right?”

I nodded. Suddenly my stomach rolled and I had to run into the bathroom and vomit. When I emptied my stomach I sat on the floor sweating and shaking for a really long time. What would I do if I lost him? I can’t lose him. Please God, let him come home safe.

When the shaking subsided enough for me to stand, I pushed myself up and washed my face and rinsed my mouth. Then I went into the bedroom. Liz was waiting there for me with Michael in her arms. She got that I didn’t want him alone without me even having to say a word. I love her.

I walked over and opened the oak cabinet where the television was. When I picked up the remote, Liz said, “Are you sure you want to do that, honey?”

I nodded. “I need to know what’s going on.” She didn’t say anything. She knew arguing with me would do no good. When the television came on I flipped through the stations. There was a “Special Report” about the hostage situation on every local station. I settled on one and sat down on the bed next to Liz to watch the drama unfold on live TV. The anchor was standing in the parking lot at Manhattan Beach. I could see the pier and the water in the background as well as the bathrooms. There were police everywhere and a SWAT van.

“We’re in Manhattan Beach where a real-life drama is unfolding. Alexander Reigns, the CEO of Reigns Biotechnical is reportedly inside the restroom building behind me being held at gunpoint by a man named Elliot Hanson. Hanson is reportedly an employee of Mr. Reigns. There is some talk of an attempted kidnapping and another man in custody; we’ll bring you more on that as it comes in. For now, this is Maggie Brown for KTLA….”
I changed the station. The reports were almost identical on every station.

“Miss?” I looked up and Cook was in the doorway. He was holding my phone. I’d left it downstairs in the sunroom earlier.

“Yes?”

“It’s Amanda, Mr. Reigns’ PA.” I jumped up and grabbed the phone from him.

“Amanda, do you know anything?”

“Nothing more than you probably know. I can hear it in your voice, you’ve heard right?”

“Yes.”

“I did talk to him, Victoria. He sounded okay.”

“You talked to him? How?”

“He called me on the kidnapper’s phone. He needed me to take care of getting some money together.”

“I need that number.”

“Um… it was blocked.”

“You’re a terrible liar Amanda. I need the number, now.” She gave it to me, reluctantly.

As soon as I disconnected with her, I blocked my number and called it. It rang for times and I finally heard, “What?”

With a tremor in my voice I said, “Is this Elliot?”

“Yes. Who is this?”

“Victoria.”

“Well, well, little Vicki. Thanks for calling. It’s been a long time. So long that you never even recognized me at the gate yesterday…”

“Elliot, please don’t do this.”

“Why Vicki? Because you say so? Because you’re suddenly so important that we should all bow at your feet? You didn’t recognize me because you didn’t even look at me. You used to be one of us, but how quickly they forget when they screw the billionaire.”

“Why, Elliot? Why would you and Jason do this?”

“Jason’s a pathetic idiot. He needs cash and he wants you. He wanted to take the baby and then lure you there after him.”

“Where? Where was he going to go?”

“Huh uh, I’m not an idiot. I have to go, Vicki. I’m a little bit busy here.”

“Wait! Elliot, please let me talk to Alex.”

There was a pause and then suddenly I heard the most beautiful sound in the world, Alex’s voice. “Vicki?”

“Oh Alex! Baby are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“No baby. I’m not hurt. I’m fine. I love you.”

“I love you too. Oh baby, I need you to come home safe. Please give him whatever he wants.”

“I will. I’m coming home to you baby. I love you.”

“I love you.”

“Aw, isn’t that sweet… Not! I think I’m going to be sick.” Elliot disconnected the call. I was still holding the phone, shaking like a leaf again. Karen was there, standing next to Gregory.

“Miss Victoria, I’m going to call the doctor.”

“No, don’t.”

“You need something for your nerves.”

“My nerves will be fine as soon as Alex comes home safely and nothing else is going to help. I won’t be sedated and sleep through this.”

Gregory and Karen left and the security officer posted himself outside the master suite. I walked over and sat down next to Liz and looked at my sleeping baby. I held out my arms and she handed him to me. I hugged him to my chest and rocked him back and forth. “Daddy will be okay baby. He’ll be home soon. Daddy loves us.” The tears I’d been holding back all morning finally started to flow. Liz put her arm around my shoulders and we sat there for what seemed like forever. Suddenly I heard the anchor on the television.

“Mr. Reigns' private helicopter has just landed on the beach. A few minutes before that happened, we saw the police let a man who I am told is an employee of Chase financial bank go past holding a briefcase. He’s putting it on the helicopter now.”

“Oh God, what if he takes Alex with him?”

“Don’t get yourself worked up again honey. He has what he wanted now. Maybe he’ll let him go…”

I closed my eyes and said a prayer just as I heard the anchor say,
“The police have been ordered to lower their weapons and stand down. We expect Mr. Reigns and his captor to emerge any minute from the bathroom…”
I held my breath. It seemed like hours passed before they showed the bathroom door open slowly. Alex stepped out with his hands in the air, God please keep him safe.
“We can see Mr. Reigns behind us here and there is his captor behind him. I can’t see but it looks like he has the gun to Mr. Reigns back…”
Oh my poor Alex… God help him please. I love him so much.
“They’re walking towards the helicopter. It looks like he’s taking Mr. Reigns with him.”
Oh God! Oh no! There was a sudden, deafening sound of a shot. I saw Alex fall sideways and suddenly the camera was pushed to the side and the anchor was saying,
“There was a shot fired! A shot has been fired!”
Everything went dark.