Page 24 of Daddy's Stowaway
“The moment she is awake, Simone, message me.”
“Don’t worry, Alex, I will make sure she is well looked after.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and arranged to leave ten men behind with Antonia, Simone, and the doctor to ensure their safety. I took my leave, promising to be back soon. I kissed Antonia gently on the forehead before leaving the house to get some answers.
I raced down the road to the abandoned hotel that my company had just purchased. It was empty and the perfect place to interrogate a prisoner. I arrived in time to see Johnathan crack the guy across the jaw. I watched from the doorway as Johnathan repeated his question, “Who do you work for?” When he didn’t answer, I decided to play a new strategy.
“He can’t answer that, John, as he works for the Sina crime family. Naming them would be an automatic death sentence, isn’t that right? The Sina family doesn’t like rats. Besides, this low-grade piece of shit doesn’t know anything; he’s a made man. He could share the name of the soldier who ranks higher, but I think it’s time for me to speak directly with Izzy, don’t you?” I aimed my question at the grunt, whose eyes rounded even more.
“Wait, it isn’t Mr. Zamaya who hired us; please don’t tell him. It was Markos, and he has our families. If we don’t come back with Toni, he’ll kill them all.”
He told me all I needed to know, and a plan began to form. I excused myself to go where I wouldn’t be overheard.
“Buck here.”
“Buck, listen up. Markos has just made an attempt at kidnapping Antonia here in Tahiti. The guys who were doing the job have been caught. One is dead, one is under interrogation. Markos will kill their families if they don’t show up with Antonia. I need you to find these families, get them to safety, and find a stand-in for Antonia for the trade just in case this goes south and we don’t find the families in time. In the meantime, I need all your dirt on Markos sent to myself and Harvey. Harvey will have a contract drawn up, and I will ensure Izzy signs it. My threat is, Markos confessed everything to make Izzy take the fall. With a contract in place between them and us, Izzy can then take out Markos. I will leak the location for the trade to Izzy, let his men come in and take care of Markos, and you can get your Antonia look-alike to safety.”
“Understood, where and when?”
“I will talk to the hostage and call you back.”
I strolled back into the room, imbuing my vibe with danger. I had one shot at getting this to play out successfully, and by that, I meant Antonia off the Sina Cartel’s radar. From the chair he was tied to, my prisoner eyed me warily.
“Tell me,” I said, grabbing a chair and sitting down in front of him, “where do you think Markos may be hiding your family?” I allowed my eyes to narrow, and I knew the moonlight coming through the window aided in giving my eyes the dangerous glint of a man who shouldn’t be messed with.
“Markos has many places, but they are all on or around Livernois Avenue.”
I left the room to call Buck back and share the location. We decided that it was best to put the rescue mission in play while Markos was busy at the drop-off location. Assuming we found the families in time.
I waved at Johnathan to join me outside.
“What’s going on?” he asked as soon as we were out of earshot.
“Buck has a team looking for the missing families and is finding someone to step in for Antonia. I am flying to South America tomorrow to meet with Izzy. Harvey will be joining me, as well as two selected from our team. Who do you trust to accompany me?”
“Me, of course, you know I always have your back.”
“While I appreciate it, I need you here. I’m trusting you with Antonia’s life. I expect you to keep her safe, no matter what, Jonathan; she is your number one priority.”
“What about him?” He indicated to where the prisoner was being kept.
“Keep him locked up but safe. We know he is a witness for the order of the kidnapping in case Izzy requires additional proof. Maybe somewhere in the hotel’s basement and keep him fed and hydrated as we need him alive. If everything goes as planned, then we’ll set him free and send him back. If not, then we’ll see. He may end up being fish food.” I laughed at the mafia term. Johnathan didn’t even chuckle though, as he’d been part of the mafia in his younger years. He was one tough mother and had a hell of a history.
“Send me the names of the two you select to come with me. I need to go and check on Antonia and get my affairs in order. I want no loopholes when I meet with Izzy Zamaya.”
It was a short ride home, and for the first time since I heard about my parents’ plane crash, I prayed.
Chapter 13
Antonia
After such a fun evening,I was so excited about a night of play that I wasn’t paying attention to anything else but doing what I was told. When Frankie stepped out of my walk-in, it barely registered. He’d been on the scene a lot when I was in Detroit, and I think a part of my brain just accepted seeing him. Then I remember I wasn’t in Detroit, and as I opened my mouth to scream, someone from behind me slapped their hand over my mouth and yanked my head back. It was Vario. That meant only one thing. Markos had found me.
I was terrified they would hurt Alex and didn’t fight them. They bound my hands and then marched me out the bedroom door and fled down the back staircase that led to the hallway by the movie theatre.
It wasn’t until they attempted to get me out the back door that I fought back, making enough noise to alert Alex that something wasn’t right. Frankie picked me up and placed me over his shoulder, and while he did that, Vario attempted tying my feet, but I fought with everything I had, which was difficult considering I was still wearing a form-fitting cocktail dress.
Still, I thrashed hard enough to kick Vario in the face more than once until he cracked me across the ass hard enough for me to shift forward on Frankie’s shoulder. But as he got the rope around my ankles, I heard gunfire and the audible thump of a fallen body. Frankie took off like a shot through the door but went down when another shot was fired, and I went flying forward to land hard on the unforgiving tile.