“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.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
VICTORIA
When I came to I was told that the helicopter left without Alex. Alex had been shot and taken to Cedars Sinai Hospital. My room was full of people, some of them I didn’t even know. Liz was still there with the baby, thank God. “I have to go.” Liz nodded.
“I’ve got Michael. You go take care of his daddy.”
I looked at the security officer and said, “Can someone take me to him?”
“I will, Vicki.” Alex’s father was standing in the doorway.
“James! Is he okay?”
He looked so broken that I almost didn’t want him to answer. “I don’t know honey. They took him in an ambulance and I came straight here to get you.”
“Okay, let’s go.” I kissed Michael and James and I were taken out by security and loaded into the back of one of their black SUV’s. We sat there quietly, both of us lost in our own thoughts for the forty minutes it took us to get to the hospital. When we got there, we were ushered to a waiting room on the second floor and told that Alex was in surgery. The doctor would be out to talk to us when he had news. We sat there quietly too for a while.
James finally asked, “Can I get you some coffee or water Vicki?”
“No… thank you.”
He got up and came over to sit by me. I was afraid he was going to talk and tell me that everything was going to be okay. I didn’t want to hear that right now…he didn’t know what things would or would not be. But I’d been wrong. He just took my hand and held it tightly, continuing to sit silently with me as we waited… and waited. When the doctor finally came in, it took my brain a few seconds to process it. I looked up and saw a gray haired man with a stone face. His movements were all sharp and he was staring at a chart in his hands. James and I both got to our feet and once again, we waited.
When he finally looked up at us with gray eyes framed by gun metal gray lenses he said, “You’re Mr. Reigns' family?”
“Yes,” James said. “I’m his father James and this is his fiancée, Victoria.”
The doctor nodded and said, “The shot was close range but luckily it hit the spleen and exited out the other side. It didn’t strike his spine or any other vital organs. We removed his spleen and repaired an artery in his abdomen. He’s going to be sore but in a day or two barring infection or any other unforeseen events, he’ll be just fine.”
I felt like I’d been holding my breath for a day and a half. I let it out and then James and I embraced. I could feel him shaking… or maybe it was me. I let go of James and looked back at the doctor and asked, “When can we see him?”
“He’s in recovery now. As soon as he comes out, we’ll let you know. Only fifteen minutes and one visitor at a time until he comes out of ICU.”
James and I nodded and thanked him. When he was gone, James embraced me again and said, “Thank God.”
I was thinking the same thing and thanking him myself in my head. This could have gone so much worse. James’ phone rang and he took a step towards the door as he answered it. At first, he didn’t seem to know who it was. After several minutes I heard him say, “That’s great news. Thank you for letting me know.” He hung up and looked at me with a smile. “They have Elliot in custody.”
“Oh thank goodness. Did he hurt anyone else?”
“No, but apparently Alex’s pilot took one of his security officers with him in the helicopter. Elliot didn’t know he was there. When they landed, he was taken into custody and no one else was hurt.”
I breathed a sigh of relief and dropped down into the chair. It was over, finally.
James and I waited another hour before a nurse finally came out and said, “Mr. Reigns is awake.”
We looked at each other and James said, “You go.” I smiled and all but ran after the nurse. I wanted to believe he was okay, but my heart wouldn’t fully accept it until I saw him.
I followed the nurse to a set of double doors. She swiped her name badge and the doors swung silently open and with ease. A sharp puff of air hit my face and I smelled bleach. The walls in the ICU were painted a soft cream color and the white linoleum floor was so clean that it was almost blinding. There were glass cubicles along each side of the hallway and I followed her to the last one. This one had the curtain drawn all the way around it. She pulled it back and I sucked in a breath. My beautiful Alex lay in the bed. His eyes were closed and his long eyelashes fanned out over his high cheekbones. Wires came from his chest and ended at a heart monitor high up on the wall. He had an IV in one hand with three different bags of fluids running into his body. I went over close to the bed and just stood
there for a few seconds watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest. I could see the vein in his neck pulsing and I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
I leaned over the bed and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. I felt him twitch and then I felt the flutter of his eyelashes against my face. I lifted my head slightly and watched as he pulled open his eyes. When he saw me, he smiled. “Hi beautiful,” he croaked out. The poor thing sounded like a frog.
“Hi yourself. How are you feeling?”
“Like I got shot,” he said, with a weak grin.
“Oh baby! I’m so sorry!”
“Shh, I’m okay. The doctor told me I’m okay. Didn’t he tell you that?”
“Yes, but I didn’t believe him. I needed to hear it from you.”
He smiled again. “Consider yourself informed,” he said. “I’m fine.” I felt a tear roll down my cheek and I wiped it with the back of my hand. “Why are you crying? I’m going to be okay.”
“Happy tears,” I told him. “I love you so much. When you get better, you’re going to be in so much trouble for doing this to me.”
He laughed and then winced. “Don’t make a guy who just had surgery laugh. I love you too.”
I kissed him again and then just sat there with him until the nurse told me my time was up. I squeezed his hand and said, “I’ll be back.”
He was almost asleep. “Okay baby. I love you.”
***
Alex was in the hospital for four days. On the third day of his hospitalization I decided that I wanted him to come home to a house with no drama… finally. Jason was in jail on charges of conspiracy to commit a kidnapping, violation of a restraining order and trespassing. Elliot was in jail on charges of conspiracy to commit a kidnapping, false imprisonment and attempted murder. The only issue left to be dealt with was Cassandra and I had an idea that I wanted to try out.
James had Alex’s phone when he was taken hostage. He left it with me when he flew back to Tuscany to fly back out with Alex’s mother the following day. I turned it on, found Cassandra’s number and wrote out a text.
“This is Victoria. I need to see you.” Several seconds passed and I got one back.
“Is Alex okay?”
“He’s fine. I need to see you.”
“About what?”
“You and I have some things that need to be settled. For one thing, I’m afraid that you were right. Alex was asking for you at the hospital. I need to know what it will take for you to stay away.”
It was longer that time before she sent back, “Venice tea room. One o’clock.”
“I’ll be there.” Now, I just need to figure out how to get there without alerting anyone who might try to stop me. I fed my beautiful boy and then I handed him over to the nanny, Mrs. Yost. I went downstairs then and found Liz in the kitchen with Gregory.
“Hey, how are you feeling today?” she asked.
“I’m good, much better. We’re one day closer to Alex coming home. I can’t wait.”