16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Cooper

T he doctor makes her pee into a Dixie Cup and he sets a piece of what looks like litmus paper, into the cup. As he pulls it out, it's changed color, and he frowns. "Yep. You're good and pregnant. We just need the bloodwork to confirm how far along you are, based on hormone levels." He says, setting the cup in the sink, pulling off the rubber gloves. "That's based on the fact that you're unsure of when your last period was, correct?"

"It was about five weeks ago, but I can't swear to it." London explains tritely.

"Not to worry. We'll set you up with an ultrasound." He says, filling out a prescription. He hands it to her. "Here's a script for prenatal vitamins."

"Thank you."

"Congratulations. We'll be in touch with that sonogram appointment."

London nods."Thanks."

It's so simple. In and out in less than five minutes. Gosh, if we were a couple and this wasn't such good news, I think I'd fall to pieces at the nonchalance. Inside, I'm bursting with happiness, but the doctor is so casual, it's like she's got a cold. It takes everything in me not to lift her up, spin her around in the air, and set her down again, yodelling in the waiting room, as the receptionist books her for another appointment. I don't remember the last time I was this happy. I think never. I'm with a woman I adore and her little girl that I couldn't love more if she were my own, and now we're expecting a baby together. If it weren't for the question mark, the pink elephant in the room, this would be perfect.

But I'm not going to focus on that, nor am I going to focus on the fact that we're going to my landlord's funeral this afternoon. I'm also not going to think about the fact that I haven't heard from Jenkins in days. And as we drive to the venue where the funeral is being held, don't even get me started on the unsettled feeling that I get inside my gut, that's impossible to ignore.

Despite the fact that London, even in funeral clothing, is luminous and so beautiful I can't keep my eyes off her, I still feel like my life is a whirlwind. As we arrive inside, the place is loaded with people in expensive clothing, and they might as well be eating pigs in a blanket and other fancy hors d'oeuvres, with the logos plastered on easels, disguised as pictures of old Tommy. If it weren't for the flower arrangement in the centre of it all, this place would scream convention.

I know that London feels extremely out of place here, and her nerves are showing, as she holds my hand, hers feeling cold and clammy. So, when a woman approaches, and introduces herself as Tommy's niece, London immediately relaxes. The place is shoulder to shoulder with people, the soft din almost dizzying, and as I wait for a eulogy or speech of some sort, London and Tommy's niece continue to converse.

Tommy's daughter, Laura, approaches me. I offer my condolences once again. "The wire should come through in a day or two. There was a slight mix up with the bank. But it's all straightened out now."

"There's no rush, Laura. As you're aware, your dad never charged me anything extreme, so money is not an issue."

"My father had strict, specific instructions, Cooper. This is all part of it. The man did not leave a stone unturned. Christ, this looks more like a convention than a funeral, but that's what he wanted."

Tommy's niece has her back turned to Laura, still speaking to London. I overhear London say that she needs to use the ladies' room, as she taps my arm to get my attention, and I nod, and watch her walk away with the lady. That's when the switch goes off inside my head. This place is far too crowded, and any suits that are here are going to be lost in the shuffle.

I excuse myself from Laura's company and follow London to the washroom. Ignoring the dirty looks I'm getting from other ladies as I push the door open, I call out her name, first the fake one, and then the real one.

... but she doesn't answer.

London

"You know what? I need to use the washroom, too. I think there's one in that back hall." Moira says. She's the only person in this room that doesn't seem stuffy and all-businesslike, as we've been chatting about our kids, and how excited they are about Christmas.

"Okay, good. I'll come with you." I tell her, as I give Cooper's arm a squeeze. He's talking to someone, I'm guessing that it's Laura, and I hope that there is a chance to be introduced once I return. "I didn't know Tommy. I feel sort of out of place here." I explain as we walk towards a hallway that leads to washrooms, and other doorways with unmarked doors. The ladies' room has a short line.

"Hey, let's go use the other one." Moira suggests.

"There's another one?"

She scrunches her nose. "The staff here said we could use the corporate one if this one is full. They expected we would need it with this crowd."

She opens a door that leads to another hallway. It's quiet. Nobody else is there. "It's just down this way." She murmurs conversationally. We seem to be walking down a very long hallway and then we exit through a doorway into a stairwell.

"Gosh, it's so far away we might as well have just waited in the lineup." I comment.

She pulls out her phone as she snickers at my comment. "Be careful texting on the stairs." I tell her, picturing her falling headfirst down them.

"I'm fine. It's just one more floor." She says. This building is no funeral home. It's not quite a convention centre but definitely not a funeral home. And I start to wonder why this corporate washroom wasn't on the same floor or just one floor difference.

"I think I'd rather just head back. This is ridiculous." I add, as we reach another exit door. "Wha…where?" I say as she shoves me out the door, right into an awaiting minivan. The door is open, and the force of her push is so hard I fall to my knees, while some guy grabs me, covers my mouth aggressively with his hand, and pulls me into the van, while she closes the door abruptly and gets into the passenger side front seat. There is a third person, in the driver's seat, who turns the wheel ninety degrees and tears off quickly. The turn is so abrupt, I feel the world spin.

"You scream, I gag you, got it?" The man holding his hand on my mouth says.

I nod and he takes his hand off my mouth. "What do you want from me?" I ask, voice shaking.

Moira looks over at me. "We'll get to that. Where's your cell phone?"

"I left it at home."

She looks at the man next to me. "Check her."

Quickly, I show him that, in my A-line, pocketless dress, it's impossible for me to have anything on me.

"She's clean." He says.

"Now. What do you want." I ask, wondering what the hell is going on. If the F.B.I. called me and said that these people are getting their money, why the hell are they after me? I'm willing to bet my life on it that that's why they're here, but just to keep up with the whole safety thing, I figure I'll let them tell me why they're here, instead of volunteering information.

"You sure are very cocky for someone who's just been kidnapped." Moira says.

I scoff indignantly. "Is your name even Moira? You're not related to Tommy, are you?" I ask, thinking that this angle is much better.

She smirks. "You were just stupid enough to fall for it."

"Fine. I was stupid. Get on with it. I should never have left Cooper."

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty."

"Fine. What do you want? Money? Good luck. If you find any, give some to me, because I don't have any. This dress? Salvation Army special."

"We know you don't have the money, bitch." The guy behind the wheel says.

I ignore the name calling, and focus on the fact that he said, ‘the money'.

"So, if I don't have the money, what do you want with me?"

Moira and the driver exchange knowing looks. That's when I lose my shit. "The F.B.I. told me you're getting your money back. Why do you have to go and kidnap me for, huh?"

Moira smirks again, slitting her eyes at me. "Yeah, well, if they know where all the money is, what makes you think that us getting just our share is enough?"

"So, you want all the money." I say blankly, wondering why the hell James got involved with criminals, like an idiot. "And you're going to use me as ransom."

"Look at that. She isn't as stupid as you thought." The driver says, tongue in cheek, talking like I'm not here, facetiously.

What a fool I am. Leaving Cooper alone, or even coming to this funeral. I should have known better. But my guard is down. That call from the F.B.I., and my na?ve, lovesick head made me forget about all the dangers that still lurk. The F.B.I. said that it was almost over, and I just ignored that. Like an idiot. "You'll never get away with this. My boyfriend is going to figure out that I'm missing, and he's going to have a team of people after you." I spit back, remembering how quickly the men came to my rescue the night of the gunshot. It was less then ten minutes before they showed up in Dalton's Escalade.

"We wish them luck. They'll never find you, where we're taking you." Moira says casually, like she's telling me that I'm wearing unmatched socks.

"What's the point in using me for ransom? Who are you going to call for ransom? My ex-husband is in jail, and he's the only one that knows where the money is."

Moira looks slyly at the driver. "Oh, did we say ransom? I think you said ransom."

It takes me a moment to catch on. The whole reason why the F.B.I. placed me in Witness Protection. "If you think that I know where the money is, you're sadly mistaken. Don't you think that I'd be in prison, too?"

"You might have the feds snowed over, bitch, but not us." The driver says.

"Look, my name is St—"

"London?" Moira interrupts. "Of course, we know what your name is, you stupid idiot. Don't you think we know everything about you?" She scoffs and shakes her head, like I really am stupid.

I decide to take another angle. "How did you find me?"

The driver and Moira exchange another look. "Let's just say that everyone has their price."

Vague. Smart. I try to look around, just moving my eyes, not my head, placing where we're going. We're not using a highway, it's back roads, and I don't recognize anything. Not like I've had a ton of time to sightsee since moving here. By the new car scent in this vehicle, I'm guessing it's rented. It's not stolen. It's newer. Since they evidently want me to get them the money, I'll assume that they're taking me somewhere that has a computer and a wifi connection. Chances are it won't be in an old, dilapidated building or warehouse, but I could be wrong.

"I suppose you think that I can just log in to a magical site and download the money for you, right?" I guffaw, using a firm tone, so they know that I mean business. "I'll need specialized software, passwords, unless you think that banks are stupid and don't change them." I pause. "And a banking token, which was under lock and key." Another pause. "But I don't suppose you thought of all that. You probably just rented this nice, fancy minivan and came up with a kidnapping plan. Nice work."

Moira looks at me, like she's about to smack me, but she doesn't. "We've got everything we need."

"Impossible." I spit. "The only way you'd get all that is through Jam—" I stop myself, putting two and two together. "Oh my God. They didn't let him out, did they? James isn't out of prison, is he?"

The driver looks at me, like I'm an idiot. "If James was out, don't you think that he'd be the dude getting all the money?"

"Then how did you get all of that? The banking token in particular. Only James had that."

It's Moira's turn to look at me like I was born yesterday. "Prison security guards are all idiots. It's amazing how much shit you can get away with, especially when you don't have a penis."

"Yeah, and when you've got a rack like that." The driver adds, eying her up and down, making me cringe.

The guy sitting next to me pipes up. "Hey, turn here."

The driver looks up at his rearview mirror. "Shit, man, we've got company."

My heart skips a beat.

"Okay, don't turn in there, then." Moira says. "Lose them first. We lose our cover, we're sunk."

"But Scrappy's only got access for an hour." The dude sitting next to me says.

"Yeah, but if we're followed, it's over." Moira says. "We have to lose them first." She turns to the driver. "Can you see who they are? Is it the feds?" She asks, peeking through the sideview mirror.

"No, I can't see who they are!" He yells at her, getting nervous. "What do you think? I've got goddamn X-Ray vision? I'm driving here!"

"Well, which vehicle is it? I don't see anyone following us." She says, inspecting her sideview mirror like it's got something on it.

I can't help the smile. "Is it a white Escalade?"

Silence.

My smile grows wider. I want to tell them that they should just give up now, but I figure, it's Christmas. Why spoil the fun…

Cooper

I try calling her name again, as I dial Jenkins's number. Nothing. He answers on a half ring. His voice is flat, urgent, and he sounds like he's in a car. "Cooper. Tell me what's going on."

"She's gone. She went to the bathroom with some girl claiming to be Tommy's niece, and now she's gone."

"Relax, I've got men everywhere. We got this."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't go to a public event without means in this business. Colton told me you'd be at Tommy's funeral today. He's got the kid, but we knew that if someone was after her, that today would be payday, if they're smart enough to pull it off."

"Where are you?"

"Outside. I'm the cooler today, Dalton's one of the bouncers."

I look at the phone. "What?"

"Never mind. It's just lingo that means we're here and ready." He pauses. "And a strange minivan just pulled up to one of the cargo doors. Hang on." I hear him talk on what sounds like a radio. "Jenkins to Dalton. White minivan pulling up to the south cargo exit." Another pause. "Copy." I hear back. Then he comes back to me. "Cooper, you still by the ladies' room?"

"Yeah."

"Take the stairwell down the hall to your right. Get out at the first exit. Dalton's white Escalade is right there."

"Gotcha."

I hang up and run like hell down the stairs. Dalton's sitting right there, and I get into his truck. "Did she get into the minivan?" I ask him.

"Not yet."

"Well, why are we just sitting here then? If she's coming out that way, we should grab her before they take her."

"The plan is to follow them. That way the cops can nab all the participants in this ring."

"What?" I shriek. "So, we're going to take a chance on letting her get kidnapped? She's fucking bait? You guys are out of your minds!"

Dalton's gaze meets mine. "It's either that or your woman keeps running, man. Her ex is in the slammer, but the others are running free. Even when they get all their money back, they're still going to keep coming after her, because of her knowledge. She's always going to have to run, Cooper. This is the only answer."

The back door opens before I can respond, and I see her for a split second, as they toss her into the back of the minivan. Dalton hovers his way out of the parking spot, keeping an even pace, I'm guessing so they don't see him. With a huge Escalade, I don't see how that's possible, but the van, nonetheless, takes off at an even clip, it doesn't peel out, like if they suddenly realized that they were being watched.

"Anything happens to her, man…" I trail off, letting him fill in the blank.

"Jenkins is an expert at this, Cooper. You've got nothing to worry about. Just relax."

"Easy for you to say. That's not the woman that you love being kidnapped in that minivan." I seethe. I want to add in that she's also carrying my baby, but I don't want to spoil London's fun.

"I get it, Cooper. Colton would never have had Jenkins on the case if he didn't think he could handle this shit. We do this kind of stuff a lot. You'd be surprised how many dirtbags are out there, and all of them are after money." Dalton hangs back, letting the minivan pull out of the parking lot, while another car, I'm assuming is Jenkins, stays at the ready.

We're five cars behind throughout the whole trip, while Jenkins is only two cars from the minivan. "They hurt her in any way and I'll kill them all." I tell him.

"We're all trained for this shit, Cooper."

All the Ford boys served in the military. They're all trained in combat. They know what they're doing. But all that being said, my stomach is still in knots, knowing that London is in danger. "You're sure that Bean is safe?"

He nods. "Colton's got her on a horse with him right as we speak. I just spoke with him not two minutes ago."

"Good. At least she's safe. But if we deliver her mother to her in a body bag, I'll never fucking forgive myself."

"That's not going to happen. They won't hurt her. She's too valuable to them, especially with James locked up."

They keep going straight, as though not knowing that they're being followed. We're taking side streets, and they're staying at the posted speed limit. Dalton is careful to stay well behind, while Jenkins is at the ready. "So, what's the plan? Just keep following them?"

"Yes." He frowns. "Chances are, they're taking her to a set place, where they have a computer and a wifi connection. They're not just going to take her to some random warehouse and call for ransom. There's nobody to call for that. They know that you haven't got any money, and they're not smart enough to follow the trail to us, according to Jenkins. He's had his eye on all this the whole time. He's got his ducks in a row."

"So we just follow them and take them down? What if they've got an army of bandits at their location?"

"We've got officers ready. Jenkins took care of that. Chances are it's just a handful of them. And none of them likely have any training beyond hitting a tin can with a beebee gun in their grandmother's backyard as a kid."

"What if they don't?" I ask flatly. "What if they've got ex-military, too?"

"Then we'll be ready, Cooper. This is not our first rodeo, man. And it sure as hell won't be our last, either."

I swallow as the minivan veers off, making an abrupt turn right. Dalton speaks into the radio. "Looks like they finally caught on."

"Stay close, Dalton. If they know, they know. I'll try to head them off before they reach the highway. The suits are in pursuit on the other side of this block."

"Copy." Dalton looks at me. "They're not swerving around, so it looks pretty clean."

"Yeah, unless they've already offed her."

"Dude, you've got to be more positive. If they get on the highway the cops have it covered. They're cordoning that area off. There's no escape. We're on their tail and the cops have them cornered. It's just a matter of time."

I'm not convinced. They're armed bandits that have the love of my life trapped in a van with them. Nothing Dalton can say will convince me that this is going to end well until I see her with my own two eyes.

Jenkins speaks over the radio. "These guys are not local. They're heading to Abby Lane. We can box them in there."

Abby Lane is a cul de sac at the end of a road. There are two ways out but I'm guessing that Jenkins is suggesting we head in one side while he heads in the other side. We see them speed in, but a car in front of us decides to stop, so somebody can get out, and it's a one-way street. "Fuck!" Dalton shouts, pounding on the horn. The dude exiting the vehicle flips him the bird, but otherwise hurries his ass up, and the car he's exiting seems just as eager to ditch him, as he speeds off. "Fuck, let a cop be on the other side, man!" He mutters to himself. My fingers are around the barrel of the gun I have tucked in the back of my suit pants pocket.

As we slip inside Abby Lane, Jenkins is tailing them, as they speed through. "Fuck!" Dalton shouts with me, as the minivan nears the end of the cul de sac. "Goddammit!" I curse, and that's when I see it. A cargo van, painted from one end to the other, with a huge Santa Claus, and some local mission's logo. He drives in sideways, heading for one of the driveways, forcing the minivan to slam on the brakes.

"You carry?" Dalton speaks quickly.

"Does a bear shit in the woods?" I say, pulling my gun out.

"I hope you're as quick with that pistol as you are with your tongue."

"That makes two of us."

London

I feel the guy next to me grab my arm as the two up front duke it out, trying to decide which of them is dumber for taking this street. The driver in the Santa Claus truck is totally oblivious to the fact that he's completely blocked us in, but I couldn't be more grateful.

"So, we run, man!" The guy in the driver's seat shouts.

"Where? We don't know where the fuck we are, goddammit!" Moira shouts back.

Moira looks out her rearview mirror and pulls a gun out of the front of her pants, while the driver mirrors her, pulling his own weapon out. I feel the barrel of a gun at my temple as we slowly exit the car. "You scream I shoot." He says simply.

As he exits the minivan, the gun is at my back, I'm guessing to conceal it, since we are out in the open. I'm forced to turn around. Dalton exits his Escalade, acting calm and cool, while some other man in another vehicle, walks over, with his weapon drawn. Moira's gun is concealed, and so is the driver's. I want to shout that they have guns, but I think…I think, that Dalton and this other guy know full well that they're armed.

"You let us go and the girl doesn't get hurt." Moira says.

"I think I'm the one with the gun here." The other guy says.

"Who the fuck are you?" Moira spits.

"Jenkins. This is Dalton." He says, cocking his head towards the Ford brother.

"You guys feds?" The driver asks.

"That's for us to know." Jenkins replies. "What do you want with the girl?"

"That's for us to know." Moira volleys back.

"I've got a pretty good idea." Dalton states.

"Of course, they know, you stupid bitch! Why else are they following us?" The driver argues.

"Would you fucking shut up, before the whole neighborhood comes out here?" Moira hisses.

Something in my gut tells me to look carefully at the Santa Claus truck, so I slowly train my eyes to gaze over, but I don't see the driver. Could he have seriously left this scene? He had to have seen what's going on here. I pray that if he did leave, that he's at least going into the small business on the corner, to call the police, unless he's got a cell phone on him, and is making that call that route. And that's when I hear his voice behind me. "Drop it, asshole." Cooper murmurs into his ear. The gun clicks, signaling that it's cocked, and I see Jenkins's gun pointed directly at Moira. And when I look over, I see that the driver in the Santa Claus truck, is dressed, in fact, in a Santa suit, and he's got a gun pointed right at the other driver's temple.

My friend behind me drops his gun on the ground. Dalton walks over and picks it up. "You okay, baby?" Cooper asks, as soon as the gun is in Dalton's hands.

Mind reeling, I say. "Yes. I'm fine. How did you know?"

"I wasn't going to let anything happen to you, darlin'. You are everything to me." He says simply, as Jenkins and Dalton then pat down Moira and her partner, pulling their guns from them. Santa stands there, satisfied, as Dalton calls the cops, giving them an update.

"Where were you? I didn't see you in the Escalade with Dalton." I ask Cooper.

"I scooched down so they wouldn't see me, and I crawled over to see Santa here, who was more than pleased to assist." He winks.

"Thank you." I say to Santa.

"Merry Christmas." Santa frowns and winks. He's an older man, who could pass for Santa, anyway, even without the outfit.

I watch Jenkins pull zip ties out of his pocket, and use them to place the three perpetrators into custody, until the police arrive.

"Thank you, Dalton, and thank you, too, Jenkins." I tell the boys. Then I look at Cooper, and he takes a step towards me, holding me close. He searches my eyes. "Now, you can be free, baby."

"So…so, you knew all along?" I ask, voice cracking, tears coming to my eyes.

He nods. "Yeah, kinda. I knew you were in trouble. And...I have to protect those that I love."

"But we'd only just met."

"And I'd only just fallen in love, darlin'."