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“Really? You're not going, right?” I say, because a trip to D.C. is not on the security books and this is the first I have heard of it.
“No, Molly and I get invited to these fundraising events all the time, but we really aren’t interested in reliving the past. It is a charity gala, raising money for human trafficking victims.”
He throws the invitation to me. It is a thick white card, with an embossed gold script. It is very formal, very fancy, and I know this would be Belle's work. I smile.
“I think Belle is doing this one,” I say, seeing the Rothschild name on the card and remembering her mentioning it being the reason she had to go back to D.C. I read the invite, and it talks about the charity, and like a punch to the gut, it hits me.
“Fuck!” I say and jump up, running out the door and down the stairs to my control room. Stephen is fast and on my tail.
“What?” he yells, aware that something is seriously wrong.
I run into my room and bring up the security footage I have of the break-in at Belle’s office. I knew I recognized the person.
Stephen runs in. “What the fuck, man?” he says, panting. He really needs to get to the gym more.
“Look at this...” I say to him, pulling up the footage.
Stephen stands next to me, both of us staring at the screen.
“Who is this?” he asks.
“Belle’s office was broken into last week. She has no idea who it was, and they didn’t take anything.”
“It looks like they are looking for something specific…” Stephen says.
“Look at that!” I say as I point to the screen.
“What, I don’t see anything!”
I shake my head. “Fucking assholes!” I yell because I am now furious with myself that I didn't pick this up immediately. I knew in my gut something wasn’t right. I rewind the footage and play it again, slightly slower.
“Look here,” I say to Stephen as I zoom in slightly and point to the screen. We both watch intently as the man on the screen leans over, shuffles some papers on the desk and then moves to open the drawers. The way he leans, shuffles the papers, then leans over some more was eerily familiar to me when I first saw the footage, but I couldn’t place him. But Stephen and I have spent many nights reviewing footage of when Molly was taken, so her kidnappers' mannerisms are now ingrained into our brains.
“Fucking Byron!” Stephen yells, understanding now washing over us, and we both fight back the urge to punch something. Him for wanting revenge on the man who took his woman, me for not only for letting him get away, but now, because he is in D.C., in Belle’s office, and I am not there with her.
Stephen starts pacing the room, then gets on the phone to Shaun and Marco. We agree to meet at Marco’s place in thirty minutes, and I grab my laptop and am halfway to the car before Stephen is off the phone.
We get into the car, both of us on edge. What the fuck is Byron Wood, conman, human trafficker, who is on the FBI’s most wanted, doing in Belle’s office in D.C.? I am about to call her, then realize the time. Knowing she is at home, sleeping, and secure with my security team eases my stress a little, but I am not going to be settled until I am with her. If only I didn’t have to be in New York tomorrow, I would fly to her now.
On our way to Marco’s, I call Federal Agent Jai. I first met Jai a year or so ago, when he came to Nitro to get our help in finding the human trafficking ring leaders.
Byron and his partner, John, an old guy who was a well-known judge here in Boston at the time, were working for overseas buyers. Given that we caught John trying to kidnap Jasmine, one of Molly’s Foster kids, we had him on our radar, and Jai realized we could help his case.
While what Byron and John were doing was horrible, the Feds really wanted the main players, the buyers. So, we helped them track Byron and John to gather evidence. But then Molly was kidnapped, and all bets were off. We found Molly, thank God, but Byron and John got away and haven’t been seen since.
Until now.
Jai doesn’t answer his phone, so I leave a message for him to call me as we pull up to Marco’s place. Stephen is fuming, his desire for revenge running deep. Shaun is already there when we arrive, and the four of us talk in hushed tones in the living room, not wanting to wake Frankie who has a big day tomorrow at her father’s memorial.
We are all stunned that we have found them. Stephen is furious and wants to go to D.C. and get revenge immediately. Marco is on edge, because he is in the firing line tomorrow with the Mob memorial. Shaun is feeling frustrated because he wants to support Marco but absolutely cannot be at the memorial, it is too dangerous for any of us to be there, so he needs to stay in Boston and wait.
Me? For the first time, I find myself stuck with three different equally important situations. Marco and the Mob memorial, Stephen, and finding the assholes that got away, and protecting Belle. My beautiful Belle.
I drop my head into my hands, and I silently beg for Danny’s help with this one, because I don’t think I can do it all on my own this time.
32
Isabelle
