A/N: This one is a bit short, but the next one is coming tomorrow and that should make up for it:) Wishing all a great New Years Eve! 3
CHAPTER 4
Cornelius Rhodes was in the middle of a rather unsatisfying dinner with one of his would be business partners. The problem wasn't the food of course, even though that steak could have been a bit more done as Cornelius wasn't a fan of half raw beef. No, the problem was his dining partner who despite Cornelius's best efforts didn't want to bend from his demands on the business model they should be using to market his products.
If the man had been just a bit more open to negotiation, Cornelius felt the deal would have gone through several months ago. Right now he was trying to appear unbothered, even interested in the man's pithy tale about his family name and accomplishments. As if Cornelius Rhodes didn't know what it took to handle the business and keep the good name of the family.
Usually Cornelius would have ignored the silent vibration of his cell phone in lieu of the business meeting. But he was just about fed up and realized there was no way around it... he would have to accept the demands that came with the deal. It wasn't like they were all that unreasonable or bad for him. He would still make profit. No, this was more about pride and his initial assumption that this deal would go down without a hitch that stood in the way of signing the deal. That and the fact that after three months of clowning around, Cornelius had a true dislike for the man sitting in front of him and boasting proudly about his son's latest accomplishments in the business.
So when the phone vibrated with a text message, Cornelius smiled and made a polite excuse before taking a look at the message. He was hoping it was something that would give him a reason to leave this dinner prematurely. Or well, if it wasn't, he could still fake it.
The message was from an unknown number. Cornelius frowned. Not that many people had this phone number and they usually knew he preferred talking over messaging. Still, he clicked the message open and read the short text. Then re-read it twice more, just to make sure he wasn't imagining it.
'We have your son. 2 million dollars in cash. No cops. You have five hours.'
"This must be a joke," Cornelius muttered under his breath, earning a confused look from his companion.
"Anything the matter, Cornelius?"
"No, Sebastian. Must be some prank call, that's all," Cornelius said and put the phone down on the table, but kept his hand on it. Maybe he should make sure it was only a prank and nothing else. Maybe he should call Connor.
Cornelius grimaced. He really didn't feel like calling his son this late in the evening without a proper excuse. Admitting he might have been worried seemed just a bit silly, especially if Connor picked up the phone, all hale and without a care in the world. But still, the message sounded menacing and Cornelius felt that familiar worry in his stomach. This wasn't the first time he thought about one of his children being kidnapped. With his line of work and the amount of money that went through his hands it was a surprise that no one made an attempt earlier.
While Cornelius's companion kept chewing on his food and returned to his talk, Cornelius felt the phone vibrating again. His fingers curled around it instinctively and this time he didn't even excuse himself. He looked at the display and was dismayed to get another message from the unknown number.
'I'm not kidding. Here's some proof.
If you want your son to see the light of the day again, be ready in five hours.'
This time there was a picture attached to the message and Cornelius clicked to open it.
Suddenly someone had turned his blood into ice. That was the only explanation for why he felt frozen to the spot when he saw the photo of his son, tied to a chair, his hair ruffled and bleary eyed, staring right into the camera. In his lap was the latest edition of the daily newspaper. Cornelius didn't have to zoom in on the date to know it was from today. He read that paper just this morning during breakfast.
The half eaten steak in his stomach turned into lead. For a moment all he could do was stare at his son's face and think how disoriented and scared he looked. Maybe not to an outsider, but Cornelius knew his son. Knew that set of his jaw when he was afraid but still trying to appear strong. Cornelius didn't blame him. At this moment he felt scared too.
All those years in the business, all those scenarios running through his head, but at the moment he didn't know what to do. Who to contact. Was it better to pay or try and negotiate? What were the chances of his son getting out of this alive?
Suddenly the lead in his stomach became unbearable, the air of the restaurant too stifling. The smell of food and wine combined with the noise of people, conversing and laughing as if there was nothing wrong with the world. It was all too much. He had to go.
Cornelius sprung up from the chair, absentmindedly threw a wad of cash on the table and without an excuse turned and left. Sebastian was looking at him flabbergasted, a piece of steak frozen halfway to his mouth. Cornelius didn't notice. He walked out of the restaurant, his eyes pausing at his car with the driver parked nearby. He headed towards the car, ignoring the surprised "Mr. Rhodes? Everything alright, Sir?" from the driver as he quickly opened the door for him.
Cornelius sat down in the back seat and shakily reached for a tumbler of whiskey, pouring himself a stiff one.
"Sir?" The driver asked again, clearly worried about the uncharacteristic behavior. Cornelius waved him off and pushed the button closing the window between him and the driver, giving a clear signal that he wanted to be left alone for the moment.
Cornelius didn't know what to do and he hated that. The last time he let himself feel this way was when he saw the dead body of his wife laying on the pavement on their front lawn. He swore never to allow such an emotion of helplessness inside his heart ever again. The fact that Connor was the cause came as even more of a shock.
"Damn it all to hell!" Cornelius swore angrily, then poured himself another glass and swallowed it in one gulp. The sharpness of the drink somehow cleared his head. The warmth of the alcohol permeated his body and coursed through his veins, helping to bring along a certain degree of calm or numbness.
He needed to think this through and not do anything rash. While he knew the photo of his son was most probably real, he still felt a deep urge to just call Connor's number. With shaky fingers he tapped on the phone and waited for a ring tone or Connor's voice. Instead the call went straight to voice mail. That in and on itself was enough proof. As a doctor Connor made sure he was available on the phone at all times. Cornelius just had to accept the truth. Connor was missing and it was up to him to make sure he came home alive.
Cornelius put the empty glass to his head and closed his eyes, trying to think about his options. The money wasn't really the issue. While it might raise some eyebrows, Cornelius tended to make business at all times of the day or night. Taking the money out in cash might require more of a finesse but it could be handled as well. The main question was... should he involve the police? Or ask his security company for help?
When the phone in his lap started to ring, Cornelius dropped the glass, startled. His heart rate skyrocketed and for a second he blindly reached towards the sound, the smooth phone slipping through his shaky fingers and falling on the floor. Cornelius cursed with fervor as his hand searched for the familiar shape and let out a breath he didn't know was holding when he finally picked up the phone. This time the number on the display was familiar, yet it didn't bring any relief. Quite the contrary.
"Ava. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked, trying hard to make his voice sound strong and unaffected. Ava on the other end wasn't as successful however.
"It's Connor. I think... I think someone took him." Ava said and her own voice shook. Cornelius closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose to stave away the looming headache.
"What do you mean?" he asked, still trying to play it cool, if not for his sake than for Ava's. He knew how much the girl loved Connor... how far she was willing to go for him.
"We were supposed to meet at home, but his car is still at the hospital. There are... signs of struggle and an empty syringe. His phone and car keys were next to the car... Jay thinks he was kidnapped. Did you... did you hear anything?"
Cornelius felt his stomach turn at her description of the scene, but he went totally still when the full meaning of her words hit him.
"Jay? Who... who is Jay?"
"Halstead. Will's brother... he's a detective-"
"No! No cops!" Cornelius snapped into the phone and he could hear Ava pausing, startled. He didn't care. "We can't involve the police, Ava. I ... I can get the money together. We can get him back."
There was suspiciously long silence on the other side, then Ava's voice returned.
"I'm sorry, Cornelius. I didn't know what to do..."
"Where are you?" Cornelius asked, his voice surprisingly cold. He didn't hear any background noise but he wondered whether it was really that quiet or if he just couldn't hear anything past the roaring of the blood in his ears.
"Hospital... doctor's lounge. Jay is on the way."
Cornelius nodded.
"Stay there. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Don't... don't tell him anything until I arrive, okay?"
Ava was obviously thinking about the answer but she promised to wait for his arrival. Cornelius ended the call and quickly gave his driver their destination. As the engine started and Cornelius thanked God that Claire was out of the States on business, his phone rang the second time. Cornelius didn't know the number that showed up, but it seemed to be local. With dread, he picked up.
"Mr. Rhodes? This is Detective Jay Halstead, Chicago PD. We need to talk."
"Yes, we do," Cornelius agreed, his heart heavy and stomach curling with worry. It seemed that some decisions were already taken out of his hand.
