Chapter Nine:

There was a knock on the door and Mac went to answer. Robin was asleep and he had been trying to arrange the extraction.

"What is it?" he asked as Patrick and Noah walked in.

"Tommy is missing. He texted me that he got the meds and blood work and would be here soon, but that was over an hour ago," Patrick said.

Robin sat up.

"Did Helena get him?"

Mac walked to her.

"Don't worry. We'll find him."

"We have to help him. You can't understand what she will do to him," she said and began to cry.

Patrick shook his head.

"Tommy is smart. If he is in trouble, he will contact me."

"Really? Do you think he will?" Robin asked.

Patrick looked at her.

"I do."

"Then you should give Mac your phone so when he calls, we can help him."

Patrick raised his eyebrows and stared at her.

"Excuse me?"

"We want him found. Brittany deserves her husband back. Give my uncle your phone."

Noah and Mac exchanged glances, knowing there was more to this.

"Robin, I'm not giving my phone to anyone," Patrick said.

"Whatever. You should all go. I'm tired."

Noah saw his son's confusion and he looked at Mac.

"Let's go try and have Tommy's phone traced. I think they need to talk," Mac said.

"We'll be next door," Noah said and they left.

"Robin, talk to me, please. What changed from before? You act like you can't stand to be near me," Patrick said as he walked to the bed.

"Give me your phone," she said.

"What the hell is it with my phone?" he asked, exasperated.

She held her hand out and he sighed as he handed it to her.

"When you were cleaning up the bathroom, I decided to look again at the picture of Emma. I had to scroll a little to find it."

His heart dropped when he realized what happened.

"Shit," he said to himself.

"Your new family looks really nice. Now please get out," she said and handed him the phone with the family picture on it.

He put his phone away and looked at her.

"Robin, please let me explain," he tried.

"Every day I waited, knowing you were looking for me. When Helena showed me the divorce papers, I realized she forged my signature. I knew you would know that because you know my writing. I never responded to the divorce and I knew that would be a clue. I waited and I prayed and it was months and months and I didn't know what to do. I tried every way I could to escape and it didn't work. When I was put in that basement, I started to have trouble breathing and I knew I was in trouble. I wrote to you every day. I wrote to Emma. I wrote to keep myself alive."

Patrick wiped the tears from his eyes as she spoke and he said nothing. He had nothing to say. She was right.

"But this morning, I looked up and you were there," she said and her tears spilled over her cheeks and she sighed. "But I was wrong. I was naïve and stupid and I'm really embarrassed. I'm also tired. I want to go home, but mostly, I am worried about Tommy. Nothing else is important. You see, when my friends are in trouble, I can put aside my anger and fear and help. That's who I am. I always thought it was who you were, too, but I was wrong. We need to find Tommy and get out of here. Nothing else needs to be said."

He was at a loss. She was right about finding Tommy.

"There is a lot that needs to be said, but you're right, all that matters is finding Tommy."

Robin turned away from him and Patrick called his dad to come back in.

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Tommy opened his eyes and blinked in the light. One hand was cuffed to a chair and his head was throbbing. He looked around and saw Helena sitting there, smiling.

"I don't like to be left the morning after," she said as she walked to him and cupped his chin in her hand.

"Untie me right now," he said.

"But I wanted to have some fun," she said and ran her hand over his chest.

He didn't know what she knew or what she was trying to do.

"I'll repeat myself. Untie me right now."

She sighed and unlocked the cuffs.

"Is this fun for you?" Tommy asked as he rubbed his wrist. "I told you I am not a submissive. I was here, like you asked, and when I went to get us drinks, you passed out asleep. I had to leave here, with what was supposed to be a memorable night, with bloody nothing. I came here to be useful and to gain research. I thought I found a moment with a beautiful woman that would be a top off to this journey and you bloody crapped on that. I don't appreciate your threats or your poor me attitude and if you ever have someone abduct me again; you will see how dominant I can be. Now excuse me," he said and turned to walk out.

Helena was stunned.

"I fell asleep?"

He crossed his arms; thankful he could feel the meds in his pockets. He worried she had taken everything.

"Not only did you fall asleep, but you left me with shit for information on the doctor's research and now I lost time at work and money on this bloody trip. We're done."

Tommy walked out and ignored her calling after him. He walked as quickly as he could away from the compound and hid in the bushes, waiting to be sure nobody followed him. His head was foggy and he worried they gave him something. He needed to get back to Patrick and Robin.

He fumbled in his pocket for his phone and the numbers were blurring in front of him. He had Patrick programmed as an icon and he pushed it.

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Patrick was sitting on the couch while Mac and Noah went over what they found. Robin had fallen asleep. They all jumped when the phone rang.

"Tommy?" Patrick asked.

"Ptrick?" he slurred.

"Tommy? Is that you? Where are you?"

"Dugged me. I need hell, ppp," he said.

"I think he's been drugged," Patrick said as he covered the phone. "Tommy? Do you know where you are?" He put him on speaker so they could hear.

"Tees," he slurred. "Outsyd."

The men were stumped and the call was lost.

"Trees," Robin said. "He's outside by trees."

Mac and Patrick nodded.

"We waited in the trees outside the compound," Patrick said. "Dad, stay here with Robin while we go, okay?"

Noah nodded and Robin looked scared.

"Please be careful. She might have people watching him."

Tommy tried to grab his phone but it was moving, or he was moving. He reached for it and there was a kick to his stomach. He lay there, not able to move when the punches and kicks continued. He saw his phone on the ground, smashed to pieces and he watched the men walk away.

He tasted blood and felt himself drifting away. This was not the vacation he planned.

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