Chapter 12:

"Lulu?" Dante asked with his heart in his throat.

He scanned the garden. He could not find her. Dante reached for his cell phone dialing Lulu's phone number. Dante heard a ringing sound in the distance behind him. Dante held the phone to his ear as he ran towards the sound.

Dante felt his heart stop in his chest as he saw underneath a shrub was Lulu's cell phone. Dante picked up the phone on the caller display had his undercover name and number. It was most definitely Lulu's phone.

Dante closed his fist around Lulu's phone so tightly that he was afraid that he would break the phone.

"Hey you!" one of the security guards yelled at Dante as he approached him. "You have to leave! You practically ruined ten thousand dollars worth of clothing!"

The guard put his hand on Dante's upper arm as he tried to usher Dante away. Dante shrugged off the guards' grip. "I can't find my wife; let me find her than I can go."

The guard shook his head. "No. You have to leave now."

"I'm not leaving until I see my wife!" Dante shouted. "She was right here now she disappeared! I just want to make sure that she is okay."

"You can look for her later. Now you have to go," the guard said, trying to usher Dante away.

Again, Dante broke the guard's grip. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Then I have no other choice. I'm calling the PCPD and you are going to be arrested."

"Make sure its Detective Lucky Spencer." Dante said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lulu was jarred awake. She opened her eyes; she was in a dark confined space. It took her a second to realize that she must be in a trunk of a car. Lulu racked her brain trying to remember how she got in the trunk. The last thing she remembered was arriving at the Metro Court with her husband then nothing. Whoever grabbed her must had gotten the drop on her, something that she should have seen a mile away. Luke would have been so disappointed.

She tried to move her hands; they were bound in front of her. A smile spread across her face. The person who grabbed her didn't know that she was a Spencer that they knew how to get out of situations like this one. It was like second nature to them.

Lulu brought her wrist to her mouth; thankfully they were bound rope, something she can use her teeth to work on the knots. She hoped that she would have her hands free by the time that her kidnapper reached their destination.

Dante sat in the interrogation room at the PCPD handcuffed to the table waiting for Lucky. It wasn't his plan to get arrested but it was the only way to get alone with Lucky so he could tell him the truth.

"My dear brother-in-law, you asked to speak to me personally? I'm flattered. So you were asked to leave a photo shoot several times and refused to do so?" Lucky asked, reading the arrest report as he entered the room. "The shoot that my sister was in charge of, is that why she isn't here? She pissed at you for ruining the shoot? Did she wise up and realized that you were just using her?"

Lucky snapped the file closed. "That is great! I'm going to call Alexis to draft up some divorce papers and my sister will be out this sham of a marriage in no time. Maybe before the courts close today."

Lucky sat across of him. "How does it feel to be almost divorced?"

"Are we alone?" Dante asked, eyeing the door hoping that no one will come in.

"I assure that we are alone for the time being Mr. Perelli. Let see what the charges are… trespassing, destruction of property, resisting arrest, and assault on a police officer. The arresting officer has a nice shiner by the way. My soon to be ex-brother in law you are looking at some serious time." Lucky read from the file.

"Is anyone else coming in?" Dante asked again.

The sound of his voice caused Lucky to look up. Something was up. "What is it? Is it why my sister isn't here?"

Dante nodded. "We are on the same side, Detective Spencer."

"Of course we are on the same side. We care about what happens to my little sister."

Dante took a deep breath. "What am I about to say, stays between you and me, okay?"

"I don't know about that, Dominic. What if you confess to some type of felony? I can't sweep that under the rug. I need to report-"

"My real name is Dante Falconari," Dante blurted out. "I was working undercover for the NYPD in the Zarrachara organization. When it merged with Sonny's I continued with my investigation. It's changed since Anthony went to jail. Now I need to bring Sonny down."

"What?"

That was the last thing that Lucky expected to hear coming out of Dante's mouth. Lucky stared at Dante in shock. "Dom-I mean Dante does my sister know?"

Dante shook his head. "I tried to tell her many times. Something or someone always interrupted."

Lucky let out a whistle. "She's going to be pissed at you very pissed for not telling her the truth. Hey doesn't that mean this marriage is not even legal? I mean she married Dominic not Dante."

Dante shook his head. "The marriage is real. I signed my real name to the marriage license."

"So what really happened that night on the docks?" Lucky asked. "I mean you are a cop and really didn't need my sister to marry you to protect you and to keep you out of prison."

Dante quickly explained what transpired on the docks that night. When he looked up Lucky was seething at him. "So you entered the marriage under false pretenses?"

"Will you stop asking me these stupid questions?" Dante shouted. "Lulu is missing and I think that Santos has her."

"What?" Lucky asked. "What the hell happened? You are her husband; you are the one that should have protected her!"

Tears that were threatening to fall finally did. "You don't think I know that?" Dante cried. "I was distracted for a nanosecond and that's when he had her taken."

"Tell me everything and don't leave anything out," Lucky ordered.

Lulu breathed a sigh of relief as the knots became untied. The person who tied her up obviously didn't know how to tie knots. She felt around in the trunk of the car, trying to find something that she could use to knock the taillights out from the inside of the trunk to show the cars driving behind the car that someone was trapped in the trunk of the car.

She felt around the dark for something to use. Her hands grasp something cool and heavy. It was a tire iron. This could come handy to defend herself once the trunk was opened.

Lulu felt around the trunk, pulling back the fabric that covered the taillight. She took a deep breath, she was going to get one shot at this, with the amount of noise she was about to make, the driver would surly hear it.

With a grunt, she used all her strength she shoved the tire iron into the back of the taillight. Some light came through the hole; she was successful in breaking one of the taillights. Hopefully, the diver would be pulled over by the police because of it.

Lulu looked out of the hole she just made to see if she knew where she was. She couldn't see much because there no streetlights. From the sparse moonlight all she saw was trees. Her kidnapper was taking her into the woods.

After Dante told Lucky everything thing, his brother-in-law stared at him. "You didn't think that you could come to me with this before hand? This whole thing would have been avoided." Lucky rubbed his face. "Would you have heard me out or call your brothers to beat the crap out of me again?" Dante answered.

"Seriously Dante, it's going to be hard to get these charges against you dropped. You really shouldn't have hit the arresting officer. We already lost valuable time in trying to find my little sister."

"Maybe Diane can work her magic and get them dropped. Something about I was in fear for my wife's well being."

An uniformed officer came in the room, handing Lucky a plastic evidence bag that contained Lulu's cell phone. "Where did you find Lulu's cell phone again?" Lucky asked when the officer left.

"The phone was under a bush. Check the pictures; she might have time to take a photograph of her kidnapper before he dragged her away."

"It was dusted and all the fingerprints that were found were Lulu's," Lucky slipped on a pair of gloves and taking the phone out of the bag. "Let's see if there are any pictures on here."

Dante wondered why Lulu's fingerprints were on file at the PCPD. But that wasn't important right now. "See anything useful?"

"There is just a photograph of a person from waist down. I can get the boys on audio/visual to enhance it to see what they can get from it. Lulu is smart a she would have left us a clue somehow."

Lulu peered out of the hole that she created. It was getting darker, the trees were blocking out the moonlight. She was taken in the morning. A lot of time had passed since her last vivid memory. The driver was taking her deeper and deeper into the woods. The road grew more bumpy meaning that they were off the main road and on an unpaved one. Lulu lost track of time, she didn't know how long she was unconscious and she didn't know how long that they have been driving. They could have been anywhere by now.

Lulu began to touch the top of the trunk with her fingertips, hoping that if the car was found that they would dust for prints they would find hers.

Lulu just hoped that someone had noticed that she was missing by now and reported it to the police. Granted her husband might be worried but her family would more than likely tell him that Lulu had came to her senses and left him without much of a goodbye. She hoped that Dominic was smarter than that.

Lulu's breathing became labored. She was running out of oxygen in the trunk, it must have been hours since she was taken if she was running out of air to breathe. She could have been taken anywhere.

Lulu eyed the small hole she created, she leaned towards it. Cool air was rushing in. She felt better as she breathed it it.

Just then the car stopped; they had reached their destination. Terrified, Lulu clutched the tired iron close, waiting to use it the minute that the trunk was opened.

Dante sat quietly in the interrogation room. Through the window he saw Lucky speaking to the officer that arrested him. The arresting officer had an icepack on his cheek listening intently to what Lucky was saying. Hopefully Lucky was trying to reason with him to get the charges dropped.

His mind went back on the first time he had met Lulu that night at Jake's. He was drawn to her as she asked Coleman to have another Karaoke night. After that night he began to pursue her like he never pursued any woman in his life. Then she upped the ante for him, teasing him that he would never get her phone number. He wished that he took the shocked look on her face when he called her, telling her that he indeed had her phone number.

The door opened, Lucky returned. "Okay, it wasn't easy but Officer Douglas is willing to not press charges because I said that you were worried about the safety of your wife. He gets that you are a newlywed and can't stand to be a minute away from her."

Dante looked down at the cuffs that were still attached to the table. "Does that mean I get to go?"

"I would love to hear that answer, too Detective Spencer." Diane Miller entered the small interrogation room. "Sorry about Mr. Perelli, my phone was charging and I missed the call. What do you have my client even here for Detective Spencer?"

"Actually Mr. Perelli is free to go, Miss Miller." Lucky went over to Dante and unlocked his handcuffs. "The officer had declined to press charges against him."

"Oh really?" Diane arched an eyebrow. "That is interesting to say the least. Come on , Mr. Perelli we need to leave."

Dante cleared his throat. "Actually Miss Miller I need to talk to my brother-in-law for a second. You don't mind do you?"

Diane sighed. "Make it quick. I'll be outside so no funny stuff Detective Spencer."

Dante watched as Diane left the room. "I have to get to Sonny's maybe by now Santos contacted him. I'll let you know what is going on from end. You do the same okay?"

"What was my sister wearing the last time you saw her?" Lucky asked, switching back to big brother mode.

"A brightly colored dress with like four inch heels," Dante said. "Sorry I can't be more descriptive than that. I was just thinking about stuff that I don't want to tell my wife's older brother about."

"Thanks for that. You forget that I changed my sister's diapers. I really don't need that image in my head. Let me know the minute you leave Sonny's," Lucky said.

As soon as Dante left the interrogation room, his cell phone rang. It was Sonny. "Hi Boss," Sonny greeted.

"Drop whatever you are doing and get over to my place. I have some news to share for you," Sonny said before he hung up the phone.

Lulu lay still in the trunk, straining to listen to what was happening outside of the car. She heard gravel crunching underfoot as the person made his way to the trunk. Sweated beaded on her forehead, the trunk was becoming stifling hot. She strained to listen as the key was slipped into the lock and the trunk sprang open.

"Leave me alone!" Lulu screamed wielding the tire iron, in the air.

She had made contact one the blows, she heard the driver grunt in pain. Knowing that her time was limited, Lulu leaped from the trunk and tried to make a run for it. Apparently she didn't hit him hard enough because the driver had recovered quickly. He tackled her, Lulu fell hard, and she used her hands to brace her fall. Pain shot up one of her wrists, before she was able to recover from the pain jolt; she was lifted in the air and placed over the shoulder of her kidnapper, making sure that she wouldn't be going anywhere.

"You really shouldn't have done that," the man growled obviously in pain.

Lulu could only see what was behind them from her vantage point. They were on what appeared to her to be an old logging road. There was no light except from what was coming from the moon. She did not have a clue where she was.

"Why?" Lulu spat. "You are going to kill me anyway."

"We have orders not to harm you," the man said. "Stop struggling and I won't hurt you."

"Tell your boss that he doesn't scare me. Do you know how many times I've been kidnapped? Plenty…"

"Shut up or do you want me to drug you again?" her kidnapper snapped. "Just be quiet okay?"

The kidnapper continued to go deeper and deeper in the woods. He struggled in the terrain with Lulu draped over. He stumbled a few times, Lulu bit back her smile. The guy was not familiar with the location where she was taken to. This could work in her favor since she was getting a great look of their way from the road. She could easily find her way back.

The kidnapper then stopped, Lulu heard keys rustle and a door creaked open. Wherever they were they made it to their location.

The man came in side. He turned on a light and set Lulu down on the floor, he kept a firm grip of her injured wrist, pulling her arms behind her back. He forced her in front of him, leading her deeper into the old hunting cabin.

Lulu's nose tickled from the layers and layers of dust that was covering everything. She winced in pain as her assailant brought into the bedroom. The bed was covered with a large sheet as well as the rest of the furniture. "Sorry about the accommodations, Mrs. Perelli. The timeline was moved up. This place was supposed to be ready for you."

"Sorry that you are disappointed," Lulu replied.

Her assailant let go of her wrist, pushing her towards the bed with the high heels she was wearing, she stumbled on top of the bed. "At least give me a name to call you."

For the first time, she got a good look at the person that had kidnapped her. He was looked about to be her age. He was muscular and tall. He could have taken her out at any given moment. The man that stood before her wore no mask; he was good looking, if she would have run into him at Jake's she would have talked to him.

"Call me Shawn."

"Okay Shawn, why am I here? Meaning why didn't you kill me when you had a chance?" Lulu questioned.

Shawn reached behind him, pulling out a gun. "I am not going to tie you up. Somehow I figure that you will find a way to get untied like you did in the car. But I am going to lock you in the bedroom. There is a bathroom over there. It's clean and there is running water. Don't think that you can break the glass and escape I can hear it. The window may not look it but there is a two story drop. The fall will kill you. There is nothing around for at least one hundred miles, so don't think about even running. There is no place to run to my dear."

Dante entered Sonny's office. Sonny was on the phone by the way that Sonny was speaking to the person on the other end; he knew that Lulu was taken. "Dominic," Sonny said, hanging up. "Thank you for coming here so quickly."

"You know, don't you?" Dante asked.

Instead of responding, Sonny handed Dante a picture. Dante turned it over; his heart fell to his feet.

In the picture was an unconscious, tied up Lulu in a trunk of a car. Dante saw that there was writing on the picture.

"If you want to keep her alive, you have to do what I say…"