Chapter 28
Hours had passed since Jason's discovery of the guards' bodies and Elizabeth's disappearance. He felt so useless as he waited for information to trickle in. When his cell phone rang, he answered impatiently, "Morgan."
"Jason, it's Ron." Ron was the guard assigned to Michelle. Jason had barely given her a passing thought that day. The voice continued, "I was tailing Miss Lafontaine and her friend, St. Amant. He was driving a new sports car and he sped off at a red light. I tried to keep up, but they lost me. I'm sorry, Jason."
Jason closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Just what he needed - wasting manpower to find Michelle and her arrogant friend. "It's not your fault, Ron. Come on back and we'll try to figure something out."
"What now?" Sonny asked.
"Michelle and Justin ditched the guard. Ron tried to find them but couldn't. He's on his way back," Jason explained wearily.
Sonny swore. "What were they thinking?" he asked forcefully.
"They weren't," Jason answered. "I'm tempted to let them fend for themselves." He sounded disgusted by their stupidity.
There was a knock on the door and it opened to admit a dishevelled Justin St. Amant. "They took Michelle," he stated loudly.
"Who took Michelle?" Jason asked, already sure of the answer.
"Two thugs. We were driving when suddenly a car pulled out in front of us and stopped, blocking our way. Once we had stopped, two men jumped out and approached our car. One of them struck me on the head with his weapon and, when I regained consciousness, Michy was gone." His voice shook with feeling. He looked from Jason to Sonny waiting for their reaction. "Why aren't you guys doing something?"
"And what do you suggest we do?" Sonny asked softly, his eyes narrowed. "If you hadn't been so stupid and lost your guard, he could have followed and found out where they're holding them."
Justin looked embarrassed. "I know I screwed up," he admitted. Realizing what Sonny had said, he continued, "Holding THEM? What do you mean?"
Jason rubbed his hand over his face. "They have Elizabeth, too. And you can consider yourself damned lucky to be alive. Elizabeth's guards are both dead. Cranton must have sent some of his lackeys to grab Michelle, while taking care of Elizabeth himself. Bullets to the back of the head seem like his style."
Paling visibly, Justin sat and put his head in his hands. "What have I done?"
Ignoring him, Jason turned to Sonny and tried to make sense of this new development. "So what does he want with both Elizabeth and Michelle? I feel like I'm missing something - that it's right in front of me and yet out of reach." Jason was closer to losing control than he had ever been before.
"He must have a plan, Jason," Sonny answered, sympathetic to his friend's pain. "Unfortunately, I think we're going to have to wait till he contacts us. He must be planning to use Michelle and Elizabeth as leverage."
To Jason, waiting around for Cranton to contact them sounded like torture. He wanted to take action - do something to get Elizabeth back. A future without her was too bleak to contemplate.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elizabeth awoke with a start, realizing that she must have dozed off. She didn't even know how long she had been here. Someone had left a cup of water inside the door and, after tasting a small amount to make sure it wasn't drugged, she drank thirstily.
She stood up and stretched, then began pacing the confining room. To distract herself, she started visualizing designs for the summer collection. When she had tired of that task, she sat and let memories of her times with Jason flood her mind. He had been there for her so many times in the past - always putting her needs first. And she had wasted so much time with her waffling between him and Lucky, and then actually rejecting him in her fear of finding out who she was without Lucky. Elizabeth vowed that if she got out of this situation, she was going to make up for that lost time with Jason.
The door opened and Alexander entered, pushing Michelle Lafontaine ahead of him. He had a gun pressing against her back. "Here is the companion I promised you, Elizabeth." He laughed and continued, "Isn't this amusing? Mr. Morgan's old lover and his new one as roommates - I can't wait for the fireworks! Maybe we'll find out whom he loves more. What do you think?"
"I think you are the same pig you have always been," Michelle spat angrily. "What do you want from us?" There was a note of hysteria in her voice.
Cranton reached out and caressed her cheek. "Ah, Mischa. At one time, I wanted you." He dropped his hand and his tone hardened. "Now all I want is what I can get for you. What do you think you're worth? Let's find out, shall we?"
Keeping his weapon trained on them, he opened his cell phone and dialled. "Morgan," the voice on the other end said.
"Mr. Morgan, this is Alexander Cranton and do I have a deal for you. I'm having a two for one sale and you're the lucky buyer."
Jason's head snapped up and he motioned to Sonny that this was the call they'd been waiting for. "What do you want, Cranton?" he demanded.
"You're a smart man, Morgan. I like that. First, I want the information that Philippe Lafontaine smuggled out of Paris." At Michelle's look of shock, he said, "Oh yes. I knew that he was alive. I've had men searching for him since he disappeared and we've traced him here. Second, I want the address to where you're hiding him - just in case my men can't find him. Third, I want you and only you to bring the information to the place I choose. If you're followed, I'll kill one of your women. I haven't decided which one yet. Maybe you have a suggestion."
Jason closed his eyes and forced himself to get past the rage he felt. "How do I know they're not dead already?" he asked abruptly.
"Now what fun would that be? All right. I'll let you talk to Miss Webber. She seems the more sensible of the two and she won't try anything foolish." He nudged Elizabeth with the gun and handed her the phone.
"Jason," she said softly.
Relief flooded him upon hearing her voice. "Elizabeth, are you all right?" he asked urgently.
"I'm fine," she replied. "He hasn't hurt me."
"We're going to get you out of this," he promised. "I love you, Elizabeth."
"I love you, too, Jason," she responded before Cranton grabbed the phone from her hand.
Into the phone, he said, "Isn't that just so sweet. Now do we have a deal?"
"Yeah, we do. Tell me where to meet you." Jason was holding on to his control by a thread.
Alexander shook his head. "Not yet. When you have left the building and I am sure you haven't been followed, I will call you with the location. And Morgan - I will know if the information you're bringing is real or not. Don't even try to pass off some fake document or your lady love will pay the price." He disconnected.
Cranton motioned towards the door. "Let's go, ladies," he said. "It's time to move to the place I have chosen to stage the final act in my little drama. It's going to be quite a finale."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hours had passed since Jason's discovery of the guards' bodies and Elizabeth's disappearance. He felt so useless as he waited for information to trickle in. When his cell phone rang, he answered impatiently, "Morgan."
"Jason, it's Ron." Ron was the guard assigned to Michelle. Jason had barely given her a passing thought that day. The voice continued, "I was tailing Miss Lafontaine and her friend, St. Amant. He was driving a new sports car and he sped off at a red light. I tried to keep up, but they lost me. I'm sorry, Jason."
Jason closed his eyes and sighed heavily. Just what he needed - wasting manpower to find Michelle and her arrogant friend. "It's not your fault, Ron. Come on back and we'll try to figure something out."
"What now?" Sonny asked.
"Michelle and Justin ditched the guard. Ron tried to find them but couldn't. He's on his way back," Jason explained wearily.
Sonny swore. "What were they thinking?" he asked forcefully.
"They weren't," Jason answered. "I'm tempted to let them fend for themselves." He sounded disgusted by their stupidity.
There was a knock on the door and it opened to admit a dishevelled Justin St. Amant. "They took Michelle," he stated loudly.
"Who took Michelle?" Jason asked, already sure of the answer.
"Two thugs. We were driving when suddenly a car pulled out in front of us and stopped, blocking our way. Once we had stopped, two men jumped out and approached our car. One of them struck me on the head with his weapon and, when I regained consciousness, Michy was gone." His voice shook with feeling. He looked from Jason to Sonny waiting for their reaction. "Why aren't you guys doing something?"
"And what do you suggest we do?" Sonny asked softly, his eyes narrowed. "If you hadn't been so stupid and lost your guard, he could have followed and found out where they're holding them."
Justin looked embarrassed. "I know I screwed up," he admitted. Realizing what Sonny had said, he continued, "Holding THEM? What do you mean?"
Jason rubbed his hand over his face. "They have Elizabeth, too. And you can consider yourself damned lucky to be alive. Elizabeth's guards are both dead. Cranton must have sent some of his lackeys to grab Michelle, while taking care of Elizabeth himself. Bullets to the back of the head seem like his style."
Paling visibly, Justin sat and put his head in his hands. "What have I done?"
Ignoring him, Jason turned to Sonny and tried to make sense of this new development. "So what does he want with both Elizabeth and Michelle? I feel like I'm missing something - that it's right in front of me and yet out of reach." Jason was closer to losing control than he had ever been before.
"He must have a plan, Jason," Sonny answered, sympathetic to his friend's pain. "Unfortunately, I think we're going to have to wait till he contacts us. He must be planning to use Michelle and Elizabeth as leverage."
To Jason, waiting around for Cranton to contact them sounded like torture. He wanted to take action - do something to get Elizabeth back. A future without her was too bleak to contemplate.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elizabeth awoke with a start, realizing that she must have dozed off. She didn't even know how long she had been here. Someone had left a cup of water inside the door and, after tasting a small amount to make sure it wasn't drugged, she drank thirstily.
She stood up and stretched, then began pacing the confining room. To distract herself, she started visualizing designs for the summer collection. When she had tired of that task, she sat and let memories of her times with Jason flood her mind. He had been there for her so many times in the past - always putting her needs first. And she had wasted so much time with her waffling between him and Lucky, and then actually rejecting him in her fear of finding out who she was without Lucky. Elizabeth vowed that if she got out of this situation, she was going to make up for that lost time with Jason.
The door opened and Alexander entered, pushing Michelle Lafontaine ahead of him. He had a gun pressing against her back. "Here is the companion I promised you, Elizabeth." He laughed and continued, "Isn't this amusing? Mr. Morgan's old lover and his new one as roommates - I can't wait for the fireworks! Maybe we'll find out whom he loves more. What do you think?"
"I think you are the same pig you have always been," Michelle spat angrily. "What do you want from us?" There was a note of hysteria in her voice.
Cranton reached out and caressed her cheek. "Ah, Mischa. At one time, I wanted you." He dropped his hand and his tone hardened. "Now all I want is what I can get for you. What do you think you're worth? Let's find out, shall we?"
Keeping his weapon trained on them, he opened his cell phone and dialled. "Morgan," the voice on the other end said.
"Mr. Morgan, this is Alexander Cranton and do I have a deal for you. I'm having a two for one sale and you're the lucky buyer."
Jason's head snapped up and he motioned to Sonny that this was the call they'd been waiting for. "What do you want, Cranton?" he demanded.
"You're a smart man, Morgan. I like that. First, I want the information that Philippe Lafontaine smuggled out of Paris." At Michelle's look of shock, he said, "Oh yes. I knew that he was alive. I've had men searching for him since he disappeared and we've traced him here. Second, I want the address to where you're hiding him - just in case my men can't find him. Third, I want you and only you to bring the information to the place I choose. If you're followed, I'll kill one of your women. I haven't decided which one yet. Maybe you have a suggestion."
Jason closed his eyes and forced himself to get past the rage he felt. "How do I know they're not dead already?" he asked abruptly.
"Now what fun would that be? All right. I'll let you talk to Miss Webber. She seems the more sensible of the two and she won't try anything foolish." He nudged Elizabeth with the gun and handed her the phone.
"Jason," she said softly.
Relief flooded him upon hearing her voice. "Elizabeth, are you all right?" he asked urgently.
"I'm fine," she replied. "He hasn't hurt me."
"We're going to get you out of this," he promised. "I love you, Elizabeth."
"I love you, too, Jason," she responded before Cranton grabbed the phone from her hand.
Into the phone, he said, "Isn't that just so sweet. Now do we have a deal?"
"Yeah, we do. Tell me where to meet you." Jason was holding on to his control by a thread.
Alexander shook his head. "Not yet. When you have left the building and I am sure you haven't been followed, I will call you with the location. And Morgan - I will know if the information you're bringing is real or not. Don't even try to pass off some fake document or your lady love will pay the price." He disconnected.
Cranton motioned towards the door. "Let's go, ladies," he said. "It's time to move to the place I have chosen to stage the final act in my little drama. It's going to be quite a finale."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*