Jon had no idea how long he stood there, absolutely stupefied after Antonio
spoke. Talk, he ordered himself. Say something that would put Antonio at
ease and let him know that Janna was perfectly innocent in this mess. Use
your charm and eloquence to smooth over the situation. Sure. Except that
the only noise he could make at the moment was to let out a trapped breath.
And all of the smooth elegance that he normally could summon seemed to
have taken a holiday on it's own. All Jon could think was that Antonio
knew who Janna was...knew where she was...and actually knew her real
name...
"Luisa hasn't told you anything has she?" Jon finally asked hesitantly.
"I have not talked to my sister in several days," Antonio replied calmly. "I see now that was a mistake."
On the other side of the ocean, Antonio stood in the bedroom of Janna's cousin, trying to keep calm. Jonathan Hamilton? Of all the people to be involved...but it made sense. Perhaps it was true then that there were no such things as family friends. The police had been convinced that someone with inside information had been involved. And Jonathan had been to his house more than once. Antonio looked at the pictures on the mirror again, and then spotted one at the very bottom. Much younger, yes, but still the same man, it was Jonathan and the girl with the dark red-gold hair from the family photo. He picked it up and flipped it over.
"Heather and Jon, Senior Prom," he read with a disdainful little snort. "Rather pretty girl. Did she help you plan this?"
Jon rolled his eyes. Seemed like Liz was still keeping her mirrors lined with pictures. Nobody knew where she got the idea of doing that, but she had started when she was around ten and had never stopped, just updated. And then it hit him. He knew who Janna was. And he was pissed. Of course he would be. He had something stolen from him. And he knew who had done it. Crap. The twins must have gotten it wrong. Janna must have been forced to tell them the wrong thing, maybe to walk them into a trap. Jon didn't know why he would be calling here, but if Antonio touched Janna, there was going to be hell to pay.
"Listen to me, Antonio," he said, his voice full of urgency. "You do not want to hurt her. Just trust me on this. You don't understand what you're dealing with and there is no place on the face of this planet you're going to be able to hide if anything happens to her. I'm with her cousin now, and the other two are going to be returning the statue like you want, and we'll make them get the necklace back from whoever has it. That's not a problem. But you do not, under any circumstances, want to hurt her."
Antonio heard what Jon said and paused, trying to digest what he was hearing. He had Janna? They thought he had her? Wait. What was it that Luisa knew that she should have told him? None of this was making sense. Luisa would not have been involved with a theft like this. It wasn't like she needed the money since she had a rather substantial trust fund in her own right. And Jonathan also already knew about Janna. He hated doing this, but there was only one way to find out what had happened to her. He was going to have to be nice and ask rather than just intimidate and demand.
"Jonathan," he said, "I found this phone number in Janna's apartment. One of my men saw her get kidnapped. I thought of anyone, her cousins and partners in crime would know who had her and be able to help get her back."
Jon blinked. Antonio sounded, well, worried about Janna. He thought about what Logan had said in jest. Maybe it was in the genes. "The evil two are already on their way back to give the kidnappers what they want in exchange for Janna," he said evenly. "You don't have her at all?"
"If I had her, I wouldn't be asking where she was. And how much of this does my sister know?"
"At this point, I would say less than you." Jon decided to come as clean as he could. Maybe Antonio could be persuaded to not press charges against them if he got everything back and they promised to leave the country. Actually, after seeing what they were going to have to deal with when they got back to the US, and knowing that their parents were going to be worse than their sister, he might decide that letting them go to jail would be getting off easy.
He blew out a breath. "Listen, Luisa showed me that video of the thief going through a window. I...umm...it's this wire trick thing that I knew a couple of people who could do it. So, I asked a friend who is in law enforcement in the US to check it out, and the reason why I asked her is because she was one of those people that knew that trick. And she put it together and we got the first two but then something happened to Janna before we could get her too." Not the greatest explanation, but it made sense enough.
"The kidnappers have made contact?" Antonio asked. He thought Jonathan was telling him the truth, but there was still something odd. Janna had said it was the use of guide wires that got her cousin out of the house. But...never mind. There were more important things to worry about.
"Yeah. We're going to follow the kids and make sure they do what they are supposed to this time."
"I am coming with you." It wasn't a request.
Jon almost laughed. A horrified smile touched his mouth at the thought of Antonio being a part of this. Shouldn't he just be glad that he was going to get back what was stolen from him? Or did he just want to be able to make a positive ID later on all three of them. "Antonio, the three of them are going to get a righteous ass kicking and you're going to get back what was taken from you. But I know who you're dealing with and they're not going to let you get your hands on any of them."
"I've got enough evidence here to have them extradited from any country and stand trial," Antonio growled. He didn't want to explain that he had already had his hands all over Janna once and she didn't seem to mind at all. "But that does not need to happen. I will pick you up from the airport and we will go from there." He paused and in a much softer tone added, "I have gotten to know Janna over the last few days. I would prefer that she not go to jail and I want to make sure she is not hurt."
Jon thought again about Logan's words at Daniel's earlier. He smiled. Yeah, had to be in the genes. He gave Antonio the flight times and they hung up. Jon had the number if there was going to be any changes. As he put down the receiver, Heather burst through the front door.
"You're never going to believe what just happened!" they both said at the same time.
"Luisa hasn't told you anything has she?" Jon finally asked hesitantly.
"I have not talked to my sister in several days," Antonio replied calmly. "I see now that was a mistake."
On the other side of the ocean, Antonio stood in the bedroom of Janna's cousin, trying to keep calm. Jonathan Hamilton? Of all the people to be involved...but it made sense. Perhaps it was true then that there were no such things as family friends. The police had been convinced that someone with inside information had been involved. And Jonathan had been to his house more than once. Antonio looked at the pictures on the mirror again, and then spotted one at the very bottom. Much younger, yes, but still the same man, it was Jonathan and the girl with the dark red-gold hair from the family photo. He picked it up and flipped it over.
"Heather and Jon, Senior Prom," he read with a disdainful little snort. "Rather pretty girl. Did she help you plan this?"
Jon rolled his eyes. Seemed like Liz was still keeping her mirrors lined with pictures. Nobody knew where she got the idea of doing that, but she had started when she was around ten and had never stopped, just updated. And then it hit him. He knew who Janna was. And he was pissed. Of course he would be. He had something stolen from him. And he knew who had done it. Crap. The twins must have gotten it wrong. Janna must have been forced to tell them the wrong thing, maybe to walk them into a trap. Jon didn't know why he would be calling here, but if Antonio touched Janna, there was going to be hell to pay.
"Listen to me, Antonio," he said, his voice full of urgency. "You do not want to hurt her. Just trust me on this. You don't understand what you're dealing with and there is no place on the face of this planet you're going to be able to hide if anything happens to her. I'm with her cousin now, and the other two are going to be returning the statue like you want, and we'll make them get the necklace back from whoever has it. That's not a problem. But you do not, under any circumstances, want to hurt her."
Antonio heard what Jon said and paused, trying to digest what he was hearing. He had Janna? They thought he had her? Wait. What was it that Luisa knew that she should have told him? None of this was making sense. Luisa would not have been involved with a theft like this. It wasn't like she needed the money since she had a rather substantial trust fund in her own right. And Jonathan also already knew about Janna. He hated doing this, but there was only one way to find out what had happened to her. He was going to have to be nice and ask rather than just intimidate and demand.
"Jonathan," he said, "I found this phone number in Janna's apartment. One of my men saw her get kidnapped. I thought of anyone, her cousins and partners in crime would know who had her and be able to help get her back."
Jon blinked. Antonio sounded, well, worried about Janna. He thought about what Logan had said in jest. Maybe it was in the genes. "The evil two are already on their way back to give the kidnappers what they want in exchange for Janna," he said evenly. "You don't have her at all?"
"If I had her, I wouldn't be asking where she was. And how much of this does my sister know?"
"At this point, I would say less than you." Jon decided to come as clean as he could. Maybe Antonio could be persuaded to not press charges against them if he got everything back and they promised to leave the country. Actually, after seeing what they were going to have to deal with when they got back to the US, and knowing that their parents were going to be worse than their sister, he might decide that letting them go to jail would be getting off easy.
He blew out a breath. "Listen, Luisa showed me that video of the thief going through a window. I...umm...it's this wire trick thing that I knew a couple of people who could do it. So, I asked a friend who is in law enforcement in the US to check it out, and the reason why I asked her is because she was one of those people that knew that trick. And she put it together and we got the first two but then something happened to Janna before we could get her too." Not the greatest explanation, but it made sense enough.
"The kidnappers have made contact?" Antonio asked. He thought Jonathan was telling him the truth, but there was still something odd. Janna had said it was the use of guide wires that got her cousin out of the house. But...never mind. There were more important things to worry about.
"Yeah. We're going to follow the kids and make sure they do what they are supposed to this time."
"I am coming with you." It wasn't a request.
Jon almost laughed. A horrified smile touched his mouth at the thought of Antonio being a part of this. Shouldn't he just be glad that he was going to get back what was stolen from him? Or did he just want to be able to make a positive ID later on all three of them. "Antonio, the three of them are going to get a righteous ass kicking and you're going to get back what was taken from you. But I know who you're dealing with and they're not going to let you get your hands on any of them."
"I've got enough evidence here to have them extradited from any country and stand trial," Antonio growled. He didn't want to explain that he had already had his hands all over Janna once and she didn't seem to mind at all. "But that does not need to happen. I will pick you up from the airport and we will go from there." He paused and in a much softer tone added, "I have gotten to know Janna over the last few days. I would prefer that she not go to jail and I want to make sure she is not hurt."
Jon thought again about Logan's words at Daniel's earlier. He smiled. Yeah, had to be in the genes. He gave Antonio the flight times and they hung up. Jon had the number if there was going to be any changes. As he put down the receiver, Heather burst through the front door.
"You're never going to believe what just happened!" they both said at the same time.
