Chapter 14

Zach flung open the doors to his office and strode into the room. He went behind his desk and began yanking open drawers at random, rifling through the contents. Whenever he couldn't find what he wanted in a particular drawer, he banged it closed and pulled out another. Bits of office accessories flew about in his haste. Cursing, he slammed the last drawer shut and punched in a number on his desk phone. "Where the hell is my passport? I haven't got time for this." He listened to his assistant babble out a reply. He turned to the credenza behind him, fishing out his keys. He unlocked a cabinet and found what he was looking for. "Perfect. Thank you. Go to the cashier and sign out some cash in my name. Enough for a week in Paris. Quickly."

He felt like an idiot. The passport was where he always kept it. He'd been too angry and worried to think straight. When he saw Kendall again, he was going to throttle her. Assuming she was still alive at that point. It was bad enough that she could have a relapse, now there was the possibility that she could be the one to find Madden. Zach's blood chilled at the thought of her falling into his hands.

Zach went over and poured himself a scotch to try and erase the image of Madden using Kendall to breed more and more little Gregericas. She wasn't the only one in danger – Bianca was now in the mix. Madden would be in his own psychotic little heaven to have all the Kane women in his power. Zach's only hope was that this contact of Chris's was well-trained enough to keep things under control. He snorted to himself at the idea of Kendall and Bianca letting anyone control them. Damage control was probably the best that could be hoped for.

He sat back down and dialed Chris's cell phone. "Chris, I need to know the name of that contact in Paris."

"What's going on, Slater? What have you found out?"

"Early this morning, Bianca called Kendall with a theory that Madden might have flown to France and kidnapped Greenlee. Apparently she got the same lead that you did about Greenlee disappearing from the airport. I have a suspicion that her contact is the same as yours, and I want to know who this guy is that knows both Greenlee and Bianca."

"You're jumping to conclusions, Slater – that's pretty sloppy. Why would one of my contacts get in touch with Bianca? Isn't it more likely that she found out from a mutual friend?"

Chris was being cagey. Whenever he didn't want to answer a question, he always posed one of his own as a diversion. "Why won't you tell me his name, Chris?"

Chris exhaled. "Fine, you want to know who it is? Maxwell Prentice."

Zach's fingers tightened on the arm of his chair. The young man he had trained in Rio, the one he told Kendall about. "I see."

"Now that you have that irrelevant piece of information, I want you to tell me everything you know so far. I've tried to get ahold of Max to see what he learned about Greenlee, but he won't take my calls."

"Can't say as I blame him."

"This is a two way street, Zach. If you want me to tell you everything I know, when I know it, you have to share with me."

Zach gave an exasperated sigh. "Kendall is already on her way to Paris. Ryan rerouted the Cambias jet from Chicago. As soon as it arrives, we're heading after them. I talked to Kendall about a half an hour ago. The last she heard from Bianca, she was headed to some hotels near the airport to try and find the pilot that was flying the New York jet that landed shortly before Greenlee disappeared."

"New York jet? Not a football player, I'm guessing."

"A jet belonging to Retcon Industries took off from LaGuardia a couple of hours after Erica disappeared, and landed at Charles De Gaulle shortly before Greenlee disappeared. Bianca and Max are trying to find the pilot."

"I told you that Max was my contact. I don't know who's helping Bianca."

Zach knew he was lying. The fact that Chris was trying to divert him from making a connection between Max, Greenlee and Bianca was very suspicious. "The problem is, even if we find out that Retcon is owned by Madden and get proof that he did take Greenlee, we still have no idea where he might have gone. By the time we all get to France, he could have driven to Eastern Europe. Or he could have hopped another private jet in another airport and flown to Australia. Or he could still be in France, and when Kendall and Bianca catch up to him, he'll hold them captive too."

"We'll get him, Zach…"

"You don't know that! You helped Dixie for a year and you didn't find him. With all your money and all your resources, you didn't find a goddamn thing on Kate! You still may have nothing – he already sent Tad and Dixie on a wild goose chase once, he may have done it again. One final laugh before he took what he really wanted and took off! Jesus Christ, why couldn't you let him die in that coffin? Everyone would be safe if you had just let the miserable bastard DIE!"

"Everyone except Kate."

If there was one thing in the world that Zach hated more than being wrong, it was for Chris to be right. The truth was that he would have done the same thing Chris had done. Without saying another word, he pushed the end button on his cell phone and very carefully laid it on the credenza so he wouldn't fling it across the room. He turned back towards his desk and tried to think of what else he might need to bring to Paris, but he couldn't seem to concentrate with the buzzing sound in his ears. He logged onto his computer and checked his e-mail. Nothing. Not one fucking message. What the fuck were his people doing? How was it possible that one man could be so elusive?

Stifling the urge to shove his entire computer off his desk, he grabbed the passport and cell phone and headed up to his private suite. He had a bag that he always kept packed in case he needed to fly somewhere at a moment's notice. He looked at the bed that he had crashed on more times than he could count. He'd often fantasized about making love to Kendall there. They hadn't been married even two months yet, and half of that time she'd been in a coma. There was so much that he wanted to do with her, so many joyful memories he wanted to make. It seemed like every time they finally found happiness with each other, something shot it all to hell.

Zach went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. He looked in the mirror, his reflection rebuking him. If only he had been able to convince Kendall not to carry Greenlee's child. If only his blackout scheme had worked. Now Kendall was flying across an ocean, alone, to confront a madman. Zach's fist shot out, smashing into the mirror. Shards rained down onto the porcelain sink.

-------

Bianca and Leo walked into a small tavern, hoping that they would have better luck here or in one of the other bars than they had at the hotels. It had taken them awhile to get the cooperation of the FAA, but they now at least had a copy of the pilot's license with a photo. Very grainy, but it was better than nothing. Bianca approached the bartender. With her most charming smile, she showed the paper to him and asked if he had been in there. Narrowing his eyes, he shook his head and turned to address another customer. Bianca tried a few more times with various patrons. She looked at Leo. "You want to give it a try?"

He shrugged. "If your smile is not gonna make these guys budge, I don't have a chance in hell." He looked behind Bianca and tilted his head. "Although I might give it a shot with her. Hellooo, gorgeous!"

Bianca rolled her eyes and turned to get a look at the woman he was ogling. Shockwaves rolled through her when she saw who was a few tables away, talking with a man sitting across from her. Lena Kundera.

Seeing the sudden paleness of her face, Leo asked, "Bianca, do you know her?"

She nodded slowly. "Lena," she squeaked.

Leo looked back at the woman. "Lena? Wait, was she the one that was involved with Michael Cambias? The one the tabloids said you were dating back then?"

Bianca nodded.

They watched as Lena laughed at something the man said, and shook her head. With a shrug, he got up from the table and headed to the bar, taking his drink with him. She stared down at her own glass for a few moments, then looked up. Lena's eyes locked with Bianca's. Her expression mirrored Bianca's own surprise from moments ago.

She stood up and walked towards them. Leo couldn't help but admire her beauty. She was tall and curvy, with exotic features and mesmerizing eyes. He could see why Bianca would have fallen like a ton of bricks. But her expression, as she reached them, wasn't that of the femme fatale that she had been described as in the rags. There was incredible sadness in her gaze. She still loved Bianca, of that he had no doubt. "Bianca," she said in an accented voice that would turn most men into babbling idiots.

"Lena," she responded in a tight voice, pursing her lips together. Leo wanted to put his arm around Bianca, but he knew she was struggling for control. She was already an emotional mess – seeing Lena was the last thing she needed at the moment.

Lena glanced at Leo, then looked back at Bianca. "I knew you lived in Paris… I didn't think I would run into you out here."

Bianca took a deep breath. "You live in Paris, too?"

She shook her head. "I missed my connecting flight. I came here to unwind while I'm waiting for the next one." She glanced again at Leo.

He held out his hand. "I'm Max Prentice, I'm a friend of Bianca's." He didn't give his real name, he wasn't in the mood for explanations. "We're looking for someone that we need to question in a missing persons case." He gently pulled the paper out of Bianca's hand. "He's a pilot, I don't suppose you've seen him?"

Lena took the paper and studied it. Her eyebrows shot up. "Yes…yes, I have. He was in here when I arrived about an hour ago. He propositioned me, then gave me the number of his hotel room." She turned and went back to her table. She picked up a crumpled napkin and came back to them, handing it to Leo. He smoothed it out and saw the name of a hotel and a room number. "We tried this place already, but he could have used another name." He smiled at Lena. "We really appreciate this."

He put his hand on Bianca's shoulder to steer her away, and Lena took a step forward. "Wait! If he isn't a friend of yours, he might not let you into his room. If I go along, I can at least get him to open the door."

Bianca spoke up for the first time in awhile. "You might miss your flight, Lena."

Lena gazed softly at her. "It's the least I can do, Bianca. There are always other flights." Bianca nodded, giving her a small smile.

------------

David waited impatiently by the private elevator, waiting for Slater to make his appearance. David had gone to Dixie's suite, hoping to talk to her, but she wasn't there. When David went to the bar to have a drink, he saw Zach storm into the lobby and take the elevator up to his office. He looked like a man on a mission, and David wanted to know if he had any news about Erica and Spike. Slater was just as good a source of information as any. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that Zach would be more forthcoming than Ryan or Jackson.

The elevator pinged and Slater came out. When he saw David, he pivoted and walked around him. "Oh no you don't! I want to know if you've found Madden yet."

"Get lost."

David followed him as he headed to the parking lot. "Dammit, Erica is a friend of mine."

"Correction - she was your friend, until you helped your daughter pretend her grandchild was dead."

Zach arrived at his Mercedes and hopped in. David slipped into the passenger seat. Zach glowered at him, and he folded his arms. "I'm not leaving until you give me an update. Obviously there's been a development in the case."

David refused to be intimidated by Zach's piercing gaze. What did throw him off was his question. "You and Greenlee are pretty tight, correct?"

David nodded slowly. "She's my sister-in-law."

"That's right, she was married to your brother, Leo. Wasn't Leo also friends with Bianca?"

David had no idea where he was going with this. "Yes, but I'm here to talk about Erica, not my brother."

"What was the exact date that he and your mother were presumed dead?"

David's jaw clenched. "I would have been better off asking Ryan or Jackson for any news. At least they wouldn't use my grief to taunt me."

He opened the car door and started to climb out. Zach grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back. "Chris Stamp is alive, David, and he may have had something to do with your brother and mother's disappearance. If you want to hear the latest news, you'll tell me the date they went over the falls."

Slater really had lost his mind. Chris Stamp was alive? David decided to humor him to see where it would lead. "The 17th of October. 2002."

Zach mulled this over for a moment. "What color are their eyes?"

David couldn't help but notice Slater's choice of words. Presumed dead. Disappearance. Are, not were. "Leo's were green, Vanessa's were blue. Are you going to finally tell me what the hell is going on? Is Chris Stamp really alive?" Zach nodded. "I shouldn't be surprised. All these people getting resurrected." David stopped short and narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to tell me that Leo and Vanessa are alive?"

Zach shook his head. "I can't give you a definitive answer, but I have my suspicions. Look, I have a flight to catch. You can ride along with me to the airport. I don't want to get your hopes up about something that may be a long shot, but if I'm right, you deserve to know the truth."

Sighing deeply, David closed the car door. "Let's roll."