As a click then dial tone was heard, Rudy was already using his transmitter to reach Oscar, while Laurie turned on her watch to call Rick.
"Laurie, did you get a hold of Steve and Jaime?" he asked, before she could even say a word.
"Yes, but hurry, Rick….when Rudy and I picked up the phone, someone came on and said if anyone called the police, they'd kill everyone, including Chelsea!"
Rick's face purpled as he listened to his wife's voice. Already at the corner near Robbie's house, he had just climbed into his brother's sports car, as A.J. trained his binoculars on the house. Before he could respond to Laurie, his brother nudged him.
"Someone's sticking their head out of the front door, I don't think they spotted us, but it could mean they're going to make a run for it….maybe we'd better move in through the back."
At once Rick made a decision.
"Pull around to the rear of the house, we can go in through the back driveway….I don't think Adams or whoever's there know about it."
Going with his brother's instincts, A.J. wheeled around the adjoining cul-de-sac, then turned off the motor and nosed quietly into the old-fashioned driveway. Almost noiselessly inching their way into the back of Robbie's backyard, Rick and A.J. stopped behind the fruit trees that edged the property, then slid out of the vehicle.
"You take the rear door, I'll head in through the garage…" Rick whispered, then saw the light on his watch blink.
Seeing it was Steve Austin, he flicked the transmitter stem. "Steve, we're in back of Robbie's….where are you?"
"Jaime's at the side door, I'm behind the bushes at the front door. Some guy keeps peering out, Jaime says Ramona's kept them from taking Chelsea by feeding her…but they're getting impatient and they're threatening Robbie…"
Steve's anger was present in his low tone, and Rick once again was grateful to have him there.
"Okay, pal…your call…." He said, then took a deep breath as Steve told him, "on the count of 3, I take Peeping John out, you go in through the garage and A.J. cuts them off at the rear door. Jaime can get in the side door and protect Chelsea and Ramona."
"Let's do it…" Rick agreed, then quickly relayed Steve's instructions to his brother.
"One, two, …now!" he called, then lowered himself to the ground and hightailed it to the garage entrance, sliding under the heavy door. Once inside the dim garage, Rick made his way up the short flight of steps to the kitchen, then slowly inched the door open.
As soon as he heard a crash, then a "what the?", Rick flung the door open, then saw Ramona and Chelsea being yanked away from a balding, sharply-dressed man by Jaime Austin. As the kidnapper pulled a gun, yelling, "I'll kill the both of you!", Rick matched him with his own weapon and shot him in the hand, forcing him to drop his gun.
"Down on the floor before I kill you!" He growled, then heard a murmured, "Pop!"
Turning, he saw Robbie cuffed to a chair, his face bleeding and his shirt torn and stained.
"Son….oh Robbie…" Rick choked as he holstered his gun, then seeing Steve having corralled the second man while the lookout was down on the floor, went to Robbie's side and managed to free him from the chair.
"Thanks, Pop…I knew you'd come…." The younger Simon began, then winced as Rick pulled out a Kleenex and wiped the blood from his face. "Ow…where's Ramona? And Chelsea?"
"Right here, darling…." A pale but unhurt Ramona came over to them, and she hugged her father-in-law before embracing her husband.
"Honey…are you alright? Where's Chelsea?….Did they …oh, there's our baby…" Robbie calmed down as Jaime placed the crying little girl in his arms. At once she stopped fussing, then stared at her father.
"Somebody loves her daddy…." Rick said, grinning at the picture Robbie and Ramona made, their cooing child reaching up and patting his face, as A.J. wiped his eyes.
"Thank you, Steve, Jaime…." Rick began, then lost his composure and hugged both Austins.
"Anytime, have to make sure our family is safe…" Steve managed, clearing his throat as Jaime added, "Now we'd better get these three to Rudy and call Laurie…"
Rick laughed as before she could finish, his transmitter lit up and his wife's voice sounded from the speaker.
"Rick? What happened? Are they all right?"
"Everything's okay, sweetheart.." Rick explained, fixing a glare at the three men being taken away by the just arrived Ron Johnson and his men. The sharply dressed man, identified by Ramona as Dr. Adams, shook one of the officers' hands off his arm and turned toward the Simons.
"You'll be sorry you interfered…hey!"
Rick wanted to laugh as Steve grabbed the doctor's arm and flung him to the floor, then took handcuffs from the unresisting policeman and snapped them roughly on his wrists.
"What was that you said, Adams?" Steve, his expression seething.
The balding man shook his head, intimidated.
"Then you take over, Ron….this trash isn't worth our time or emotions." A.J. interceded, making their friend give a sigh of frustration.
"You're right, A.J…..Better hurry, Ron….I might just have a better idea of how to handle these animals…" Steve said, his voice still betraying his anger.
"You heard the man…" Rick smirked, then winked at his son.