Dante bolted through the door as he pulled Lulu behind him. "Dad? Dad? Sonny! Ma? Somebody? Hey!" He started up the stairs.
"What the-?" Sonny met him halfway down.
"Where's ma?"
"She's still at the Metro Court helping Carly finalize some-"
"Good. Call her and tell her to stay there."
"What? Why?"
"I'll explain later. Please, just call her and tell her to stay put until somebody can get her." Sonny dialed the phone. Dante turned his attention to Lulu. She was ashen and silent. "Lulu? Listen, you're safe now. I promised you would be. Come Hell or high water, I will keep you that way."
"No, no, no. Just stay there. I don't know what's going on, but I'm gonna find out. Just wait for Max to come and get you." Sonny hung up the phone and turned to the two of them. "What happened? Is she all right?"
Dante never took his eyes off of her. "He called her."
"What?"
"He watched us the whole day. He knew what she wore and everything we did."
Lulu felt the walls close in on her. Time stood still. Flashbacks flooded her mind. She fought them, but they were too strong. Then, everything went black.
"Oh no, no, no. Lulu, stay with me."
"Lulu? I think she's waking up." Dante sat by her side and nudged her. "Hey. You scared us. Are you okay?"
"Um, I think so. What happened?" She was still a little dazed.
"You passed out. Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. I guess I was just worn out."
"Lulu. You were in shock. I could read it on your face." He pulled her up and into his arms. "Please, don't be stubborn. Not now."
A deep sigh escaped her. "Okay. I panicked. The phone call just made it all come back again." Tears welled in her eyes and he held her a little tighter.
Sonny sat down in front of them and took her hand. "This guy's gonna screw up and get caught. I think he has already."
"I know he has," said Dante.
"You know what to do, right? If he calls again, you push this and…" While Mac explained the details of the tracing device to Lulu, Dante and Lucky poured over maps of Sonny's property. "We were here when he called. He described everything we did, even the color of her shirt. Lucky, I want this creep and when I catch him, he's dead."
"Whoa. Listen, we all want to nab this guy. I'd like to go a round with him myself. For her sake, though, you've got to pull it together. It won't do anyone any good if you're in jail."
Dante cooled a bit. "Lucky, how can I look at her and not want him to suffer the same way that he's made her suffer? I know you're right, but it still enrages me. You should have seen her. She was terrified."
"That's why we have to take him down, and soon. So, you said that you were here? Did you see anything at all?"
"I looked all around us. I didn't see or hear anyone. He must have been close enough to see us, but in a place where he could make a quick escape."
"Let's see, that could be near the boathouse."
"Right. He could have been watching from the road also. That's where I'd lay my money."
"Okay. I'll go along with that. Hey, Mac, we think maybe he was in a car by the side of the road."
"I'll get forensics to look for fresh tire tracks. Look, considering the circumstances, I shouldn't be letting you guys handle this. However, I know you won't mess it up and that's why I'm turning the other way. Just remember, anything you find comes to me first, okay?"
"Okay," they both said.
Sonny walked over to them. "Lucky, have you made any progress in finding Luke? I still can't track him down."
"I followed a lead in South America. Before he left, he said something about a con down there. It's a time like this that I especially hate his love for travel."
"You know that if he knew, he would be right by her side," Sonny replied.
"You're right, he would. Would you mind trying again? I've got a few other contacts yet to make myself."
"Of course, I will. I know some people in South America. I'm sure that they will help out."
Dante shot a look of disapproval at Sonny.
"They're legitimate. Don't worry."
Just then, Olivia rushed through the door and hugged her son and Lucky. "Oh my gosh. Max filled me in on the way home. This guy's got some nerve." She looked over at Lulu. "Is she okay?"
"I'm not sure. I think so. She's better than she was earlier. She passed out on us," said Dante.
"What? She passed out? The poor girl." She paused for a second. "You don't suppose she could be…"
Dante read her mind. It was the one thing he tried not to think about. He dropped his head and rubbed his temples. "Oh, man, I don't know, ma. We talked about that, but I told her not to worry about it. I really believe that the reason she passed out was just stress, but she needs to find out for sure."
"I'll take care of it. You concentrate on the investigation."
"Ma, I promised her that I would take care of her and I intend to do it."
"Dante, honey, you can't do it all. Let me help. Besides, this is a woman thing."
Olivia sat down beside Lulu. "Sweetheart, are you okay? Do you need anything?"
Lulu looked at her with sadness in her eyes. "Olivia, I heard you talking to Dante."
"Oh no. You weren't supposed to-"
"It's okay. It's nothing I don't think about everyday."
"You need to take a pregnancy test. Have you done that already?"
"I'm too afraid. Dr. Lee told me to follow up with her, but I haven't had the nerve. Would you go with me?"
"Honey, of course I will."
