Chapter 71

Nathalie fought against the sedating effects of the medication as the guard led her back down the stairs. She needed to tell Patrick what she knew before she passed out. Even in her drug induced haze she could see the worry on his face as they walked or in her case, stumbled, down the stairs. He sat on the edge of his bed, nerves twitching and ready to pounce. She did her best to smile reassuringly at him but imagined she looked more crazy than confident. Still gripping her by the arm, the guard deposited her on the bed and locked up her hands.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly as the guard walked back up the stairs. "Did they hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No but they're going to hurt you" she slurred.

"What? Nat what did they do to you?" He was unsure he would be able to keep himself in check if they hurt her again.

"Ultrasound. Baby is fine."

"They drugged you – what did they give you?"

Even in her state his panic rang through loudly. "Com-com-compazine" she stuttered. "I'm fine but listen – Helena – 10 days – wants to get rid of you." Her eyes rolled back in her head as she tried to stay awake. "We have….we need to get out." Patrick nodded though not fully registering what she was saying. Reaching into her top, she pulled out two paperclips. "Try these – I need to sleep." She put the clips on the floor and passed them as far as she could.

"Are you okay?" he asked one more time.

She nodded. "Too tired."

"Okay" he said in relief. "I'll try these – you sleep, okay baby?"

"P – we have to get out." Fast losing her battle against the medication, Nathalie slumped back on her bed. "Love you."

Patrick stared at her for several minutes before finally picking up the paper clips and starting to work on his cuffs. He smiled slightly thinking if only his wife could see him now.

"Teach me how to pick a lock" he asked as they sat watching television.

"What?"

"I want to learn how to pick a lock." He ran his fingers through her hair, eliciting a small moan from her.

"What for?" she asked, finally turning to him.

"You never know when it may come in handy."

She rolled her eyes. "When are you ever going to need to pick a lock?"

"Well" he tapped his chin thoughtfully, "what if we have a fight and you lock me out?"

"As if I would do that" she snorted.

"What if I get locked out and I have Rian? And it's cold?"

"Your dad has a spare key."

"Why won't you teach me? Pleeease" he pleaded jokingly. "I want to have cool spy skills too."

"Fine" she sighed dramatically and went to retrieve her tool kit.

Patrick's tongue darted out as he slowly and cautiously slid the paper clips inside the lock of the cuffs. He listened for the click that Robin had pointed out and after several tense moments nearly wept in relief as cuffs released. He slipped them from his wrists and tried to rub the pain and cramps from them. Happy to be freed from his bonds he also knew it was just a tiny step towards their ultimate goal.

Getting up from his bed, he walked over to Nathalie's bed and sat beside her, rubbing her back soothingly. Unable to comfort her earlier had been a frustration defying description but now he wanted her to know, even asleep, that she was okay. Taking her hand in his, his brought it to his mouth and kissed it. "You're a star" he whispered. "We are going to get out of this – I'll make sure of it."

*******
Robin held the spoon to Rian's mouth but he wasn't the slightest bit interested in the pureed carrots and mushy peas. It had only been a few hours since the cavalry had descended on her house, loaded up and left. Lucky had managed to trace a series of wire transfers and bank accounts leading them to a house in upstate New York recently purchased by one of Helena's subsidiaries. A phone call to Nikolas had confirmed the information of Helena's companies and the decision was taken to move on it immediately. Her parents, Mac, Lucky and Aidan had met in the control centre that was her dining room and devised a rescue plan.

Her father had pulled her aside in to the living room. "We're going to bring him home luv – both of them" he said confidently.

"I believe you." She looked into her father's piercing blue eyes and was sustained by the unwavering certainty they reflected.

He stroked her cheek and pulled her into his arms. "You are my daughter and I will not let anyone hurt you or impact your happiness in any way."

"I love you daddy."

"Me and all Robin, me and all."

Pulling out of the hug, she smiled at him. "But you be safe – all of you. It's not the slightest bit acceptable to me that any of you get hurt."

Robert grinned. "Haven't you heard? The Scorpios, Spencers and Devanes have more lives than Morris the Cat."

"Nice to know your ego is still working fine."

He pressed his lips against her forehead. "You just take care of you and my grandchildren. Your husband will be home by tonight."

"You know something's up, don't you sweetpea?" Robin asked her son. "But it's okay, Daddy's coming home really soon and then the three of us can hang out on the couch, watch tv, go play in the park – just lots and lots of time with Daddy."

Robin rubbed her belly in a futile effort to undo the knots. There was so much at stake, almost every person that she loved was either being held captive or working on the rescue and she shuddered to think of the consequences if even one thing went wrong. It had been five long, nearly sleepless days since Patrick went missing and while she had been hanging on as best she could, the end of her rope was fast approaching. When she was alone, when Rian was in bed and the only sound in the house was the normal creaks and groans, she would dial his voice mail at work or on his cell phone just to hear his voice. The soft, buttery baritone that made her stomach flutter the very first time he opened his mouth made her feel less afraid.

She tired not to over think the situation, a fatal flaw of hers that both amused him and irritated him. For him, she tried to just be in the moment and do what needed to be done without letting her mind race too far ahead but now that they were on their way, now that he could be home, she couldn't stop her brain from working overtime. Was he hurt? Was he hurt badly? Was he scared? Did Nathalie comfort him? Did he comfort her? Did he feel all alone? She wanted him, she needed him to be home with her and she swore the minute he walked through the door she would not let him out of her sight ever again.

"Daddy's coming home baby boy. He's coming home."

******
It was a quiet drive up through the back roads into cottage country. Each member of the team was focused on their assignment and the singular importance of bringing Nathalie and Patrick home. There was a nervous energy in the air as equipment was checked and re-checked. Ammunition and explosives were lined up and passed out. Each one of them was personally invested in the outcome and failure was simply not an option.

They pulled off the side of the road and waited for dusk before exiting the van. Split into groups, they moved around the house with the exception of Aidan, a sharpshooter, who positioned himself at a distance to take down any and all enemies. Giving the signal, Robert waved everyone forward and they stealthily entered the house.

The old farm house was in complete darkness and Anna had an uneasy feeling as they moved forward. There was no sign of life, the dust on the furniture and walls indicated that there had been no visitors for quite some time. Making eye contact with Mac, they moved slowly, in tandem until she stopped short.

"Anna?" he whispered.

"Tripwire. TRIPWIRE" she yelled to everyone in the house. "Get out! It's going to blow!" She spun around and pushed him back the way they came, running out the front door just as the entire house exploded.