I waited on the steps of the old Brownstone with Jax by my side. I had no idea what I hoped to gain from this meeting, but I knew that I had to explore every possible avenue. We had still received no word from Alana and Lucia’s kidnappers and as time ticked away, I knew that the chances of finding them both alive were diminishing.
A few moments later, the door was opened by a woman I assumed to be the housekeeper. ‘I’m here to see Foster Carmichael,’ I said.
She looked both Jax and I over. ‘I’m sorry, he’s not in.’
‘That’s okay. We’ll wait,’ I said with a smile. ‘This is concerning his daughter, Alana.’
At the mention of Alana’s name, she hesitated. ‘Hold on for a moment,’ she said and then she closed the door before returning a moment later.
‘Mr Carmichael will see you now,’ she said curtly as she allowed us inside.
‘Thought he wasn’t home?’ Jax muttered under his breath.
We were shown into the sitting room where Foster Carmichael was sitting with his wife, and Alana’s mother, Audrey. I had only met her once before at our wedding. She had sobbed through the whole thing. Alana had told me afterwards that they were tears of happiness as her mother had had no idea about our original business arrangement. Most notably that her father had sold her to me for three million dollars. As far I was aware, she still had no clue.
‘Alejandro. Jackson,’ Foster said as he looked up at the two of us walking into the room. ‘Please have a seat.’
We sat on the sofa and I glared at him, trying to read him and determine if he had any idea for the reason we were there. I had managed to keep Alana and Lucia’s kidnapping from the news. It was better to work in secret than have the whole media circus surrounding us. I already had the best of the LAPD’s resources at my disposal anyway.
‘What brings you here, gentlemen?’ Foster asked as he leaned back in his wingback chair, his hands steepled under his chin.
‘I came to ask you a question, Carmichael. And if you lie to me …’ I didn’t need to finish that sentence. He was well aware of what would happen to him if I ever wanted him to disappear.
‘And what is that?’ he frowned as Audrey shifted in her seat and looked between me and her husband.
‘Do you know where Alana is right now?’
He frowned at me in bewilderment. If he wasn’t lying, he was a good actor – but then I already knew that.
‘I don’t know the answer to that, Alejandro. Because as you know, she has disowned me and her mother. But, I think the more pressing question here, is why don’t you know where she is?’ he snarled, but there was a clear tremor in his voice.
I stared at him and then at his wife.
‘What the hell is going on, Montoya? Where is my daughter?’ he shouted.
‘I don’t know,’ I said as I leaned back against the sofa.
Audrey’s hand flew to her face and she gasped out loud while Foster’s face turned a strange shade of pale while his cheeks remained red with anger.
‘You don’t know? Has she had enough of you and just taken off. Or …’
‘She has been kidnapped,’ I said, trying to keep my voice calm and steady while my heart hammered so hard against my ribcage I wondered how everyone in the room couldn’t hear it.
Audrey slumped against her chair, while Foster jumped up out of his. ‘What? How do I not know about this? When? Who?’ he stammered as he started to pace up and down the room.
‘Just over a day ago –’
‘A day!’ he raged at me. ‘Over a whole day and you’re only just telling me. Why isn’t it all over the news? Why isn’t my daughter’s face all over the television?’
‘Because, in my experience, it is much better to handle these things quietly and discreetly,’ I hissed. ‘And not turn them into a media circus, or an opportunity to draw attention to ourselves.’
‘You think I want to use her disappearance to help my career?’ he snapped.
‘Well, it wouldn’t be the worst thing you’ve ever done, would it, Carmichael?’ I reminded him.
He lunged for me, but I was quicker than he was and was off my feet before he could reach me. I grabbed him by the throat, pushing him back into his chair. ‘This isn’t helping anyone. So, sit down, and think long and hard about anyone you may have upset enough that they would take your daughter.’
‘You think it was something to do with Foster?’ a small voice from beside me piped up and I realized that Alana’s mother was still in the room.
I turned to her. She was impossibly thin. She looked frail and half vacant. It made me wonder who Alana got her fire and her assertiveness from. ‘It’s a possibility. And I need to explore every avenue we have.’
‘I trusted you to look after her,’ Foster sniped. ‘I can’t believe you let her slip away from under your nose.’
‘Listen to me you selfish son of a bitch!’ I hissed as I pressed my face close to his. ‘I did not let her slip away. She was taken from me! And I will kill every single person who has ever even looked at her if I have to, but I need her back with me. And so I need you to fucking think!’ I heard my voice crack and it was only then that Carmichael stopped glaring at me.
‘I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head. No-one who would do that. But I will give you a list of the people I may have … upset … in recent years,’ he agreed. ‘And you have all of my resources at your disposal.’
‘I have resources,’ I snapped. ‘Send the list to me as soon as you have it. And let me know if you think of anything helpful. Do not go to the press with this, Carmichael. I am warning you.’
‘I’ll give you another forty-eight hours, Montoya. But after that, I am contacting the FBI.’
I glared at him.
‘She is my daughter!’
‘She was. Until you fucking sold her to me. You narcissistic prick!’ I spat. ‘Get me the names.’
He sat back in his chair again, but I had no doubt he would go to the Feds if I didn’t find Alana soon. If I didn’t find her soon, I doubted I would find her alive. My legs almost buckled beneath me at the thought of never seeing her again. Of never telling her how much I loved her.
I pushed the thoughts out of my head. They served me no purpose right now. ‘Come on. We’ve got a plane to catch,’ I said to Jax.
A few moments later, the two of us were in our car being driven to the airport.
‘Do you think he will come up with anything useful?’ Jax asked.
‘No,’ I shook my head. ‘I don’t think it has anything to do with him. But I had to be sure. Had to look that fucker in the eye myself and make sure this was nothing to do with him.’
‘I understand, amigo,’ he replied.
‘Did you believe him too?’
‘Yup,’ Jax nodded. ‘I don’t think he has a clue where Alana and Lucia are either.’
