Page 15 of Abra's Acquisition
Cicero holds up a finger to gain her attention. “I have one more question. You mentioned Ryan Sinclair. Do you know how to reach him?”
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t. I haven’t seen him since the funeral. He was distraught when his stepfather died. He lost his mother and his stepfather within two years of each other. He also almost lost his wife. She was very sick. I understand he sold everythinghe had to pay for her treatments. This is why he and Mr. Charles argued. Mr. Charles had given Ryan a family heirloom. Ryan sold it. It took Mr. Charles two years to forgive him.”
CHAPTER TWELVE: REY
When Brigitte heads upstairs with Celo and Desdemona, I realize I need to get home. I’m surprised I haven’t heard from my brother. It feels like it has been days, but it’s been only twelve hours since I last spoke to him. A lot has happened in that time. I check my pocket for my phone and grimace when I realize I don’t have it. Erickson must still have it. That’s another reason I haven’t heard from my brother. If he called and I didn’t answer, he’s likely going to go ballistic. I’m sure he’s called my other brothers. Damn it. I need to replace my phone.
I glance over to where Abra, Hex, and Lake are having an intense discussion. Not wanting to interrupt, I turn to Desdemona, who is also watching the men.
“Do you think you could give me a ride to my apartment?” I ask her.
Desdemona frowns at me. “Are you sure it’s safe? Erickson may look for you there.”
“I was thinking of packing a bag so I can stay with my brother, Max, for a few days. I was going to call him and ask, but I realized Erickson still has my phone. So, that’s something else I need to take care of.”
“Let’s wait and talk to the guys when they’re finished,” Olivia suggests. “I don’t know what’s going on, but they look angry. That can only mean something else has happened.”
“Something else?”
Desdemona smiles at me. “It’s been a rough few weeks for these guys. My ex-husband kidnapped me along with my daughters. Levi helped us escape. Then there was the whole thing with those doctors kidnapping women, and Lake dealing with attacks on his tribe. The guys are wound tight right now. Let’s give them a minute to deal with whatever Lake just learned. I’m certain Abra will want you to stay here so he can keep you safe. However, he’ll probably be okay with taking you to your apartment to pack a bag.”
“I should probably pick up my car, too. It’s probably still at Erickson’s, but I don’t remember seeing it when Abra rescued me.” I rub the back of my neck. The guys aren’t the only ones stressing out.
“Here they come,” Desdemona says, straightening as she watches the men walk back to the table. “What’s wrong?”
Dixie slides around to her side and runs his hand down her dark hair. He leans over and kisses her forehead. “There’s a woman asking questions and making a nuisance of herself. We think she may have connections to the individuals who kidnapped Olivia and Annette. She visited the Oxbridges and the Biliots before spending time in the abandoned building from which they had escaped. We think she’s tied to the Brotherhood of the Third Reich. Hex is calling Puma to verify.”
I look up at Abra and see him watching me. “What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. I was just thinking. The guys who grabbed you were the same guys who kidnapped Annette and Olivia. They actually tried for Olivia twice. We assumed they wanted Olivia and Annette because they were medicalprofessionals. They kidnapped those other women because they were pregnant. Why were they after you?”
It took all my self-control to stop myself from placing my hand on my stomach. I hadn’t come to grips with being pregnant yet; I wasn’t ready to talk about it with anyone else, especially Abra and his brothers.
“She was touring obstetrics when I spotted the men,” Olivia says, joining us. “Maybe they thought she was pregnant.”
Abra nods slowly as he studies me. “Maybe.”
“I need to return to my apartment,” I say quickly to distract Abra from asking the logical question about why I was touring obstetrics in the hospital. “Erickson has my phone, and I don’t know what happened to my car. My brother is probably trying to get in touch with me. He’ll be frantic if he doesn’t hear from me soon.”
Abra takes out his phone and hands it to me. “Call him and let him know you’re safe. I’d rather you didn’t mention that Erickson held you hostage in his home. But that’s your call. You were the one inconvenienced.”
“You changed your mind,” I say with a smile. “Earlier, you were adamant about my not telling Max. What changed?”
“I realized that I was more worried about myself than you, and that’s not fair to you. Go ahead and tell your brother what you need to tell him. You can even mention that I was the reason he targeted you. However, I’d prefer you not tell your brother what you’ve learned about me since we rescued you. I don’t want to go to prison.” He reaches over to brush one of my braids behind my ear.
“Don’t worry about Max or me. I won’t share anything with him that would get you into trouble. I will have to tell him something about Erickson, because Max likely tracked my phone to his house, unless Erickson disposes of it. Don’t worry, I’ll make up a story that Max will buy. I have to tell himsomething because he’ll want to know why I’ve decided to quit working for Erickson.”
Taking the phone from Abra, I dial Max’s number.
“Look, Abra, I can’t talk right now. I’m looking for my sister, Rey. You haven’t seen her by any chance?” Max asks, breathlessly. He sounds as if he’s been running.
“It’s me,” I tell him.
“Rey! Thank God. Where have you been? I was just at Erickson’s house. He had your phone and your car. Why did he have them? He said you spent the night, but disappeared. He didn’t know where you had gone. What’s going on?”
Well, that was interesting. What was going on? “You have my phone and my car?”
“Yes, one of my officers is driving the car back to your apartment. I have your phone. Where are you?”
