The Billionaire(39)

"And if I know my wife she's gonna want to have a hand in that." Just one more thing for me to worry about.

"She's a good girl your Ashley you did good there son."

"Thanks dad. What did you tell mom about this?"

"As little as I could get away with you know your mother, she'd probably  hunt the bastard down herself. I've asked her to keep her cool for now  until we see how it plays out. Last I saw before I left the house she  was starting research on how to make sure the senator doesn't slip  through the cracks."

He shook his head as he smiled. "You've got men on the house though right?"

"Yep she's surrounded, not to worry son."

I left dad and walked around the house to make sure everything was as it  should be. I wasn't expecting any trouble here but you never know what  the hell could go wrong. I needed to see them settled so I cold get back  to her. I hadn't realized that it had been a while since we'd spent any  time apart. Since she came home from the hospital I haven't been more  than a few feet away from her or at least monitoring her while I did  something else.

What was going to happen when this was all over and things went back to normal?

"Thorpe we've got a problem."

"What is it Gage?" I turned to the other man expectantly. Please don't let the plane have gone down or some shit now.

"The code for your panic room has been activated."

My heart dropped even as I checked the little device he passed off to  me. I was moving even as I read the screen. My men were right on my  heels as I rushed pass dad.

"I've got to go dad Blossom..."

I couldn't say anymore as my knees threatened to give out on me. I barley made it into the back of the already idling car.

"She's probably safe boss, I think she's the one who went in, no one can get in there..."                       
       
           



       

"Just get me to her and Gage...if it's him he's dead, get everything ready."

"On it boss."





Chapter 33



Gideon



We entered the house through a secret compartment into the underground  office. My heart hasn't stopped beating me to death since I got the news  but I was steady as a fucking rock. According to what I found here  someone might very well die in the next five minutes. She had to be  okay, I won't accept any less, I hadn't found her only to lose her like  this a scant few months later, life couldn't be that fucking cruel.

Gage motioned to me with a finger to his lips; there was movement beyond  the door. I made my way cautiously over to the cameras to see what was  going on. There was no camera feed in the panic room, a stupid oversight  on my part; I'd just always thought I'd be on the other side and didn't  necessarily want anyone else looking in. That would be first on my  agenda.

I heard him before he appeared on screen. "Come out, come out wherever  you are. Here little Ashley I have a message from the doc, remember  him?" He was feeling around the walls looking for a hidden panel I  guess. The man in my hallway did not in any way resemble the dashing  debonair senator of the media. He was disheveled and haggard looking. I  guess that's what happens when your world is crumbling down around you.

I made a move toward the door but the guys got in my way.

"Steady, steady, we don't know who's out there, we're going in blind the  cameras to some parts of the house were deactivated. I can't let you go  out there man not until we know for sure."

"Get the fuck out of my way Gage." He might be right but I couldn't stop  to think about that now. Somewhere on this very floor not far from me  she was scared, that thought alone had me going crazy.

"Where the fuck is she you sure she's here we can't be seen here  together?" Another man could be heard through the door, I wasn't quite  sure who he was until the senator started talking because his face was  hidden.

"Shut the fuck up doc this is all your fault I told you we should've  kept a closer eye on her but no you thought that fuck up had it under  control, now look at the mess we're in."

"Calm down senator, no use passing blame around we need to find the girl and find out what she told this Thorpe fuck."

"And then what?"

"Then we off them both and get the hell out of here."

"We can't kill the girl I need her...."

"You always were a crazy fuck, it's too late for that."

"Screw you doc."

"You sure Starks said she was here?"

"Yes."





Gideon



I felt my heart drop, Jason? Had Jason betrayed us? But how why?

Wait a minute that didn't make any sense. If it had been Jason she never  would've made it to the safe room, would she? What the hell was going  on here?

"Let's move I need to get to my wife."

"Okay Gideon we're just making sure that that's it. We still haven't  located the security detail in the building and we don't know how we  were breeched, if it was an inside job then we need to be careful, we  could be walking into a trap."

"Where are they?"

"Don't know yet they're not at their post that much we know other than  that I couldn't say and we can't go looking because we'd alert those two  and whoever else they have with them that we're here. She's safe in  that room boss you have it stocked with everything she needs. We'll have  her out in no time."

Yes, again all that's true but my baby will be scared and she's been through so much already in her young life...

"They don't leave here alive." Forget trials and long drawn out  bullshit, today was the last those two fucks will ever draw breath.

"That's a given boss."

It felt like forever before Gage gave the all clear. Maurice had gone  somewhere and came back with the news that the guards had been knocked  out. At least they were still alive. Apparently the two now crawling  through my house baiting my wife had used some sort of sleeping gas. I  was still trying to figure out who had told them where to find her. I  know our marriage had been in the papers yes but neither of those men  are locals and my address isn't public knowledge. Sanders might've  talked before he bought it but he didn't know where I lived either so  which Starks had it been? The father or the son?

"How much longer?"

"Soon Gideon, there's a lot to take into consideration here, we have an  unknown in the house granted it wasn't the kid that sold us out, which  I'm inclined to believe he didn't. If we off these two assholes we have  clean up, the teams already on standby by the way; you're gonna want to  get to Ashley as soon as possible and I'm thinking you don't want her  seeing dead bodies laying around, too many questions. So we have to do  this right. On top of that, although this place is like a fort it's  still surrounded by other high-rise buildings and you have more glass in  here than the Corning ware factory; you get the picture? We need them  in the right location to act, then we'll move."                       
       
           



       

What he said made perfect sense but still all I could think of was her  fear. Now I had the added worry of whether or not her friend had  betrayed her as well. Knowing her if that proved to be true it would  hurt her more than being hunted by her old tormentors would.

One thing's for sure, if Jason Starks had betrayed us kid or not he was done.



Ashley



I know Gideon will come and get me, I know Gideon will come and get me. I  kept saying it over and over to myself as I rocked back and forth. I  wasn't really scared, not really. Gideon had told me all about the room  so I knew that no one could get in. I think I'm more worried about  Gideon coming home and getting hurt. I hadn't had time to grab my phone  when I'd seen them coming on the cameras.

I still don't know what had made me look. I'd been watching a movie and  laughing, just biding my time until I could go bother Jace. I'd been  about to go get a snack, which seemed to be all I ever did these days.  It was then that I'd fooled around with the computer and seen them. I  didn't stop to think, with my heart in my throat I'd sprung into action  and had gone flying down the hallway. I knew if they got their hands on  me I'd be dead, my baby would be dead and I'd never see my Gideon again.  That more than anything had propelled me into action. When panic  threatened to over power me I kept his smiling face in my head.

"I'm sure your husband has this place rigged some kinda way so he knows  what's going on. I bet you he'll be here any minute with his goon  platoon to rescue us."

Jace had been saying funny things like that for the last half hour to  keep my mind off of what was going on. I'd stopped looking at the  cameras that showed the two men combing the house looking for me. It  made me sick to my stomach to watch. Jake had turned off the volume  after they'd started taunting me but every once in a while he took a  look to see what they were up to. I couldn't bear to look at them, evil.