©Sweetslover8 2015. It is illegal to copy and/or steal.
~Uploaded August 12th, 2015.
We'd arrived in Boston shortly after five, but as it turns out, Eric had just boarded the plane to England at Boston Logan International Airport.
Becca sighed. "There's no way we can catch up to him now. Unless anyone has four tickets to London on that flight?"
Finn grinned suddenly. "No, but I've got something better. I can get us on the next flight to London in an hour."
"And how are you going to do that, boy genius?," I asked.
"Easy," he grinned. "I'm going to give my family a call." We all just blinked at Finn's easy grin and words. Wait, what?
Finn explained to us later that he had gotten in touch with his family the night before while we were all sleeping and explained our situation to them. Finn's father, Mr. Vicari, was the airport manager of Boston Logan International. His family had moved from New Jersey to Boston not long after Finn's kidnapping. That was extremely convenient. Anyways, Mr. Vicari was overexcited in more ways than one that he would be seeing his son for the first time in over a decade, and had promised he would get us on the next flight to London.
After Finn got off the phone, he told us we'd have to go to the manager's office. After asking around and getting several suspicious looks, we found ourselves in the elevator to the third floor with some overly sweaty businessman. I could've sworn he kept staring at Becca and I. Ugh. Becca shifted uncomfortably, but I only stretched my arms high enough so the man could catch a glimpse of the IWB holster and gun at my waist.
He didn't stare for much longer. In fact, he gulped and ran into the elevator wall as he exited ahead of us on the second floor. I put my arms back down and realized everyone else was staring at me. "What?," I asked.
Finn laughed and high-fived me. "Not how I would've handled it, but good one. Just avoid flashing that thing in front of my dad, alright?" We stepped onto the third floor and found our way to the airport manager's office. Julian Vicari, Manager, the plaque on the door read.
Before we even knocked on the door, a large gasp echoed down the hallway. We followed the sound and found its source at a tall middle-aged man in a suit with an undone blazer. His hair was a brown buzz cut and his eyes were a familiar forest green. An ID badge hung at his belt.
"Finnian?" The man approached us hesitantly, as if he weren't sure if this were a dream or not. "Is that you, my boy?"
"Dad?" I looked back and forth between the man and Finn, and thought that they were definitely father and son. The same green eyes, jawline, and smile as they met each other and embraced.
"I never thought I would see you again. I thought the phone was too good to be true." Mr. Vicari hugged Finn close, his large arms wrapped around his long-lost son. "You've grown so much. My god, you look just like your mother. She's going to have my head for not bringing you back home right away." He sighed then loosened his grip on Finn. "But you have a job to do, so I won't stop you. London, right?"
"Yes. We're going after my friend's brother. It's really important that we get to him. He's on the plane that just left. Do you think you can get us on the next flight?"
"It's the first time I get to do something for you in thirteen years. Of course I can. I'll make something up about overbooking or something. Don't worry about it. Come on, we should get you four on board early. Follow me please."
"So, your full name is Finnian?," Ajax asked as we followed Mr. Vicari down a few flights of stairs past security and toward the gates.
"It's actually Finnian Alfonso Vicari," Finn replied. "I remember now. I'm named after my grandfathers, right Dad?"
Mr. Vicari grinned. "Exactly that. Your mother literally fought with me to have your first name as Finnian, and not Alfonso. Are you trying to make his childhood at school difficult?, she told me. Bah, I still think you would've made an excellent Alfonso. Although I think your sister would have fun teasing you with that."
"Sister?," Finn asked, utterly confused. "I don't remember having a sister."
"She was born less than a year after you were taken from us. Your mother had just gotten pregnant with her, and we were getting ready to tell everyone, but..." Mr. Vicari clenched his fists, then opened the door for us into the proper terminal. "That's when you were kidnapped, so you never knew."
Finn was so shocked he didn't blink or say anything for a good two minutes. "Finny?" I put a hand on his shoulder gently.
He spoke testily. "I have a little sister?" His father nodded. "That means she's eleven right now. She'll be going into high school soon." He gritted his teeth and marched on ahead of his father towards the gate while muttering, "That bastard's going to pay for this."
"I'm afraid I don't understand." Mr. Vicari watched after his son worriedly. "Who is he talking about? Don't tell me it's whoever took him from my wife and I."
"Yes. It's the same man who took us from all of our families," Becca spoke up. "We were kidnapped when we were five also. We don't know anything about our families. At least Danika here-" Becca gestured towards me "-has her brother, the one who flew off to England. You must know how imperative it is that we find him."
He nodded. "I do. I've been searching for my son since he was taken from us. I'll help you get back to your families as well. Here." Mr. Vicari reached into his back pocket and pulled a business card out of his wallet and handed it to Becca. "For whenever you need to get back."
"Thank you, Mr. Vicari. You've been an enormous help." Ajax shook hands with him, Becca and I following suit.
"Just bring my son back with you. Now that I've found him, I don't want to lose him again." He looked over to Finn who was sitting in one of the seats by the window overlooking the tarmac.
"We promise," I said as reassuringly as I could. "We've got his back, so don't worry."
"Thank you. Could you send him over to me please? I'd like to speak to Finnian in private."
"Of course." We walked over to Finn, relayed his father's message then sat down. Finn and Mr. Vicari sat in seats a little ways away from us, probably catching up, though how you were supposed to summarize the past thirteen years in less than an hour I had no idea.
Soon enough, the plane arrived at the gate, and I witnessed Finn's tearful goodbye and fierce hug. Once we boarded the plane and were assigned first class seats (thank you Mr. Vicari), I reached across the aisle to tap Finn's shoulder. "Hm?"
"Hey. Are you okay? You seemed pretty upset back there."
"I am. I finally find my father again after all these years and I have to fly across the damned Atlantic. I don't blame Eric though. He's looking for family, like the rest of us. I blame the f*cking General. Because of him, I missed out on a normal childhood and my little sister's." His eyes were mixed with sadness, fury and fear as he looked at me. "Dee, I'm so mad at him. I'm furious. If he was right here in front of me, I wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in his brain. But I'm scared too. I've never felt this way. I don't think I've ever felt this violent in my life." His breathing grew heavier.
"Finny..." Finn had always been a gentle spirit with the patience of a saint. I'd never seen him mad once in all the years I'd known him. Annoyed and irritated, yes, but never this enraged. I could only imagine what he was feeling. I asked Becca to trade seats with Finn and she did. Once we were settled again, I pushed Finn's head onto my shoulder so he could rest. "It'll be okay. We'll find Eric first, then track down that bastard. I promise."
"How can you promise that? He could be anywhere." Finn held onto my hand tightly. I squeezed it back in reassurance.
"Because I never break a promise. And I want a shot at the man myself."
~~~~~~~~
After hours of travel, we finally arrived at London's Heathrow Airport. Let me tell you, that place is gigantic. It took us fifteen minutes just to walk down the hallway to the baggage claim. Once we collected all of our belongings, we found a relatively quiet corner with seats, wi-fi and washrooms nearby. I despised airplane washrooms; they were the size of a shower with your knees touching the door when you sat down.
"Anything yet, Finny?" Becca and I came back from the washroom and asked.
"I told you before; there are thousands of Richards families in England. Do you remember anything from living here, Dee?"
"I didn't even know I was British. I suppose my accent gave out a while ago."
"Try. Like Dylan said, even the littlest thing can help." Dylan. My heart panged again. No, focus.
"Just... give me a minute to think, alright?" I began pacing back and forth across the carpeted section of the floor.
Is there anything I remember about living here? I looked outside to the grey storm clouds that always seemed to loom over London in pictures. The harder I thought, the more I realized that it wasn't right. I knew that I hadn't lived in the city of London. It had been a smaller community, by the water I think. Then again, all of Great Britain was surrounded by it, so that didn't help much.
"It was by the water." I spoke out loud as memories came running through my head. "There was an old water tower, um, a pier that was wrecked by a storm a long time ago then fixed. I remember one of my parents telling me about it. There's a lighthouse there too, and I think the town name started with S. Sorry." I fell into an empty seat and sighed. "I don't think that's much help."
"Actually, it is."
"Say what?" I flew out of the chair to peer over Finn's shoulder.
"There's only one Richards family in Southwold, surprisingly. It's got an old water tower called just that, the Old Water Tower, there is a pier with a part of it that was destroyed in a gale in 1955, then repaired. And there's a lighthouse there too. I think Southwold's our place. But..."
"But?"
"It's a two and a half drive away from here. Eric already has an hour head start on us."
"Then let's rent a car and go. I'm not giving up since we're so close. I'm driving this time."
Everyone nodded and we headed to the nearest car rental kiosk. We got another SUV, piled in, hooked up the GPS and were off. The drive wasn't very difficult; there was very little traffic on the M25 and A12 to Southwold.
But it was nothing if entertaining. Ajax had fallen asleep in the backseat twenty minutes into the drive, and Finn was having fun sticking a bunch of straws he'd grabbed from the airport food court up his nose.
"You think that's a good idea? What if he wakes up?"
"Then I'll blame it on Beck."
Becca whipped around in the passenger seat. "Hey!"
"Kidding. And he has been a bit of an ass during the past few months. He deserves it. I'll stop soon. After a few more straws..."
Becca turned back around and huffed. "I swear, he doesn't learn. The last time Finn did that to Ajax, he ended up in a Nagata Lock III." I winced painfully at the mention of an unbreakable Japanese wrestling hold. "Yeah, I know. Ajax didn't hurt him permanently, just sore for a whole week. But that's what happens when you shove a bunch of straws into his nose," she emphasized towards the back seat.
"Alright, alright. But at least let me have some fun waking him up, okay? Here, pick a song, preferably something loud." He handed Becca his phone and she started scrolling through his playlist.
"Hmm. Ooh, how about this one?" I made sure I wasn't going to crash the car into anything, then took a glance at the song on screen that she showed me. "Nah, not loud enough. Pick some Avenged Sevenfold. How about Afterlife?"
"Good choice." Finn selected the song, paused it and linked his phone to a pair of wireless headphones, cranking the volume up all the way, then gently placed them over Ajax's ears. "Hey, are we there yet?"
"Not yet, Finny."
"Okay." A pause, then, "So, are we there now?"
"Nope," Becca answered as she studied a map.
"How about now?"
"No, Finn."
"Now?"
"Not even close."
"What about now?" A twinge of annoyance started to prick at me.
"No, not yet."
"Are we there now?"
"Yep," Becca replied.
"Really?"
"No!," we yelled at the same time. I saw Finn shrink back into his seat through the rearview mirror. He opened his mouth to say something. "Finnian Alfonso Vicari, if you ask that dumb question or any variation of it again, you are a dead man. Do you understand me?"
Finn stuck his tongue out at me. "It's so not fair that you know my full name, but I don't know yours. Hey Beck, what do you think Dee's middle name is?"
Becca pondered the question. "Hmm... Maybe Elizabeth, since she's British and all? Or maybe Emily?"
Finn grimaced. "That is so stereotypically British though. I feel like it'd be something else. How about a flower name? Like Rose, Daisy or Lily?"
"Danika Rose Richards?," I said aloud. "I dunno about that. It doesn't sound like me." I squinted at the road ahead. "We're almost there. If you're going to play that dumb prank on Ajax, do it now."
Finn muttered something unflattering under his breath as he double checked the link between his phone and the headphones, then pressed Play with a mad scientist grin.
I'm not sure what happened next, but one minute everything was fine, and the next I heard Finn yell, saw his legs fly up through the rearview mirror and heard something smack against the back window. I risked a peek behind me and saw Ajax holding Finn's face against the window while keeping his legs pinned to the seat with his knees. Ajax was holding Finn's two arms behind him in chicken wings. Ow.
"You think this guy would learn." Ajax used his shoulder to take off the headphones off his head so that they rested around his neck. Heavy metal and lyrics echoed out of its speakers. "Guess he likes being in pain. Come on, Finn, say it. Say Uncle."
"No. Way," Finn grunted.
"Are you guys seriously playing Uncle in the middle of a mission?," Becca scoffed. "How childish." Their argument continued until the twinge in my head went from manageable to unbearable.
"All of you, shut up!," I yelled as my pounding head reached its climax. Silence fell over the vehicle except for the rumble of the car and the low voice of a DJ over the radio.
"We're here." I pointed ahead of us to a sign that read "Welcome to Southwold ". As we approached the town, a sense of trepidation crept up my spine. It had been all along of course, but it started to hit me pretty hard now.
What if these people weren't my parents and I was wrong? What if they had moved away long ago? Worse yet, what if it really was them and they told me they no longer wanted me? What would I do then?
"Hey." Becca set her hand on mine. "It's okay. I'm sure they'll be thrilled to see you. You don't need to be nervous." I nodded and smiled, but her words didn't reassure me.
"Finny, what's the address again?"
"Hang on a sec. Let me go already, Jax." Finn dug out his laptop. "Uh, take the next left." I followed his directions until we arrived in front of a home with a large gate and high brick wall. "This is the place."
We all climbed out of the SUV and walked up to the front gates, a big imposing piece of well-crafted metal that seemed to say, "Who goes there?" Beyond that, a cobblestone driveway led up to the front door of an equally imposing house. It stood tall and white with a ridiculously large number of windows and arches all around. A double door garage stood on the left side while the right side seemed to lead off to a garden, though it was hard to tell with the brick wall and pine trees standing in the way.
"So, who wants to knock first?" Ajax gestured to the intercom on the brick wall. I marched up to it without a second thought and hit the button.
"Hello?," a female voice answered, probably a housekeeper or something.
"Hello. Um, are Mr. and Mrs. Richards home?"
"They are not at the moment, but they should be back in a short while. May I ask who is calling?"
"Uh..." I looked to my friends for help. They made urgent ushering motions with their hands. Gathering my courage, I said, "Their daughter, Danika."
Silence. "I beg your pardon?"
"My name is Danika. Their daughter. I know this is strange and sudden, but-"
"Please wait a moment." The line went dead.
I stepped away from the intercom and sighed. "Well, that went well."
"It's not like she was telling you to get lost." Finn's attempt to comfort me didn't do much. "She's probably calling the Richards and asking them if she can let you into the house."
"Or maybe she panicked and doesn't know what to do with some stranger at the front gate," Becca said, which didn't help.
"Either way, we'll have to plan our next-"
Ajax was cut off by the sound of the gate opening and the intercom crackling back to life. "Please, come in," the same voice said.
"Okay then." We walked through the gates, up the driveway, and up the two steps to the front door. Timidly, I raised my hand to knock. It flew open before my knuckles even touched the door, and I found myself enveloped in a tight hug by a complete stranger.
No, a part of me thought. Not a stranger. I pulled back and saw waves of black hair, misty grey eyes and a warm smile.
"Cassandra?," I asked incredulously, doing a complete 360 in my head. "What are- Who- What-?"
"I knew it," she spoke with the same voice that had answered the intercom. A relieved smile came to her face as she held both of my hands in hers. "I knew it was you, the first time I saw you back in Silver Creek, but of course they didn't believe me. They'd almost given up on you, you know." Tears poured out of her eyes and down her cheeks, which threw me off a bit.
"Who almost gave up on me?"
Cassandra laughed. "Well our parents of course. Don't tell me you didn't recognize your own sister?"
Not for the first time, the universe slapped me upside the face. Hard. I stared back at Cassandra and felt like the biggest idiot in the world for not realizing it sooner. I mean, we looked identical. Stupid, stupid, stupid. "Are you-?"
"Your older twin sister," she finished. "Well, I'm only older by like, a minute and a half, but still." And how on earth had I forgotten that I had a twin sister? She pulled me into another hug, and I felt obligated to return it. "Oh, I still can't believe it."
"Miss Cassandra, there you are. Didn't your parents tell you not to answer the door on your own?" A stiff looking older man in a crisp black suit appeared from somewhere on the right. His head was balding on top with white hair on the sides.
"For goodness sake Rupert, I'm 18 years old now. I can drive, drink legally, clean and cook and fire a gun, but I can't open the front door of my own house? It seems rather ridiculous to me," she sniffed. "Besides, I think you'll be happy to learn who our guests are. Everyone, please come in."
We shuffled into the front hall, and closed the door behind us. The marble floor squeaked as we tracked what very little snow there was in the driveway into the house. So not Silver Creek. "You remember her, right Rupert?"
Rupert gave me an uptight look at first, then narrowed his white eyebrows, creating a crinkle between his brows. "Is this Danika?," he asked, astounded.
"Yes, that's me." I had a few vague memories of Rupert. He'd been working for my family since we were babies. Although he could be stiff-lipped, he cared for each of us very much. "It's good to see you again, Rupert."
"Oh, my. After all these years..." Rupert allowed himself one warm smile, then cleared his throat and gave a slight bow. "It is wonderful to have you back, miss. I'm sure your parents will be thrilled to hear of your return. They are out to brunch with some friends, but they will be back in the early afternoon. Is there anything I can get you? Any bags I can attend to?"
"We actually have a couple of things in the car-"
"I'll go," Ajax said. "I'll get the bags."
"That is fine, sir. You are guests here. I will see to-"
Ajax insisted. "No, it's fine. I want to do it. You guys get settled in and I'll see you in a bit." He held out his hand to me for the keys. I dug them out of my pocket and handed them to him. He smiled, then headed back out into the -5 degree weather.
"Is he okay?" Cassandra seemed concerned.
"Ajax is fine. I'm sure he's just tired and a bit overwhelmed. He'll be fine in a while."
"Okay. Now where are my manners? Everyone, please come in. The bathroom is down the hall on the left, right before the kitchen, if you need to wash up. There's also one up the stairs, first door on the left. None of you have food allergies, do you?" We shook our heads no. "Good. Rupert, could you prepare hot chocolate, tea and some sandwiches please? You guys probably haven't eaten anything yet, have you?"
"Not unless you count a knuckle sandwich," Finn muttered. Becca elbowed him sharply. Cassandra seemed confused.
"Y-you know," I spoke up. "Him and Ajax were wrestling a bit in the car on the way here. You know how boys can be. Speaking of boys, is Eric here?"
Her eyes widened. "Eric? No, he's not. Why would he- Wait, he's coming here?"
"He's supposed to be. He was on the flight to here from Boston an hour before us. We thought for sure he'd be here by now, unless he got lost."
"He never was the best with directions." Cassandra shook her head and sighed. "Anyways, everyone please make yourselves at home. You can take a few minutes to wash up, and I'll meet you in the living room to your right when you're done. We have so much to talk about." She gave me another squeeze before letting me go, taking graceful steps to the living room.
"I call the bathroom down here!" Becca raced past me down the hallway. Finn and I looked at each other, then lunged for the upstairs bathroom at the same time. I beat him by a second, stuck out my tongue at him, then locked the door.
Bits and pieces of my past came back to me as I washed up. This was where I spent the first five years of my life. I knew if I continued down this hallway past the bathroom, there would be Cassandra, mine and Eric's bedrooms, along with our parents', and a ladder with access to the attic. I remembered Rupert had his own place separate from the house with a phone linked directly to us if we needed anything.
Memories passed through my head like a dream. I did remember some things, but it was all so long ago that it seemed like an old film reel passing through a movie projector. They started out smoothly enough, but there were parts of the memory missing, as if it had been cut from the reel entirely.
"Dee!," Finn whined from outside the door. "Come on, hurry up! You've been in there for ages!"
"It's barely been five minutes, Finny. Keep your shirt on." I washed my hands with the fragrant soap.
"It's not my shirt you need to worry about. Ah! I didn't mean it that way!" I chuckled as I unlocked the door and stepped out. Finn ran by me and shut the door behind him. I walked back down the hallway, the stairs and into the living room as directed.
Cassandra - wait, didn't I use to call her Cassie Bear? Wow - was waiting in the living room in a stuffed chair by the window, staring outside and appearing completely lost.
"Hey." I nudged her arm gently. "What are you thinking about?"
She turned around with a small smile. "Just how Mom and Dad are going to react when they see you, and maybe Eric too. Having the family together again." She returned her gaze to the window. "They were never the same after you disappeared, you know. They grew more protective of me, for one thing, signed me up for self-defence classes and the like, made sure I always had a cellphone on me so I could call for help if I needed it. They were sadder too. I know they tried to move on and act like nothing was wrong, but it's hard when two of your children were taken from you."
"Do you know what happened? The day Eric and I were taken?," I pried gently as I asked the question that had been on my mind since I found out we'd been kidnapped as children, and not adopted as we were led to believe.
Cassandra shook her head. "I don't know what happened exactly. I know you were taken on our fifth birthday, November 6th, probably late at night. We had separate rooms even then. I remember being woken up to the sound of Mom sobbing hysterically. She and Dad barged into my room and hugged me so tightly when they saw me. When I asked what was going on, they couldn't even answer me they were crying so much. I had to go see for myself. Your rooms were empty, with the windows left wide open. That's when it clicked. The reason Mom and Dad had checked up on me and cried was because they were relieved that I was still at home. But you and Eric..." She wiped a stray tear.
"Our parents went ballistic. They wouldn't let me out of their sight for even a minute until I was eight or nine, because they didn't want something bad to happen to me too. They sent out missing children posters to all the newspapers in the United Kingdom. They used all of their connections to try and find you, but nothing turned up. They became paranoid, and wanted to get out of the country. That's when we moved to Silver Creek. That's where Mom grew up, you know. Her family still had a house there so that's where we went. This house is our holiday home now. But they never stopped looking for you."
"Life went on. Dad thought he'd found something back in June, even though it turned out to be a bust, and brought Mom and me with him. I was going to miss out on prom, but hey, getting the chance to find my long lost siblings was worth it."
"Some people would tend to disagree with that statement," I let slip.
Cassandra nodded. "Dylan, Garrett, Nolan, Brody and Andie, huh? Probably Luke too. I never did get to properly apologize to them for leaving without a trace."
"Luke called you more demonic than he is," I said. "I think that says a lot."
She laughed. "I promise that I'm no more demonic than the next person. Yes, I would sometimes do things of, um, questionable legality, but that was only once in a blue moon." My eyes went wide. Who would've thought...? "Relax. Last time, it was just a couple of bracelets."
"Diamond bracelets from Harrod's, miss," Rupert cut in as he brought the food and drinks on a rolling cart and set them up on the coffee table.
"Thank you for that, Rupert. No one needed a reminder of that, although I did return them. Not my finest moment, I know." She selected a sandwich off the tray and ate it silently.
I waited until Rupert had left the room, then whispered, "Can I tell you something?"
"What is it?"
"You're not the only one. I may have, once, hot-wired a BMW and taken it for a joyride on the streets of Atlanta, and got away scot-free."
Cassandra snorted, actually snorted. "Sorry. You really did that?"
I shrugged. "I was bored."
"Same. So unbelievably bored. This one time at school, back in Silver Creek, one of my teachers actually fell asleep in class. So my friend and I decided to pull a little prank. I blew up a bubblegum balloon, and held it above the teacher's head. My friend had the best aim, so he took a bit of eraser, and threw it at the balloon just as the final bell rang. The teacher didn't realize he had gum all over his hair until after we were all out of class." I laughed along with her.
"Which friend was this?," I asked.
"Um... It was Luke."
"Really? I thought for sure it was Dylan."
She shook her head. "Don't get me wrong. Dylan knows how to have fun, but there was no way he would've gone along with that stunt. He's a bit of a do-gooder."
"I don't know. He can actually be pretty mischievous when he wants to be." I told her about all of the things I'd pulled off with him and the guys over the past two months, from our day at Walmart to the TPing on Halloween night, and had her in stitches.
"I had no idea he had it in him." Her smile was melancholy.
"Cassandra..."
"Call me Cassie, please. The only ones who calls me Cassandra are Rupert and my parents when they're mad at me."
"Okay, Cassie then. Do you... miss being with Dylan?"
"Hm, I wonder? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I care for him very deeply, I know that for a fact. But when I was with him, I sometimes felt as if he didn't really see me, you know? He didn't know that my family was broken, or that I stole things for the fun of it. The only one who knows about all that other than my parents, and now you, is Luke. I confide in him probably more than I should."
A smile formed on my face. "You and Luke, huh?"
"Yeah." The smile on her face quickly faded as she shook her head. "I mean, no! Of course not! He's still mad at me. You even said that he called me demonic, which is true in some ways."
"How close are you two?"
The question caught her off guard. "I guess, really close. As close you can get with a friend. We've known each other for twelve years now."
"Then you think you would've noticed that he likes you." Cat's out of the bag now. Sorry, Luke.
"He-he what? No, he doesn't. Where are you getting that from?" She fanned her reddening face.
"From Luke himself." She gaped at me. "He told me one time. About how you two and Dylan were always together, and how heartbroken he was when Dylan got to you before he did. One of the reasons he shut you guys out. Are you telling me you didn't know this?" She shook her head no. "Wow."
Cassie pouted. "That guy owes me an explanation when I get back home. I'm going to kick his ass. You want to help me?"
"I think I'll take a rain check on that. I flipped him a while ago during the paintball tournament. Long story. Besides, my job isn't done yet."
"What do you mean? What do you have to do?"
"Well for starters, find my, uh, our brother. Sorry, still getting used to that. Finny!" I called out into the kitchen. "I know you're listening in. Is there anyway you can find him?"
Finn walked in from the kitchen and plopped himself onto the couch. "You know, I really hate it when you do the whole ninja hearing thing. Ruins any element of surprise. As for your question, I am working on it." He opened up his laptop and started typing.
"You mean you can find Eric with your laptop? Seriously?" Cassie looked between us after we confirmed her words. "Who are you people?"
Finn looked up, smiled, then reached across the coffee table to shake her hand. "Finnian Alfonso Vicari, pleasure to meet you. Most people call me Finn, though. Except for Dee over here. She insists on calling me Finny, for some reason."
"Because it suits you," I smiled. "I've been calling you that for years now. Do you really expect me to stop now?"
"For years, you say? How long have you all known each other?" Finn and I looked at each other at Cassie's question. "What?"
"Maybe it'd be best to explain when everyone's here," I said. "It's a long story, and not one I like to repeat. Just wait until Mom, Dad and Eric are here, okay?"
"Okay..." Cassie nodded uncertainly. "So where are your other friends?"
"Becca and Jax are raiding the fridge." Finn jabbed his thumb towards the kitchen. "I think they're looking for something a bit more substantial to eat than just sandwiches. I think they took the "make yourselves at home" comment a bit too seriously."
Cassie smiled. "It's fine, I understand. I'll go check on them, and see if they need anything." She rose out her seat, smoothed out the wrinkles in her sweater, then proceeded to the kitchen.
"Did you get a lock on him?" I crossed to the other side of the table and sat next to Finn, peering over his shoulder.
"I set up a program that'll send me an alert if Eric is spotted on any cameras in England. It might take a while, but we'll find him. All we can do now is wait and hope he gets caught on camera somewhere."
I nodded. "Thanks, Finn." I rested my head on his shoulder.
"You feeling okay?," he asked.
"I'm fine, just tired. It's been a long couple of days. Between getting out of the hospital, meeting up with you guys, trying to find Eric, and discovering that my sister is the ex of the guy I like, my brain is feeling overloaded and about to explode." I threw in an exploding sound to go with my words.
Finn smiled. "It's alright. Why don't you get something to eat first, then get some sleep?"
"I think I will." We both rose to head into the kitchen when the alert on Finn's laptop sounded. He bolted right back to it and typed in a few commands.
"He's here," Finn announced. So much for sleeping.
"Here where?"
Cassie, Becca and Ajax piled into the room, having heard the commotion. "What's going on?," they asked.
"Eric just got into town. A camera caught sight of someone matching his description outside of a pub, driving a Volvo. It's definitely him."
Excitement bubbled in my veins and I felt like jumping up and down. Eric was almost here. I looked over at Cassie and saw her shaking lightly. I gently took her hand and squeezed. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just overwhelmed. If it really is him..."
"It is," Finn reassured her. "I never mess up."
"Well there was that one time-"
"I never mess up when it's really really important," Finn said again. He smiled at Cassie. "I'm sure that it's him. Just relax." Another alert popped up.
"What is it now?"
"I set up two alert systems actually. One for Eric, and the other for Mr. and Mrs. Richards. They're going to arrive at the house just after Eric. I wonder how that will play out?"
I had no clue, but all we could do was wait. The doorbell rang and Cassie and I all but raced to the door. "How did he get in? That wall is ten feet high."
I shrugged. "Scaled it, jumped it, re-routed the gate's electricity. There's a whole bunch of things he could've done to get in." We sighed in unison at the door and grabbed a doorknob. "You ready?" Cassie nodded. "On three then. One, two, three." We opened the door.
There he stood, as tall, dark and handsome as always. Eric was taller than me now by a good three inches, and though that thought was a bit displeasing, it was overshadowed by the sheer joy I felt at seeing him again.
"Hi. I'm-" Eric looked at exactly who he was talking to, and took a step back. "Dani? And another Dani? No, wait." He closed his eyes for a second. "Cassie, right?" Cassie nodded. "Great, now there's two of you." His tone was exasperated, but we were wrapped in his strong arms half a second later. "Oh god, I've missed you two."
"You were on a plane here before we were. How did you get here afterwards?"
Eric shrugged. "I suck with directions? Sorry I'm late."
"Cassie?," a voice called from somewhere behind Eric. "What's going on? Who are these people?"
Cassie smiled a little and turned us around. "Don't tell me you don't recognize your own children."
The couple she was addressing were dressed to the nines, although they'd only been out for brunch. The man wore a tailored suit and overcoat with black dress shoes that shined like polished glass. The woman wore a knee-length olive dress with black heeled boots and a fur coat. They were both tall with black hair and grey eyes, though they shined with confusion.
They seemed wary of us, and slowly approached my siblings and I.
"Cassie." The woman placed her hands on Cassie's shoulders gently, and she nodded. Then her eyes fixed on me, and she gently held my face between her leather glove clad hands. "Danika?," she whispered so gently I could barely hear her over the wind. My throat tightened at her quivering voice.
"Yes, it's me." Her eyes widened and she reached one hand to Eric's cheek.
"Eric?" Tears spilled from her eyes, leaving trails down her pale cheeks.
Eric nodded, eyes misty. "It's me, Mom."
"My dear god, it is you. You're back." She pulled us all into a crushing hug and the feeling in my chest squeezed tighter. The man still stood off to the side, seeming shell-shocked and unsure of what to do. "Oliver, come here. These are our children." She held out her hand to her husband invitingly, and after a hesitant moment, took it and allowed himself to be pulled forward.
He looked between all of us, and in one fell swoop hugged all four of us so strongly I could hardly breathe. "My little ones are back, though you're not so little anymore, are you?," he chuckled. He ruffled Eric's hair. "Ah, my boy. You're as tall as I am now!" Then he turned on me and held my face in his large hands. "My little star. You are as beautiful as your mother and sister."
Little star... That's right, he used to call me that all the time because my name meant morning star. "Dad?" I said it quietly, as it was a word I didn't repeat often.
"I'm here, darling. And I'm never letting any of you out of my sight ever again." Dad held us together for a few more moments.
"So, is now a good time to interrupt?" Ajax, Becca and Finn stood a few feet away from us as they came out of the living room.
"Who are they?," Dad asked warily as he tucked us all behind him protectively.
I gave him and Mom a reassuring look. "Mom, Dad, it's okay. They won't hurt us. Eric and I have known them for a long time. They helped us find you."
"Is that so?" Our parents looked at each other, then at the team. "Alright then. If that is the case then we owe you our most sincerest thanks."
"We have so much to talk about." Mom took Eric and I by the hand and pulled us into the living room, then made us sit on the couch with her. "What happened to you two? Do you know who took you?"
"We do." We looked at the others and they nodded. "The man who took us is one Frederick McAllister. We don't know why- Mom?" Her face paled until she was white as a sheet. Dad rushed to her and I grabbed her hand tightly, surprised by how strong it was despite her delicately feminine appearance. "Mom, what is it?"
"Are you sure it's him?," she asked as she shook lightly.
"Yes, we're sure. Do you know him?," Eric prompted. Mom swallowed once then nodded. My jaw dropped.
She cleared her throat. "Before I was married to your father, and had you children, I was in a relationship with another man. His name was Frederick McAllister." Cue jaw drop. Again. Our mother had dated the man who had kidnapped us? That was just messed up. "We were together for some time, two years I believe it was. Then one day I met your father." Mom smiled gently at our father.
"Our families had often done business together in the past and I had met him on several occasions. I had quite the crush on Oliver Richards when I was younger, though I never spoke a word about it. He asked me to dinner, and I accepted as I thought it would be a one-time thing, and even stated so." Our mother glared playfully at Dad, who grinned innocently in return.
"But I was persistent," Dad continued as he held his wife's hands lovingly. "I had decided long ago that I would pursue young miss Evelyn Hart until she agreed to spend the rest of her life with me. And so the great dance of our courtship began."
"Of course, I had to make a choice between Frederick and Oliver, and very gladly chose the latter. I broke it to Frederick gently, and he took it surprisingly well. We agreed to keep in touch. I can't believe it was him." Mom sat back in the couch. "And I even got a phone call from him this morning."
"You what?" Finn stepped forward, eyes alight. "You got a phone call from him? From where?"
Mom looked flustered. "I-I don't know. He said he was off to a business meeting and wanted to check up on me, and that was it."
"Do you have his phone number? Can you call him back?"
"Finny's onto something, Mom." Eric stood. "We need you to call him back. Maybe we can trace the signal from the phone call and find out where he's hiding."
"You're going to go looking for that man?" Dad stood in a rage. "This is the very man who took you from us when you were barely out of your toddler years! It's too dangerous. I have some contacts in the police department who owe me a favour or two. They can send in a specialized team to extract the man once you've found his location."
"No, Dad." To everyone's surprise, Cassie was the one who spoke.
"Cassie?" Dad was astonished.
"This is their mission. I don't know what these guys have been through, but it's probably worse than you and I could ever imagine." Cassie looked at each of us meaningfully. "But I know Danika and her friends can handle this. If they're half as good in a fight as she is in a paintball tournament, then they are more than capable of handling this."
"So that was you!" I remembered that I had caught a glimpse of a dark-haired figure after my team had won the paintball tournament.
Cassie nodded. "I was curious to see what you could do. I know a paintball gun is nothing compared to the real thing, but then again, you probably have a whole bunch hidden away, don't you?" She raised a brow at Ajax. "That's why you didn't want Rupert to go get the luggage from the car, right? You're hiding weapons in there?"
Ajax smirked. "It shows she's your sister." Cassie grinned proudly.
"Nonetheless, I cannot allow my children and their friends to throw themselves into the line of fire. It's-it's- You're just children."
I stepped up to my father and wrapped my arms around him. I had never been big on hugs, but now seemed like a good time to put it to good use. Dad's arms tightened around me.
"Dad." I looked him in the eyes. "I understand that you're worried about us. But we're not children anymore. Things like this are what we were raised and trained to do. That man took our lives away from us, and we intend to pay him back in full. Not in the way you might be thinking," I cut in, "but he will be brought to justice and pay for what he's done. This is something we have to do."
I saw the silent debate going through my parents' eyes as they looked at one another. They had to understand that this was something we all needed to do. If they didn't let us go, then we'd have to do it as we've always done; without anyone else having to know. But the chances of them agreeing to this was a million in one. They had just gotten all of their children back after all.
So imagine my surprise when he said, "Alright." I was sure I'd misheard. "But on one condition: you go in with the proper equipment and with the police team."
I almost agreed to that, but Ajax stepped forward. "I'm sorry, sir, but we'll have to respectfully decline that offer. This is a rather delicate matter, and we don't want any innocents standing in the crossfire of our problems. Besides," he added with a confident smile I hadn't seen in a long time, "this is the best team you'll get."
Ajax and my father went off to discuss matters for a while, then came back with a compromise; our team would be leading the extraction, but the police team would be just outside if we needed their help. We just needed to say the word. I knew Ajax never intended on asking them for help, but it was the only way my father would agree to let us go. He wanted a professional team on site, and I tried not to take that too much to heart.
Mom was more than willing to call up Frederick McAllister and keep a conversation going long enough for Finn to trace him.
"He's in Dunwich, about 20 minutes from here at a café called Flora. We can catch him if we leave now."
"Wheels on the ground in five. Everyone, get geared up," Ajax announced, and we all scrambled off to do our own thing, like we had so many times before.
I was double-checking my weapons and mags from my bag when Cassie approached me. "Hey, what's up?"
Cassie looked at the assorted guns, knives and grenades laid out on the living room table right next to the untouched snacks Rupert had brought in. "You seem so calm about this. Have you done this sort of thing before?" She gestured to the weapons.
"More times than I can count. Trust me, I'm not proud of it. Once this is over and that asshole is behind bars for life, then I'm heading back home. Silver Creek, I mean."
"Of course." Cassie picked up one of the guns. "What's this one?"
I gave the gun she held up a brief glance. "That, my young apprentice, is a Smith & Wesson M&P R8. It's got a 5 inch barrel and eight shots with a .357 Magnum caliber. It's a good gun. Low maintenance and reliable. I don't really use it, I usually take a Glock or 9mm. You can have it if you want."
"What? Oh no." Cassie set the gun back down. "I could never. I only use guns at a firing range. Thank you, but I think I'll leave that to you and your friends- er, team I mean. Are you sure you'll be okay out there?"
"Are you sure you'll be okay in here?" I nodded to Mom and Dad across the room looking rather nervous as Eric pulled a Thompson, his favourite, out of a duffel bag.
"I have plenty of experience in dealing with worried parents," she reassured me.
"And I have plenty of experience in "this sort of thing", too." We exchanged a quick hug.
"Just come back to us, alright? Mom and Dad would be heartbroken all over again if you didn't come back to us."
"I will."
"And you guys." She addressed Ajax, Becca and Finn as they were about to open the door. "Keep an eye on my brother and sister, alright?"
"Promise," Finn grinned. "We'll protect them."
"Worry about yourself, Storm Trooper wannabe." Eric pushed past Finn to head out to the car as Finn retorted back.
Ajax sighed, then raised his head to look at my parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Richards, I promise you that your daughter and son will come back to you. You have my word." Although he was only eighteen, the tone of voice and confidence he presented seemed to reassure my parents a little. "Come on, Dee."
"In a minute." Ajax nodded and headed out the door. "Mom, Dad..."
They wrapped me in a tight hug. "Be safe, and whatever you do, play it smart."
"Yes, we will." I turned to face Cassie. "I know you don't want it, but just in case something happens." I took her hand and gave her the R8. "Just point and shoot."
"Thank you. Now go kick that guy's ass for me."
That I would do. We loaded into the car and were off. It was still late morning, the sun just about to reach its peak. "So how are we going to do this?," I asked as I retied my hair.
"There's people in that café and we don't need any witnesses. We need to lure him out and away from people."
"And how do you suggest we do that? He's not just going to come outside for nothing."
"Not for nothing." We all looked at Becca as she batted her lashes at my brother. "Eric, sweetie, how do you feel about a little acting?"
~~~~~~~~
"You idiot!" I winced at Becca's high pitched shriek as she screamed bloody murder at my brother, who was doing a first-rate job of keeping a straight face. "I can't believe you!"
Her idea was for them to play the part of a married couple (which wasn't too hard I think) and cause a huge scene inside the café. We had confirmed that McAllister was inside the building, sitting in the far corner near the emergency exit. Eric and Becca had chosen a table in the middle, and started their act.
The story goes like this: Charles (Eric) had gotten a phone call while he was in the restroom. Emma (Becca) had answered her husband's phone, thinking that it might've been important, and to her utter surprise and humiliation, found out that it was some girl named Maya calling to see if he was free tonight for "a bit of fun".
(And since my pillow talk skills are evidently terrible, Ajax had to take over using a voice modulator Finn attached to his neck. The things he said would've made the Pope blush and stutter.)
So when Charles came back from the washroom, the last thing he expected was for his wife to start hurling insults at him of his infidelity. It caught the patrons' attention, I can tell you that. Even McAllister's, who up until that moment was sipping his coffee silently. He looked up from his newspaper and watched the exchange.
A few more hurtful lines later, Emma took her ring off her finger, slammed it on the table and left. Come on, come on. McAllister watched after her for a moment, then paid his bill and followed her. Yes!
"Target took the bait," I relayed to Becca. "Come on, work those womanly charms."
Becca sat down on a bench just outside of the restaurant. "I still don't get why I had to do this."
"Because it was your idea, and your experience outranks mine."
"I've been stuck in a windowless hole for my entire life. I didn't even know what a selfie was until two months ago! You've interacted with guys who aren't these three."
"Hey!," all three guys protested at once through the Bluetooth in my ear and my actual ear as Eric climbed into the car and ripped off his fake moustache.
"Sorry guys. But you know it's-"
"Here he comes! Act heartbroken!"
Becca inhaled and let out a huge sob as she buried her face into her hands. McAllister had just exited the restaurant and approached the wailing woman on the bench.
"Excuse me, miss? Are you alright?" It actually sickened me to hear him speak so sweetly to a supposed stranger, yet not an ounce of that kindness had ever been present when we were with him. Not apparent through his kind then cruel smile or his snake-like eyes.
"N-no, I'm not. Not at all. M-my husband is an idiotic infidel! I knew I should've listened to my parents when they said he was no good for me. But I was too head over heels to listen to them." Eric winced beside me as he heard those words. Becca looked up at him with tear stricken eyes and cheeks. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be speaking of such things in public. It's unladylike."
"It's fine, don't worry about it. I know a thing or two about infidelity. Towards me, I mean."
"What, a big handsome man like you? I find that hard to believe." Becca gave him a coy smile as she played with the hair on her blond wig.
"It's true. But I think we should focus on you. There's a lovely little restaurant nearby. If it's not too sudden, would you like to join me for lunch? It might help take your mind off of things. My name is Frederick, by the way."
"Well..." She pretended to consider his offer. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Thank you, Frederick. My name's Emma." McAllister held out his elbow to her like a gentleman and escorted her across the street.
Eric growled and moved to open the door. I grabbed his jacket and held him back. "Easy, tiger. Wait for it." He wasn't happy about it, but he sat back and waited.
Becca was searching through her small purse. "Oh, darn. I must've forgotten my lipstick at home. Would you mind if I grabbed my extra one from my car first? I can't go into a restaurant without proper makeup."
"Nonsense, I'm sure you look wonderful with or without it," McAllister insisted.
"Please. It's just around the corner and won't take much more than a minute." McAllister ended up agreeing and they rounded the corner where our car was parked. Becca tucked her hair behind her ear, the signal to get ready. I shut the laptop, grabbed my gun and put my hand on the door.
When they were close enough, we all jumped out, guns up. McAllister looked more shocked than I had ever seen him before, and I silently enjoyed it.
"F-Frederick?" Becca cowered behind him. "Who are these people?"
"Nothing to worry about, dear. Why don't you head on up to the restaurant I showed you? I'll be there shortly."
"I actually think I'll stick around," Becca said as she pressed her forearm to his neck from behind and pulled him close to her. She slid a thin needle into his neck, pushing the plunger all the way to the end and injecting him with a strong sedative that should keep him under wraps until we returned to America.
"You-you..." McAllister stumbled into the wall and slowly slid to the sidewalk. "You won't get away with this in one piece."
"I think we just did." I approached him with a pair of handcuffs and a gag.
"Not. Yet." He pulled something out of his pocket and I saw a quick flash of metal. Time slowed down as I reached for my gun, but I knew I wouldn't reach it quick enough. He was too fast, and we had made the stupid mistake of thinking he was unarmed in such a small town. He was always armed.
His grip tightened on the gun as it pointed itself at me. I heard that deafening bang! and thought, Well that's it then. I'm dead.
But I didn't feel any pain. Instead, I saw a bright crimson red stain blooming in the middle of McAllister's chest like a gruesome flower. Shock registered on his face as his mouth fell open with his last words.
"I'm sorry, Evelyn." The gun he held fell from his hand as his muscles went lax and his eyes went dark and still. Ajax stepped forward, and pressed two fingers against his neck. After a moment, he shook his head. I didn't know if I was horrified or relieved, but I settled for curious. Who shot him?
"Finny?" I gasped as Finn lowered his shaking hand and dropped the gun. It clattered and echoed in the empty street.
"I told you I'd protect you." When he looked at me, I no longer saw the carefree and shining boy I had always known in his eyes. I didn't know who I saw. Finn looked at the dead body with distaste. "He won't be hurting anyone anymore." He turned his heel around and returned to the car without another word.
No one said anything as we silently agreed to put the body in a bag and transport it back with us to America, and tried to think up a story that would cover this up.
We owed the CIA one hell of an explanation.
~~~~~~~~
Hi everyone!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There's just the epilogue left! We're almost there!
Just a quick side note: please do not take any offence to the names Elizabeth and Emily being called "stereotypically British". Finn's words, not mine. A character does take on a life of its own after a while.
Also, when I say degrees, I mean in Celsius. Fahrenheit is a completely foreign concept to me. It's just like "Whaaaaaaa?" in my head. So -5 degrees Celsius, in case you're not familiar with the system, is really not that cold. For me anyways. But I'm Canadian; we live in igloos and use dog sleds to get everywhere, right? :P
Anyways, I'll see you all in the next and final chapter!
Thank you all so much for reading! :D
~Jade