Chapter 38
SEBASTIAN
I’m on the phone with my San Diego property manager discussing permit violations when I hear the scream.
Distant. Cut off abruptly. But unmistakably Lennox.
I drop the phone and run out of the office, through the house, onto the porch in time to see a black SUV speed away from the direction of the barn, kicking up dust on the back access road. Pete and two other ranch hands are running after it, already too far behind.
“Lennox!” I sprint toward where I last saw her.
Her phone lies smashed on the ground near the barn entrance. Tire tracks in the dirt. Signs of a struggle—boot prints, disturbed gravel, a scuff mark that might be where she tried to fight.
But no Lennox.
“Boss!” Pete reaches me, breathing hard. “They took her. Three men in a black SUV came from the back road. We tried to stop them, but—”
“Get vehicles. Now. Track them. Find out which direction they went,” I shout as I pull out my phone, already calling Nathaniel.
“Get everyone to the house. Armed. We’re going to the Marshall property.
Now.” My hands shake with rage and something darker.
They’ve taken her. There is no doubt in my mind Thomas Marshall has taken my wife.
My phone buzzes before Nathaniel can respond. Unknown number. Video message.
I open it with trembling hands.
The video is short. Fifteen seconds, showing Lennox being dragged toward the SUV, fighting, a hand clamping something over her face. Her body going limp. Being shoved inside.
Then a text appears under the video.
Unknown
She’s safe. For now. Check your email for terms.
I watch it again. And again. Each time, seeing new details that make my fury spike higher.
The rough way they grab her. The way her body goes slack, helpless, makes me sick to my stomach.
She was a hundred yards from the barn. A hundred fucking yards. On our property. Surrounded by security. And they still got her.
My email app dings with a new message. I tap on the icon with shaking hands.
Mr. Drake,
Your wife is safe and will remain so provided you cooperate. We require the following:
1. Transfer of deed to the south pastures, approximately 5,000 acres bordering our properties, to be completed within 48 hours.
2. Public statement acknowledging the land is wrongfully held by your family.
3. Signed agreement that no legal action will be taken regarding Mrs. Drake’s temporary detention.
Agree to these terms, and your wife will be returned unharmed. Refuse, and we’ll be forced to explore other options. Including releasing certain information about how you and Mrs. Drake actually met.
You have 48 hours. We’ll be in touch.
T. Marshall
I read it once, then forward it to Caroline. She’s going to need every shred of evidence we can get to clear our name when I murder his entire family.
They thought I’d negotiate. Figured I’d trade land for my wife like this is some civilized business transaction.
They’ve forgotten who I am. I’m the man who makes business deals under the table. The man willing to handle problems less than legally. And when it comes to this family, I’ll kill.
I need to let Warren Briggs know what is going on, so I find his number and hit call.
He answers on the second ring. “Sebastian? Is everything alright?”
“Someone took Lennox. Kidnapped her off our property about ten minutes ago.” My voice is steady despite the rage coursing through me. “I’m assembling men to go get her back. But I thought you should know.”
Silence on the other end. Then Warren’s voice, cold and deadly: “Say that again.”
“The neighbor we’ve had issues with kidnapped Lennox. I think she told you about Thomas Marshall. He sent ransom demands, but I’m not negotiating. I’m going to get her back.”
“How many men are you taking with you?”
“Twenty some. Every hand I’ve got who can shoot.”
“Give me your coordinates, I’m bringing my boys to help. We’ll be there in three hours.”
“Sir, I can’t ask you to do that. I just wanted you to know what’s happening.”
“She’s my daughter and I need to know she’s okay.
” I hear movement in the background, Warren shouting orders.
“Cage! Cole! We’re going to Texas. Now.” Back to me.
“Sebastian, you listen to me very carefully. Nobody, and I mean nobody, who puts their hands on my daughter walks away from this. You understand me?”
The certainty in his voice makes my blood run cold. This isn’t a threat. It is a promise.
“He’ll be carried out in a body bag, you have my word.”
“Good. Send me the address. We’ll meet you there. And Sebastian?” His voice drops lower. “You make sure they regret ever thinking about taking her. Are we clear?”
“Crystal clear, sir.”
“I’m sending you my boys’ numbers. You coordinate with them. Keep us updated on what you find.”
“Every step of the way.”
“Good. We’ll be wheels up in thirty minutes. Text me updates.” He hangs up.
I immediately call Nathaniel back while pulling up to the house, where trucks are already gathering.
“Caroline told me. Marshall took her?”
“Yeah. And they’re demanding the south pastures in exchange.” I pull up satellite images of Marshall property on Caroline’s laptop. “But I’m not negotiating. I’m going after her. Warren is flying down with Lennox’s brothers. They’ll be here in just over three hours.”
Dad’s eyebrows shoot up. “You called her father?”
“He had a right to know his daughter’s been taken.” I meet his eyes through the screen. “And he made it very clear, nobody who touched Lennox walks away from this.”
“Jesus Christ.” But Dad is smiling grimly. “Alright. You’ve got the Briggs family backing you. That changes things. Warren Briggs doesn’t fuck around.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“Then here’s what we do. Take the men. Go in fast and hard. Find Lennox. If the Briggs family arrives before you’ve extracted her, coordinate with them.” Dad’s voice hardens.
I turn to the assembled group, twenty ranch hands, all armed, all looking at me for direction.
“Thomas Marshall kidnapped Lennox from our property less than an hour ago,” I say, my voice carrying across the yard.
“We’re going to Marshall land, and we’re getting her back.
This isn’t a negotiation, or a peaceful resolution.
This is a rescue operation. And we’re not alone, Lennox’s father and brothers are flying down from Montana as we speak.
If they arrive before we find her, they’ll join the operation. Either way, we bring her home today.”
“Where is she?” Pete asks.
“Don’t know yet. But Marshall has a property sixty miles from here, a place nobody thinks about often.
We start there and work our way back.” I point to the satellite images Caroline pulled up.
“Main compound here. Three outbuildings. Worker housing here. We split into four groups. Search every structure until we find her.”
“What if they resist?” Miguel asks, checking his rifle.
“Then we show them what happens when you fuck with the Drake family.” I look at each man. “We don’t shoot first, but we don’t miss when we do shoot. We’re here for Lennox. Once we have her, we clear out leaving destruction in our wake.”
Nods all around. Grim determination on every face.
“What about law enforcement?” Nathaniel asks.
“They aren’t involved,” I say.
Caroline pulls me aside as the men disperse. “Is Warren Briggs really flying down?”
“Yes. With Cage and Cole. They’ll be here in three hours. It will take us thirty minutes to leave here, forty-five minutes to get to the place I think he’s taken her so they won’t be too far behind.”
“Jesus. This is going to be a bloodbath,” she whispers.
“Maybe. But they took my wife. What did they expect?” I check my rifle’s magazine. “Caroline, I need you to do something. If this goes wrong—”
“Don’t.” She shakes her head.
“If this goes wrong and I don’t come back, the contract Lennox signed is in my safe.
The combination is my birthday. Destroy it.
Give her what she’s owed. There’s a trust set up for my spouse too, so make sure she has proper access.
She’ll be free of all this, and get her back to her family safely. ”
“I promise. But you’re both coming back.” She nods, but doesn’t say anything more.
“That’s the plan.” I head for my truck, then turn back. “Caroline, make sure there’s security footage of them taking her. Witness statements. Everything. We’re defending our family.”
“Already on it.”
I climb into the truck and pull out my phone. I text Warren our coordinates and the Marshall property address. His response is immediate.
Warren
We’re in the air. We’ll land at the airport closest to the location.
Another text comes through, this one from an unknown number:
Unknown
Do we have a problem? I expected to hear from you before now. Do I need to start harming your wife to get anything from you, or do you not care about her at all?
A video follows. Lennox sitting on a concrete floor, bound but alive, and flipping off the camera in true Lennox fashion. She looked exhausted, scared, but unharmed.
I watch it twice, cataloging details. Concrete walls, basement, probably. Single light bulb. No windows. Her expression, defiant more than terrified. Still fighting.
Good. “Hold on, Lenny. I’m coming. And when we find you, the men who did this will regret ever being born,” I say to the phone as if she can hear me.
I forward the video to Caroline and Warren simultaneously. The convoy forms up, seven vehicles, twenty armed men, heading toward an abandoned property in the middle of nowhere, where I’m 98 percent sure I’ll find Lennox.
Thomas Marshall has made a fatal mistake. He took Lennox, thinking I’d negotiate. But he’s forgotten who he’s dealing with, and it’s time to remind this county just who we are.
We’ve been dealing with issues with legal teams and contracts for the last five years, playing it safe, protecting our reputation, but some problems can’t be solved with lawyers. Some problems require blood instead.