Chapter 17
It was the wee hours of the morning when the plane landed on a small airstrip.
I had slept the entire flight and had no clue where we were.
I didn’t have the energy to ask any more questions.
As we exited the plane, I saw Ronan standing next to a waiting car.
When Maddox and I reached it, Ronan opened the rear passenger door of the car.
He slid his other arm around my waist and pressed his lips to mine.
“I’m so glad ye are ’ere and safe.” I smiled at him as I entered the car.
Maddox got into the passenger seat, and Ronan slid into the backseat beside me. The driver pulled away, and Ronan grabbed my hand and put it between his.
“We ’aven’t gotten Charlotte back yet, but we are very close to recovering her.”
“How long before we get to the compound?” I asked flatly.
“About twenty minutes.”
The rest of the ride was silent. I was gearing myself up for the discussion I was determined to have. I was tired of being confused and relying on other people to tell me what was going on.
It felt like we had landed in the middle of nowhere.
We were taking trails through the woods, with mountains looming around us in what seemed to be every direction.
As I was watching through the windshield, we turned onto a small trail that was extremely well hidden.
So well hidden, in fact, that I hadn’t even noticed it.
No trespassing signs were tacked to every other tree for the next two hundred yards.
Without warning, a massive security gate stood in front of us.
As we approached, the gates opened and we drove through.
While passing through, I peered out the window at the guard towers that flanked the gates. Armed men occupied each one.
We drove down a long drive to an imposing structure. The driver pulled around to the back, where there was a large garage-like door open. We pulled through and parked on the right side of the garage. Everyone exited the vehicle, and Ronan came up beside me and took my hand in his.
“Dis is de compound, de central ‘ub for de organization. Dis is where we are monitoring de situation wit Charlotte.”
“Do you have any new information?” I asked as he held open the door leading into the building.
“We ’ave worked out dat dey are in de United States. Dey never left. Once dey abducted ’er, dey took ’er to New York to try to lose us. Dey thought it worked, but it didn’t.”
“So where are they now?” We walked down a long hallway until we came to a large reception area with a desk and two young women sitting behind it. One was on the phone, fielding a phone call and transferring it. As we approached the desk, both women jumped to their feet.
“Ms. Lawson,” they spoke in unison. I nodded my head and continued to follow Ronan. Maddox remained close to me as we walked.
“Dey are in Louisiana. We ’ave a team watching dem to make sure dey don’t move ’er again. Alexander is dere, which means ’e isn’t trying to take any chances.”
“So, you’re telling me that this is a precarious situation.”
We stepped onto the elevator. Ronan pressed the button for the top floor, and the elevator jumped and set in motion. When it came to a stop and the doors opened, we stepped out and were in another hallway. Ronan went left and stopped in front of a set of double doors.
“Dis is de control room,” he said as he swung the doors open.
The room was multi-level, with numerous people sitting in front of computer screens.
At the front of the room were multiple larger viewing monitors positioned to make one big screen.
“Dose are for surveillance,” Ronan said as he pointed to the front of the room.
“Dis is where we spend a lot of time when we ’ave a situation like ye missing cousin. ”
“My missing cousin who is now in far more danger than she initially was because now they know they want me, not her. Is that right?”
“Yes, dat is what we believe. We are trying our ’ardest to get her back.”
“Really? Because as far as I can tell, you’re here with me, not looking for her. Let me remind you that she is also Ray’s granddaughter. She might not be valuable to you, but she is to me. Even as big of a pain in the ass as she is, I love her and I want her back.”
“We are making sure we don’t lose dem, and I am going dere to get her myself.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t send Maddox? I mean this place seems secure, so I probably don’t need him. Hell, maybe you should both go. If you fail at getting her back and making it so that this doesn’t happen again, then I will be dealing with Alexander myself.”
“No, ye won’t. He can’t be trusted, and ’e may not wish to kill ye, but some tings may be worse dan death.”
“The last time I checked, I didn’t have a father, and I am damn sure that even if I did, you are not him. So, in the future, let’s try to refrain from telling me what I will and will not do.”
“Look, I really need ye to not do anything stupid, and giving yourself to Alexander is stupid.”
“Is she safe? Charlotte, is she safe?” I asked, staring at him.
“She’s alive.”
“There is a difference. One isn’t going to die; the other just hasn’t died yet. Stop talking to me like I’m an idiot. You’re becoming less attractive with every word that comes out of your mouth.” Ronan blushed bright red and cast his eyes down.
“If ye want Maddox to go wit me, den dat is fine wit me. I am going to do me job and get Charlotte back. Ye both do what ye want. It isn’t me job to protect anyone.”
He turned to a woman standing to the left side of the door. “Christina, can ye please show Ms. Lawson where she will be staying and give ’er de rundown on food and clothing and anything else she may need.”
He turned back to me and Maddox. “If ye plan on coming, de car will be leaving in fifteen minutes to take us to de airport.” He wouldn’t look me in the eye at all while he spoke.
“If I’m not there, don’t wait. Just go.” Maddox replied.
Christina stepped forward. “If you would follow me.”
She exited the control room, and I followed her out the door with Maddox right beside me.
She continued down the hall in the opposite direction, passing the elevators that brought us to the top floor.
As she reached the end of the hallway, she slid a key into the handle and opened the door, stepping inside.
It looked like a hotel suite. A short entryway led into the actual room.
A small kitchenette was first and then a sitting area with a couch and chairs.
A large television was mounted on the wall facing the couch.
In the center was a coffee table with a few books adorning it.
There was a long glass dining table behind the sitting area that held a beautiful floral arrangement.
There were two bedrooms, and a bathroom was located between them.
On closer examination, I saw that the kitchenette boasted a microwave and a refrigerator along with a sink and cupboards that held a small number of dishes.
“There is a phone here on the kitchen wall and one in each bedroom. Next to the phone, there is a list of numbers to call for anything you might need, and if you aren’t sure, then just dial zero and the person who answers will be able to get to where you need to be.
Press one for the control room. Two for the kitchen—there is a menu here on the coffee table.
Dial three for your office, which I’m sure we can give you a grand tour of tomorrow.
However, I’m not sure why you would call yourself.
Four will get you to the receptionist, and she can give you any pending messages or let you know who is in or out of the building at any given time.
Five will dial Ronan’s room, and six will call Maddox’s phone.
” As she said this, she pointed to the bedroom on the left side of the room.
“How come Maddox doesn’t have his own room?”
“I do; it’s right next to yours. Same as when Ray was in charge. I am your protector and commander of your army.” I knew this already. Hearing it said aloud made it feel real in a way it hadn’t before.
“Seven will call clothing, although we did put some things in the dresser that are your size. Eight is for transportation, and nine is for anything else, like sheets, toiletries, dishes, and housekeeping. That should about sum things up for now. Oh, and there is a phone book next to the phone in your room. It has all the numbers for everyone that is part of the organization. So, you can call who you need without anyone else being made aware. Do you have any questions for me?” she asked, taking a breath.
“No, I don’t believe so, Christina. Thank you so much for your help,” I said, smiling at her warmly.
She placed the key in my hand. “Maddox has his key. Ray always kept his key here at the front desk. The key to his office—well, your office—I believe you got when you went to Ireland. He always left the spare there. His copy would probably be at the house in Michigan in a safe place.”
“I don’t have that key with me. I didn’t have time to think about anything when we left.”
“We can have a locksmith change the lock tomorrow and give you both copies of the key, and you can do what you want with them. That way you can gain access while you are here without having to wait. But that is entirely up to you; just let me know when you decide.”
“You are extremely helpful, thank you.”
“You are very welcome. I will excuse myself so you can relax. The kitchen is available to you twenty-four hours a day, so don’t worry about being hungry later if you aren’t now.” She turned and left the room, pulling the door shut behind her.
“So, are you going with Ronan?”
“No, I hadn’t planned on it. I can send a hundred men in my stead if you would like, but no—I am not going.”
“Do you not trust the people here? Do you think they are going to do something to me?”