Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
Chicago, Illinois
Ramon sat in the middle row of the vehicle but knew for a fact that he couldn’t get out.
The doors were locked, and he’d only be exiting this vehicle when it stopped, and someone opened the door for him.
The rest of the seats were filled with Bear’s men, including Hollace, who sat on the seat beside him.
Another identical vehicle behind had Amara and Bruce in it. The one in front held more men.
The convoy turned down State Street, driving between the towering high-rise buildings that blocked out any view of stars he might have had.
Hollace shifted and pulled out his phone, answering it with a snapped, “Hollace.” His attention shifted toward Ramon just a fraction. “Is that a good idea?” Whatever the answer to his question, he responded, “Understood.”
Hollace held out the phone to him. “It’s Kenna.”
Given what Amara and Bruce had explained that these people could do with voices, he said, “Am I supposed to take your word for it?”
“Unless you want to miss your chance to speak with her.”
Ramon grabbed the phone. “Hello?”
“Is it really you?” The soft alto of her voice drifted over him. Sounding so much like Zeyla that, for a second, he didn’t know which woman was speaking.
“I could say the same thing.” He swallowed against the lump in his throat. “Things didn’t go exactly as planned.” Now he was a part of the plan, but he didn’t think these guys would let him explain it to her.
He’d questioned Hollace about how wise it was to bring him on their big operation—the wedding and whatever else was going on. Hollace had told him that Ramon’s presence meant that Kenna herself was advocating for the president and Lief Holmberg to be the new Dominatus leaders.
As if she could vote by proxy, using Ramon as her spokesperson.
No way was he going to just go along with whatever they told him to do. Not if he didn’t agree.
“Same here,” Kenna said. “We’ve been talking with Bear about everything. Some of it was a surprise, given that we thought he was the one who had Maizie removed from the back of my car. But he says it wasn’t his people. It was a faction of their group who broke away after Earl Jonas was killed.”
“We’re supposed to believe that?” Ramon’s gut clenched. “Where is she?”
“Jax got a message from an online message board, and we think it’s from her. She just landed in Chicago.”
“Guess where I am,” Ramon said, aware that everyone in the vehicle was listening to what he said.
“Preston and Stairns are on their way with Bear and his people, headed to the same place. Jax is staying with me, but I get the impression he’s torn. He wants to be there to get her back.”
“We’ll get her back.” That was a promise Ramon would always make.
“You’ll have help. You won’t be doing this on your own,” she said. “Even Bear is livid that they took her, though he thinks he knows why.”
“Do I want to know?”
“It isn’t about her. Though, that might be part of the reason. Bear thinks it’s also about how she had all the files from the software company on her computer. They took that as well as her.”
Ramon clenched down on his back teeth. “They want the tech?”
“So did Bear. He’s in for a battle if he wants to sway the vote by every means he can manage. But your only focus is Maizie. They can do whatever they want, destroy each other, I don’t care. I told Bear that.”
“Understood.”
“They want you to throw in with them?”
“On your behalf. But if I know where you stand on it, I can take that route. I’ll get her back for you.”
“I know you will.”
“Are you safe where you are?”
Kenna said, “I have Jax, and Preston’s security team—including protection dogs. Elizabeth will be here for the delivery.”
“You could go into town to the medical center.” Ramon shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. A little normalcy in the middle of an intense operation to manipulate Dominatus and all the worry about Maizie. At least, as much normalcy as Kenna was capable of having.
The woman was turning downright domestic.
Ramon couldn’t wait to see the big, bad investigator melt when she was holding her baby.
“We’ll see.” Kenna chuckled.
Hollace motioned for the phone.
Ramon said, “I’ll get Maizie and bring her home.”
“I know you will. Whatever happens, Ramon…I love you.”
“I know you do, Hermana. Stay safe.”
Hollace took the phone out of his hand.
Ramon asked, “How long until Bear and the rest of your people get here?”
The driver pulled over to the curb at a swanky hotel, and the other cars did the same. Apparently, this was where it was all going down.
“A couple of minutes. They’re right behind us.” Hollace climbed out his side.
Ramon tried his door handle, and it was locked.
One of the guys in the back seat snickered about child locks.
Ramon kept his mouth shut, and when the door opened, he hopped out, striding to the vehicle behind, where Amara and Bruce got out, wearing their wedding finery.
Amara had a black evening gown on, and Bruce wore a suit.
Ramon’s suit made him look like an FBI agent—go figure.
All he needed was a weapon.
“There’s a rogue faction of Bear’s people, and they’ve taken Maizie. We think she’s going to be here.”
Amara’s expression flashed with anger. Bruce moved closer to her. “What can we do?”
“My only priority is Maizie. Preston and Stairns will be here also.” Ramon lowered his voice. “If you want to delay the proceedings while I find her, that’s up to you.”
Bruce nodded sharply.
“I’ll do more than delay it.” Amara gathered up the folds of her dress and headed for the revolving door entrance.
A bellboy lifted his arm and spoke into a comms receiver in his sleeve.
US government agent?
Ramon wasn’t going to assume that anyone in this hotel was who they seemed to be.
But he couldn’t search room by room until he found her.
He needed a plan of action, and attending the wedding might be a good first step.
Whoever had taken Maizie might have brought her to witness it like the rest of them.
“Everyone into the lobby, please!” Hollace motioned to them all, waving his arms like a vacation tour guide.
Ramon and Bruce followed Amara and found her looking around the people in the lobby. She kept moving, searching every corner. Looking at the people sitting in alcoves, and even at the bar.
“Where is the wedding taking place?”
Bruce said, “In a ballroom off the first floor, so we have to go up the escalator.”
“I’m hoping she’ll be there, and we’ll know for ourselves if she’s all right.” Ramon didn’t have much else he could do.
Bruce said, “None of us is going to let anything happen to her, as much as we can do to prevent it.”
“I’m more worried about what we can’t prevent.”
“Let’s keep moving, people.” Hollace ushered them to the escalator.
Halfway between the ground floor and the next, he spotted more of the MSI operatives coming in the front. Preston and Stairns were with them, and both caught Ramon’s wave.
Good. He almost had the makings of a team of his own.
A group who would all do whatever it took to get Maizie back.
Upstairs, the doors to the ballroom were open. Ramon stepped off the escalator at the top and waited for Hollace. “I didn’t come here to attend a wedding.”
“Yes, you did. We all did.”
Ramon was surprised the guy didn’t grab him and try to force him into the ballroom. “You know they have Maizie?”
Hollace nodded. “None of us are happy about that, but if we want to resolve this situation, we have to keep playing this out. It’ll work.”
“You think I care about your plan.”
“Someone has to vote on Kenna’s behalf. You’re the one here that’s closest to her.”
“That’s not true, is it?” Ramon pointed out. “If they have Maizie, then they have Kenna and Jax’s daughter. You think they’re going to measure my vote against hers and argue it holds more weight?”
Hollace swore under his breath. “I’ll tell Bear.”
More people streamed up the escalator, stepping off and moving past them like they were excited to attend the wedding.
Then again, it wasn’t every day that the president of the United States got married.
Sitting presidents were usually already married, and since this was the first single and female president, it should be a big deal.
But the whole thing was being kept hush-hush.
When Bear stepped off, he asked, “What is it, Hollace?”
Ramon gave the guy a second to tell his boss what they’d come up with and held out his hand for Preston. “Hey. Thanks for coming.” He sounded like an usher or groomsman.
Preston nodded. “We’ll get her back to Kenna.”
Stairns said, “Ramon.”
To his surprise, the other older man opened his arms and gave Ramon a hug. “Good to see you.”
Ramon cleared his throat. “I appreciate you coming.”
Preston’s attention shifted over Ramon’s shoulder. “Amara is headed this way.”
Ramon turned and saw both her and Bruce rushing out of the ballroom. When they got close enough, Amara said, “She’s in there. They’ve got her standing up in the wedding party.”
Ramon wound between all of them and skirted people going into the ballroom, about to elbow a guy out of the way if he didn’t walk faster.
He stepped into the room full of cream-colored fabric chairs.
Hanging chandeliers brightly lit with a soft yellow glow, and cream walls that looked like they’d been wallpapered with fabric.
She stood at the far end of the room.
Stairns almost collided with him, coming in so fast to see her.
Maizie’s hair was loose and long, curled over her shoulders. She wore a white dress no better than a nightgown and stood on the stage at the front beside another woman Ramon didn’t know. Both of them held small bouquets of flowers.
What on earth?
He clipped a woman’s shoulder but didn’t stop, moving fast down the aisle. Aware of men moving in from both sides like bodyguards going to intercept. The groom and another guy to the right, watching him.
Maizie’s eyes widened at the sight of him tearing down the aisle to get to her. She shook her head, and he saw her mouth the word Don’t.
Ramon heard a muffled pop, and two barbs hit his chest.
White-hot lightning whipped through his entire body like a flash. His legs crumpled under him, and he heard Maizie scream his name.
Face to the carpet, his body twitched through the effects of the stun gun until every last bit of electricity dissipated.
Someone rolled him to his back. “What are we going to do with this one?”
“Sit him in a seat with everyone else.” The governor of Illinois stepped over Ramon.
He wanted to grab the guy’s foot but couldn’t move.
Two men lifted him by his armpits and dumped him in a chair. He couldn’t even lift his head. Stairns and Preston sat either side of him, Stairns on the aisle.
“I guess someone had to test what they were going to do to anyone who didn’t play along with this ridiculous farce,” Preston muttered.
Stairns said, “At least they didn’t just kill him.”
Ramon couldn’t even grunt. He managed to lift his head and look at Maizie, just in time to see a tear roll down her cheek.