Chapter 29
They spent hours in Wyatt’s hospital room waiting for him to get released. Wade ordered food—subs from Wyatt’s favorite sandwich shop—and Ellie surprised herself by taking down her entire footlong in one sitting.
Detectives came and went, asking the group separately and collectively, to retell the events. Each kept Wolf's name off the record. Likewise, none mentioned their meeting in the Reunion Tower.
They did, however, tell officers about the anonymous tip concerning a trafficking ring and bids for Ellie on the dark web, saying the details were shared by a male caller from an unknown number.
“The caller warned that this group planned to abduct me,” Ellie told them.
“He said he wasn’t with the group, only that he’d caught wind of what they planned to do.
He also warned me that these guys were holding my father and that if I went to the authorities, they’d end his life.
So we headed for safety and hoped the caller would succeed in his efforts to help take down the ring and keep my dad safe. ”
Ellie prayed that the arrests at the trainyard—combined with whatever Wolf and his team had in store—would demolish the trafficking ring she’d almost fallen victim to.
It would be a while before they had answers, but what they did know was that Nash and Ellie’s captors had been arrested at the trainyard, and so had the pilot of the chopper, who had unsuccessfully attempted a takeoff as authorities neared.
The biggest mystery at this point was how they’d been found. Ellie assured the officers that she’d shut off the tracking devices on her phone while Wyatt and Nash, who’d taken shifts driving, were positive they hadn’t been followed.
A simple two-part question about trackable tags on Ellie’s luggage cracked that part of the case: Did she have any attached to her bags, and if so, did anyone other than Ellie have access to the tracking data involved?
The answers were yes and yes, her dad did.
It was a valuable lesson about trusting the wrong people. Love and trust, Ellie surmised, weren't the same thing. She could love her father, deeply in fact, but she doubted she'd ever trust him again.
As for what happened during the abduction itself, a shoot-out had, in fact, ensued, resulting in four injured, two of which were Wyatt and Wade, and one fatality regarding a man with a long rap sheet.
And while the investigation was still underway, no arrests had been made against Wyatt nor Wade, as evidence of the abduction confirmed their side of the story.
In addition, since they couldn't be certain that Ellie and the Copelands were in the clear, officials suggested the family lay low for a while. Even then, an officer remained outside the room and ready to escort them to their vehicles when it was time to leave.
After a few hours of shuteye—Wyatt in the hospital bed, the others in unforgiving visitor chairs—Wyatt was released at last.
“They’ve got a safe house for us on base,” Wade announced as the officer saw them all to the waiting SUV. “We can stay there until our time’s up in the spring. And since my arm’s bound and you’ll be hobbling on crutches, they’re sending a crew over to the apartment to help us move.”
It was good to see Bronson again, poised beside the car with a questioning look in his eye. “Ms. Ellie,” he said as he opened the rear door.
Ellie motioned for the men to fill the rear portion of the car. “I’ll sit up front with Bronson,” she told them, planting a kiss on Nash’s lips. Yet before she’d made her way to the other side of the car, the door flung open, and Geneva stepped out.
“Thank goodness you’re okay,” Geneva blurted as she threw her arms around Ellie and pulled her in for a hug.
Ellie sighed, gladly accepting Geneva’s warm embrace. “I’m glad you’re okay, too,” she said. “We’ve um…” She glanced over at Bronson, glad she’d get to share the details with both of them at once. “We’ve got a lot to cover. I’ll fill you guys in on the way to Wyatt and Wade’s apartment.”
Though there were plenty of seats in back, Geneva insisted Ellie sit on the bench seat up front so she could “squeeze her a few more times.”
Ellie did just that, using Wolf’s save-your-questions-for-last approach so she could get through the details in a timely manner.
“I always worried about your old man,” Bronson said.
“Me too,” Geneva agreed. “But I didn’t think he’d get dragged into something this dangerous.”
“What about Nash?” Ellie asked. “Did they leak his name or anything to the tabloids?”
Geneva puffed her chest. “You’ll be very interested to hear that the tabloids got their hands on a lead from a reliable source about the mystery boyfriend of Ellie Blaire.
A wannabe country singer named Danny from Tennessee, where it’s said the happy couple plans to reside after production is through. ”
Now it was Ellie’s turn to throw her arms around Geneva, as cramped as they were in the front seat.
Nash and his brothers had remained in quiet conversation, but at this, Nash spoke up to gain Ellie’s attention. “I do happen to think I have a future as a country singer,” he said.
Ellie only shook her head. “Oh, you could have a future doing just about anything, but singing…” she said, recalling his horrible performance of the boy band song in his truck, “is not one of them.”
“Sounds like you know Nash better than I thought,” Wyatt said with a laugh.
“Once Pops thought we had to put one of the farm cats down,” Wade added. “Thought the thing was wailing out in pain. Turned out Nash had just gotten ahold of a microphone.”
Saying goodbye to Wyatt and Wade wasn’t easy, but it was good to know they’d be headed for home soon.
Since Bronson had already collected their bags, the next stop was a private airport where a jet waited to take them back to Montana.
Of course, they’d stopped to remove the tracking tags from her luggage. Now, if anyone traced them, they’d be led to a city dumpster. Or the landfill once it got dumped.
There were still unanswered questions, of course, but among the dozens that swam through Ellie's mind, the biggest quandary still remained: Just where was her father? And how long would it be before she heard from him?
Was he really okay, like Wolf suggested?
Ellie thought back on the moment they’d been rescued from the trainyard. Once she and Nash were safely escorted from the scene, she’d broken down, overcome to the point of tears, as she processed everything that had taken place.
Nash had held her in his arms, wiping tears of his own as he assured her that the worst of it was behind them.
Still, amidst the flood of relief, they’d been desperate for news about Wyatt, Wade, and Ellie’s dad.
Now they were down to one, and Ellie felt herself hovering between a space of peace and unrest. Of satisfaction and desperation.
It wasn't until they were entering that private jet that Ellie booted up her cell phone. She’d signed a release form allowing the station’s cyber team to pull her data and see if any of it might lead them to her father or the anonymous caller.
A man like Wolf would have used a burner phone, so there was no chance of them locating him with the call data, and Ellie found she was glad about that. It was thanks to him that Ellie and Nash escaped such an unthinkable fate.
But now, as they awaited takeoff, Ellie prepared herself for the messages she was about to scroll through. The device glowed to life and then buzzed, indicating the receipt of new data.
“Okay,” she said with a nod to her phone. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
Nash remained quiet as she tapped her way to her texts, but he leaned in and brushed his arm against hers in a warm, reassuring gesture. She was not alone.
A portion of her nerves subsided, and, despite the jitters that remained, a trace of joy encircled her heart because, wow, she was so lucky to have a man like Nash by her side.
Ellie tapped on the texting app and saw she’d missed over twenty texts from Geneva. The woman really was like a mom to her. So much that she’d known what Ellie was going to say before she’d said it.
“You’re giving the role to Karla McKinney,” she’d said as they said their goodbyes.
“I am.”
Geneva had nodded, wiped tears, and said, “Well, I may not be managing your career anymore, but I’m still going to be your second mom.”
Ellie had grinned at that. “I hope so.”
Other missed texts were from the director after the explosion on set.
Plans of how they intended to proceed. Geneva said she’d take care of things on that end, but Ellie would personally follow up with the director to express her apologies for passing on this one after all.
But in her heart, Ellie knew Karla McKinney was sure to be a star and that this role would only be the beginning.
Ellie kept scrolling, looking for the last exchange she’d had with her dad. Once she found it, she winced. Nothing. Not since the day they left for the ranch
Dad: We’re here. Bronson is headed up to help with your luggage.
Of course, her recent message after the blast was there, but that remained unanswered even still.
Ellie: Dad, where are you? Are you here?
It was odd, she thought, that his captors hadn't attempted to contact her from her dad’s phone. Unless they hadn’t needed to. The luggage tags had given them everything they needed to know—her precise whereabouts.
Ellie sighed as her shoulders drooped. She wasn't sure what she’d been expecting. It was just that the absence of any text at all, even if it had been somebody impersonating her dad, somehow left her feeling emptier than she’d felt a moment ago.
What if he really hadn't come out of this alive? Ellie hadn’t let herself truly consider that scenario.
She believed what Wolf told her when he said he’d be okay, but for the first time since everything went down, Ellie allowed herself to accept a grave possibility: her dad may not come out of this alive.
They might have been forced to take him out. Perhaps he’d somehow heard about the abduction or the bids on the dark web. Dad might be irresponsible and selfish, but he would never let Ellie fall victim to such a fate, even if it meant sticking his neck out to spare hers.
While the phone was still in her grip, it let out a short buzz. A banner appeared on her screen, giving her a sample of the text she just received from yet another unknown number. Please say this is from Wolf.
It was odd, but Ellie figured Wolf was her most reliable source of information right now. Local officers, even when they finally got answers, probably weren't able to release them until they went through proper channels first.
She nudged Nash and nodded to the text, adrenaline shooting through her as Nash leaned in to read it as well.
Unknown Number: I take it you know who I am. My sources say you almost fell subject to the ill fate I warned you about.
You’ll be glad to know that authorities gathered a crucial link to the underground ring I spoke about, leading them to an immediate takedown overseas just three hours ago. See the attached report for details of that takedown, where several trafficked individuals were freed.
As for your father, there’s a separate attachment about him. I wish you well, Ellie Blaire. Go, enjoy your freedom.
Ellie skipped the report and tapped on the attachment relating to her dad.
Nash wrapped a comforting arm around her back as an article popped into view.
A head shot of her father headed the article, and for a moment, Ellie's heart sank. Surely, it wouldn't make sense for this to be an obituary. Who would've written it if not her and published it in such a short time?
But then it occurred to her that it was a mug shot with an attached article about his arrest. His charges had to do with three different counts of fraud, and he was now being held in a county jail in Las Vegas. It shouldn’t have surprised Ellie, but it sort of did.
Still, a dose of relief washed through her; as much as she wasn't sure how to dissect that response, she guessed she was just glad he was still alive.
Beyond that, she didn't mind that he’d have to answer for some of his dirty deals—deals that had almost cost Ellie, Nash, Wyatt, and Wade their lives.
He'd been too slippery in his lifetime, and perhaps serving some time behind bars would help him learn.
Later, once Ellie was certain things were safe, she might go visit her dad.
Maybe Nash would go with her, which made her wonder about someone else they might visit.
Once Ellie had gained some distance from Hollywood, once her life was settled and free from paparazzi and the pursuit of fame, would her mother finally want to be a part of her life?
Would she want to meet the man Ellie had fallen in love with?
An unexpected feeling of indifference settled over her in response.
It was an odd discovery—the absence of that need to fill the void in her life, but Ellie guessed that it was long overdue; her mother hadn’t even been sending the flowers like she’d once thought.
Hadn’t bothered to acknowledge Ellie in the slightest.
And the fact was, Ellie didn't want relationships with people who didn't want her.
She tucked her phone away and nuzzled into Nash, enjoying the strength, warmth, and love that came with him. With Nash, she was wanted, cherished, and loved. Here, Ellie had all she could ever need.