His Revenge by Charlene Raquel
Chapter Two
Gwen paced at the top of the embankment. She had just been kidnapped by her own father and it seemed her nightmare was not over. “It has to be Dominic. He is probably behind all of this. We need to go back down there and demand to know where Dominic is.”
Drew put his arms around her, holding her close. “Let them do their job.”
Rip jogged up the slope to check on Jeff, who was leaning against the SUV that was parked on the side of the road.
Rip clasped Jeff on the shoulder. “You alright, man?”
Jeff nodded. “My head hurts like a bitch, and I’m pissed off. That asshole wrecked my new ride.”
Rip turned to Dean, Drew, Gwen, and Sam. “You kids okay?”
Dean rolled his eyes. They were all seniors at Stonewall University but his brother and his brother’s teammates all still considered them kids. He guessed Special Forces badasses would think that anyone younger than them as kids. “We’re ok. A little shaken up. I didn’t see the truck until he was almost on top of us. Then it was too late.”
“There isn’t anything you could have done. He was determined to crash into you.” Rip crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure he doesn’t get away with it.”
Gwen and Sam sat on the ground next to the vehicle. “None of this feels real. I keep waiting to wake up and realize it has all been a nightmare.” Gwen shivered and hugged herself to stop from shaking.
“Stuff like this only happens in books or movies. It figures that this is your life.” Sam bumped Gwen’s shoulder with her own.
“I can’t believe my father turned out to be such a monster. I always knew he was a jerk, but never thought he would ever be this bad.”
“He’s going to jail, and you won’t have to deal with him again.” Drew interjected. Dean and Drew walked over to sit on either side of the girls.
“Bingo! We have a time and a location,” Crash called out. “Jeff, can you do that thing?” He waved Hank’s phone in the air from the bottom of the hill.
Jeff frowned for a second but then smiled. “Yeah. Give me a minute.” He made his way down the slope and grabbed the phone from Crash. Jeff ventured back to the overturned vehicle’s far side. They could see him pulling duffle bags from the trunk area, but not what he was searching for.
“Hey! What’s he doing with my phone? I want that back! I paid a lot for that thing.” Hank struggled and attempted to stand.
Boomer pulled Hank up from the ground by his hair and walked him up the incline. “Let’s go, asshole.” Hank was yelling obscenities the whole time.
Boomer smacked Hank on the back of his head, telling him to “Shut the hell up.”
~*~*~
Gwen covered her face with her hands. Don’t cry, don’t cry, she chanted to herself. Don’t cry until you get home so no one will see.
Drew put his arms around her shoulders. She sunk into his embrace. “Babe? Are you okay?”
Gwen shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know.” She didn’t. As much as she knew her father was a horrible human being, she would never have expected him to have her kidnapped. And worse, she never imagined he would give her to someone in payment for lucrative government contracts. Gwen didn’t want to think about what could have happened if her friends and the military guys hadn’t found her.
Drew tightened his hold. “I’m not going to let anyone get to you again. I was frantic when I heard you were missing.” He kissed her on the side of her head. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to make sure you’re safe. We all will.”
Gwen cuddled closer to him. “What’s going to happen now? What if Jeff and his friends don’t find Dominic? Do you think he’ll give up?”
Drew growled. He didn’t want to worry Gwen any more than she already was. “They’re going to catch him and lock him away.”
Gwen sat up and stared at him. “How do you know that?”
Drew cupped Gwen’s cheeks and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. “We’ve spent too many years apart. Nothing or nobody is going to take you away from me.”
Gwen nodded, hoping he was right. She knew that it would be okay sometime in the future, but it wouldn’t be until they found Dominic. It also would never be all right with her family again either. She had left home right after high school and never went back, but she always secretly hoped that one day, things would be different with her parents. Those dreams were completely destroyed. Gwen didn’t trust her voice not to crack so she kept quiet.
~*~*~
Jeff came around the back of the overturned SUV and nodded to Rip, tossing him Hank’s phone.
Rip gave him a chin lift. “All done?”
Jeff nodded. “Of course. You doubted me?”
Rip raised an eyebrow. “Dude, you knocked yourself out. You still have blood all over your face and I’ve been expecting you to pass out any minute.”
“I’m fine, asshole.” Jeff shook his head.
Crash joined them. “Let’s call someone to pick up the trash. We have a meeting to plan with Hank’s boss.”
~*~*~
Boomer’s friend Steve from the FBI showed up to get Hank. The FBI were still at the mansion processing the crime scene they had just left from. Gwen’s crazy father and some of his associates had been taken into custody. Her father had made some sort of deal with a man named Dominic, who no one knew anything about. Dominic had not been at the estate when Jeff and his team of Special Forces soldiers with the help of Drew, Dean, and Sam, rescued Gwen, so he was not arrested with the others.
Dominic was most likely behind the stunt Hank pulled, but they didn’t have proof yet.
Special Agent Steve arrived with a couple of colleagues and immediately took Hank and confiscated his phone as evidence. They found out that the truck Hank used to plow into Jeff’s 4Runner had been stolen. Hank wouldn’t be a problem for any of them once the feds got done with him.
Boomer didn’t mention the meeting they had set up with Hank’s phone. He knew that they would have faced some resistance.
Steve knew they were up to something but didn’t know what. “Why don’t you guys come along? You can watch the interrogations.”
Boomer shared a look with Crash. “Nah. We’ve got something to do. Call me if you get anything from them.”
Steve narrowed his eyes. “Since when would you turn down a chance to watch or help interview someone in custody?”
Boomer pointed at Drew, Dean, Sam, and Gwen. “We’ve got to get these kids home.”
Gwen rolled her eyes while Drew glared at him. Dean went to open his mouth to dispute being called a kid, but he wisely kept quiet when Crash shot him a look that clearly indicated they would all clobber him if he didn’t.
Steve glanced around the group. “What’s really going on?”
Rip clasped Boomer on the shoulder. “We drove up from New Jersey, been up all night and all we want to do now is crash.” Rip grinned at his intentional use of his buddy’s nickname.
Boomer nodded. “We’ll catch up with you later. If you don’t get everything you need, we’ll help.”
Steve chuckled. “I don’t think we’ll need your form of help.” He shook his head and started up the hill.
Rip waited until the FBI agents were out of sight. “Let’s hit the road. We have a lot of planning to do before we meet up with Hank’s employer.”
Since Jeff’s SUV was not drivable and had to be towed out of the ravine, they all piled into Crash’s Expedition. Drew, Gwen, and Dean took the back, Jeff, Sam, and Rip squished into the middle row, and Crash and Boomer took up the front.
Sam turned to grin at Gwen about her spot between the two hot military men. She wiggled her eyebrows and giggled when Dean gave her an annoyed look.
Gwen leaned her head against Drew’s shoulder and closed her eyes. Suddenly everything was falling down on her, and she was very close to losing the desperate hold she had on her control.
Drew kissed her ear. “We’re going to take a long shower together when we get back to my apartment and then I’m going to kiss and lick every inch of your body.”
Gwen shivered again, but this time with desire. “Is that right?”
“Um hmm. Oh yeah. I need to check you over for injuries. I’ll need to pay particular attention to some areas more than others.” Drew smirked as his whispered words caused Gwen to blush.
“Can you two stop?” Dean complained. “You’re making me want to gag.”
Drew elbowed Dean in the ribs. “Shut it.”
The guys in the vehicle all discussed and rejected various plans for how they would deal with their meeting later that night. They finally agreed to have Rip, Crash, and Boomer stake out the location while Dean, Sam, and Jeff gathered as much research as possible.
Gwen hated that they were all talking about her situation but were leaving her out of all of their plans. “Where do Drew and I fit into your plans?”
Drew twisted in his seat to face her fully. “I don’t want you anywhere near the person who was paying to have you kidnapped. Again.”
“I’m not going to sit back while everyone else actively works to catch Dominic.”
Rip turned back toward them. “We aren’t leaving you out, Gwen.”
Boomer’s phone rang and he answered it over Bluetooth so everyone could hear. “Yo.”
“I’ve got some interesting news for you, Boomer.” FBI Agent Steve’s voice filled the SUV.
They all shared a curious look.
Boomer inhaled a deep breath. “What’s that?”
“Dominic Arnello’s lawyer called to report a kidnapping. He claims his client had arrived at a friend’s estate last night and discovered that a young woman may have been held there against her will. As an upstanding citizen, he knew it was his duty to leave the premises and report the crime to the proper authorities.”
“You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me.” Crash hit the dashboard with his hand.
Steve cursed. “I wish I was, brother. Arnello is seriously connected. Politics, Fortune 500 companies, charities, and organized crime, but that has never been proven. The asshole has even had dinner at the White House, but that was with the last president. He’s untouchable.”
“No one is untouchable.” Boomer spat.
Rip reached up to the front and clasped Boomer’s shoulder to calm his friend. “You’re still going to interrogate the three you have in custody, right? Maybe they’ll give him up.”
“You don’t need to ask that. We’re going to do everything we can, but if Dominic Arnello is involved, no one’s going to talk.”
“My father might.” Gwen whispered to Drew. “He’s a bully, but I’ve seen him cower to stronger men.”
Jeff turned around in his seat and gave Gwen a nod. “Hey, Steve, give Mr. Mason a workover. He might be the weak link.”
“I plan on it. I’m sure you guys are going to continue to investigate this, so I need to make it perfectly clear. You don’t have jurisdiction on this. I don’t care what special ops team you’re all on. This is an FBI matter.” Steve paused. “Off the record, let me know what you find out.” The phone clicked, signaling the end of the call.