Stolen - The Devereaux Case Files Book 4

Chapter 8

It was a full week before Reed made any headway with his investigation into Blake's most recent business. All his digging around had paid off with information that a new shipment of antiquities was being delivered that day. Which Reed and his team presumed would contain his usual delivery of drugs or money. Whatever else he was getting up to, they would find out soon enough. He had managed to sneak Larris into the loading dock, where the shipment would arrive. He would head off any early deliveries and weed out the suspicious workers who would undoubtedly warn Blake of the arrival. And that would mean an arrangement to have the illegal goods moved from the crates, separated from the antiquities before the customs officer could get close.

It was a small victory but it was the only one he had. No-one had any information about his wife and daughter or their safety. It was driving him mad, but he tried to be professional and push his personal feelings aside. It wasn't easy and it wasn't what he wanted to do but he had little choice. No-one else was going to rescue his family, he only had himself to depend on.

At least, that was what he thought. He waited around the corner from the dock, waiting on Larris's signal to step in and allow the New York team to arrest those associated with the illegal shipment. He was surprised by a phone call from Murray. "Reed, I have some information you might find interesting. Joe is trying to dig himself out of a hole, so he's been chatting to an old DEA friend. Apparently his gunrunner friend Laurent, had a hand in laundering the money before it was put into the antiquities. He was told the shipment would be in around four o'clock. That should give you time to get the New York team on the scene." Murray explained calmly, surprising Reed with the loyalty and help he was being given by a man who professed to hate him. He was almost speechless, but not quite.

"Thank you Murray." He was more grateful than those few words could ever express. He sat in his car, around the corner from the docks, mulling over the information. It was another piece of good news but it didn't get him very far. He was grateful but that still left him with an hour of waiting, in which he would have to call the New York team. Then they had to arrive in time to set themselves up and choose a good vantage point with which to take Blake's men by surprise.

By the time the New York team arrived and prepared themselves for the shipment, Reed's nerves were frayed. He wasn't sure how much more he could take. Not only had his daughter and wife been kidnapped, but it seemed that his life wasn't meant to be simple and enjoyable. He even had to wear a disguise every day, for fear that someone he knew from work or through Ayah's shop recognized him. He was still quite a big named stock broker and Ayah was well loved in the local area.

He had been forced to call his office and pretend there was a big family emergency out of town that would require his undivided attention for a few weeks, just to have the time off from work without anyone trying to contact him and getting in the way. The shop had been easy. He had told the shop assistant that Ayah needed some rest after taking ill suddenly and that it would give her some free time to spend at home, resting and recuperating with the whole family. But just because it was easy to arrange didn't mean that it was any less of an inconvenience.

There were going to be a lot of questions when things went back to normal, not only from his work but from the people who loved them. Like Gideon and Anita, who were thankfully fully engrossed in their lives. Gideon was busy with police training, and barely had any time at all for his own social life never mind keeping in touch with them, while Anita was finishing her degree and buried knee-deep in paperwork.

As agreed, when the New York team arrived, Reed remained in his car and stayed out of their business. If he got involved he was sure to rip Blake's throat out the minute he saw him; after politely asking where his daughter was, of course. But it was too dangerous if he let his emotions run off with him. So when the shipment finally came in, after the many interminable hours he'd had to suffer waiting, he did nothing but watch the events unfold. The shipment arrived in a truck, which held four wooden crates, complete with a driver and two lackeys. They removed the crates and left them on the trolley near the locked up storage room to the side of the docks.