Stolen - The Devereaux Case Files Book 4

Chapter 16

Raidon stepped off the plane eight hours after getting packed, to find Larris waiting for him at the airport. He had managed to call ahead before the flight, to warn the team that he was flying over and he was glad to see a familiar face as he collected his luggage. Technically he was still team leader and it made him smile to hear Larris addressing him as boss. But even he knew that within a hundred miles of Reed's presence, he was once again nothing but second in command. And he didn't much care.

"Good to see you boss. It's been hectic. No-one knows how to handle the boss like you do. He's made his move though. He's got his wife back and we're heading out tonight to get his daughter too." Larris shook his hand enthusiastically as they headed through the throng of people going in or out. The way Larris waved through them, carrying his luggage, told Raidon that he was in a hurry. But he couldn't help but catch his arm in surprise.

"He's got Ayah back already?" He reiterated in disbelief, wondering how long he had been kept in the dark about all this.

"Yeah, sneaked into the B&B and snuck out without anyone being any the wiser. That was about half an hour ago now. We're gathered in the van at the hotel Olivia's being kept in, getting disguises and stuff put together." Larris smiled before resuming their way through the terminal, hoping to get on the move quickly. The moment they were outside, he hustled over to the parking lot where he had abandoned his car, scrunching up a parking ticket he had got while waiting, before thrusting it into his pocket to deal with later.

"In half an hour, we're heading in, so we better get a move on. We've only got a short window before Ayah's found missing and Reggie gets back to the hotel." He explained as he popped the trunk and threw Raidon's bags in. There were only two cases, which he presumed meant that Raidon had either brought firepower or planned to stay for a while after the case was solved. He guessed the later, since he hadn't had much time to spend with his second family lately.

"Reggie's involved? Ayah's brother-in-law?" Raidon couldn't believe what was going on. He still didn't know who had kidnapped Ayah in the first place. But he figured that if Reggie was involved, it was another family affair. Which explained the amount of trouble she had gotten into so quickly. He almost wondered why Reed hadn't called and asked for help in the beginning. Then he realized that his best friend's mind would have been on other things; like getting his wife and daughter back home.

"Yeah. Gosh, I forgot you didn't know anything. I'll fill you in on the drive over." Larris laughed as he closed the trunk and gestured for Raidon to climb in. It was going to be a short drive, but he would try and sum everything up as best as he could on the way to the hotel. He waited until he had started the car and Raidon was comfortable before explaining, starting from the beginning and Ayah's abduction by Blake and her father, right up to everything that had happened that day. "So Reggie left Faith with the kids, which means that if he's going to be at the engagement party, we should have at least until eight o'clock before everything kicks off. That's when Ayah's expected to join Blake for the ceremony. Which means we're safe until around half seven for getting the kid out the hotel."

"But Ayah wants to take her sister and her kids along as well, so we've had to acquire a school bus from the local cops, to transport everyone safely. One call from Murray sorted that out. But this time when we arrest Blake, he's going to the facility and Reggie's going with the FBI. We're hoping that Reggie can give up some details that are still a bit sketchy, but Reed's worried they'll mess it up just like they did with Blake." Larris continued the long and difficult story, hoping to give Raidon some insight into what they had found out recently and their phone call to the FBI only an hour ago.

He realized how right Amilo had been. If Reed had control from the word go, the whole thing would be over by now and Ayah and Olivia would be safely home with him and out of danger. "So they've promised that he'll serve, at the very least, more than half his sentence when the time comes, so that we've not got another Blake thing on our hands. Apparently this is all because his father is retiring. For Blake to get control of the business, legally, without paying for it, he needs to have an heir. If he marries Ayah and adopts Olivia, then he's got a ready made claim." He shrugged, a little annoyed that they had no legal right to arrest Blake's father. They all wanted to, since it was his stupid plan that had made Blake kidnap Ayah in the first place. But they knew that without legal standing, they could risk their entire case against Blake as well. Someone might even suggest it was a witch hunt.