Back To The Stars: ROMANCE: ALIEN (Alien Invasion Abduction SciFi Romance) (Fantasy Anthologies & Collections) (50 page)

I promised that once my life was sorted and everything was back to normal, I would let Daniel know how much I was thankful what he did for me. I knew that had it not been for Daniel, I would never have been able to grasp what to do and perhaps the mess would have never sorted.

Yes, I didn’t have a lot of room to be complacent either. We had to act really fast. Mr. Shaun Elvis was one of the fiercest competitors that Victoria ever had. As per reports, she had damaged his warehouse overnight and he had faced major losses. This happened just before one of the fashion shows that was to take place in Paris. The fashion show would have decided the fate of two brands and as Elvis faced last minute problems, he had to pull out and his confidence was broken.

Now was the time for him to resurrect again. We would have to inform him about the troubles with Victoria’s fashion line and it was time for him to pay Victoria back the way she did. If he could do a major launch, he would be able to capitalize the market and this would be an even major setback to Victoria’s business. There was no reason for Mr. Shaun to say no, but I knew that he would be prying for more information. He would like to know why we were giving him such inside details and I decided to create a fake identity. I knew that I was perhaps not doing the right thing but ever since Natasha’s arrest, everyone knew that she was the one who hated Victoria. So, I gave him the lead that I was Natasha’s agent.

Ever since Natasha had been arrested, she had kept a low profile but I could use her name to make this case. I knew that this was something which Victoria wouldn’t suspect. Also, Natasha had some big plans of being successful too. She would be confused when her name would pop up in the discussion, but by the time, she would clear the confusion, we decided to let her know about the benefits she could have from it too.

The plan was perfect. We would use Natasha’s identity to create confusion and to inflict major setback to Victoria’s business. Then, we would go to Natasha and let her know that this way. She would get the publicity needed to actually become an iconic brand that brought down Victoria’s line. This would also serve as her revenge and give her dreams the right shape. Further, the next thing to do would be to get some officers to attack her and finally, we had to get hold of James as well.

We had been successful so far. But the games had begun and the first round looked a little promising if not much. I had seen how disturbed Victoria was and it had given me immense pleasure. Daniel kept on reminding me not to make too many appearances at places where Victoria may have her men as even one little mistake could turn out to be very dangerous for us.

Victoria still had an upper hand as she had access to the footage and most of all to my daughter. She was a lunatic and it wouldn’t take her long to misuse her power. The last thing I wanted was Rosie to be in trouble. I couldn’t trust James either, but I wanted to know why did James betray me? Was it just for money? James had a family he loved and it was hard to know why he would rob me of my daughter. Sure, he could embezzle money and  maybe, he could even be involved in drugs, but this came as a little shock and I didn’t know who to blame for it.

I wanted to know more of James’ story too and Daniel had promised to get back to me with the right details that would help me out. I knew it was not going to be easy, but it was something I had to eventually find out.

Daniel had a team of investigators looking at James’ and his details for the last year. With the right details, we would be able to find out what had exactly happened and for how long had he been with Victoria.

I could remember how he was excited about my wedding and I don’t assume that back so long too, he was working for Victoria. There was a possibility that he may have been Victoria’s stalker, but there was a part of me that was not convinced about this.

I wanted to believe that James wasn’t a bad guy through and through and there had to be a reason he was behaving this way. Daniel promised that he would get back to me with the details as soon as he could. His whole team was working hard and they should be able to get some kind of information at least.

I was on the verge of being too excited but I didn’t want to pin my hopes too high. I knew that losing this game was something I couldn’t afford as this wasn’t just a game to me, this was so much more. It was everything for me and losing it would mean I would lose my life.

But, I have to be sure that at that moment, I was careful. I wanted to call Elaine and I needed to let her know that there was a hope that things would be alright, but knowing Elaine, she would get extremely optimistic. I didn’t want to rush things a bit too much and I would only let Elaine know about it when I was sure that I could save Rosie.

I still ended up calling Elaine as I needed to check on her from time to time. When I called her, she immediately picked it up.

“Any good news, Andrew? Did you get some leads?” she asked and the hope in her voice was too strong. I didn’t want her to give any clues or leads and I simply asked her to be patient and to trust me. I assured her that I would do my damn best and I won’t give up until I knew that I tried every possible thing.

“But, what if it doesn’t work out? This possibility of what it is killing me badly and I want you to tell me that you will fix this. You are my hero, Andrew. You always did the right things. Why now? I want my daughter back. I am not asking for too much, am I?” She wept on the phone and my heart broke into a million pieces.

I was sad beyond words and if I could, I would hug Elaine, kiss her and let her know that I was going to fix every damn thing. I wanted to be her pillar of support but I was myself breaking apart. I needed to leave Elaine like that so Victoria couldn’t sense the change. If she found Elaine to be in such a sad and broken state, she would know that I was still clueless. It was all a part of one big plan which I miserably hoped would end up working out.

Chapter 26:

After making sure that Elaine was holding up good, I decided to kick start into action. I wanted to ensure that things were rolling smoothly and I knew that I had to make the most of my calls to Daniel. I couldn’t call him all the time as this would put both of us at risk. Also, I couldn’t call all the middlemen directly too as I wanted to have the least communication with them.

With so many restrictions, it was a little hard to work out my plan, yet I knew that it was important to deal with us. I was frustrated but I couldn’t let my frustration get the better hold on me. I had to stay strong and I would have to implement my ideas.

I got a text from an unknown number that said that Shaun had agreed to have an impromptu launch of his new line and he also had some ideas on how to make Victoria squirm in her seat. He had some key ideas on how to make her panicky and the ideas sounded great.

The message was signed by DK and I knew that this was Daniel. He was as much involved as me in the whole plan and that was the time when I realized that simply changing my identity was not good. We all need friends who would stay with us through thick and thin and I wanted this to happen.

I knew that this time round if Daniel hadn’t stuck by me, I would have no frigging clue what to do. So, I decided that I would honor the relations I had. For a moment in time, I wondered if it would be better for Elaine to be back with her parents too. Her mother would care for her, but then it was too late to try this.

I couldn’t possibly take this risk as Elaine had fled back then because Anthony’s case was largely unsolved. Damn, I regretted how indecisive I was with the whole thing. I texted back Daniel and let him know about how we should approach Shaun’s case.

I gave him all the key details and even the background story which we could use to convince Shaun and then plan Victoria’s complete downfall. Shaun was a shrewd businessman and as Victoria had once led him to suffer so badly, he too wanted vengeance. When he came to know that there was someone who was willing to help him out, he immediately agreed to the idea.

The two other people in the list which Ed had given the names for had to be analyzed too. I wanted to make sure that I was putting everything in the right basket. I scanned the details and I found out that there was a certain Mr. Adam S who had been on terrible terms with Victoria. No one knew what their cause of dispute was and I wanted to know more than ever what the reason was.

I decided to be sure that I acted on the right plans. I called Ed and I told him to scoop more background on Adam S. I was looking for more facts which could assist me and Ed promised to be back with a lot more information.

I turned on the news to check out on Victoria and I found that she surely was in the news for all the wrong reasons. The troubles had worsened at her end and Shaun had already announced his big launch. An interview with Victoria showered her tensed and I knew that the focus was on me. She was surrounded by media paparazzi and she was under police surveillance too.

There have been reports of money laundering and I had a smug smile on my face because I realized that Victoria was finally going to pay for all her sins. I knew that Daniel was surely the master of his game and he knew how to handle all of it.

My next job was to try and extract Rosie out of the whole mess. This was going to be hard, but if I could succeed in it, the tables would turn. I was still waiting for more news about James and I decided to use that time to try and be in touch with Natasha.

Natasha was one person I couldn’t afford to meet. She must be really angry with me as I was the one who brought her downfall. I asked one of Daniel’s men to meet Natasha as we had traced her coordinates.

I waited patiently to be filled on what happened with her. After a long discussion with her, I got a call from Michael, Daniels’ guy that she was excited to finally see Victoria’s downfall. The time has come for the real shit to begin.

I turned on the news again. One powerful thing about Daniel was the fact that he had immense hold on the media. He had some of the most powerful sources and he knew how to circulate news like wildfire. All of a sudden, Nathan was all over the news and there were rumors that Shaun had signed a deal with Natasha and this might signal the start of Victoria’s end.

Everything was going just the way we wanted, but somehow James’ details were hard to get. I got impatient and I wanted to know where my daughter was. As Victoria had been attending too many calls, and she was in so many places all at once I knew she didn’t have Rosie with her. I prayed for Rosie’s safety because the last thing I wanted was my daughter to be hurt.

After nearly a couple of hours, I got a call from Daniel and he told me that James was flying cross country. There had been tickets for two people which meant that Rosie might be on the flight with him. But, things were not very clear.

“What do you mean Daniel things are not clear?” I asked clearly frustrated. We had come so close to clinching it, but the fact that I still didn’t know if I could get Rosie made it hard for me to tackle everything else.

“James hasn’t left a very clear lead. It is a little confusing at our end and so I can’t be for sure as this can be a trap too. I am not very sure. I wanted to know before I could confirm the details but as we do not know how much time we have, I thought I would let you know about it.”

I knew that whatever he was telling was right and so I was a little indecisive too. I wondered what should we do and eventually decided that we had to try. If James was actually traveling with Rosie, there was no way we could let this chance slip away.      

“We need to stop James right now. This can’t happen. If he has Rosie with her, we can’t let this chance slip away. We should divide our team because I don’t want any of us to be trapped looking for the wrong clues.”

Daniel agreed to whatever I had to say. I knew that we had to be fast and to be honest, I had become tired of the oscillating movements and trying too hard and not knowing who and what to ask for. It’s been very stressful and I needed to break free from the dilemma. I was waiting anxiously to find out what would be the outcome but I really wanted to believe that things would fall into place.

I decided to leave for the airport so that I could find James there. If he had Rosie with her, I would anyhow take Rosie and then we will look into the rest of the pan. If I could get Rosie, I knew that I would win the battle because I didn’t care much what happened to Victoria after that.

I reached the airport well before time. There were three of Daniel’s men there but I had no clue who they were. Daniel asked me to stay on an alert and I didn’t need to know who his guys were. They all recognized both Rosie and James and I knew that if any of them would spot her, they would call Daniel and he would inform me.

The trap was well set and I wished that this one would fall in place. I really wanted to save my daughter and I wanted to be done with all the mess. When I saw James coming out of the next door terminal, I strained my neck to see who was with her. There was a little kid who was wearing a hooded jacket that made it impossible for me to assess how she was. But, I knew that it was Rosie. Even though I couldn’t see her face and I had no idea that if the little kid was my daughter, but she had the same height and build. I immediately called Daniel and told him about James and Rosie.

He asked me the specific coordinates and promised that he would send his men there to help me save Rosie.

We all plunged on James and just as I took away my daughter, he quickly put in a call and then gave a mirthless laugh.

I was shocked to find that the little kid was not my daughter. She was someone else.

“I told Victoria that only you could be behind all of this. I have known you for so long Andrew and I told her that you are the one who is planning all of it. I informed Victoria about your evil plans and she is going to take your daughter away from all of you. You have messed with the wrong person, dude.”

I couldn’t believe my own ears. My world came crashing down. After putting in so many efforts and trying so much, I was once again on the verge of losing everything. I didn’t know what I would do and how I would break this news to Elaine. I was shit scared. I held James by the collar and said, “Why did you do this to me? What is your reason for all this? Give me an answer damn it. I trusted you. You were one of my best friends.”

He looked at me with disgust and said, “Dude, ask your wife, what is the problem! She could fuck a hundred men but when I made a move, she slapped me. She slapped me in front of my friends. What did I want? Just some sex! She is a fuck doll. There was nothing wrong with having sex with me. I don’t even know what she saw in you. I am so much better. I had told her that I would give her all the luxuries she needed, but she slapped me and all my friends were there and they watched me and it embarrassed me. I vowed then and there that I would avenge this. I would make all your life a living hell!”

“You made a sexual move at Elaine? Are you out of your mind? She is my fucking wife! What is so hard to get in this! How could you even do this! I am so tired of all your melodrama. You don’t deserve to live.” I said and I wanted to kill him but I wondered if it would serve any use.

It became very clear that he had already informed Victoria about me and I was sure that she must have some alternate plans too. Victoria was looking to seek revenge and this meant that she would try all she could to ensure that I got punished.

The worst thing was I still had no clue where Rosie was now. There was no time left to act. With my secret out in the open, I had to make sure that Victoria could be stopped. I decided to call Elaine and fill her in on everything, I would need her help too. Elaine could be smart when it was needed. She had been through her own struggles too and this gave her an edge as she could smartly handle too many people.

As I headed out to meet Daniel and called Elaine and told her everything, she was shocked to know that all this was planned by me. However, we both didn’t have the time to applaud each other as it was important to know what was to be done.

“Rosie is still with Victoria and we have no clue where she is taking her. I will need to find Victoria and you need to head to Victoria’s mansion. There have to be evidences there. Daniel’s men will find you and they will go with you for safety. Raid her house with the men and try and look for evidence.”

I told her about the possible passages and rooms wherein she could find the details. Natasha’s companion would swing for some help too. Daniel had met Natasha and she had agreed to help but in exchange of lump some money. When she had heard about me, initially she had been very angry. But later she realized that it was important for her to make sure that Victoria suffered and she was willing to befriend me for that sake.

Mr. Shaun had come in support of us too and after his launch turned out to be successful, he promised to give us more assistance. I had an army, but all I needed was my daughter. Everything rolled smoothly only for the absence of Rosie. I needed Rosie because Victoria still had the trump card with her.

“What are you going to do?” Daniel asked.

“I have got no idea. I need to find Rosie and save her. I did all of this for my daughter and there is no way I can let her go.”

Daniel understood my options too well and he kept calling his team to get some ideas. They had taken James in captivity but he had refused to open his mouth. After nearly twenty minutes, Daniel got a call and he told me that Victoria was headed to Arizona.

This was strange I thought only to realize that she easy now targeting Elaine’s parents. Knowing Victoria, I knew that she could go to any length and she must have some kind of an idea. I was scared thinking of the other thing she could possibly be wondering about.

Victoria knew well about the green ruins and how they had an entire community working there. What if she was taking Rosie to the same place from where I saved Ila. My heart shuddered at the very thought and I knew that I would have to shake free of this.

There was no way I could let my little daughter be a part of the sex racket. Her life would be destroyed forever. Rosie was young, but they would take anyone. I couldn’t even imagine the kind of troubles she would go through. I was petrified and scared and I wanted to make sure that things would soon become normal.

Daniel could feel that I was tensed and he wanted to know what the matter was. When I told him of the possibility, he got scared as well. He decided to call some of his men at Arizona and sent them pictures of Victoria and Rosie to give them an idea regarding who they were to look out for.

I didn’t know how I would ever pay off my debt to Daniel. I called you Elaine but then I decided not to tell her about this. She had been in the sex racket and I knew that if I told her that Victoria planned on forcing Rosie in it, she would lose every piece of her mind. I couldn’t do that. That would be wrong on my part.

However, Elaine was extremely scared. I knew she had realized the seriousness of the situation and she wondered what would happen.

“Andrew, we need to hurry. We can’t let Victoria board the flight to Arizona. This can mess everything,” Daniel said and I nodded. I pushed the speed limit and drove their car as fast as I could.

When I finally reached the airport, I knew I would have to wait.

“Daniel, what if this is the wrong information? What if Victoria is still trapping us? She knows that it was my mastermind then what if this is another of her false trap?” I asked as I was unable to think right. I didn't really know what to do.