No Ordinary Romance (23 page)

He took his eyes of the road giving her his
best pirate's grin. "If I please you, I'll have you know that I'm a
master at pleasing women." The problem comes after sex when women
want more than I could give them.

Beth took her hand off his thigh; she hated
the thought of Chad being with other women. "Okay Chad, you're
killing the mood, the last thing I want to hear about is you and
other women."

She was so cute when she pouted. "Don't be
jealous Beth; those other women were for my education only."

"Yeah Right!"

Chad pulled into the parking lot outside
Beth's apartment building. "Come on Lizbeth, don't pout, nobody
matters right now except you. So why don't you take me home and
ravish me like you been promising all through dinner."

They got out of the car and walked hand in
hand to Beth's apartment building. "We may have to call in sick
tomorrow Beth, I'm sure Connie would understand."

Chad jumped back as she tried to pinch him in
the side. "She might let you slide, you're her brother, and I'm
just an employee lusting after her brother. Somehow I don't think
she'll give me a pass."

"I'm happy that Connie knows about me, we
have a lot of catching up to do. At this moment, the last thing I
want to talk about is my sister, this time is for us."

Chad was happier than he'd been in a long
time, he barely paid any attention to the two men walking toward
him and Beth until it was too late. "Something's not right, get
behind me Beth."

Chad braced himself for the confrontation
that was coming; he hadn't counted on a third man until he heard
Beth scream. He hit one man in the jaw and kicked the other man in
the junk. He chased the other man who was carrying Beth to a
waiting van. He was hit from behind and everything turned dark.

"Are you sure this is the right guy?"

Jimmy Lee gave his cousin a dirty look, "of
course he's the right guy. We weren't supposed to take the woman.
Crystalline ain't going to like this at all."

"That bitch Crystalline ain't running the
show. Besides, I think Cousin Joe is in love."

***

Connie was surprised to see Beth's empty desk
when she arrived for work. Beth always arrived twenty minutes
early. Connie shrugged her shoulders. Maybe she was running late.
Connie put her purse in her office, turned on her computer, and got
the coffee brewing. Another thirty minutes passed, and neither Beth
nor Chad had shown for work. It finally dawned on Connie that Chad
slept over at Beth's apartment last night. "Looks like Beth finally
got her man."

She called Beth's cell phone and got no
answer. "Beth, just calling to see if you and Chad are okay. I
figure you're together since both of you are not at work." Connie
decided to harass Chad, she called his phone, and it rang several
times before going to voicemail. "Come on Chad, you and Beth have
all weekend to play bedroom games. As your employer, I expect both
of you to get here A.S.A.P."

Connie had an important meeting with a client
today; she sat at Beth's desk waiting for him to arrive. Leonard
Caprise started a restaurant five years ago, and now he wants to
expand. Leonard beat the odds of the small business conundrum, most
small businesses failed within two to three years due to poor
management. When Leonard was re-deployed after 25 years of service,
he decided to take his severance pay, and create Sophia's a
restaurant named after his wife.

One thing Connie loved about Leonard, he
listened to her advice and reinvested into the business, and he set
money aside for growth. Many small business owners experience a
large influx in revenue and start spending. She convinced Leonard
to build up the business and let Sophia's grand tasting entrees
speak for themselves and his business would grow.

She prepared an expansion proposal and
submitted loan applications to two local banks. Leonard wanted to
use his own capital for the expansion until she convinced him that
the best money to use for expanding the business was someone else's
money. Both banks were interested in extending a loan for Leonard's
expansion plans at a good interest rate. She added the loan
payments to his monthly budget to give him a preview of projected
operating expenses. Leonard could still maneuver comfortably while
earning interest on his capital reserves. She really loved it when
clients trusted her to do her job.

She was starting to worry about Beth and
Chad; it wasn't like either one of them to miss work without
calling. Regardless of what's going on in their lives. Leonard
walked into the office right on time. "Good morning Leonard, how is
Sophia and the kids?" Connie shook his hand, locked the door, and
flipped the sign to close.

"Connie everything's going great the kids are
eager for summer break and Sophia, and I are excited about the
expansion. Hey, looks like you're all alone today. Where's Beth
hiding?"

"Oh Beth's out sick to day, so I'm managing
the office by myself."

Leonard was so pumped about his expansion
plans for the restaurant and he knew that it wouldn't have been
possible without Connie. He sat down at Connie's desk and reviewed
the proposal. "Which offer do you think I should take?"

"Well Leonard both offers are straight
forward business loans. The first offer is from your own bank, you
have an established relationship with them, and the terms are such
that the loan will be paid off six months sooner. The second bank
is offering an interest rate a half point lower, it's a longer
term, which means you could end up paying more for this loan. I
would suggest going with the offer from your own bank, it makes no
sense to pay more for a loan unless you desperate and don't have a
choice."

"Let's go with my bank then." He signed the
loan papers and got up to leave.

"Leonard, I'm working with a loan officer,
Angie McCormick. I'll fax the paper work right now so she can start
processing, then I'll send over all the paper work by courier. She
should have a check for you no later than Monday."

"Connie I don't tell you this often enough,
but Sophia and I appreciate everything you've done for us. You're
more than just an accountant you're a friend. I heard on the news
that the Cabbage Patch Foundation is breaking ground on a new lot.
I'm glad that whole situation worked out."

Connie could feel the heat rising in her face
as she walked Leonard to the door. She felt awkward when people
gave her praise. "Leonard it's what you pay me for, but it's also a
pleasure to watch you achieve life time goals. Tell Sophia I said
hello if you have any more questions or run into financial snags
let me know immediately."

Connie waved to Leonard locked the door
heading back to her office when the phone rang. "Connie
Jacobs."

"Miss Jacobs I want you to listen carefully
to what I have to say. Your brother Chad and his girlfriend have
been taken. If you want to see them alive you better take some
notes."

Connie didn't
recognize
the voice. She couldn't tell if it were
a man or a woman. Listening to the person speak gave her a sick
feeling in the pit of her stomach. She took her cell phone out of
her purse and sent a text to Mike and Thomas. She didn't know why
someone kidnapped Chad and Beth. "What do you mean you've taken
Chad and Beth?"

"Shut up bitch and listen. I want you to get
fifty thousand dollars together in unmarked bills and wait for my
call. You are being watched, if you contact the police, I don't
know if I can promise the safety of your friends.

Connie's telephone was vibrating, but she
couldn't focus on the phone and the kidnapper. "Wait! I don't have
fifty thousand dollars just lying around. I'll have to make
arrangements to get that type of cash..."

"I don't care how you get the money! You have
seven hours to get the cash, when I call back you better have the
cash available, and I'll give you drop off information."

Connie answered her phone it was Mike. "Mike
kidnappers have taken Chad and Beth, and they told me not to call
the police. They want fifty thousand dollars..."

"Remain calm Connie and tell me everything
that happened."

"Beth and Chad didn't come into work today; I
didn't think anything of it at first. I placed calls to both of
them, and they didn't pick up. They're the most responsible people
I know, but neither of them called me this morning. I had a client
in here as soon as the client left, the kidnapper called me."
Connie's head jerked upward at the banging on the door

"Connie what's wrong?"

"Someone's at the door."

"Put the phone on the speaker and go see
who's at the door."

Connie put the phone on the speaker and
peaked through the blinds. She yanked the door open and threw
herself into Thomas's arms. "Thomas! How did you get here so
fast?"

Thomas ushered her into the office and locked
it behind him. "I was on my way over to take you to an early lunch
when I received your text. What instructions did receive from the
kidnappers?"

"I was just giving Mike the details when you
knocked on the door. I have him on speakerphone. As I was telling
Mike, when Chad and Beth didn't show up for work I wasn't worried.
Neither of them called which is strange. I had a client in this
morning and as soon as the client left the kidnapper called. He
told me that he had Chad and Beth, and he wants fifty thousand
dollars. He only gave me seven hours to raise money. He said he
would call back with directions for the drop off."

"Honey you need to call the FBI and let them
handle this situation."

"Thomas I can't the kidnapper told me not to
contact the authorities."

"I have to agree with Thomas. Connie you have
no guarantee that the kidnappers will let Chad and Beth go once
they receive the money."

Thomas was getting agitated, he wanted to
scoop up Constantina and turn the whole matter over to the
authorities. "There's no way I'm letting you near a drop off
location. I know an FBI agent; he's out of the Cedar Rapids office.
I'll give him a call."

"Great idea Thomas, Connie give me the
addresses for Chad and Beth, I'll take a couple of black and
whites, and we'll check out their residences." Connie gave him the
information he requested. Thanks Connie, stand by, and I'll keep
you guys posted."

Connie turned off the speaker and turned to
face Thomas. "Thomas..."

"I know what you're going to say Constantina.
Let me call Eric he's a professional, he'll know what to do."

Connie came to a decision to follow Thomas
and Mike's direction. "While you're contacting the FBI agent, I'll
work on the task of raising money."

Thomas gave her his full attention, "Do you
have that much cash on hand?"

"I have the money, between my savings, CDs,
and a couple of investments accounts; it could take awhile to raise
money. My portfolio is not very liquid."

Constantina was independent and would
probably refuse his offer to pay the ransom. "Hold off until I
speak to Eric."

Connie paced back and forth as Thomas spoke
with the FBI. She was afraid that the phone would ring and equally
afraid that it might not ring. He got off the phone and didn't say
anything at first. "Thomas. What did he say?"

He knew that Constantina didn't have a lot of
love for authority figures, but she would need the FBI and the
police to resolve the kidnapping. "Eric said to expect to hear from
two detectives he's worked with from the Council Bluffs PD. They
will collect information until the FBI can get here. Eric is about
an hour away, and he's bringing his team; in the mean time he wants
you to write down everything the kidnapper said." Thomas got on the
phone with his banker to raise the money while Connie put a
timeline to everything that happened that morning.

Less than ten minutes later, Thomas answered
the knock on the door. Two men in suits showed their badges, they
must be the detectives form CBPD. "I'm Thomas Galvin, my fiancée;
Constantina Jacobs received a call this morning that her two
employees were kidnapped."

Connie didn't even blink at Thomas's
introduction; she had more weighty issues than his false claim. She
eyed the two detectives as they sat near the desk. One was tall and
lanky, the other short and stocky, both of them were serious about
the job. Saying to no one in particular, "if the kidnappers are
watching me, they're going to know I contacted the police." Connie
was angry at the situation and angry with herself for contacting
Thomas and Mike. "Can I get you gentlemen anything to drink?" The
short stocky detective spoke first.

"Miss Jacobs I'm Detective Green and my
partner here is Detective Morrell, Agent Eric Constantine notified
us of a possible kidnapping. Please tell us everything the
kidnapper said, no matter how inconsequential it may seem."

The phone rang, and Connie looked around the
room before picking it up. "Hello."

"Is this Connie Jacobs."

"Y-Yes."

"Miss Jacobs, I'm Agent Constantine, I
contacted the Council Bluffs PD, have the detectives arrived
yet."

"Yes, Agent Constantine Detectives Morrell
and Green just arrived."

"Miss Jacobs please put the phone on
speaker."

Connie put the phone on the speaker and
waited for further instructions. "Okay Agent Constantine I have you
on speaker."

Connie relayed everything that happened that
morning. Agent Constantine and Detective Green did all the
questioning and Detective Morrell took notes. "The voice of the
kidnapper was low and raspy. I couldn't tell if the voice belong to
a man or a woman."

"Is there any other connection between you,
Chad, and Beth that we should know about?" Agent Constantine's
voice echoed throughout the room.

"I just found out the day before yesterday
that Chad is my half brother."