Dirk.”
“Yes you do. You gave her the address to meet you. If anything happens to her, Luzy, I will never forgive you.”
“I’m not lying. She texted me and cancelled.”
“No, she didn’t. Give me the address where you were going to meet.”
“It was a restaurant.”
“I don’t care if it was a landfill. Give me the address. I want to be sure I’m going the right place. I will press charges if something has happened to her.”
Luzy began to cry. He could hear the sniffles on the phone. He was all out of give a damn at the moment. The woman he loved was missing. Again. He was not going to take any chances with her life. He was going to find her. And he better find her alive.
“I’m sorry, Dirk. Chad made me do it.”
“Do what?”
A chill went down Dirk’s spine. They’d poked the man and now he was lashing out. Riley was going to be the casualty of this. Again. Guilt raced through him. Now that he knew how he felt about Riley he couldn’t wait to tell her.
What if he was too late? What if he couldn’t save her? Damn.
He’d never had doubts like this. This was why he’d never wanted to fall in love, but now that he had, he couldn’t back away. He wanted Riley to be his wife. To be his forever.
“He made me text her with a bogus address.”
“Did he hold a gun to your head?”
“No, but he’s pretty unstable. He’s been out to get you for years. He knew he had a chance when you hired him for computer security,” Luzy said.
“Why is he after me?”
“Because you’re successful. He’s jealous. He thinks that our parents don’t love him because they love you too much.”
“Luzy, that makes no sense.”
“Not that this justifies what he did, but you are a difficult brother to follow. Sometimes it feels as if everything we do you do better or bigger.”
He had no idea that his siblings felt this way. “Have I led you to believe that your accomplishments didn’t mean anything?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t get all this. I never became successful to show anyone up. I’m just driven.”
She sighed. “I know, Dirk. It doesn’t make sense. As much as I can look at the situation rationally, Chad can’t.”
“Why did you let yourself get wrapped up in his insanity?”
“I don’t know, Dirk. I guess I just got swept up in it. For once I felt like I had a purpose.”
Sad. “You’re my sister, Luzy. I love you no matter what. As do your parents. Your mother raised me as if I was her own. She never showed you or Chad favoritism. I always felt like I was one of the family.”
“I know. I know. Now that I say it all out loud, it doesn’t make sense. I know that you would back us in whatever we did, but I guess Chad caught me at a bad point in my life.”
“With the divorce?”
“Yes. It’s my second, Dirk. I can’t even succeed at marriage.”
“Marriage is tough, Luzy. I’ve always admired that you kept trying. I never did.”
“Will you marry Riley?”
“If she’ll have me.”
Luzy laughed. “She’ll have you. Let me text you the address, and please find her, Dirk.”
He hung up, wondering why he and his sister had never talked like that before. Why had it taken a crisis to bring them together? He loved her. He loved Chad, too, even if the man was holding his girlfriend hostage.
He wouldn’t forgive him if something happened to Riley, but he loved him nonetheless. He gave the address to his driver. It was close to where they’d figured she was.
“We’ll be there in twenty minutes, sir.”
“Not soon enough.”
He couldn’t have his driver go faster. There was almost as much traffic in North Jersey as there was in Manhattan. He called Riley’s phone again, but she still didn’t answer. “Damn.”
Where was she? Was she okay? His heart beat faster. He’d never worried this much about losing anyone. Not even his family. Riley had gotten under his skin. He had to tell her. He had to make sure this didn’t happen again.
He didn’t care
“Yes you do. You gave her the address to meet you. If anything happens to her, Luzy, I will never forgive you.”
“I’m not lying. She texted me and cancelled.”
“No, she didn’t. Give me the address where you were going to meet.”
“It was a restaurant.”
“I don’t care if it was a landfill. Give me the address. I want to be sure I’m going the right place. I will press charges if something has happened to her.”
Luzy began to cry. He could hear the sniffles on the phone. He was all out of give a damn at the moment. The woman he loved was missing. Again. He was not going to take any chances with her life. He was going to find her. And he better find her alive.
“I’m sorry, Dirk. Chad made me do it.”
“Do what?”
A chill went down Dirk’s spine. They’d poked the man and now he was lashing out. Riley was going to be the casualty of this. Again. Guilt raced through him. Now that he knew how he felt about Riley he couldn’t wait to tell her.
What if he was too late? What if he couldn’t save her? Damn.
He’d never had doubts like this. This was why he’d never wanted to fall in love, but now that he had, he couldn’t back away. He wanted Riley to be his wife. To be his forever.
“He made me text her with a bogus address.”
“Did he hold a gun to your head?”
“No, but he’s pretty unstable. He’s been out to get you for years. He knew he had a chance when you hired him for computer security,” Luzy said.
“Why is he after me?”
“Because you’re successful. He’s jealous. He thinks that our parents don’t love him because they love you too much.”
“Luzy, that makes no sense.”
“Not that this justifies what he did, but you are a difficult brother to follow. Sometimes it feels as if everything we do you do better or bigger.”
He had no idea that his siblings felt this way. “Have I led you to believe that your accomplishments didn’t mean anything?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t get all this. I never became successful to show anyone up. I’m just driven.”
She sighed. “I know, Dirk. It doesn’t make sense. As much as I can look at the situation rationally, Chad can’t.”
“Why did you let yourself get wrapped up in his insanity?”
“I don’t know, Dirk. I guess I just got swept up in it. For once I felt like I had a purpose.”
Sad. “You’re my sister, Luzy. I love you no matter what. As do your parents. Your mother raised me as if I was her own. She never showed you or Chad favoritism. I always felt like I was one of the family.”
“I know. I know. Now that I say it all out loud, it doesn’t make sense. I know that you would back us in whatever we did, but I guess Chad caught me at a bad point in my life.”
“With the divorce?”
“Yes. It’s my second, Dirk. I can’t even succeed at marriage.”
“Marriage is tough, Luzy. I’ve always admired that you kept trying. I never did.”
“Will you marry Riley?”
“If she’ll have me.”
Luzy laughed. “She’ll have you. Let me text you the address, and please find her, Dirk.”
He hung up, wondering why he and his sister had never talked like that before. Why had it taken a crisis to bring them together? He loved her. He loved Chad, too, even if the man was holding his girlfriend hostage.
He wouldn’t forgive him if something happened to Riley, but he loved him nonetheless. He gave the address to his driver. It was close to where they’d figured she was.
“We’ll be there in twenty minutes, sir.”
“Not soon enough.”
He couldn’t have his driver go faster. There was almost as much traffic in North Jersey as there was in Manhattan. He called Riley’s phone again, but she still didn’t answer. “Damn.”
Where was she? Was she okay? His heart beat faster. He’d never worried this much about losing anyone. Not even his family. Riley had gotten under his skin. He had to tell her. He had to make sure this didn’t happen again.
He didn’t care
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