Chapter 15

Dan and Marcus seemed to have a pleasant night with Brian and Justin.  Dan and Marcus were very hopeful from the last report from Tyler and they really expected Hannah to be back in the next 24 hours. George had brought over something from his school to both their house and Brinn’s where Danny and Elliott were having a romantic night.  Danny and Elliott had eaten and then spent a long time just where Brian had suggested. They played in the amazing tub until they fell asleep. When they woke up, they dried off and then fell into a deep sleep in the big, comfortable bed.

Tony woke early and peaked in on Jonna.  He watched her sleep for a few minutes, picturing her as the spunky, loving, little girl who would never appear again.  He remembered when he had been raped as a young man and he hadn’t been held captive and attacked by a stranger. He had picked the wrong date.  He had to stop himself from going to her. He pulled the door shut and turned around to find John right behind him. They embraced for a long time.  

“At least she is now home and safe and we can get her the help she needs.”  John kissed Tony’s devastated face. 

“I know, Mi Amore.  I am going to get ready for work so I can wrap up everything I need to do before we leave.  Would you mind looking for my car keys? I have no idea where they are. I haven’t used that car for so long.”

John kissed him once more and ran his hand across Tony’s ass.  “I know we are going for Jonna but I have to admit, seeing you in your speedo is all I can think about.”

Tony growled, “Oh god, we need time together,” as he moved to their room John started looking for Tony’s keys.  He looked on the hooks where they were supposed to put their keys and smiled because Tony rarely remembered to put them there.  They were often in a pocket or on the corner of the counter. That’s when he saw a piece of paper on the counter where the keys were often left.  

‘Dads,

I need to do something before we go to Ibiza.  I will be home in a couple days. Papa, my car was nearly empty so I borrowed yours.  I’m sorry I didn’t ask. Please tell Jonna how sorry I am I wasn’t there for her but I will make him pay for what he did to her.

Love,

Matteo’

Oh, shit!  John walked to the bedroom, wanting to yell for him but not wanting to risk waking Jonna.  “Tony,” he stood in the doorway.

“John, what’s wrong? You’re very pale.”

“Matty is gone.  He took your car and is out to find the rapist.”

“How does he know where to go?”  

“I don’t know.  Go into work. I will try to track him down and talk some sense into him.  I will be in touch.”

Yes, please do.  I’ll text him, too.  I will be home as soon as I can.”

“You do what you need to do so we can get away.”

After Tony drove away, John hated to do it but he called Brian and Justin. “Hey, John, is everything alright?”  Justin’s pleasant and caring voice came over the phone.

“I….do you have plans…..” Justin had waved Brian over and put the phone on speaker. “Do you think…” now his voice cracked.

“John, we’re on our way over,” Brian responded.

“Thank you,” was all he could say.

“Daddy?” Jonna’s sleepy voice brought John back to normal.

“Good morning, darling.” John wrapped his arms around his little girl and kissed her. “How do you feel today?”

“I’m Ok,” she didn’t sound convincing.  “Who were you talking to?”

“Uncle Brian and Justin are coming over.”

“Where are Papa and Matty?” 

John kissed her head, “Your papa is at work.  He has a few things he needs to do before we leave for vacation.”

“I’m glad we are going away. I don’t want to go to school.”

“We are getting your assignments so you won’t get too far behind and when we get back….”

“I can’t go back to school.  Everyone will know. Please Daddy, I ….” Jonna began to panic.

“If you still feel that way later, we will get a tutor.  Don’t worry, honey.”

“You never answered, Where’s Matty?”

“Are you hungry? Would you like me to make you some breakfast?”

“I can’t eat.  Daddy, where is Matty?” Her voice was getting stronger.

“Did he say anything to you?”

“Daddy, what is going on?”  She had taken a big step away from him and was now starting to shake.

“I wish I knew, baby girl.  He just left us a note.”

“A note?” She read the paper John handed her. “I think he went after the guy that…. Brian and Justin are here.” She saw their car pull up.  “I’m going to my room. I just can’t….” she ran out of the room.

John was torn which way to go but he opened the door and the look on his face said how overwhelmed he was.  Justin wrapped his arms around John who held on to him tightly. Brian walked past them and started pulling mugs out of the cupboard and poured a cup of coffee for him and Justin and topped of the mug sitting there for John. He carried the mugs to the table and sat down.  Justin led John to a chair and had him sit.

“Now, what’s going on?”  Brian asked and then took a sip of coffee. 

“Matty left sometime during the night.  Jonna thinks he has gone after the man that….she is so broken and he is so angry.”

“Where would he go? Is there a lead?”

“Late last night we got a message from Dan’s men saying they think he’s in Vegas.  I don’t know how but if Matty somehow got that information…. “

“Damn, that kid doesn’t know what he’s up against.  He has never had to fight for anything. He’s not going to know what to do if he tracks him down.” Brian rambled.

“I thought I saw Jonna ducking out as we came to the door.  How about I go see if she needs anything.”

“She may not want to see you.”

“I understand but let me try,” Justin gave John a kiss and Brian pulled him close and they kissed longer and slower than either had planned. When Justin stepped away he looked at Brian wondering what was going on in his head.  He stepped away and moved down the hall toward Jonna’s room. He tapped on the door softly, “Jonna, sweety, may I come in?”

“I’m sorry, Uncle Justin, I’m….”

“I promise you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to talk about. I just want to see your pretty face.  I miss my girl so I thought maybe…”

The door opened slowly, “Have you talked to Dan and Marcus?  Have they found Hannah yet?” Jonna stepped out of the way and Justin walked in. 

He wanted to hug her but thought better of it. He gently took her hand and squeezed it but then loosened the hold so she could pull loose if she wanted but she squeezed tighter. “Uncle Justin, will you hug me?  I need a hug and I know I can trust you.” Justin gently pulled the girl into his arms and she held on.

“Sweetheart, do you want to talk about anything? I bet you were very brave for Hannah.  I bet she wasn’t scared with you there.”

“I tried really hard to help her but I couldn’t get us out and then they took her and then he….”

“It was horrible, Uncle Justin.  I thought he was going to kill me.  I wished he would. He hurt me. I can’t talk about it, not with a guy.”

“Well, Jonna, you know your dads or Matty would be willing to listen but maybe, when you get to Ibiza you can talk to Angi.  You know how much she loves you and she is a very good listener.”

“Yes, I think I could talk to Zia Angi.  I have to admit, I think I need some time alone with my family.”

“I am sure you all will enjoy that.  Have you eaten breakfast?”

“I’m not hungry.  I can’t seem to eat anything.”  Jonna said.

“You need to eat something.  I make some amazing scrambled eggs.”  Justin kissed her cheek.

“Maybe a piece of toast with peanut butter.”

“That’s a start,” Justin smiled at her and stood.  He offered his hand and she took it. Together they walked to the kitchen.

Brian sat and tried to listen to John but his mind started drifting.  He had years of practice faking it in meetings so John didn’t notice that he wasn’t giving him his full attention.  “Uncle Brian, what do you think?”

“I’m sorry, I think your family can do anything as long as you stay together.”

“And how can we stay together when we don’t know where Matty is?”

Justin and Jonna walked into the kitchen hand in hand.  Jonna had a small smile on her face. It didn’t reach her eyes but it lightened her spirit.

“He really is Sunshine, isn’t he?”  John smiled at Brian. “Why don’t you two go on with your day. I am sure you have things to do with Brinn coming home tomorrow.”

“Ya, I guess we,” Justin said.  He looked over at Jonna, “You eat that toast you promised, and I will call you as soon as we talk to Dan and Marcus.”

“Thanks, Uncle Justin, I will.” She came over and hugged him.  She gave Brian a small smile and then went to the kitchen and dropped some bread in the toaster.

“I don’t know what you did, but thank you.” John hugged Justin and then Brian as they left.

As they got in the car, Justin looked at Brian, “What are you planning, Brian?”

“Planning?”

“I could see it as soon as I got back to the kitchen. You have had that look on your face many times as I am talking to you and you are thinking about something completely different.” He traced a finger along Brian’s cheekbone.  

“The difference is you can distract the hell out of me with just one finger,” he caught Justin’s hand and stuck the tip in his mouth. As he ran his tongue along the fingerprint Justin shivered.  He then took Justin’s hand into his own and pressed it onto his thigh. “I’m flying to Vegas as soon as our backup pilot has the plane ready. Matty is heading there and someone has to be there for him.”

“I hate the thought of being separated again and I know the real reason you’re doing this is so I have to deal with Brinn alone.”  

Brian smiled over at him and then brought his hand back to his mouth and kissed the palm of it, “I hate leaving too but someone has to be there for Matty and John and Tony need to focus on Jonna.”

“I’ll take care of Brinn.  You get Matty back here and hopefully Dan and Marcus will have Hannah. I’ll drop you at the airport and then go over there.”

“I was kind of hoping we would have time to….” Brian pulled up in front of their house to grab an overnight bag.

“Oh, Bri, there is always time to make love.”

Twenty minutes later Justin sat down in the driver’s seat very carefully.  He was fairly sure he would still feel Brian long after he landed in Nevada.  They kissed and Brian boarded the small plane. It wasn’t their normal one because Dan and Marcus hoped to be flying out to Colorado sometime today.  Justin drove straight to their house. Marcus met Justin at the door. Justin could instantly tell that they had news. 

“Justin, look.  You have to see this!”   Marcus thrust his phone in front of Justin.  It was a distant picture of Hannah. “They know where she is.  We are flying out in a couple hours and they plan to raid the house early tomorrow morning.  They have them under surveillance and they say Kim is treating her well and although Hannah keeps asking for us she is doing well.”

“That is great news.  Please let me know when you have her back in your arms.”

“I will, Justin.  Where’s Brian?”

“Oh, he had to take a quick trip.  Tony and John are taking their kids to Ibiza.  Maybe Jonna will actually get to see Hannah before they fly out.  That would do her a lot of good I think.”

“Well, if all goes well we will be back tomorrow night so we should be able to get them together and if not at least they can talk.”

“Well, I will let you get ready to go.  I need to check Brinn’s house and get it ready for them to come home.”

Justin was driving to Brinn’s when he got a message from Gus, ‘Where are you?’  Justin called him, “Hey, Gussy, I’m driving so it is easier to talk then text.”

“Where are you driving, Dad?”

“I’m heading to Zach and Brinn’s to make sure the house is ready for them to return.”

“I will meet you there. I haven’t seen you in so long. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Justin arrived and could tell that the cleaning service and George had been there.  The fridge was fully stocked and the whole place smelled clean. Justin was looking out the back windows when Gus came in.  He walked up behind his dad and wrapped his arms around him.

“How are you, Dad? I haven’t seen you since you got back.”

“I’m sorry, it’s been a little crazy.  How are you doing, son? Brian told me you are finally rid of that guy from New Years.”

“Yes, Adam disappeared just like Pops wanted him to.  Speaking of Pops, where is he?”

“Oh he had to take a quick business trip so I guess I am home alone tonight.”

“Why don’t you come over for dinner.  I am sure Shel has enough for you to join us.”

“You know, I’d like that but ask your wife and then let me know what time to be there.  I hope to hear from your dad soon that he has landed.”

“Where’d he go?”

“It was only a short flight. Did you hear about Hannah?” Justin avoided the question and told Gus about his visit with Marcus.  He wasn’t sure why he didn’t want to talk about it but he had a feeling that the less everyone knew about Brian’s trip, the better.

“I am so glad it’s almost over for them and that they know she is being treated well.  Taylor and Gage have been worried about her. Well, we all have but you know what I mean.”

“Yes, it will help Jonna, too, I think.  I think she needs to talk to a woman she trusts.”

“I’m sure Shelby would talk to her if it would help.”

“Well, they are leaving for Ibiza in a couple days and Angi is meeting them there.  I remember her being very therapeutic for you,” Justin smiled as Gus got the same far away look Brian had earlier.  He reached out and touched his cheek, “You probably should go tell your wife you invited company and I better get home and do a couple things before dinner.”

“Dad, you are not company but ya, I should get going. I’ll text you and tell what time dinner is but figure about 6:30.”  Both men got in their vehicles and Gus drove away.  

Justin saw Tammy pulling up at Stone House and he drove over to talk to her.  “Hey Tammy, how’s everything at the lab?”

“I am glad Brinn will be back next week.  She is just so much smarter than I am,” she laughed.

“She’s smarter than most people but I know I really missed her the last two weeks.”  They talked for several minutes before Justin was about to drive away.

“Oh Justin, I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes but do you think Jonna would be interested in talking to me.  I’m not that close to her but I am a doctor and a woman.” 

“Give me a minute.”  Justin pulled out his phone and called Jonna. 

“Hi, Uncle Justin.  Do you know something about Hannah?”

Justin told her what he found out and then continued, “Sweety, when we talked earlier I could tell you were still hurting.  Tammy was wondering if you would like to talk to her about some of those aches. You know she’s a doctor.”

The line was silent for a couple moments. “Ya, I think I would.  She won’t tell my dads what we talk about, will she?”

“She’s a doctor.  If it is something dangerous to your health she would have to tell them but if you just have questions, she won’t tell your dads.”

“I would like to see her.  Do you think she would come over now?”

Justin asked Tammy and then got back on the line with Jonna.  “She’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks Uncle Justin.”  

He ended the phone call and said he’d contact John so they knew she would be coming over.  Justin texted John and before he finished reading John’s positive response a call came in from Brian.  “Hi Brian, are you in Vegas?”

“Yes, I just checked into the hotel.  I am waiting to hear back from one of Dan’s agents who is tracking Matty’s location.  Oh, wait, I just got his coordinates. I need to go. Love you, Sunshine.”

“Bri, be careful.  I love you, too. And damn, I miss you already.”

“Well, hopefully I will be back tomorrow, if I can talk some sense into him.” After talking a few more minutes, the call ended and Justin went on with his evening.

Tammy arrived at John and Tony’s.  John opened the door and let her in. “I really appreciate your thoughtfulness.  I am just at a loss as to what to do for her.”

“Well, I hope I can take away some of her worries. I want you to know, I won’t tell you what she talks to me about unless it is a danger to her. I promised her that.”

“I understand.  I’m not sure I want to know the details anyway.”

Tammy patted his shoulder, “She should be fine, John.  She has a family that loves her and are willing to get her the help she might need.”  John walked her back to Jonna’s room and then left her at the door. She tapped on the door.  “Jonna, it’s Tammy. May I come in?”

“Yes, it’s not locked.”

Tammy opened the door and shut it behind her.  “Hi, Jonna. I know we don’t know each other very well but I thought that might help and the fact that I am a doctor I might be able to answer some questions you might have. If you don’t, that’s Ok or if you just want to talk, that’s fine, too.”

Tammy sat on the bed while Jonna was curled up in an overstuffed chair.  Tammy just waited for Jonna to be ready. She watched her relax a little and then as she stretched her legs, Tammy saw her flinch in pain.  

“Jonna, is something hurting.”  Tammy watched her face and saw her starting to crumble.

“I hurt everywhere,” her lower lip started to tremble.”My legs and arms feel like I worked out too hard and I don’t mind that much but I hurt inside and I have bruises that really hurt.”

“I am sure the doctors at the hospital checked you out.  Woman to woman, are you having any bleeding. You know what’s normal for you.”

“It’s not my time of the month but I do have a little bleeding.  They told me that it would stop in a few days. They said I had a scratch inside me but that it should heal on its own.  They gave me some stuff to rub on it to help it heal faster.”

“Have you been using it?”

“Not really.  It stings and I feel weird trying to put it on.”

“Can I see what it is?”    Jonna handed her a tube and Tammy looked at it.  “Well, if this is all they gave you, it can’t be too serious but that doesn’t make it hurt any worse, I know. Would you like me to look at the bruises?”  Without a word Jonna took off her sweatshirt and then her sweatpants. Tammy tried not to look shocked. “Oh, honey, no wonder you hurt.”

“I think it is a little better than yesterday but,” she exposed the top of one breast a bit and Tammy saw a bite mark.  “At least he didn’t break the skin but Tammy, I don’t think I will ever want a boy to touch me. It hurt so bad and I can’t imagine ever trusting someone enough to let them share my body.”

“Well, the good thing is, you can decide that.  It is your body but, I think if the right man or woman comes along, you will know it and will be able to build that trust.”

“Jonna, I’d like to just feel your stomach to make sure everything feels normal.  Would that be ok?”

“I guess.  Should I lay on the bed?”

“That would be perfect.”  As gently as she could she probed her stomach, watching her face to make sure she wasn’t hurting her.  As she moved lower to her pelvis, Tammy felt her tense. “I know this isn’t pleasant.” She pressed on one spot and Jonna instinctively pulled her legs up to protect herself.

“I’m sorry….but it really hurts there.  He punched me really hard there.”

“Asshole,” Tammy mumbled under her breath. “They always hit where it hurts the most. Do you have a heating pad or even an electric blanket?”

“I think so,  I think Papa used one when he hurt his back once.”

“Well, it might help if you use that and then ice.  Just go back and forth. It will help with any swelling you might have around it and hopefully it will help with the pain.  And if you don’t want to use that ointment, don’t worry about it unless you start bleeding more and if that happens call me.  If it happens when you get to Ibiza I am sure there are doctors there.”

“My aunt, Angi will be there with us part of the time so I will have a woman to talk to if something happens.”

“That’s good and don’t be embarrassed.  Even if it is your dads. They may not want to marry a girl but they definitely both know enough about them that they wouldn’t blush.”

“Is there anything else you would like to talk about?”

“I can’t sleep.  Matty has been staying with me most of the night but he left.  They won’t tell me where he went but how will I sleep without him?”

“I will give your dad something for you to take.  Take it about half an hour before you want to sleep and I promise you will sleep.”

“Ok, Tammy, thank you for coming.  I was kind of scared that I needed to use that stuff and that I was hurt worse than they told me.”

“No, I think the pain should start fading in a couple days.  I will leave a couple pain pills with your dad. Don’t take them unless you really need to.”

“Ok.”

“May I give you a hug?”  Jonna nodded and Tammy carefully put her arms around her.  Jonna tightened her arms around Tammy and just held on. Tammy stood there until she felt Jonna’s arms loosen.

“You call me, day or night, if you need something.  I’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“You’re not going to tell my daddies how much pain I’m in, are you?”

“As long as you call me if anything gets worse.”

“I will.  Will you come back tomorrow afternoon?”

“I’ll give you a call before I come by.”  Tammy walked out of the room and to the kitchen.

“So, is she really doing fine?”

“She will be.” She handed John a small bag with a few pills in it and then a bottle with a lot more.  “The bag are some strong painkillers. I doubt she will need them but just in case. The bottle are sleeping pills. This is a month’s supply.  Hopefully she won’t need them for long but her sleep is important to help her heal.”

“Thanks, Tammy.  I just don’t know what to do for her,” John’s voice was full of emotions.

“You are here.  That’s the most important thing.”

Brian knocked on the hotel door. “Maintenance, I need to check your heating unit.”  Brian mumbled his words, not wanting Matty to recognize his voice. He had tracked him to this room with the help of an app that was on his phone.

“My unit is working just fine,” Matty opened the door and Brian pushed past him.  

“Did you really think we couldn’t track you?”

“Well, I was hoping they would be too distracted with Jonna.”

“Matteo, have you tracked him?  Do you know where he is?”

“Well, this exact second, no, but he is staying here and I paid one of the desk clerks to call me if he is checking out.”

“Do you have a plan for him?”

“I plan to beat the mother fucking rapest  until he is almost dead and then I’m going to call the police and tell them where to find him.”

“Matty, have you ever been in a fight in your life?”

“Brian, I’ve fought all my life.  I was the kid with two dads. I was the kid who had a dad that talked with a funny accent.  I was the kid that had a fricken brilliant cousin who was really my sister. So no maybe I haven’t had a lot of fist fights in my life but trust me, I can take care of myself not to mention the fact that I had over 10 years of martial arts classes for the fun of it.  What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.”

“You aren’t going to stop me, Uncle Brian.”

“Who said anything about stopping you. I am here to make sure you don’t do anything stupid.  I understand, Matty.” Brian stepped closer and Matty stepped into Brian’s arms.

“Uncle Brian, he hurt her so bad.  I held her last night and she whimpered in her sleep all night, some of it was from the fear he would come back and some of it was from the physical pain she was in.”

“I wanted to do the same thing to the man that held us hostage and hurt Brinn so badly.  I would have killed him if I had gotten the chance but Justin reminded me that he was sick but more importantly, he would probably be locked up forever. So let’s come up with a plan.”  

After talking about some options, they couldn’t agree.  “Matty, do you have your tablet or computer here?”

“Sure, why?”

“Well, I happen to own part of this hotel and because of that I can call up the floor plan of this place.  I want to make sure wherever you confront him, he doesn’t have any weapons or….Matty, this isn’t one of the kids you took martial arts with.  This is guy who has been in prison more than once and, fuck, what does he have to lose. He maybe hasn’t killed anyone but he has done enough to lock him up the rest of his life.”

“I don’t care what happens to me.  I am going to make him pay.”

“Matty, if anything serious happens to you, Jonna will never forgive herself.  You have to be smart about this.” Brian tapped into the wifi and then into the hotels records.  “This guy must have some connections with this place. He is in the suite on the top floor. I am guessing he can’t afford that.” Brian tapped on the keys and then he saw the suite had been compted to the guy.  “I don’t know why this guy is staying here free but I promise you, whoever is letting him stay here isn’t here for long. Look at the layout of that suite. If you are sure about this, I think you should just go in through the main door.  You can say you are room service with complimentary champagne or something. This place has a back entrance. I will stay there. I know this is a stupid thing to ask at a time like this but, why didn’t you get a suire. Hell, you own as much of this place as I do.  You should be compted in that suite instead of that asshole.”

“I never even thought about it.  I used a credit card I got when I was in New Orleans.  It came in the mail and they had screwed my name up. It said Matt Fiore.  I figured it would throw them off for a while and I planned to be back on the road by midnight so I could be home tomorrow morning.”

“It sounds like you planned out a lot of it.”

“I just need to hurt him. He needs to know what it feels like.  I just want to shove something so far up his ass that it ….”  

“Take a deep breath. How are you going to get his attention?”

Matty walked over to his backpack and pulled something out.  He had a gun in his hand.

“Whoa, Matty, that’s taking it too far. You aren’t really going to….”

“I don’t plan to use it but it will get his attention.  It got yours. I’m going now. If you don’t want to come you don’t have to.”

“I have a pass key.  They gave it to me in case you wouldn’t let me in.  I will knock on the main suite door with some bullshit while you get in the second door.” Brian pointed it out on the floor plan.  “I will then just leave from the front door but Matty, I don’t like the gun.”

“Ok, I won’t take it.” He handed it to Brian.  He picked up a wooden statue. “This will do.”

Brian knew this was a stupid idea.  Maybe he wouldn’t leave once he was in the suite.  John and Tony would never forgive him if Matty got seriously hurt.  Together Brian and Matty left the room and moved to the elevator.

Justin was glad he spent the evening with his grandchildren.  He had watched a movie with Taylor and Gage and snuggled with Talia while Gus and Shelby had some time alone.  Tomorrow was Saturday so the kids stayed up until around 9:30 but then they were both yawning after a busy week.  Justin put the older two to bed and after standing by the door long enough to know Gus and Shelby were no longer busy he knocked on the door.  He softly said, “Is it safe to come in?”

“Sure, Dad.”  As Justin entered Shelby pulled  the blanket up to her chin.  

“The other two are in bed and this little one,” Talia was fussing in his arms, “I think she would like a snack and then bed, too.” She was straining for her mama and Justin handed her over. “I’ll see you soon.” With that Justin headed for the door. “I’ll make sure the door is locked.”

Justin drove home.  He had hoped to hear from Brian and Marcus but hadn’t had any calls or texts.  He tried to read a book but he was distracted. He realized it was too late to text Marcus since he was an hour ahead.  He did text Brian but there was no response. Justin didn’t like that. Brian always responded. He decided he wasn’t going to sleep anyway so he went into the studio and started painting.

Marcus and Dan were nervous.  They had gotten here before dark and were now waiting at an FBI safe house.  The raid was planned for 5:00 a.m. If all went well by 5:30 they would have Hannah in their arms and by tomorrow night they would be in their own bed with Hannah snuggled between them.

“I think we should try to get a little sleep,” Dan said as he pulled Marcus’ shirt.off over his head.  Dan lowered his mouth and dropped a kiss on his collarbone and then down to take his nipple between his teeth.causing him to sigh.  They spent the next two hours dozing and loving each other. They were both on edge. It didn’t matter how many times they were told this was a sure thing, they both knew there was some danger involved.  Hannah had to be alright. She just had to.be.

It was after midnight when Brian and Matty got to the suite. Brian hoped Matty would just get in a couple of good blows and then be done. Brian would come in and hold him at gunpoint until the police arrived.  Brian gave Matty enough time to get around to the other door and then knocked on the door. He realized he didn’t know if this guy knew what he looked like or not. Had he been at Brinn’s wedding? Had he been watching?  At the last minute he pulled on a cap that someone had left on a table near the elevator. Under his breath he mumbled, “If I get lice….” He put the cap on low so his features were hidden and then he knocked on the door.

“Hey, baby, you’re late?” The surly looking man said as the door came open.  “Who the hell are you?”

“I work for the hotel.  There have been reports that the air conditioning and heating is acting up on this floor so I need to check every frickin room.”  Brian walked in and shut the door behind him. He did not want to let this guy get between him and the door. That’s when he saw Matty in the bedroom door.  The rapist must have seen him glance and turned around just in time to have the full weight of the wooden statue come down on him. It clipped his head but most of the force came down on the clavicle.   He cried out in pain and dropped onto the sofa.

“Who the fuck are you?” He looked from Brian to Matty.

“You know that young girl you decided to rape after kidnapping her?”

“God, she was a hot piece of ass.  I hadn’t been in anyone that tight…”

Matty swung the statue again and hit him in the same spot.  This time he thought he heard something snap as the guy yelled again.  Matty’s nerve was fading quickly. He had hurt him. That was enough. Now he just wanted to knock him out and call the police.  That’s when he made a mistake. He looked up at Brian and in that split second, he was tackled from the side. Although his left arm was useless he landed a couple good blows with his right fist to Matteo’s jaw and nose.  He got to his feet and kicked Matty in the ribs twice before Brian came in for a tackle making sure he put most of his power into his shoulder landing it right in the already broken collar bone. As Brian landed on the carpet he got the wind knocked out of him and he struggled to get his breath.  Somehow, the rapist managed to get on his feet and grabbed the statue Matty had hit him with.As he raised it above Brian’s head, Matty somehow also got to his feet. With a swing kick Matty caught the man below the knee and he cried out as he fell backward and then it was silent in the room except for the sound of labored breathing.

Marcus and Dan waited at the safe house.  The FBI was there but he was glad they let Tyler, as a former agent, to be in on the raid.  Hannah would recognize Jenna’s daddy and she would know they are friends. They had watched the agents, including Tyler, leave a few minutes earlier.  It was 5:15 a.m. The plan was to enter the house unnoticed and have Hannah out of there before arresting Kim. They had the local police going to the kidnapper’s apartment which was a couple miles away.  They had figured out he was Kim’s boyfriend. Between the kidnapping and the rape they were indirectly involved in, they would be going away for a long time.

Dan watched a monitor tracking the progress.  Marcus couldn’t. He sat next to Dan and faced the other way.  He laid his head on Dan’s shoulder as their fingers linked. Dan knew he was watching through Tyler’s go pro and he held his breath as the team moved stealthily into the townhouse and moved through the dark rooms.  Dan realized the green from the night vision on the camera made everything seem surreal. Tyler was the second one through Hannah’s bedroom door. He scanned the room and saw the little mound under blankets. Tyler moved silently to the bed and in one motion picked her up blankets and all and clamped his hand over her mouth.

“Dan, are you alright?  You’re holding your breath!  Did something go wrong? Is Hannah there?”

As Dan pulled Marcus to him, he said, “Tyler has her.  She’s in the arms of a friend.”

Tyler rushed out of the house as the rest of the agents now were entering the second bedroom.  Tyler felt Hannah stiffen and tried to scream. He moved as fast as he could so he could calm her.  He rushed into a waiting SWAT van. The terror in Hannah’s eyes was evident. As quickly as he could, Tyler removed his hat and night vision glasses.  “Hannah, it’s me, Tyler,” he said softly. “Hey you know me. I work with your daddy. You will see both your dads very soon.”

“You’re Jenna and Paul’s dad,” she said with a shaky voice.

“Yes, you’re right.”

“Tyler, do you know where Jonna is?  I’m worried about her. They left her with the mean man.”

“She is with her daddies which is where you will be in a couple minutes.”  Tyler realized the van had started moving. Tyler held Hannah tight and pulled out his phone and called Dan’s number.

As he answered and put the phone on speaker, a little voice said, “Daddy, are you there?”  Dan and Marcus locked eyes as tears began to flow. “We are both here, Hannah Banana. How are you, honey?”

“I’m fine. Aunt Kim is nice enough but I miss you both so much.”

“Oh, we miss you too.”  The phone went dead as Marcus and Dan heard a vehicle pull up.  They had been told not to leave the house and Dan had to restrain Marcus or he would have run out the door. “Red, you have to wait for them to come in.  It is for her safety and ours.” Dan stood behind Marcus and wrapped his arms around Marcus shoulders as he pulled him back against him. He kissed him below his ear. 

One of the agents went through the door and pulled it shut behind him.  Dan could feel Marcus’ whole body tremble. And then the door opened and standing in front of them was Hannah.  Marcus dropped to his knees and she ran into his arms.

“Oh Daddy, I missed you so much!” her arms wrapped around Marcus’ neck and he sobbed at the feel of her arms.  Dan resisted grabbing her knowing Marcus needed this time and then when he stood with Hannah in his embrace, Dan wrapped his arms around both of them.  Tyler walked in and patted Dan’s shoulder.

“Tyler, remind me when we get home you deserve a raise.”  Dan smiled at him as he kissed Hannah for the fifth or sixth time.  Eventually it was Dan’s turn to hold her and then the carried her to the sofa with Marcus right next to them.  “Hannah are you tired or hungry? I am just so glad to be with my daddies. Is Jonna alright? I have been very worried about her.  I was with my aunt. She was with a stranger who wasn’t nice and he scared me.

“She is with her dads.  She got home a couple days ago.  I hope you will get a chance to see her before she leaves.”  Dan said.

“Where is she going?”  Hannah asked.

“Well, her family decided they could use a vacation so they are going away for a bit.”

“Oh, that’s nice.  When are we going home?  I want to go home. Do you think Danny and Elliott will come see me soon?”

“I think they will meet us at the plane. They both missed you, too?”  They continued chatting and both men were surprised at how unfazed she seemed to be.  They weren’t going to press anything right now. “We can leave soon if you like. Let me contact the pilot and have him get the plane ready.” Dan kissed Hannah and set her on Marcus’ lap as he walked away to make the call.

“Hannah, I was so scared while you were gone. I missed you so much.”

“Oh, Daddy, I missed you, too.  Aunt Kim took good care of me but she doesn’t know how to love me like you and Dad do.  You know just how to love me.” Marcus nearly crushed her as he held onto her.  

“I don’t know what I would have done if we hadn’t found you back.”  

“Do you think I can get a little of that love?”  Dan kissed Hannah and then kissed Marcus long and slow.  “We have about two hours before we leave for the airport.  I hate to leave you but I have a little paperwork I need to wrap up.”

“Dad, do you think we could go on a vacation, too?”

“I think we might be able to do that.  We will have to see if Danny and Elliott can join us.”  Dan left Marcus and Hannah sitting on the couch. They talked softly as they caught up with everything that had gone on.

“Matteo, are you alright?”  Brian said as he started to breath normally.  

“I, think I’m Ok.”

“We need to get out of here, Matty.” Brian got to his feet.  “You really got him with that kick. He wasn’t expecting that.”

“Brian, he’s awfully quiet.  I can’t even hear him breath.”

Brian took a couple steps closer and then reached for Matty’s arm.  We need to leave, NOW!”

Brian grabbed Matty’s arm and the statue.  “You had your gloves on the whole time, right?”

Matty nodded while Brian guided him out of the room. He was already texting someone as they got on the elevator.

“Who are you texting?”

“You are going to grab your bag and take a taxi to the airport.  My plane will be waiting for you. You are going to fly home.”

“I can’t.  I have Papa’s car.”

“I’ll drive that back.”

“Brian, that man, did I kill him?”  he asked as they stepped off the elevator and entered Matty’s room.  “Brian, answer me! Did I kill him?”

Brian didn’t answer but started stuffing Matty’s stuff in his backpack.  “I need to keep your computer. I have a friend who will need to do some hacking for me and I will need a computer for him to get in through.”  He had a text come in. “Ok, your car is waiting for you.” he handed Matty the backpack and pushed him out the door. “Go Matty, don’t call or text anyone.  Take the car, get on the plane, and forget tonight ever happened.” Matty wanted to ask him more. He never did answer if the man was dead. He couldn’t be. He hadn’t hit him that hard and he didn’t fall that far.

“Uncle Brian?”

“Go, Matty.”  Brian shut the door and through the peephole he watched Matty enter the elevator.  He called the front desk using an app on the computer and told them there had been a fight in the suite before he contacted a hacker he knew who started methodically going through all the cameras in the hotel and erasing Matty’s presence from the building.  He just hoped the hacker would beat the police.