Graceona
I opened my eyes to a different surrounding, no longer in the cold outskirts of New York. The beeping of machines and the feel of something sticky on the bend of my elbow caused me to look around, quickly realizing that I was in a hospital bed. I looked to see a familiar face sitting in the hard plastic blue chair by my bedside. "Nicolae? How did you know where I went?"
The man looked at me, standing to his feet. "I wasn't sure at first, but once I found out a way to bypass your password on your laptop, I tracked your phone."
I was silent with a sigh. "You bypassed my computer? How did you manage that?"
He looked at me, confused. "Grace, you're more worried about government files being exposed than your health. That's a dedication that you don't need right now. But I found you, you were lying unconscious under a pile of snow. You looked like you were shot from behind, twice in your shoulder in the same spot. Charmaine seems to think that the shots were hours apart. Do you mind telling me what is going on here? My brother isn't in America. You were left for dead. Do we have a traitor on our hands here? Is this another go-around from four years ago?"
I looked at him. "Leonard isn't in America? Where would he go? How would he go? Last I saw him he was unconscious, being drug off to somewhere? That makes little sense."
"He was traveling over the oceans until the signal on his phone disappeared. So, as for his current location, I have no clue. I didn't even see any cars, only tracks when I had found you. I don't think that Leonard was even there when you were almost killed, I believe someone baited him there. So again, I'm asking are there any traitors in our contacts. Leonard never goes to that area, meaning someone had to lead him there. Do you know anything?"
"I recall Leonard saying that he had been talking to Trent for a while, and he had asked Leonard to meet him for some business. Though Leonard didn't say that was the spot they were meeting, he thought maybe he had taken a wrong turn. I hadn't talked to him since the phone call when I left you this morning. I think we have a traitor in our mists, and that traitor is Trent. I don't think Leonard made an error with the location. As you said, I believe Trent had led him there. For what reason, I can't say for sure. He would never tell us his motives. Little troll is still salty that I had taken his position four years ago."
I started yanking the tubes from my arms.
"What in the world are you doing! Leave those alone, Grace!" I stood to my feet, seeing Charmaine glaring at me, Nicolae as well.
"I'm going to find my husband. That's what in the world I'm doing. You can't keep me here. I have my right to leave. I am aware of this choice, and I take responsibility for this action. By law and by my rights as a patient, you can't keep me here against my will." I grabbed my clothes from the back of the chair going to the restroom to change.
Once I got changed, I stormed from the restroom, slamming the door behind me.
"Gracie, please calm down. You've made your choice and I have no authority to change your mind. I want Leonard found as much as you do, but what about your health? What about your needs, you're not well?" I heard Charmaine on the verge of tears a short way behind me.
I looked at her. "Family comes first, Charmaine. You two can help me again or stay on the sidelines. That's your choice, but I will find out what is wrong that Leonard would leave. I have a feeling that he may be hurt, alone, or dying. If his phone lost signal in the ocean, I will find him. With your help or without it, I don't play games once it comes to my family."
I glared at them as they looked at me, then at the floor. Charmaine sighed. "Gracie, you know I'll help you anytime. But what about your needs, shouldn't you?"
I interrupted the girl. "You will not change my mind, Charmaine, why are you trying. You're wasting both your time and mine. If you are coming, let's go. If not stay here, either way, I'm not sitting on my hands and waiting for something to happen. Until Leonard is safe at home, in his bed, with his children. I won't stop, I won't rest. Whoever took my husband has signed a warrant for their execution by my hands. Forget the government. This is personal; they declared a war that they won't walk away from."
I walked from the door, letting it close behind me. Soon I heard fast approaching feet. "Do you have a plan? You're not just going to wander the world looking for one man, Graceona, you need to think for a minute. Calm down, and plot. We need your thinking. We can't have you going bananas. I'm sure Leonard is well."
I ignored him and continued walking. I got to the entrance, walking out. I saw Nicolae's car at the entrance. Walking over to it, getting behind the wheel. "Get in."
The couple looked at me before getting into the backseat. I started the car, leaving the hospital, driving roads that were not safe for seventy miles per hour.
"Hey, slow down Vin Diesel, I just got this."
Once again ignoring Nicolae, we arrived at the home Leonard and I shared, as I got from the car slamming the door, walking into the home. Not hearing the company behind me, I walked over to my laptop, sitting down.
Once I got what I needed, I wrote the address down, closed my laptop, picked it up, placed it under my arm, got my car keys from the hanger, walking from the home locking the door. I looked at the couple. Nicolae was behind the wheel of his car as Charmaine stood on the passenger side of my sports car. I looked at her unlocking the door, pressing the button to start the car. I walked over to my car, getting in looking at the address on the folded-up sticky note.
"Grace, do you always carry a gun in your passenger seat?" I heard Charmaine ask, causing me to look at her.
"Of course, what girl doesn't in this city. Diamonds are friends to most girls. The gun rides shotgun."
Charmaine swallowed hard, grabbing the handle of the gun, getting in the car, placing the gun on her lap.
"So, did you find out anything on your laptop of mysteries?" Nicolae's voice came from Charmaine's open window.
"Plenty enough. He just landed in Nantucket. I hope you two are prepared for Jarrod and Natasha's round two. He is with them." I opened my laptop, showing them the security camera footage.
The two of them looked at me. "How did you get access to the camera?"
"Information Classified, let's get going." I closed my laptop as Nicolae ran to his car. I revved the engine to my car, leaving the driveway doing an eighty.