A few hours later, Debbie and Alex rushed through Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport. Alex's private jet waited for them on the tarmac.
The plane was huge and spacious. Wooden paneling lined the interior. The plush, cushioned seats were a far cry from what they had to sit in on the way to Paris.
Debbie scowled as Alex grabbed her suitcase from her. "Please tell me why we didn't take the private jet to Paris."
Alex shoved her luggage into an overhead compartment. "You told me you didn't want to be treated differently. You wanted to go to the event as coworkers. I don't share my private jet with my coworkers."
Debbie crossed her arms as she sat down. She didn't want to admit how comfortable the chair was. "What's so different now?"
Alex furrowed his brow. "This is an emergency, Debbie. We need to get home."
With the excitement of rushing to the private jet, Debbie had almost forgotten about Flora's kidnapping.
In order to give her space, Alex sat across from Debbie. "Do you need anything?"
Her eyes widened. "I could use a drink."
Despite the severity of the situation, Debbie managed to make Alex chuckle. He looked up at her. "I could use a drink as well."
Debbie shrugged. "Well, then what are you waiting for, Mr. Private Jet? Get us both a drink."
Alex's lips curled up into a smile. "I think we could accommodate that."
With the snap of his fingers, Alex's personal flight attendant brought Debbie a bottle of champagne and a glass. She threw the glass to the side and drank straight from the bottle, earning a chuckle from Alex.
Debbie put down the bottle with a hiccup. "Remember when we took the plane to Paris?"
Alex nodded without saying a word.
Debbie grimaced at the memory. "That was the worst plane ride I've ever been on."
Alex nodded coolly. "Me too. It was by far the worst."
Debbie giggled, already feeling the effects of the liquid courage. "You know, I thought you arranged for our seats to get moved next to each other."
Any hint of a smile on Alex's face disappeared. "What? Why would I do that?"
Debbie shrugged. "I don't know. I thought you purposely got the wrong hotel room, too."
Alex crossed his arms. Unsure of where to look, he glanced out the window of the plane. "I would never do that, Debbie."
Debbie bit her cheek. She didn't expect Alex to get upset. "Wait, so you didn't plan all of those things?"
Alex expelled an audible breath. "Of course not. I'm not a monster. You said you wanted space. I tried to honor it. It was just a coincidence that it didn't work out."
Debbie blinked, shocked that she had read so far into a harmless situation. "Oh, I'm sorry. I really thought you did those things. Admittedly, I spent the last half of the trip stewing over it."
Alex narrowed his gaze. "Are you kidding?"
She shook her head. "Nope."
Alex clenched his jaw. "Great. My ex thinks I'm a sadistic psychopath, and my friends willingly put themselves in danger by befriending two legitimate sadistic psychopaths."
Debbie shifted in her chair. "Alex, I'm sorry."
Alex didn't respond. Instead, he averted his gaze out the window."
A bitter silence fell between the two.
Debbie grew quiet. She took another sip of her drink in an attempt to quell the guilt she felt for assuming the worst of Alex. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten so mad at him during the trip, she thought. He actually did, for the most part, respect my boundaries.
A silence fell over the cabin. Debbie curled up in her chair.
[SFX: Ding]
The pilot's voice echoed over the intercom. "Alright, Mr. Ambrose and Ms. Clifton. Buckle your seatbelts. We're next in line for take off."
As the two buckled up, Debbie reconsidered her feelings for Alex yet again.
She looked at him. He was so serious and focused. His eyes looked dark, cold, and angry. His fierce gaze sent a chill down Debbie's spine. It wasn't a side of Alex she was used to seeing.
I wish I could make things better for him, she thought. But I fear I've only made all of this much more complicated.
Alex, on the other hand, worried about how much of a mess he would need to clean up when they returned to Baltimore.
***
Cold, harsh air nipped at Flora's skin, snapping her back to reality. A blindfold covered her eyes. She had no idea where she was or how she got there. She tried to move, but she couldn't budge.
At some point, someone had knocked her out, but when? She couldn't remember anything other than calling Alex earlier in the day.
As she squirmed in her chair, Lincoln stood before her with a menacing sneer plastered on his face. Although Flora couldn't tell, he switched on the light.
The old man did exactly what Riley suspected he'd do. He had locked Flora in a storage unit. Heavy, metal chains bound her to a steel chair that was bolted to the floor. Handcuffs held together her arms and legs.
Lincoln licked his lips as he watched the woman struggle. With each gasp and pant from Flora, his heart raced faster and faster. He clutched the manila envelope in his hand.
I've finally done it, he thought. I finally have her.
Lincoln let out a raspy cough. The loud sound cutting through the room caused Flora to scream.
She thrashed back and forth. "HELP! HELP ME! HELP!"
Lincoln raised his eyebrow as she screamed.
Flora continued to wail. "PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP!"
Lincoln rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up."
Flora whipped her head around, trying to figure out where the sound came from. "Who is that? Who are you?"
Displeased that she didn't recognize him right away, Lincoln clenched his jaw. "Who do you think it is, my dear?"
Flora's mouth dropped as realized what was happening. "Lincoln! You psychopath! Let me go! Now!"
Lincoln clicked his tongue. "Now, Flora, is that the way you truly want to greet me? We haven't seen each other in such a long time."
Flora clenched her jaw. "I can't see you. I can't see anything. Because you blindfolded me when you kidnapped me."
Lincoln rolled his eyes at Flora's dramatics. "I didn't kidnap you. You just needed some help seeing my side of the argument. I'm merely being… well, persuasive."
Flora fought against the chains that held her in place. "You aren't persuading me, Lincoln. Let me go."
The old man crossed his arms. "I can't do that, sweetheart."
Flora scoffed. "Don't you sweetheart me. Not while you have me chained up in… I don't know where I am but it smells terrible. You can't do this and get away with it. You know that."
Lincoln clicked his tongue. "Oh, sweet, idiotic Flora. You don't understand, do you?"
The old man could see the light reflecting off the tears staining Flora's cheeks. Her voice wavered as she spoke. "No, no I don't understand how you could be so cruel."
Shocked, Lincoln brought his hand to his chest. "Me? Cruel? Now, Flora, you and I must remember the situation very differently."
Flora gritted her teeth. "There was no situation."
Lincoln slammed his hand against the wall of the storage unit. "No situation? You mean to tell me, after years of longing, of waiting, we didn't give in to one night in the throes of passion? That we didn't kindle each others' flames? That we didn't make love and conceive a child?"
Flora shook her head. "It was a mistake."
Lincoln paced toward the woman. Rage and anger flashed across his eyes. "A mistake? Choosing my idiot son over me was a mistake, Flora. Leading me on for years was the mistake. You were the forbidden fruit I couldn't wait to taste. You're the one who toyed with my heart and turned me into this bitter old man."
Flora's sobs grew louder. "You did this to yourself!"
Lincoln grimaced. "NO! Watching Gideon have everything I ever wanted ruined me. It tarnished my soul. Well, I'm through with watching and waiting. Justin deserves the truth. He deserves to know that I am his father."
Trying to free her hands from the cuffs, Flora wiggled her wrists. It was no use. "Justin is not your son. He never was, and he never will be."
The old man waved the manila envelope in Flora's face. "I have the proof! You can't deny it anymore. Justin is my son, and you have to accept it. DNA doesn't lie."
Flora sat up straight. She suppressed her tears and mustered every bit of strength she had. She turned her head in the direction of Lincoln's voice. "I will never accept it. I will never believe your proof. I know in my heart who my son is, and he isn't yours."
Her insolence made Lincoln's blood boil. He raised his hand up, ready to strike Flora across the face. As his hand swung down, he stopped himself. Instead of slapping the woman, he cupped his hand around her cheek.
She tried to jerk her head ahead, but he held her in place. He slowly stroked her cheek, reveling in the feeling of his hand caressing her soft skin. "It's okay, Flora. It will all come to light." As a tear fell down his cheek, he smiled from ear to ear. "Before I die, I will have you and Justin to myself. You two will be mine."
Flora's bottom lip trembled. "No, no, no, no."
He brought his finger to her mouth. "Shhh. It's okay."
As Flora wailed, Lincoln walked out of the storage unit with his head held high. He closed the heavy, metal door and locked it shut with his only copy of the key.
He pressed his hand against the door and leaned in toward it. "I will keep you safe, my Flora."
Clutching the key to the unit and the manila envelope in his hands, Lincoln retreated down the hallway. The corners of his mouth wrenched into a grin. "Finally, my plan is going to work."
***
Alex watched outside the window as the plane touched down in Baltimore.
He turned his attention to Debbie, who drank herself to sleep hours ago. She clutched a pillow, drooling on it in her slumber.
Although she had angered Alex earlier, seeing her like this softened him.
He let out a sigh. She didn't do anything wrong. She just doesn't know what she wants, he thought.
Alex grinned as he looked at her. She was rarely so peaceful. She's the most beautiful and complicated woman in the world.
[SFX: Ding]
The pilot turned on the intercom. "Alright, Mr. Ambrose and Ms. Clifton, we have landed in Baltimore."
Debbie stirred awake. She blinked as she looked around the cabin of the private jet. "Where am I?"
Alex stood up and stretched. "Home."
He reached into the overhead cabin, grabbing their luggage. "But look alive. We have to save my mother."