Justin sat in the darkness, shaking his unconscious grandfather. "Come on, Gramps. Hello?"
After a few more nudges, Lincoln jolted awake. "Gah! What? What? Where am I?"
The sight of Lincoln springing up relieved Justin.
"I think we're locked in a storage unit," he explained. After Lincoln and Justin discovered that Louis, Ken, Riley, and Dangles had broken into their facility, the two rushed to the premises. However, Justin didn't remember much after that. Louis knocked him out, cold. He had no clue how he and his grandfather wound up stuck in the small, confined space.
Lincoln rubbed his head, where he felt a bruise forming. "Dang it. That stupid Ken Stokes kicked me in the face when he flipped over my head."
Justin couldn't believe his ears. "Ken Stokes flipped over your head? The Channel 16 Reporter?"
Lincoln nodded. "The very same."
The old man searched his pockets. "I'll call Ledger, the head of security for Seaport. He'll let us out. I just can't believe those two nitwits managed to lock us in here."
Lincoln found his phone in his back pocket. The light from the screen illuminated the storage unit. Both men were battered and bruised.
Lincoln gently brushed his grandson's cheek. "What did they do to you? My poor baby."
Justin swatted his hand away. "I'm a grown man, Pops. Quit stalling and call Ledger. I'm pretty sure this place will run out of oxygen if we aren't careful."
Grimacing at the thought, the old man quickly dialed his security guard's number. The employee immediately answered the call. Lincoln drew in a deep breath. "Ledger, we have a problem. We're locked in a storage unit."
After half an hour, Lincoln and Justin heard footsteps in the hallway. Lincoln jumped to his feet. "Ledger? Is that you? Please tell me it's you! My stupid mouth-breathing grandson is sucking up all the oxygen!"
The clomping of feet echoed throughout the hall. "It's me, sir! I'll let you out!"
Lincoln practically salivated at the sound of Ledger's keys jingling. "Hurry up!"
The door to the storage unit swung open. Ledger stood on the other side. He was an average man, with balding ginger hair and a beer belly.
Lincoln pushed Ledger to the side. He bent over with his hands on his knees and gasped. "Oh, thank goodness! Fresh air! How long were we there? Days? Weeks?"
The security guard scratched the side of his head. "About five hours."
Justin waltzed out of the storage unit without the theatrics. Instead, he held out his fist to Ledger. "Thanks, man."
Ledger returned the fist bump. "Anytime, Mr. Justin."
Lincoln stumbled forward. He threw himself up against the wall for support. "I need to check something upstairs. Ledger, fetch me water and sugar. I'm diabetic."
Ledger ran after Lincoln. "Wait, wait. Mr. Ambrose, I have some news. It's rather important."
With a deranged look in his eye, Lincoln grasped the sides of his head. "Ledger, we don't have time!"
Fearing Lincoln's reaction, the security guard squeezed his eyes shut. "It's about Flora!"
Justin whipped his head around. "What do you mean, Flora?"
A memory from the night before flashed through Justin's mind. He remembered how Louis taunted him about kidnapping his own mother.
Justin's eyes grew wide with rage. "What happened to my mother?"
Ledger's gaze shifted between the two men. "Uh, Mr. Justin, I, uh, Mr. Ambrose, um, well, Riley Naysmith and Todrick Dangles kidnapped Flora from this facility."
Before Lincoln could say anything, Justin stepped toward him. "Why was Mom in this facility, Gramps? I know you two never got along, but this is too far."
Lincoln crouched in the shadow of his grandson. "No Justin! It isn't like that. Never got along?" The old man scoffed. "I love your mother, you know that! I, I can explain."
Justin cracked his knuckles. "Go on, then. Explain."
Lincoln nervously fiddled with his handkerchief. "Your mother, well, you see… Your mother…"
He glanced up at his son's, well, grandson's face. Lincoln couldn't bear to tell him the truth. Not yet. "Your mother was in danger. Alex put her at risk when he went to Paris. She wouldn't believe me, so I had to kidnap her."
Justin raised a skeptical eyebrow. "How was she at risk?"
Lincoln dabbed the sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief. "Oh, Justin. You must know. You had to figure it out. Riley wanted to steal Flora. That's why he left us. And sadly, he managed to do exactly that. Isn't that right, Ledger?"
Lincoln put his arm around the security guard. Ledger pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Uh, yes. Exactly. That's what happened. Now Riley has taken Flora, and Alex's crew is searching for her."
Lincoln ripped his arm off of Ledger. "Excuse me? They're already looking for her?"
Ledger's eyes flitted around the room. "Uh, yes."
Lincoln grabbed the man by his shirt. "Where is she?"
Trembling with fear, Ledger raised a wavering hand. "Oh, sir! I don't know! No one knows! We can't find her!"
Lincoln threw the security guard to the ground. "Goddamnnit!"
Justin clenched his fists. "What are we going to do?"
The light above Lincoln flickered as he formulated a plan. "You're going to find Alex and his minions. Leave Riley to me. I'll teach that kid a lesson he'll never forget."
Ledger stumbled to his feet. "Sirs, I have more information!"
Lincoln raised his arms, waving them in the air. "Spit it out!"
The security guard sniffled as he adjusted his glasses. "Debbie Clifton and Yvonne Wheeler were seen in Little Italy today. Rumor has it, they were looking for Riley."
Lincoln tucked his pocket square away. "Well, Justin, looks like you're headed to Little Italy."
Justin's hands tightened as he stepped toward the door. "Gramps, I'm warning you. If I find any of Alex's cronies, I'm killing them on the spot. I'm not kidnapping, stealing, or waiting. I see them, I attack."
Lincoln bowed his head, understanding what he and his grandson must do. "Trust me, when I catch Mr. Naysmith, I won't go easy on him."
A sinister grin spread across Justin's face. "Good."
The young man turned around and strutted down the hallways, his black leather cowboy boots squeaking with every step.
This is the end, Justin thought. No one messes with my mother. I'm going to make all of them pay, even Alex.
***
Alex's Maserati raced through the streets of Baltimore.
Christopher watched out the window as they passed by countless stores, skyscrapers, and landmarks. However, when Alex zoomed past an abandoned Naysmith Pharmacy building without slowing down, Christopher raised a curious eyebrow. "Hey, Alex. I think you missed our stop."
Alex's hands gripped the wheel. "I think not."
With every passing moment since he had read the text message from Riley, Alex's skepticism only grew. He refused to follow a sadistic map to his own demise.
Alex kept his eyes on the road but tilted his head toward Christopher. "We're not going to Riley's abandoned facilities or Fort McHenry."
Christopher pulled out his phone. "Alright, let me tell the girls."
Alex removed his hand from the wheel and swatted at Christopher's phone. "Absolutely not. Don't tell them a thing."
Christopher hesitated. "But, Alex, Yvonne said we should keep in touch, and I agree with her."
Alex gritted his teeth. "I understand, but I don't want the women freaking out. You have to trust me. I know what I'm doing."
Reluctantly, Christopher tucked his phone back into his pocket. "And what is it that you're doing exactly?"
The corners of Alex's lips tilted up. "We're going to Enrichment."
Christopher glanced at Alex. "The real estate and investment company? Why are we going there?"
Alex masterfully passed a car going well under the speed limit. "My grandfather owns Enrichment. He thought it was a huge secret, but I've known for years. My mom never let me shut it down. She claimed he needed Enrichment to keep him alive and well."
Christopher crossed his arms. "But your grandfather doesn't have Flora. Riley does."
A car beeped as Alex cut a corner too close. "I know that Louis said that Riley wasn't working for Lincoln anymore, but I don't buy it. This whole thing reeks of my grandfather. Riley infiltrated the Screaming Eagle Dojo in my absence. My mother gets kidnapped. Twice. I don't believe Riley could escape from Lincoln for a second. He isn't that smart."
Alex's driving caused Christopher to feel queasy. He held onto the handle next to the door. "I don't know, Alex. Louis saw him escape with his own two eyes."
Alex's face flushed. "And why would we trust Louis? He's the one who got us into this mess in the first place."
The car came to a sudden halt. They arrived in front of Enrichment.
Employees entered and exited the building in droves. It was the hustle and bustle of a typical business day.
The two stepped out of the sports car onto the pavement. Alex grabbed Christopher by the shoulder. "Be cool. Act like we're supposed to be here. I'll handle the rest."
Alex and Christopher strolled past security into the lobby of the building.
"Excuse me," A secretary called out from behind Alex and Christopher. "Do you have an appointment?"
Christopher shuddered at the sound of the woman's voice. Alex patted his friend's chest. He flashed the secretary a warm smile. "Uh, yes. I would love to meet a realtor to discuss the property your company recently purchased on Fells Point. I'm looking into buying the whole lot."
The secretary's eyes lit up. Alex knew what he was talking about. His grandfather recently obtained this large portion of land. He knew someone offering to buy this much prime real estate would warrant an impromptu meeting.
The woman picked up the phone. "Let me page Mr. Rivers. I'm sure he'll be down in five minutes at most."
Alex nodded. "Excellent. Would you mind pointing my assistant and me toward the bathroom?"
The secretary pointed to the corner of the lobby. "Just back there and to your right."
Alex clasped his hands together. "Thank you."
He put his arm around Christopher's shoulder and guided him toward the bathroom. "As I said, just act cool."
The second the two men passed through the bathroom door, Christopher ripped Alex's hand off his shoulder. "What the hell was that, Alex? We're going to meet with someone? How is that supposed to help?"
Alex held his hand up. "Calm down. We aren't meeting with anyone."
Christopher gestured to the bathroom door. "What are we going to do? Make a run for it? There are security cameras everywhere!"
A smug grin came across Alex's face. "Not up there."
Christopher scrunched his nose. "Up where?"
Alex pointed at the ceiling. "In the vents."