~Caroline~

"Mommy, Mommy! Look. I told you Daddy would buy it for me! I told you!" Lydia's delightful squeals reached my desperate ears as I made it down the stairs. It felt as if I was wading through thick water but I made it. She was there...in the foyer, with her big, beautiful smile and she twirled in circles.

Almond, swirled lockes that fell past her little shoulders soured through the air as she spun and the shiny tiara sparkled in the chandelier lighting. My husband, ever the most handsome, leaned against a wall and watched her with his signature smile.

I could see it now, her batting her long lashes up at him, standing at the jewelry displays in Penelope's boutique. "Pleeeease Daddy," Is what she had said and on command he had bought that tiara without thinking twice about it.

"Anything for you, princess," He said now, stirring the ice to his scotch with the simple flick of the wrist. Christopher scoffed, standing in the doorway of the living room, but there was no hiding his smile. Deep down, he adored his sister. "And you, my Queen. What is it you desire?"

When I opened my mouth to answer, no words came out. Why wasn't he looking at me? I was his Queen, wasn't I? "Mmm, let me think-whatever I desire?" I turned to look up towards the voice. And there she was, Cassandra, wearing my long, red robe. Her black hair, with the hint of blue, draped over her confident shoulders. Were those my diamonds in her ears...around her neck?  She held onto that thick, wooden banister and sauntered down the stairs as If she had a purpose.

"Whatever you want, Mommy! Whatever you want!" Lydia wailed.

She glided past me like an arctic breeze and grabbed the giggling girl up into her arms. "Oh, Darling. It's you I want...you're all I want." Her laugh was wicked and taunting. All the while, my chest burned. I couldn't talk....couldn't claim what was mine...couldn't breath or even live without it and she was in the tanned arms of Cassandra Smythe.

Loud, incessant banging rattled the front door then and it didn't cease. Why weren't they answering it? Why were they laughing and twirling? Loud and incessant, BANG!, over and over again until my brain rattled.

I came awake suddenly, my entire body jerking and the inhale I took was sharp, desperate. It took me a moment to tame my beating heart. A beating that synced with the pounding someone was doing on the other side of the bedroom door.

I rolled over, my naked breast meeting my husband broad, bare back and I groaned away the horrible nightmare. "Sol...Answer the door." But he was already stirring. The moment he was out of the bed, it grew cold and when the bedside lamp came to life in the guest bedroom, I squinted against it. 

"For fuck's sake-I'm coming!" Through blurry, half sleepy eyes, I watched him slip into his night pants with ease and smiled. Oooooh, cranky. The glimpse I caught of his ass-with those fresh marks from my nails-had me remembering last night. I'd wept against his soaked shirt in our deep tub for hours it had seemed. I'd lied about him 'not doing anything for me', realized that I was just being an unbearable bitch. Neither of us had wanted to clean the wrecked master suite so breaking in the guest rooms bed had been the only option. A pleasant one, the achy feeling in the pit of my belly reminded me.

I pulled the sheets modestly over my naked body just as Sol reached the door and yanked it open so hard I thought he might just break it off the hinges. "What is it you need and might I add at four o'clock in the fucking morning," He growled at poor Thomas who stood in the dimly lit hallway. Easy killer. Inaudible words were whispered among the two men and my heart leapt with hope for the first time in almost two weeks. Had they found Lydia?

"What is it?" I asked Sol when he closed the door and came back to the side of the bed where he picked his cotton t-shirt up off the floor.

"A note." Was his simple, short reply. Muscles flexed under sun-kissed skin as he pulled the shirt on. I was out of the bed in a second, searching the floor for-oh, surprise- my long, red, satin robe. Dear God that had been the worst nightmare of them all. Sol waited until I had it tied tightly around me before we left the bedroom. We found Thomas along with Lenny Baker in the living room. Both men's eyebrows were cinched and they actually paced the floor. I nearly lost my mind and demanded they tell us what in the hell was going on but Thomas didn't hesitate...

He immediately handed Sol one piece of paper that was folded with an actual seal that he broke with hast. My heart slammed against my chest as I leaned around my husband and read the simple demand:

$250,000. Six AM at the gate. No cops. I'll call.

"Should I call Detective Marsh?" Thomas asked before I could process anything. A ransom. That is what she wanted...fucking money! And such a low demand.

"No." Sol snapped, shoulders tensed as he handed the note to Thomas and both of our 'hired helps' read it. "Cops fuck everything up." A dark shadow fell over his face and he left the living room. I didn't know rather to cry or squeal as I stood frozen in the middle of the living room. They were going to give my baby back...A day that I'd been doubting for the past week.

I was standing alone when I snapped out of my head. It was four twenty-five when I glanced at the huge clock above the fireplace mantle. Ninety-five minutes...and every second would grueling. I hurried out, found the three men in Sol's study. Thomas had the remote control to the TV that mounted one wall and was rewinding the recorded video of the camera that pointed towards the front gate. "You seen them drop it off?" Sol asked. I watched him go to his very hidden safe and open it up. Bands upon bands of crisp Benjamin's...stacks of important documents were the contents the safe held.

"No. They buzzed and were gone before I could answer." And then he checked the mailbox on a hunch? Thomas didn't need to explain himself. It was clear. He didn't have to go too far back on the tape and at exactly three fifty-seven a dark SUV rolled to a stop at the gate. I watched the semi grainy gray video as a dark and hooded figure got out to slip the note into the box. As fast as they had appeared, they were gone. Had Lydia been in that vehicle? So close?

"Get me something to put this in," Sol demanded to no one in particular but before anyone could jump to do so, the phone on his desk started to ring. I wondered, but only for a second, how they-or she-had gotten the number. I'd given Cassandra a list of numbers the second day she had been here. Sol didn't hesitate to stand up and go to the desk. He punched the speaker button so violently I was sure it would be stuck after this.

He hadn't so much as said hello before our daughters kidnapper was speaking. "Mr. Specter-will I have what I want at six AM?" The voice was Male. So very Male and every piece to the puzzle was put in place then. 'I'm sorry, Mommy. I was just talking to that nice man. He took my nose and then gave me a lollipop. But he didn't really take my nose, did he Mommy?' Oh God, how could I have been so fucking stupid? I hadn't wanted to believe that some man had actually visited my daughter in the park. Even with the proof right in front of my face; a red lollipop.

"Of course. I would give anything for her safe return." Cause ya know, a quarter of a million dollars was nothing to fuss over. Really, it wasn't. He would make that back in two months.

"No police. No games, Specter." The Male warned over the speaker. The slightest hint of a scowl crossed over my husband's face and I knew that he would like nothing more than to tell this fucker off. He wouldn't though. This was about our daughter. I was so anxious I was sure I might vomit.

"It's a good thing I don't like cops, true? And what about my Security? Can he stand at the gate?"

"No." Was his one worded reply and the then the line went dead. None of us moved for at least twenty seconds. My hope quickly turned into fear. What if they just took the money and kept her? But as always, my husband had already thought about it.

"I need you on them, Lenny. Quietly. Even if we get Lydia, I need you onto them. Can you do that?"

At my husband's demands, Lenny Baker smiled, with his golden caped tooth, so wickedly that it chilled me. I could see the silent conversation that both-hell, all three-men had then and did I even want to know? Sol must have read my mind, because he broke their gazes and looked over at me. "Make us some coffee, baby?" He asked, but even if I didn't want to, no wasn't going to be taken for an answer. There was clearly something that needed to be discussed...and not for my ears.

"Sure." I turned and left them with their hushed whispers and secret plan. Fine...I needed something to do anyway or I was gonna croak from anxiety. Once the kitchen was lit up, I didn't rush making the coffee. After the pot was filled with fresh grounds and water, I turned it on. Within seconds it was brewing and the smell of it was enough to make me nauseous. Tea it would be for me, this morning.

My mixed emotions only seemed to get worse as I stood there, chewing on the inside of my cheek, and waiting. Why would my mind conjure up such a nightmare? I could deal with a bitch trying to take my husband, any day, but my daughter...She had some nerve. I was nearly tempted to wait outside of that gate and drag her beautiful, scrawny ass out of that SUV. But I couldn't...I couldn't compromise this 'transaction' as much as it would bother me. I needed my daughter back and patience was virtue.

Aside from the haunting nightmare, my actions from the day before boiled up from my memory and I flushed right there in the kitchen. God, I had been unbearable. How could I have said those things to the people I cared for dearly? To Liv, whose emotions were no doubt out of whack from having a new baby and Chris...God, I had yelled at him. I was half tempted to go wake him now and apologize for being so...mean.

I was jolted back to the now when an arm slid around my waist...Sol. "Are you going to take that off?" He asked, over the violent whistling the kettle was doing. With a shaky hand, I removed it from the fire and then turned in his arms. By now, the coffee was done as well. How long had I been standing there, thinking? "Don't cry. Everything is going to work out." He promised quietly and wiped away tears I hadn't known were shed.

"What if they don't give her back, Sol? What if-"

"Shhh. Don't even think about it." He kissed away the frown between my brows. Obviously he had. He was sending Lenny Baker on some secret mission and the Male had smiled like he would enjoy it greatly. Just what had my husband ordered? What lengths would he go to, in regards to his baby girl? God damn it my head was going to grow a heartbeat of it's own if I didn't stop thinking so much. "Sit down. I'll finish your tea."

I didn't argue, I needed to calm down or I would have a panic attack I might just not recover from. I watched him at the counter, pour the scolding water from the stove into a porcelain cup over a teabag. He poured his coffee like always, black. No sugar, no cream. "Lenny is gone?" I asked finally, when he brought me my drink.

"Yes. Did you hear or see him leave?" I didn't expect Sol to explain what he was having him do. Perhaps later, if and when everything worked out, I would ask him. When I shook my head his only reply was, 'Good.' With that, he ushered me back to the study to wait. The TV played the gates camera live now and I couldn't keep my eyes off of the clock. Thomas sat in the corner and never took his eyes off of the TV. After Sol was done with his coffee, he refilled but with Scotch.

The minutes that ticked by were slow; five-ten and then five-twenty. Everything that could go wrong went through my brain. What if they were near and spied Lenny? It was doubtful but possible. The male stranger was quite discrete and stealthy, even if he was a bit round. I'd never seen him come or leave the house, never seen his vehicle. And then there was that one possibility that I kept coming back to; what if they had no intention of giving her back? 

They could very easily take the money and drive off, leaving nothing in return for the payment. When five-fifty came, Thomas took the red sports bag with a quarter of a million dollars and left the study. Not even when we were alone, did Sol or myself speak. Within thirty seconds we watched Thomas open the gate and place the bag beside the mailbox. 

My anxiety was nearly drowning me. As fast as he was gone, Thomas was back, cheeks and nose pink from the cold morning air. As I glanced out the window, I could see that the sun would be rising soon. Why did I have a feeling there was a catch to this all. Why had they kept my baby for ten days? What had been the purpose? To make me suffer, because suffer I had? I'd nearly lost myself in such a short time. My heart rate quickened and slowed, over and over again. I could no longer sit still and even Sol had gotten up. 

The world stood still as six o'clock struck and then six o'one. Had they changed their minds? Was Lydia worth more to them than so many hundreds of dollars? I could tell by the look on Thomas's face that he was worried as well. Sol rubbed at his thickening beard. 

I was near tears again when that same dark, SUV came into view of the camera, stopping where it had a little while ago. I wanted to claw at the feeling in my stomach and all of a sudden I'd forgotten how to breath. And like before that same, dark, hooded very male figure got out and grabbed the bag up like it would disappear into the air. I had to remind myself as the seconds ticked by, that Lenny was out there. Close by and waiting. He was going to follow them no matter what happened. 

"Don't you fucking do it, asshole." Sol cursed under his breath when nearly a minute passed and the car didn't move...not even an inch. Tears welled in my eyes as I reached the ledge of losing all hope of ever seeing my child again when the back door finally opened. My knees almost buckled and if I hadn't been near Sol's desk I would have fallen down. There she was, my baby, crawling out of the car all on her own. 

In a second, every breath that was being held escaped. The door to the car hadn't even been closed before the vehicle peeled away from the gate so fast I could hear it from all the way up here. Thomas was the first one out of the room, pistol in hand. I wasn't far behind and held my robe that swept the floor as I ran through the house and then the front door. The cold air was nasty and bit into my skin but it was the least of my worries. I ran and didn't stop, even when my lungs burned and protested. 

The dew that had frozen on our perfectly maintained grass froze my bare feet. The sun was just rising and when I caught the first glimpse of Lydia standing still inside of the gate, I sobbed and ran harder. I barely noticed the murdered out car that sped past on the road...Lenny...Ever so dutiful for my husband already. "Mommmmmy!" Is was the most beautiful wail I'd ever heard in my entire life and little legs started forward. It was a union I had been dreaming of and I was never going to let her go again. 

I felt the cracking my knees did against the concrete drive as I made it to her and scooped my entire life into my arms. "Oh God...baby." I cried into her hair; held her tiny so closely, relished in the feeling...praying that she would never be taken away from me ever again. 

"Mommy, why didn't come get me?" She demanded and I imagined her face was disapproving. I couldn't let her go just yet to find out. I couldn't move...even though I felt that she was starting to shiver in the thin sweater. 

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." 

"It's okay, Mommy. Don't cry." Lydia pulled back then and seeing her round little face so near mine made it hard to breath but for an entirely different reason. My heart throbbed when she reached up and wiped at my cheeks. 

~Sol~

My cell rang at close to ten that morning and I excused myself from Harrison Marsh-who was in a sour mood that I didn't inform him of the ransom. He could be pissed off all he wanted to. I was playing by someone else's rules and as much as I had hated it, it had to be done. I answered the phone once I was alone and Lenny Baker drawled on the other end, "Already headed out of town. A woman and a man. Scared shitless if you ask me. I'm tailing them. Hopefully they are smart enough to drive over a few states." 

"If you need anything, call. Just hurry and get it over with." He would. I knew he would because Lenny Baker would do anything if the price was right. The price was steep...much more than the quarter of a million had been I'd so easily handed over this morning. It would be worth it, every single goddamn dime would be worth it. Sure, it would take me at least six months to make it up but wasn't going to sweat over it. 

I'd promised myself from the second I had found out that that woman had taken my little girl; She was going to pay...and at the hands of Lenny Baker. 

~Rich~ 

"Stop pouting, Lyza." We'd just pulled out of a gas station located on a deserted stretch of road when I'd finally become fed-up with her. The look she shot me was sexy as hell. Pissed, but sexy and it didn't even phase me. This was never in her plans...leaving behind the city life. Her shrine. The memories and grave of our Millicent. Giving back the Specter child. But it had to be done. 

"How dare you, Rich? I hope you're bathing in the happiness you've taken from me. All you ever think of is yourself." With tears threatening her eyes, she lifted her chin and looked back out the window. It wasn't true...the only thing I thought of was her. Every second that I was breathing, I was thinking of her. 

Did she not realize what we could do with half of the money? Adopt! Probably illegally but I knew a guy and we were just a few states from doing just that. I would move mountains to make sure she was happy. Didn't she realize that? My stubborn crow haired woman...All of this was for her. 

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I do hope you all enjoyed, as always! And don't fret...THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING! 

Leave your thoughts and Vote, my Lovelies!! 

-Lu