Chapter 32: Chapter 32

"Listen Byron. I'll tell you this for the last time. We are not going to ask for ransom"

"But why not? She's loaded. I bet her parents will pay millions to get her back. Why are we not asking for money?"

"Because that's not why we took her. I have a bone to pick with her"

Byron rolled his eyes "And you can't do that after we've asked for the money?"

"I SAID NO! I don't want her money"

"Good for you. But I want the money so let me know when you're done with her so I can make the ransom call"

Alexis lay still listening to the argument. She knew the owner of the first voice. This guy named Byron sounded familiar but she could be mistaken. She'd woken up to almost an hour ago and the splitting headache she had stopped her from moving. As she lay there waiting for it to subside, she wondered where she was. In her head she retraced yesterday's steps and shot up when she remembered someone had hit her over the head. Lucky for her she was alone in the room. The first thing she noticed was that she was chained to the bed. With the kind of chains used on gates together with a padlock on each leg. Even though she knew there was no way she was going to get out of them, she still tried to yank on them. They were solid. Didn't even budge an inch and the only thing she succeeded in doing was give herself bruises.

So she'd fallen back on the bed. That turned out to be a lucky move on her part because the door opened in the next second and the two guys walked in arguing. She agreed with this Byron fella. Her parents would part with all their possessions if it meant having her back. What they didn't know was that Vince would track them down to the ends of the earth like he did with Mabel. He hadn't stopped until he found her and put her behind bars together with her boyfriend. She scoffed inwardly. Only Alexandra Barret could get herself kidnapped twice. That first time she had been a defenseless child. But now? She was a woman who could defend herself. She just needed to calm down and think of a way out.

"I'm serious Byron. If you make that call I'll..."

"You'll do what?" Byron snarled. Things were getting hot and she was going to add more fuel the fire.

Rule number one Alexis: if you find yourself in a bind, divide and conquer. You can talk your way out of anything if you know your opponent's weakness.

Vince had told her that. Let's see how good his advice was. "Yes Connor. Tell us what you'll do" Alexis said opening her eyes. She had the satisfaction of seeing both of their eyes round go round. She was also shocked to realize who Byron was but she covered her shock up with a smirk. That idiot was going to get it. "What will you do?" she asked again then turned to his accomplice. "I thought I told you that I didn't want to see your face ever again" the guy swallowed but said nothing.

"So you're awake" that from Connor.

"Have been for the past hour. Love the chains by the way. How come you never used them when we were together?" trying to rile him up when she was chained was stupid but she wanted to get a reaction out of him. Gauge how far he was willing to go to get his revenge on her.

Because that was what it was all about. He was pissed that she was the one who'd sent him to jail and now he wanted revenge. She studied him realizing how much he'd changed. His hair was longer and the beard on his face made him look ridiculous. He had a tattoo on his neck but she couldn't see what it was. He'd worked out a lot judging from the muscles on his arms. All that and he still had nothing on Ray. What had she seen in him to make her think she was in love? The way he looked at her alone should have scared her but Alexis refused to cower in front of him. She wasn't scared of him or his idiotic friend. They were going to find out who she really was when she was pissed.

"Good. That's good. I want you to be awake for the next part"

"Is this where you try the scare tactics you learnt in prison on me?"

"Scare you? No my love. Why would I want to scare you?"

"I don't know because you're a jealous son of a bitch or maybe it's because...." her sentence was cut short by the slap that landed on her face. Okay. He'd definitely changed.

"Don't you dare insult my mother"

"I'm sorry did I make you mad? What are you going to do next? Beat me until I turn black and blue? Rape me?" she murmured the last part sarcastically. If she was a wise person, she'd keep her mouth shut. But Connor was getting on her nerves. And when she was mad she did stupid things. Like give him ideas. Dammit Alexis. Be smart or keep your mouth shut.

"You know what? That's not a bad idea." he said scratching his chin. At least that's what she thought he was doing because she couldn't see past the disgusting beard. She'd bet he had at least a dozen ticks hiding in there.

"Don't try me Connor. You have no idea what I'm capable of"

He laughed saying "Can you believe her?" then turned to face Byron who hadn't said a word. "What she's capable of? She's tied up and she has the gull to threaten me"

"Can we talk outside?" Byron asked eyeing her. For the first time he looked scared like he'd just realized what a grave mistake he'd committed.

"I'll be right back my love. Then we can settle this between issue between us."

"Take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere" she retorted crossing her hands over her chest. That was their first mistake. They hadn't tied her hands. Amateurs.

As soon as the door clicked shut, she looked around. The room was small with only a bed in the middle. There was nothing there that could help her. Well, except the window. She could use it to escape but first she needed to get out those chains. How did one get out of chains without a seesaw? Think fast Alexis. Think. Think. She chanted running her eyes all over the room. It was bare as if whoever lived there only needed the bed and nothing else. Not even bed sheets. Damn it. She cursed pulling on her hair only to yelp out in pain. Damn those stupid.... bobby pins. Of course. She could use them to open the chains. Why hadn't she thought of that? There were at least three of them hidden on her hair. One would be enough.

"Connor you idiot. You really have no idea who you're messing with" she whispered to herself.

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Outside Connor was arguing with Byron. He couldn't believe he'd thought this guy would be the best partner seeing as Alexis had screwed both of them over. After he'd been arrested, he'd tried to prove his innocence. Thank God the little knowledge he got from law school had helped him come up with solid evidence to prove that he wasn't a criminal. They'd let him go a month ago and he'd spent half of it looking for Byron. The sketches the police had of him made it easier to find the guy. He'd cornered him and asked him why he'd chosen to frame him. After threatening to turn him to the police, the guy had talked, saying a pretty rich blonde had hired him. Connor only knew one pretty rich blonde.

He didn't know why Alexis did what she did but he wasn't going to let it go. He'd teach her a lesson she would never forget. The bitch had ruined his life. After the Dean found those drugs in his bag, he had been suspended. That he could let go. But having him expelled and thrown in prison? Fuck. He was going to make her bleed. His mother and little brother were struggling to make ends meet because they'd used all their savings to get him a good lawyer who hadn't even been able to help him. She hadn't just ruined his life. He had to stoop to Byron's level in order to provide for his family. Alexis had turned him into what he was and she was going to reap the benefits of her hard work.

But first he had to deal with this idiot Byron. The guy had a one track mind. All he wanted was money. Yes Alexis was filthy rich and maybe the money they could get from the ransom would solve all his problems but he wouldn't be satisfied. He wanted her to feel what he felt when he was in jail. Helpless. Angry. Hatred. And there was also a chance their ransom plan could go sideways. No way he was letting anything keep him from exacting his revenge. He'd have to take out Byron if he kept insisting on calling Alexis' parents.

"I get why you want to call her family but think about the risks. What if they catch us?"

"What makes you think we won't be caught? You can't keep her forever you know. She knows who we are. At least the money will help us disappear. Think about it man"

Connor sighed. Maybe this guy wasn't an idiot. He'd been so focused on making Alexis pay that he hadn't thought of what was going to happen after he was done with her. How long did he have before her family realized she was missing? The message he'd sent her boyfriend was meant to buy them a few more hours. After they tried to call her and realize her phone was off, they'd start to get worried. He'd give them an hour tops before her parents called in the swat team. With the money they had, they could even contract the military. Byron's plan was starting to sound more and more appealing.

"Okay. Call them and ask for fifteen million"

Byron whistled "That much?"

"Trust me. To people like them, that's cheap change"

"Okay. We're going to need a drop off location and someone who will pick it up. That's a lot of cash"

"I know. Where are those two guys you hired yesterday?"

"I'll call them. Then we can formulate a plan."

"Okay. I'll go talk to our guest. Call me when they arrive" Connor said turning around. It was time to have a little chat with his girlfriend. As far as he was concerned, they hadn't broken up. Well, she'd refused to help him that day he'd called her. What a bad girlfriend she was. It was time for her lessons. Opening the door he said "Honey are you ready?" only honey wasn't where he'd left her. He noticed the opened window and let out a string of profanities. He'd had it with her. She was going to really get it when he caught her.

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Ray was trying really hard to stay calm for the sake of Hayley but every second that passed without knowing where Alexis was, was pushing him closer and closer to his breaking point. Why hadn't he called her last night? He should have known something wasn't right. If it wasn't for Hayley, none of them would have realized she was missing. It was almost ten in the morning and all the police had found was her car and a CCTV footage of three guys in a mask knocking Alexis out and taking her. The time stamp of the footage showed that the text he'd received hadn't been from her. They had taken her an hour earlier. God whoever they were, they better hope he didn't get to them first because he would kill them.

The thought of what they might be doing to her made him see red. If they hurt her.... No. He couldn't think like that. Those thoughts were going to drive him insane. Instead he thought about their time together. How she laughed, that soft throaty sound when he told her something funny. And how she looked like an angel when she was sleeping. How beautiful she was under the sunlight. But then an image of her all bloody with bruises covering her body pushed it's way into his mind and he jumped up from where he'd sat down next to Hayley. He had to find her. He was going to scour every inch of New York and he was going to eventually find her. When he did, she better be unharmed or he would end up killing someone.

"Raymond" his father called stopping him. "Where are you going?" JR had called Nick and his uncle had called Vince. They had all shown up to support Hayley and try to calm her down but every time someone mentioned Alexis, she'd start crying.

"To look for her. I just can't sit here doing nothing"

"I can understand how you feel but I suggest you stay put son. We'll find her with the help of the police. Don't get in their way"

"She's my fucking fiancé dad."

"Language" his father and JR admonished him at the same while Hayley asked "You proposed to her?" then started to cry harder. The tech guys the police had left behind to trace a call in case the kidnappers called, pretended to mind their own business but Ray could see that they were also paying attention to what was going on. They'd set up their equipment in the dining room and Hayley had offered them tea and snacks. There really wasn't much they could do except wait for the call. All the phones in the house were on the table.

"Not officially. I wanted to do something special for her" he said hoping to make her feel better but her sobs only got louder. JR pierced him with a hard glare his unspoken words loud and clear. Shut up or leave. Huffing, he sat down and crossed his arms over his chest. He'd give the police one more hour and then no one was going to stop him from starting his own search. Ten minutes later his phone rang making everyone freeze. "Alexis?"

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Alexis jumped out of the bed and ran to the window. If she could get a head start.... No. If she ran they'd follow her. Who knew how long it would take them to catch up with her? Besides she didn't know where she was. All she could see were trees everywhere. If Connor brought her here, it meant he knew his way around. That was an advantage he had over her. She had to be clever about it. But she didn't have time to think because she heard footsteps coming towards the room she was in. So hastily she opened the window then ran and hid behind the door. "Honey are you ready?" Connor strode in asking. When he noticed she wasn't on the bed and the window was wide open, he cursed furiously then ran out yelling at Byron to go look for her because she had escaped.

She hadn't thought that far but she couldn't stop herself from laughing. Exactly how stupid was Connor to just assume that she'd run off? Couldn't he have searched the room first? That moron was too dumb to be a criminal. It was a wonder he got Into law school in the first place. Shaking her head she moved from her spot and walked out. The place wasn't so bad. Actually it was clean and smelled of burnt wood. The room they'd kept her in had been the only one because she took a few steps and found herself in the living room. Whoever this cabin belonged to had to be a bachelor or someone who didn't like company. There was a small table to her left in front of a worn out couch and Alexis almost cried from relief when she saw her phone and keys on top of it. She snatched the phone and dialed the only person she wanted to talk to. "Alexis?"

"Hey baby. So I'm kind of in a....."

"Where the hell are you?" he growled making her take the phone away from her ear. She heard her mother wailing in the background and groaned. She called Ray first because she didn't want her parents to find out but clearly her efforts were wasted. She could hear everyone asking where she was and why her phone had been off. Someone said something about keeping her on the phone a few minutes longer then Ray told everyone to shut up. Damn. She would have liked to see her father's face at that moment. Ray may probably never get his approval after that but she had a feeling he didn't care.

"Long story short, Connor and his goons kidnapped me. I'm in a cabin surrounded by trees but I can hear the sound of cars passing so I don't think I'm in a forest in Hawaii"

"Stop joking Alexis. This is serious. Your parents are worried sick and we saw a CCTV video of you being hit over the head by some guys wearing masks. They put you in the trunk of their car"

"Yeah well, don't worry. These guys are the worst criminals ever. I mean who leaves the captive's phone and car keys lying around? Imbeciles." she said walking to the front door. To her left there was a car parked there as if waiting for her to get in and drive. "Oh yeah. Definitely idiots"

"Do you think you can escape?"

"I already have baby. Stop worrying"

"Don't tell me to stop when you've been missing the whole night. Did they hurt you? Alexis tell me if they hurt you and I'll kill those bastards"

"Take a breath Ray. I'm fine and on my way home."

"They just found your location. You're an hour away and I'm coming to get you. Please be fine when I get there"

She laughed slamming the car door shut "I'll try not to get myself killed baby. I promise"

"That is not funny Alexis." he said breathing heavily like someone who was running. Since she didn't want to hang up she put him on loud speaker then started the car.

"Let's meet halfway then. I've missed you"

"I miss you too baby. Please be careful"

" I will. Stop worrying so much" she said driving. One look at the rear view mirror showed Connor emerging from behind the cabin and running towards her. Alexis stepped on the gas then used her left hand to flip him. She stared at the side mirror in horror as he stopped took a gun out of his back and aimed. "Oh fuck"

"Alexis what's wrong?" She heard Ray asking reminding her that she hadn't hung up.

"Nothing. I love you Ray. So so much"

"Alexis......"

"Always remember that baby. I love you" she said just as two gun shots rang out simultaneously. One hit the rear windshield wheezing past her shoulder. She yelped in pain while Ray's voice got louder. She didn't know where the other one hit but from the way the car swerved she guessed it hit one of the tires. Another shot was heard just as she lost control of the car. Alexis watched as the car headed towards a large tree. The last thing she heard were Ray's cries telling her he loved her too and if she got herself hurt he'd get really mad at her. She smiled knowing he wouldn't stay mad at her for a long time. Then her head hit the steering wheel and she lost consciousness.

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Now where do we go from here? Dead or alive?