The Drakos Dynasty - Book 3

4 - To Catch a Kidnapper

Darius walked directly into the office where Kris and Dimitri were waiting. It was time for them to figure out a way to send the money, as it would have been, if Joshua were still around. The only difference they needed to do this time, was to ensure a tracking signature was attached to the payment. This would be the best way to find out who was at the head of the operation and hopefully figure out why Darius was taken to begin with.

 “OK, so our technical team is working on a way to trail the payment. We think we have it set up exactly how you did it when imprisoned. I do have one question though, the account that the money is being pulled from doesn't seem to be on record in our company financials. But it does seem to be part of our company that the money pulls from. Care to explain Darius?” Dimitri had a very curious yet stern look on his face.

 “It was an account that I was going to set up at the beginning of our relationship with Rayne. I wasn't sure how things would end with you as you were not willing to let her in completely.  I didn't want a relationship with us, should something happen, be the end of her financially. So I set up a trust for her in the event we didn't work out.” Darius said honestly.

 “I know that I can be an asshole, but did everybody seriously have that little faith in me? You knew that I was in love with her from the first moment that I met her. I never would have left her high and dry without anything. How much money did the account start with?”

 Darius took a hefty sigh knowing this was not going to bode well. “From what I am hearing you did in fact leave her high and dry. No closure, no anything. So I did make the right call.” He paused momentarily. “I originally put 150 million in there. “

 Darius didn't know what else to say but that was the honest truth. They had always lived the privileged life of having as much money as they needed and 150 Million didn't seem like much. Not to mention Dimitri did exactly what Darius had feared. He ran and left her with nothing but a memory.

 “There is just about 37.5 Million left I believe.” Kris interjected.

 “Yes, that is it and they were trying to find a way for me to transfer more without being noticed. Then everything stopped and I got out. This time they discussed taking out about 7 million. So I think that should be what we send.” Darius said.

 “You know despite what everyone thinks about me, Rayne’s Safety and well-being was always at the top of my list. While I shut her out and walked away. I think a lot of that was because I didn't want to hurt her. I was hurting and I knew that that in turn would end up hurting her.  I'm sure this doesn't make much sense to either of you but in a way, I thought I was doing the best thing for us both. “

 “No one is arguing with that Dimitri. And me starting the fund without asking you was definitely the wrong move but the hard truth of it is, I was right. You protected your own ego over the woman we BOTH loved.  She thought I was dead and you abandoned her. That is on you. I will not apologize for seeing it coming!” Darius hollered.

 “Go f**k yourself Darius. We have, in all our lives, NEVER lied to one another. This was a lie and yes, I handled s**t wrong but I have always loved her and will damn sure do the best I can to make up for it now. Look at you, you can’t even touch her without cringing in fear. Stop hurting her now or this needs to end.”

 Pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment, Darius look directly at Dimitri and began to lose his temper.   

“Why does everything always have to be about you? You were broken, you were beat, your heart didn't work. I was locked up in a f*****g room with nothing but a toilet, a cot and a sink for almost eight years. Cut me a little slack on being stupid previously but give me a little credit for at least being able to tell you why this is so difficult for me now. I come home and our woman is now yours and she is carrying your child. I'm supposed to just fit myself in and not have any feelings about anything? I'm also not supposed to say anything to you that might bother your feelings? Get your life together and realize how lucky you are! I wish my last eight years had been so hard as yours… “Darius raised his voice a bit more with each word.

Dimitri looked angry. Standing for a moment he shoved the chair across the room and paced. Rayne was his wife and he had tried to let Darius feel welcome in the short time he had been home. Obviously, he wasn’t trying hard enough.

“I truly didn't mean to make it about me. I just don't understand how you couldn't have known at that point how much she meant to me. I would have agreed and probably put more in there than you did money wise. And As for now, she is my wife and yes, she carries my child but that does not mean that this can't work. Zane is your child And I love him with every breath that I take. We will both be his father and when The new child is born, We will do the same. Can we just call a truce on feelings and find a way to make it work from here? “

Darius nodded and looked at Kris. “Are there any leads at all or are we literally flying blind?”

“Flying blind, I am afraid but this has to do with funding for someone, so that much money will eventually be missed. Someone will surface. Count on that.”

It took several hours and many video calls but with the help of their keen IT department and the knowledge Darius had from when he previously transferred money, they believed to have a solution. There was an algorithm attached to the payment that each time a payment was transferred through another channel, it would be tracked in sequence for up to three months. During that three months every bank account, city, phone number, dial in code or otherwise, that the payment would pass through would be recorded. Firewalls and other technical guru magic would make it difficult to track the payment quickly but at some point, somewhere, there would be a mistake and Drakos Shipping International would catch it.