Abducted for revenge, Bound for love

Chapter 2

Lorenzo stood on the balcony leaning against the railings. It was otherwise a beautiful day with clear skies. A table to his left sat with his untouched breakfast and customary cup of coffee. Next to the cup sat his Desert Eagle, all gray and shining in the morning light.

He blew out smoke through his nose before taking another drag from his cigarette. He was already on his third one that morning. To say that he was vexed, would have been the understatement of the decade. He literally had murder on his mind.

He took another drag from his cigarette and held his breath. His mind ran up all the different scenarios and each time the results were the same. He had lost something precious and someone was going to pay.

He heard footsteps of someone approaching, but ignored them until the person cleared their throat behind him, he did not have to turn to know who it was. No one else would have dared to disturb his peace especially at a time like this. Lorenzo exhaled the breath of smoke he had been holding, then addressed the man who had interrupted his dark thoughts.

“Ted, if your next sentences do not contain the words ‘found’ and ‘John’, and in a particular order, I strongly suggest you walk back out of here.” He did not need to raise his voice to sound menacing.

Ted shifted his weight from one foot to the other like a nervous school girl. Which was rather funny considering he was supposed to be a badass heartless man.

Lorenzo could literally feel the man’s hesitation, he turned his head and looked at Ted over his shoulder. The large blank man built like a door bouncer had the decency to look nervous. It almost brought a smile to his face to know he put the fear of God in the big man.

“Mr. Renzo, we found his daughter,” he said in a voice raspy from years of strong liquor.

Lorenzo arched his brow. “His daughter?” When Ted gave a curt nod to confirm, he snorted. “What the f**k am I supposed to do with his daughter?” he spat out.

Ted swallowed nervously. “Sir, we figured you could use her to find her father.”

Lorenzo gave him an incredulous stare. “I send you to find the man that stole my hard earned ten million dollars and you bring me back his daughter with homework?” His voice was not raised but every word punctuated the air like a threat.

Ted scratched the back of his neck. His bald head shining bright as polished wood as he bent his head down and tried to think. He was not certain how to respond to his boss. If at all he should dare to speak. He swallowed and kept his eyes down. One thing he knew was Lorenzo was sometimes very unpredictable and ruthless, he had to handle this carefully.

“Do you like your job, Ted?”

Ted felt the blood leave his face. That was what you called a rhetorical question. Ted had the kind of job one did not retire from. In short his boss was asking him if he liked being alive and owning all his body parts.

Lorenzo exhaled and turned back to watching the trees beyond the balcony. He considered the option handed to him. He wasn’t into passing the sins of the father onto the daughter, it was not his style of operation. He couldn’t even remember if he had ever met John Summer’s daughter. 

He chuckled and shook his head, he had trusted the man with his finances and yet had not bothered to get more acquainted with his family. Although trust was a stretch. Lorenzo did not trust anyone who worked for him. He only trusted four men in the entire world and John had not been one of them. He had given John a job and clearly detailed what would happen if he betrayed him.

Clearly John had not valued his life as much as Lorenzo thought he did. The old man had dared to run off with his money. Without so much as leaving a note of apology, not that it would have made any difference. 

“Ted, I think my reputation is losing its touch,” he drawled almost in a whisper.

“No, sir.”

Lorenzo chuckled again hearing the shake in Ted’s voice. “It is. I could care less what people say about me…they are just words. Hell, you could even f**k the current girl in my bed…”

“Patrick did,” Ted interrupted 

“Yes, and he is still alive.”

“But missing a few body parts,” Ted mumbled under his breath.

“Fact is, he is still alive,” Lorenzo emphasized in a firm voice. “She was just a w***e. Point is…Disrespect me all you want. But my money?” 

Ted heard the bitterness in his boss’s voice and it made him flinch. “We will find him boss, it is just a matter of time.” 

Lorenzo turned around abruptly. “Where is she?”

“The daughter?”

“No! You dumb ass! The grandmother! Of course his bloody daughter, who else would I be asking about?”

Ted flinched again but kept a straight face. “On her way with the boys. They picked her up last night.”

Lorenzo nodded. “I have a meeting to attend in Mexico, I will deal with it when I get back.” He grabbed his Desert Eagle and stormed off the balcony past Ted.

Lorenzo walked out of the house to the helipad. His step was confident and arrogant, anyone looking at him would never know just how pissed he was, or how he felt violated, an emotion he had never wanted to ever experience again. 

It was not the amount of the money that was stolen that ate at him. It was just the act. Theft had a way of ripping through a person’s guts, making them feel insecure and agitated. Ten million was pocket change by his standards, even though he still did not appreciate losing it. But he would have been just as pissed even if John had taken two thousand dollars. Hell, even two dollars would have still gotten a wake out of him.

Lorenzo had beaten the odds and worked himself to the bone to be where he was today. He knew the value of every dollar he made. His number one love was his money, nobody tempered with it. He could spend it, he could donate it, but nobody stole it. The greed for money had nearly had him killed years ago and he had made sure to make more than he would ever need in one lifetime. 

Had John come to him asking for the money, he would have given it, as long as the reasons were valid of course. But the man had not approached him for help, he had just stolen and disappeared.

Lorenzo sighed and shook his head in disgust. He got into his helicopter and nodded to his chief of security, Maxwell. Another of his men that looked like they should have worked as door bouncers at some shady club. The man turned to the pilot and gave the instruction. Within seconds they were in the air.

Lorenzo threw his head back and closed his eyes, he now had to figure out exactly what he was to do with John’s daughter once he returned to his middle of nowhere hidden palace.