“Sir, please, I don't know any more than you. I don't know where they’re taking her. All I know is that I was ordered to look the other way today…”

Alexander’s heart sank. He didn’t know Olivia had actually been taken. “Who has her?” he quivered.

“I don’t know,” she lied.

“Where are they taking her?”

“Only Olivia knows that.”

“FUCK!” Alexander screamed, handcuffing her and throwing her in the back of her own SUV. He ran inside Olivia’s house, unable to make anything of the scene that greeted him. Papers and photos were all over the place. He took a deep breath, knowing that there may be a clue in the house. He slowly scanned the living room, his eyes stopping on a bunch of photos placed neatly on the kitchen island.

He quickly strode over, his heart almost stopping when he saw the picture on top…the photo of them as children playing on the rocks outside the beach house lay just beneath her engagement ring. He immediately knew where she was taking them. His eyes glanced at another photo lying on the island. It was a photo of Olivia’s mom. It looked as though she was mending a tear in Mr. Bear’s stitching. The date on the corner of the photo was the same day as the accident. He wondered what it all meant. Why was this photo left on the island?

It was almost as if Olivia left everything laid out perfectly, asking him to figure it all out. She was heading to the beach house, but the photo of her mom stitching up Mr. Bear? What did that mean? He grabbed the engagement ring and Mr. Bear off the stool, along with the rest of the photos. Bolting out of the house, he yelled for Martin to accompany him and gave him the address in Chatham where Olivia’s beach estate was located.

As Martin merged onto the Mass Pike, Alexander looked out of the window, desperate to find Olivia and save her because, this time, she actually needed saving.

~~~~~~~~~~

“OKAY, THIS IS FUCKING ridiculous!” Grant shouted, pulling over on the side of the road. “Get her out of the car.”

Olivia had been anything but helpful in figuring out where the evidence they needed was supposedly hidden. “No. I’m not getting out of the car.” She looked around. There were no lights anywhere. It was deserted. She hadn’t even seen another car for miles. “I told you where we needed to go,” she begged. “Chatham. That’s all I know.”

“And we’re in fucking Chatham! Now where is the goddamn house?!” Simon yelled. He hated having to shout at her like that, but he couldn’t let it seem as if he was going easy on her. He had to act the part.

“Simon, please… I don’t remember. I only spent a few summers there when I was a little girl. Other than that, I can’t remember anything, especially about how to get there. All I know is that it’s a huge place right on the beach. I’d know it if I saw it.”

“Fine! Let’s go to the coast then.” Grant put the car in drive and tore out onto the street. “If you don’t find it within the next thirty minutes, I will put a bullet through your head.”

Olivia whimpered as a tear fell down her face.

~~~~~~~~~~

AFTER ALEXANDER STORMED OUT of his office, Carol remained behind, desperate to help her brother any way she could. They had figured out that Marshall was involved, but they still had no clue as to who was pulling the strings. She sat at his desk, trying to decipher her father’s coded scribblings. Something wasn’t adding up. She had put in a phone call to a few of Alexander’s analyst guys who were good at tracking money transfers, even from off-shore bank accounts, to see if they were able to find any suspicious connection between Kiddish and other people Olivia came into contact with, but that hadn’t turned up anything yet. She had all but given up on trying to figure out who was behind everything when the phone rang.

“Hey, Jimmy,” she answered, wondering if he was able to find out anything from combing through the bank records. “Wait…slow down… What are you saying?”

Carol sank into the chair, dropping her phone, as the shock of the news she had just been given overtook her entire body. She took a deep breath before making the phone call that could potentially destroy her brother’s entire world.

~~~~~~~~~~

“WELL, THIS MUST BE it,” Grant declared, pulling up a long driveway to an enormous shoreline estate. “It’s the biggest house right on the beach in this town. I don’t think they make ‘em much bigger than this one. Bitch must be fucking loaded!”

Olivia looked up at the house. He was right. It was the house from her dreams and memories. “This was where I used to play with Alexander every summer,” she said softly as Simon carefully helped her out of the car.

“Aw… Too bad,” Grant said cruelly. “Now it’s where you’re going to die.” He walked along the side of the car and opened the trunk, digging around for what he needed to complete the job.

Olivia began to shake nervously, protectively clutching her stomach.

Simon leaned close to her, his eyes intense. “When I tell you to…run.” His voice was barely above a whisper, nearly inaudible over the crashing ocean waves. “Kick me in the stomach. Sell it. Your life depends on it.”

She looked at him, her eyes wide in surprise.

Do you understand? he mouthed.

She nodded slowly just as Grant came around to the side of the car, carrying a large duffel bag. Simon dragged her up the walkway toward the front entrance.

“Don’t worry,” Grant laughed. “We’ll keep you alive a little longer, as long as you’re nice to us.”

Olivia felt sick to her stomach, bile forming in her throat as her brain ran through thousands of different scenarios about what Grant had in store for her.

“Run,” Simon whispered in her ear.

“I don’t fucking think so!” she spat out, turning swiftly and kicking Simon in the stomach as hard as she could.

Simon keeled over, clutching his stomach in pain. “YOU FUCKING BITCH!”

Olivia spun around and started to run, thankful that Grant hadn’t been smart enough to bind her arms or legs.

“Give me that fucking gun!” Grant ordered Simon. “Or shoot her yourself!”

“She’s too far! I don’t have a shot!” Simon shouted back, hoping to give her enough time to get away.

“You’re helping her! You fucking shit! You want her to get away!”

“No way! Of course not!”

“Then go get her!”