Deceived By Her Billionaire

Chapter 2

Present

At Liam’s office

“Have you found her?” Liam inquired, his voice harsh with impatience. Although he has hired the best private investigators in town, he has not been able to track her down yet. It was as if she had disappeared from the face of this earth.

“We still have no clue about her whereabouts, Mr. Williams,” replied Jerry.

A furious Liam slammed the report against the wall, “Useless.. you guys are a bunch of idiots. I don’t know how you guys made a name for yourself in the industry, because I have yet to see your competence. I want results, and I want them fast… I am running out of patience here….. bring her to me .... no matter what it takes…. be it by hook or by crook,” he emphasized, as he ordered Jerry to keep looking.

“With all due respect, Mr. Williams, we are doing everything in our power to find Ms. Miller. We are exploring and analyzing every plausible reason behind her disappearance and are looking into all the possibilities. Ms. Miller has not contacted her family or friends yet... There have been no ransom calls or demands. We have combed through all the CCTV footage from every location she visited during the week of her disappearance. We also visited all the nearby hospitals, clinics, and morgues, but there was no victim matching her description. She has not used her credit or debit card, nor has she made any withdrawals from her bank account, either physically or electronically. The fact that you continue to phone us every five minutes for an update also does not help. It is a complete waste of our time, as well as yours, which I am sure is extremely valuable.”

“I would not be calling you guys again and again if you were doing your job efficiently in the first place. I am paying you a fortune, and you expect me to sit quietly on the sidelines and not even demand results? What a sham.” said Liam.

“If you are not happy with us, then you are welcome to look for another agency.”

“Believe me when I say that I will... there’s only so much time and patience I am willing to expend before I look elsewhere. Though I wish that your brain and skills were at least half as sharp as that tongue of yours, then maybe we would have seen some results by now. Now stop wasting my precious time and put your network of people and your informers to good use and find her for me.”

It’s no wonder that she ran away with that attitude of yours, he mumbled. “Yes, Mr. Williams. Now, if you will excuse me, I’d like to get back to my work…. after all, I need to justify the fortune you are spending on my services,” Jerry finished and walked away with his head held high.

What a jerk! Liam mumbled under his breath. If he didn’t have a reputation for being the greatest in the business, I would have fired him on the spot for having such a sharp tongue. He rose from his chair and picked up the folder he had dropped earlier on the floor. When he opened it, he was greeted by an image of Cynthia's cheerful face. He held the photograph in his hand and said, “Where the hell are you, Cynthia? Do you really think you can escape me by running away like this…? No, sweetheart, you are highly mistaken.” He crushed the picture with his hands. “I will follow you to the end of this earth and beyond…. not even the deepest pits of hell will be able to keep you hidden from me. No matter where you are…. I will find you. You will never be completely free of me, at least not until I am finished with you, and believe me, I’m not even close to being done with you ... I own you, body and soul… you cannot even die without my permission.”

At the detective agency,

“Yes, hold the line, please, and I’ll get him for you,” Kelly replied. She transferred the call to the appropriate agent and raised her eyes as she heard footsteps approaching. “Hey, Jerry,” she greeted him as he approached her desk.

“Is the boss man in?" he asked impatiently….. completely ignoring her cheerful greeting.

“Yes,” she said, concise… to the point. Kelly had spent enough time working for ‘the agency’ to know when it was OK to persist and when it was necessary to back off. Seeing his tense features and that harsh, slightly irritated tone, she knew Jerry was just looking for a target to take out his frustration on, and she had no intention of becoming his ‘chew toy’ this fine morning.

Jerry walked into his boss’s office, his face flushed with rage. “Why the heck did you assign that psycho to me, Jack?”

“And a very good morning to you too,” retorted Jack. “May I come in, Jack? How are you today, boss-man…? Oh, I’m fine, thank you. How are you, this fine day?” Jack mimicked... “This is the proper way to start a conversation, particularly with your boss.”

“Stop it, Jack. It is not even remotely funny. Do you have any idea what a nutcase this Williams guy is? Richer than Midas, with an attitude to match, the crazy dude thinks that the world revolves around him and his wishes.”

“Wait a minute, dude... We’ve been business partners for a long time and friends for much longer... well before I created this agency, yet I’ve never seen this side of you... I mean, you’ve always put your personal feelings and opinions aside and handled every case professionally, so what’s so exceptional about this client?” Jack inquired, concerned about the way his friend was acting.

“He rubs me the wrong way. He ... he brings forth memories of Jesse, the most painful time of my life .... my one and only regret,” Jerry finished on a sad note.

Jack stilled, listening to that name after such a long time, and focused all his attention on Jerry. “What makes you think that this case is similar?”

“I don’t know, man… it’s just a hunch. This guy is ruthless, arrogant, and a controlling jerk. He is relentless in his pursuit of this girl, and all my instincts tell me that it’s not for any good reason. He is a formidable opponent, and whatever that poor girl did to offend him, she is no match for him. He can squish her like a bug any damn time he wants,” said Jerry.

“Oh, I believe you, my friend; after all, in our line of work, we rely on our instincts just as much, if not more, as we do on our skills, and this guy is well-known for his ruthlessness, but think of it this way ... It’s a job. If we don’t do it, then he will assign it to somebody else, and that person may not be as concerned for the girl as you are,” reasoned Jack.

“But it seems that this girl does not want to be found. It is as if she has vanished from the face of this earth. She has left no trail behind…. unless someone planted a tracking device on her and is generous enough to share the details with us, then I am out of ideas,” Jerry finished, raising his hands sarcastically.

“Hum…. that is a tough one; I will give you that, but then I know if there is anyone who can trace this girl, it’s you. I was surprised that you had made no progress yet in this case… but I think now I know the reason. You have not been looking for her wholeheartedly because of what happened with Jesse ... am I right?” Jack asked.

Jerry paused for a moment to consider what Jack had just said. “I believe you may be correct. I haven’t been putting forth my best effort to locate her. I don’t like the way this guy has been hunting for this girl ..... it’s setting off all sorts of alarms and makes me feel like he’s a risk to her. I do not want to bring her back to his hemisphere. It just does not feel right, and it brings up memories of the past.”

“I think that’s all the more reason for you to find her, because if that Williams guy finds her before you, you would not be able to do anything. So buck up, my friend, because knowing you as I do, I know that your conscience wouldn’t let you live if anything were to happen to that girl,” Jack counseled.

“You’re absolutely right, buddy. I’ll track her down and stand by her in the same way that I couldn’t for Jesse. That’s the only way I can see myself redeeming myself,” Jerry concluded with determination.

Jerry then thanked Jack for trusting him and listening to him, understanding him like a friend, and guiding him like a mentor. Jack had shown him a way to atone for his past mistakes, for which he was really grateful.

Wherever you are, I hope you are doing well and manage to stay under the radar…. at least until I can get to you, help you. As Jack mentioned, there’s only so much time we can buy you before Liam hires someone else for the job, Jerry thought, concerned about the stranger who didn’t feel like a stranger at all...