Chapter 6: Bloodlines and Blackmail
507 Words
Chapter 6: Bloodlines and Blackmail
Lucy’s breath caught in her throat.
The image of her mother, bound to a chair and crying, was burned into her mind. Her knees gave out, and she crumbled to the ground, sobs threatening to burst from her chest. Jayson knelt beside her immediately, gripping her arms.
“Lucy. Breathe. We’ll get her back.”
Tears streamed down her face. “They have my mom, Jayson. This isn’t a game anymore. This is real.”
“I know,” he said firmly. “And we’re going to handle this—together. But you have to stay sharp.”
She nodded weakly, trying to force composure over panic.
Jayson stood and called his head of security. “Activate lockdown protocol. Sweep all entrances. Track Mary’s phone. Now.”
Within minutes, his team launched into action. Jayson handed Lucy a glass of water, and she sat in silence, barely able to hold the glass steady.
Then the door opened again—this time, it was Evelyn Price, Jayson’s private investigator.
“I was already tracking John,” she said without greeting. “And I’ve got a lead.”
Lucy straightened. “Where is she?”
“Your mother is being held in an abandoned winery John purchased through one of his shell companies. Upstate. Guarded. But not impenetrable.”
“I’m going,” Lucy said instantly.
“No, you’re not,” Jayson said. “You’re their target. This is what he wants—to lure you into a trap.”
“I don’t care!” she yelled. “She’s my mother. I’m not going to sit here and sip wine while they hurt her.”
Jayson’s jaw clenched. “Then we go together.”
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The drive was tense. Jayson’s armored SUV sliced through the night, flanked by two escort vehicles.
Lucy sat beside him, silent but burning. The polished woman from the makeover was gone—this Lucy was fire and steel.
When they arrived, Evelyn briefed them.
“There are four guards. Cameras on the west wing. One entry point. But we’ve jammed their signal.”
Jayson turned to Lucy. “Are you ready for this?”
She nodded. “More than ever.”
They moved like shadows through the vineyard, Jayson and his team disabling one guard after another with calculated precision. Lucy stayed behind until the final sweep.
Inside the dim, dusty tasting room, they found her.
Her mother—pale, gagged, and tied to a chair.
Lucy rushed forward. “Mom!”
Jayson cut the rope as Evelyn checked the perimeter.
But before they could celebrate, a phone rang.
Jayson picked it up from the table nearby.
John’s voice came through, cold and cruel.
“Bravo, Uncle. You saved one woman. But how many more are you willing to lose?”
Then—
An explosion echoed in the distance. Evelyn shouted from the hallway.
“Your downtown office just went up in flames.”
Jayson’s face turned to stone. Lucy looked at him in horror.
John wasn’t done.
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- Writer
