Chapter 12
ALAN'S POV
I awoke twelve hours later after Jemima had inquired about the cameras. The time zones were really a huge obstacle in our communication which slowed the pace of the operation more than necessary. I yawned, rubbing my eyes as I made my way to the surveillance room to check if they had come on.
"Still not working?" I muttered under my breath, my eyes glued to the surveillance footage, a sense of unease creeping in. Something felt off, a nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I double-checked the tracker Jemima placed on Dennis, but the feed remained stagnant, frozen in time from twelve hours ago.
"Damn it!" I cursed softly, a sense of urgency gripping me. Hastily grabbing my phone, I dialed Jemima's number repeatedly, only to be met with voicemail each time. Frustrated, I reached out to Jay instead, who answered promptly on the first ring.
"Tell Jemima to stay put; the operation's been compromised. Dennis is one step ahead. Advise her to lay low until we regroup and come up with a new strategy," I relayed swiftly into the phone, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I tried to salvage the deteriorating situation.
The high-definition trackers on Dennis were cutting-edge, capable of pinpointing locations even hours after disconnection, a fact that now felt like a missed opportunity.
"This intel would've been gold twelve hours ago!" Jay's voice crackled through the phone, frustration evident in his tone, causing me to freeze in place.
"What do you mean?" I questioned, the phone pressed tightly to my ear, a sense of foreboding settling in.
"We suspect Jemima's been kidnapped!" Jay's revelation hit me like a ton of bricks, my eyes widening in shock, mouth agape.
"Kidnapped?" My voice rose in anger and fear, heart pounding in my chest. I sprang up from the chair, pacing the surveillance room in a frenzy.
"She insisted on meeting Dennis. You know her stubborn as a mule she can be," Jay added, painting a grim picture of the unfolding crisis.
“And you let her?” I screamed in the phone, fighting the urge to not bring up Mission London.
“I tried to stop her!” He remarked calmly.
"Fuck!" I exclaimed, frustration evident in my voice as I paced the room, the weight of the situation pressing down on me like a ton of bricks.
"What's the plan, Jay? We can't just sit around and wait for those bastards to make a move," I urged, my tone urgent and determined. My mind raced, worrying about Jemima's well-being in the hands of those ruthless kidnappers. Dennis was going to pay dearly for this, I thought to myself as I felt my blood boil with rage.
“Nothing, there is no plan. We sit put and wait for them to demand a ransom,” Jay stated, causing me to widen my eyes in disbelief. I could not believe the words that just spewed from his mouth.
"Nothing? Just wait for them to call for a ransom? That's not good enough! She could be tortured I retorted, disbelief and frustration coloring my words. The thought of Jemima in danger fueled my anger, pushing me to demand action.
"Surveillance cameras, witnesses... there must be something we're missing, Jay! Aren’t you the leader in the mafia ring over there?” I pressed on, my mind searching for any glimmer of hope in the darkness of the situation. The need to find Jemima and bring her back safe and sound consumed my thoughts.
"You seriously think I haven't done that?” Jay deadpanned, his voice tinged with a hint of frustration, as I could hear him sigh from the other side of the phone.
"Ugh!" I groaned, the weight of the situation pressing down on me as I paced back and forth, my mind racing for a solution. Suddenly, my monitor beeped, signaling a new development. I hurried over, putting on my headset to trace the location of the signal.
"That can't be!" I muttered in disbelief as I stared at the coordinates on the map. Hastily jotting them down to ensure I didn't lose them, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The coordinates pointed to the last known location of Dennis, which happened to be Jay's house.
"How is this even possible," I pondered, my mind unable to grasp the implications. The realization slowly sank in - Dennis was at Jay's house, or... my thoughts trailed off, leaving a chilling uncertainty in the air.
With a resolute determination, I made the decision to fly down to Rome. Just then, my father appeared in my surveillance room.
"What are you doing here, Alan?" My father's voice broke the silence, his gaze fixed on me as I worked on the computer. I maintained my composure, careful not to reveal the gravity of Jem's situation that would devastate him.
"Working on some things," I replied, avoiding his gaze.
"I heard you speaking with Jay on the phone, why?" His scrutinizing gaze bore into me.
"What do you mean, father?" I deflected, turning the question back at him.
"You've never directly contacted Jay before, always through Jemima. Don't play games with me, Alan. Where is Jemima?" My father's question cut through the tension, causing me to exhale deeply.
My father's involvement in the mafia added another layer of complexity to an already intricate web of events. He had been in the mafia for too long for him to be fooled by my frivolous antics.
"Father, I don't know how to say this but Jemima had been kidnapped," I announced, studying him intently. The tension in the room was palpable as I revealed the chilling news to my father. His face drained of color, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"What do you mean, Kidnapped?" His voice barely audible, prompting me to lean in to hear him clearly.
"Just as it sounds, father, she's been taken, snatched, kidnap. Whatever synonym you know for kidnap us what has been done to her," I whispered softly, the weight of my words hanging heavy in the air.
A sharp gasp escaped him, his hand clutching his chest, a cry of anguish escaping his lips. Time seemed to freeze as his body faltered. With a sense of urgency, I knew action was needed.
"Father!"