Rescued By An Alpha, Complete Set (12 page)

"What do you mean?"

"I got boxes with your fingertips in them from the pirates!"

"I've still got all my fingers, so they must have cut the fingers off the man who tried to cut my fingers off with an ax. I killed him on my first day." Philippe told his father a bit more about the situation. He hung up, relieved, and set off to find a hotel he could collapse in. After hours at sea, with only adrenalin and a few energy bars, he was exhausted.

Joshua got to work right away, summoning Maxi and his team. He explained the situation to them. They decided to get hold of a more suitable boat to go after the pirates than Philippe's yacht. Joshua had lots of connections, and didn't take him long before he found someone willing to help them out. A guy from the military by the name of Duvall arrived and they started to make a plan.

"I can get hold of a submarine and the crew to man it," Duvall offered.

"That will be great. We can use Philippe's yacht as bait to attract the pirates. When they get close to Philippe, we can rise out of the water and surprise them," Maxi said.

"Philippe is waiting to hear from us. Are you all ready to act more or less right away before the pirates escape too far? Philippe has left a phone with GPS on it to act as a tracking device on board the pirate's ship," Joshua told them.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say we are ready to leave anytime," Maxi said. Philippe called back, and Joshua told him to stay where he was and wait for them to arrive.

"We've got a team ready and will arrive with a submarine. I'll tell you about our plan when we get there."

CHAPTER FOUR

When Serena turned up for work, Francine noticed how unhappy and worried she looked.

"Any news about Philippe?" Francine asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. No one has contacted me yet,"

"You look miserable, Serena, and I don't blame you. It is a dreadful experience you've been through. I'll make sure you get some easy work today."

"Thank you, Francine, how nice of you. I'm afraid I'm not feeling the best."

"Oh, come here girl, let me give you a hug." Francine gave her a big warm bear hug.

"You can go home if you want to."

"I would rather stay here and keep myself busy. If I go home, I'll only sit and worry. Thanks for the offer, though." Serena was still a bit shaken up, but threw herself into her work. She started on the order for the new chic party dress they had for one of the models to wear at a fashion show. Keeping her hands busy was better than letting her mind devour itself.

Later in the morning, Francine came into the workroom and told Serena Joshua La Bell was on the phone. Serena jumped up and ran into the office, abandoning the model.

"Hello, this is Serena."

"Hello, Serena. I have good news for you. I had a phone call from Philippe. He is okay. He managed to slip away from the pirates and is in a little village north of France. He's been worried about you, but I told him you were okay. It may take a while before he is home again. A team of professionals and myself are setting out to catch the pirates, but please keep this to yourself."

"Yes, I won't tell anyone. I'm glad to hear he's okay. Thanks for letting me know." He hung up and let her go. Serena was so relieved and dashed back out and announced, "he's okay!"

"Who?" said the model.

"Uh, my dog," Serena said stupidly. She didn't say any more about it, but got back to fitting and tailoring the dress.

Serena enjoyed being a part of creating all the beautiful dresses in the workroom for the models. She had been so fortunate to get a job with such a successful custom design store. She enjoyed the creative part of it, and the modeling she'd done for the fashion shows and their catalog was also fun. However, she was getting to the stage where she thought she needed to make a choice. If she wanted to follow her long time dream to become a fashion designer, then she wouldn't have time for modeling. Serena decided to talk to Francine about her problem. Later in the day, when she came into the lunch room, Francine was sitting by herself. She walked up to her and asked, "Can I have a word with you?"

"Certainly."

"Francine, I'm in two minds about what to do. I like everything I do, but maybe I need to choose between the modeling and the custom design side. You see my dream goal has always been to become a fashion designer. I have dreamed about that ever since I was a little girl."

"Are you kidding, Serena? No, you can't do that. You are so talented, and some of your designs are fantastic. Plus, our clients love you. You represent a fresh young model from the north of Scandinavia, and we want you to remain available for the modeling. Your appeal and your style are so unique!"

Francine paused a bit. She looked as though she was thinking about something. She continued, "I think we should work on making some of your designs, not just having you adjust and work on the existing one. Make them to fit you so you can model them at the next fashion expo, and see how popular they will be. Some buyers might be interested in producing your work on a larger scale. What do you think of that?"

"Do you really mean that?" Serena was beyond thrilled. She couldn't believe her ears.

"Yes of course I mean it. If you bring your portfolio in tomorrow, we will go through it and pick out a few of your best designs."

"Oh, thank you, Francine! I am so excited. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and a dream come true." Serena wiped her eyes, which were brimming with tears.

"You are welcome. You never know, we might be thanking you if your designs take off."

Serena was over the moon. She couldn't wait to get home and tell Violet. She hurried home after work and ran up the stairs to the apartment. Yanking open the door, she called out,

"Violet, I have some wonderful news to tell you!"

"You do? Okay, I'm all ears," she said as she came out of her bedroom.

"First, they found Philippe and he's okay. What a relief! Second, they are going to make up some of my designs in the workroom at Jean La Bell, and I am going to model them myself at the next fashion show. I talked to Francine today about how I was feeling. She didn't want me to stop modeling, but she said they'd be willing to show some of my own designs off at the next show. Maybe they would take off." Serena talked so fast that she hardly had time to breathe. Violet couldn't help laughing at her.

"That is wonderful. I'm so glad you confided in Francine, she seems to be a very wise person. Your collection of designs might just take off; you never know. This is a great opportunity for you. And it's good to know Philippe is okay too."

"Yes, he was able to slip away from the pirates. I'm not supposed to tell anyone about this. But you'll probably be wondering why I haven't seen him for a while. Philippe's dad and a team of professionals are going to help Philippe catch the pirates." Serena had lowered her voice as she told Violet her secret. She knew she could trust her. They ordered a take-out dinner to celebrate and spent the rest of the night with a movie, relaxing.

Serena's day had been overwhelming. She was excited about the new opportunity Francine had offered her. She was also very tired, her emotions were trying to cope with it all. When she got to bed she couldn't sleep at first she was thinking about the new opportunity. She thought to herself, It's like a door has opened for me. It is a whole different feeling to being in love with a man. I feel wonderful inside and so happy that my dream goal I have worked towards for so long is beginning to happen. It is like I'm falling in love with myself, I feel so satisfied inside. Serena felt into a blissful sleep.

The next day, Serena came to work with her portfolio. They were all eager to see her designs. Serena was proud to show it off. Later on Francine came in, and together they picked out a few of her designs. They went over to the designers, who helped to pick out the right material and matching colors. Francine went ahead and ordered the materials to get the dress made.

"Now we better take some measurements of you, so let's go over to Isabella and let her do it." Isabella was one of the senior dressmakers in the workroom. As soon as the new material arrives, I want you to start on Serena's designs so they can be ready for the next show," Francine said.

"Yeah, okay. I'll reserve some time for it between tailoring," Isabella replied. Serena felt so lucky some of her designs were actually going to be made and she was going to model them herself. She wanted to call her mother, and stopped to do just that.

She got out the replacement phone she'd bought. "Mom, I have some good news! You'll never guess what happened to me." Serena relayed the news breathlessly. Her mom could hear the excitement in her voice.

"Serena, darling, I'm so happy for you. It's the sort of thing you've dreamed about, and it is now happening for you! How wonderful."

"How are dad and Pia?"

"They're fine."

"Give them my love." She talked a bit longer about how she was coping and told her that she got on well with her roommate Violet. "She is like a big sister to me. It is so nice to hear your voice again, Mom. I miss you all so much. I hope to be able to get home for Christmas." She didn't tell her much about Philippe; she didn't want to worry her.

"Yes, we all miss you too. Bye for now, darling, and take care."

CHAPTER FIVE

The mansion Brian Ward and his team built for Carlos Fontana was finally finished, and now it was time for everyone to go home. It had taken over a year to finish, and the whole team of architects looked forward to getting on with other projects. Jim had decided to stay back. He wanted to find out what had happened to Tom. He had made a few friends from Carlos Fontana's household, who helped him to get in contact with Carlos' daughter, Eva.

He found out which restaurant she hung out in. Then, one day when he saw her sitting at the bar, he went up and sat next to her and started to chat with her. The little flirt was flattered that someone was paying attention to her. Jim introduced himself to her, and they got talking about the mansion.

"You guys have done a great job. The mansion looks beautiful. I can't wait to move in."

"It should be a fantastic place for you to live. We're all pleased with the way it turned out. All the guys from the team are all heading back home, but I have decided to stay a while longer. I want to try to find out what happened to my good friend Tom, the guy who went missing."

"Yeah, I wonder what happened to him. Let me know what you find out."

"Yes, I will. I hope I'll be able to track him down."

"Good luck."

"Well, I think I better get back to the hotel, it's getting late." The girl looked hopeful, but he left her at the bar.

The next morning, Jim contacted Franco, the undercover cop. They had become good friends. He told him about meeting with Eva. She might have been a superb liar, but she truly didn't seem to have any idea of Tom's whereabouts. However, Franco had some news.

"The truck from the 'Jungle Retreat' arrived at Carlos Fontana's house last night. An undercover cop has attached the tracking device to the truck. We will be following the truck as soon as it leaves. Do you want to come and be part of the action? Maybe you'll find Tom," Franco said.

"I'll be over at headquarters in about an hour. I just have to take care of a few details and let Brian know where I'm going. Everyone from the team is leaving tomorrow. I'll be there as soon as I have things arranged."

Jim turned up at the headquarters where Franco worked. Everyone was busy getting ready for the trip into the jungle. Jim would drive with Franco in a four-wheeler. A bigger truck with a bunch of SIS agents would follow in the distance. They were all ready and waiting for a call from the guys who watch out for the truck at Carlos Fontana's to leave. Everyone was on high alert, and they were all ready to hop in their vehicles and take off. Then the call came. "The truck is leaving now."

Jim and Franco hurried into the four-wheeler and set out after the truck towards the jungle. They stayed in radio contact with the SIS truck, which kept their distance from them. The drive was long and dusty with winding roads, a pretty tiring trip. They stayed a good distance behind the jungle retreat vehicle, following the signal of the tracking device. Whenever they stopped for a break, it alerted Jim and Franco. They took turns driving, but it took them a few days before they got close to the 'Jungle Retreat.' When they finally saw the truck stopping up ahead, they realized it was turning into the compound. They turned around and drove back about a mile and camped in a spot well hidden between the trees. They contacted the SIS truck.

"We are a couple of miles from the compound and have made camp in the bushes away from the road."

They got orders to stay in their camp from Victor, the person in command. The SIS truck had camped a few miles away from Jim and Franco to avoid raising an alarm. Jim and Franco settled in for the night in the four-wheeler. It was a bit constricted, but they managed to get a good night's sleep. Victor sent out a few of his men to check out the area and find out what their chances were to attack the house. The rest of the men got to work setting up camp. One big tent was set up as their headquarters, and a table placed in the middle with a map of the area for planning. The rest of the men rolled out their sleeping bags in the back of the truck. After several hours, the scouts came back and made a drawing of the property, including where the guards were positioned. They began to make plans on how to surround the house.

Jim and Franco's little camp was closer to the 'Jungle Retreat.' The next morning they woke up early. "Hey Jim, are you awake?"

"Yeah, have been for a while." Jim yarned.

"Let's go and do our own investigating. Maybe we can find some way into the house." Franco suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea." Jim got up and joined Franco. They set out on foot through the jungle to explore their chances to get as near as possible to the house. Franco had made sure to tuck his gun into his belt. They hid behind the trees and watched the house. A few guards patrolled the area around it, rifles resting easily on their shoulders. They looked tough, someone who could easily knock the shit out of you. Jim and Franco inched forward, looking for openings into the house, they wanted to look for Tom. The agents would do the heavy work, but they managed to find a few places to sneak in. A great big cyclone fence surrounded the whole property. A guard was on each side of the gate, both inside and outside the fence.