CHAPTER 66
Later that evening, after calling their first daughter several times without getting through, Robert and his wife became worried. It was unlike Adriana to go off-grid without informing anyone. Moreover, she had left her kids unattended. Something her mother claimed had never happened in the six years Adriana had had her kids. The children had waited tirelessly and had gone to bed without seeing her.
It was getting late, and she still hadn't seen. Robert called his security team. The men quickly set up their tools at the Swiss's residence. Adriana had been last seen in the courtroom. The security detail told to guard her was sure she had stayed till the end of the case. Of course, she would. She was the lawyer on the case.
"And how did you lose her then?" The chief security asked, looking very angry
"She went out through the back door. I thought she didn't want to be seen by the press. So I followed her. But when I got there, she was gone. So, I assumed she just needed some privacy."
"That's a stupid assumption. And you couldn't even call this in." He accused his staff. To the others on the system, he said, "We placed a chip in every of the Swiss. Track hers."
*******
Robert watched as the men set up hurriedly. Thankfully, at the last meeting they held, something like this happening had been foreseen, and the men had asked that they track their phones. But everyone knows the phone could be traced. The phone was the first thing the kidnappers would discard. They had instead chosen the less suspicious path; inserting the chip in their hands. It took his team a little longer than he anticipated to set up. Soon as they were done, they found her chip and location.
"She's still in Miami." The CS announced.
"When do we go in?"
"We need reinforcement first. I'll send my men to scout the area, know how many men are involved, and what to do."
"We don't have the luxury of time. They could harm her." Mrs. Swiss said, walking into the room. She had just put the kids to bed and was every bit as worried as her husband. Her daughter's life could be in danger right now. Every second counted for something. "I say you go all in, now. Go harmed."
"But..." The CS was saying.
"She's right." Robert butt in, "Nothing must happen to that woman. She shouldn't be left unaided. How long have they had her now?"
"If they took her from the courtroom, then it's been some couple of hours."
"Then you know why you need to go in now?"
The CS nodded. He began organizing his men into groups, ready for their mission. Robert stood behind with his wife, watching them. She shivered beside him and he knew she was scared. He held her hand. They had been through worse situations together, yet they survived. He knew they could survive this too.
"We won't lose her." He promised as he walked her towards a seat. Seated, he reminded her of worse situations their daughters had been in. "Remember the day they didn't come back home early from school?"
Mrs. Swiss smiled sadly, "Yes. You were to pick them up and I assumed you had. But you sent me a text to pick them up that you were delayed in court." But she had been so busy, too, and didn't check her phone. Then she got home, and her kids were not with their father. She had been so scared imagining what could have happened. The school should have called if they were in school
"We both got home exhausted only to realize we didn't pick them up." What was scarier was the fact that they had left school. "We knew they couldn't be in school, or the school authority would have called." He added solemnly.
Mrs. Swiss shivered at the memory. It had been one hell of a ride down to school. "We drove haphazardly to the school, still. They...." They had to try. The kids had no phone with which they could be contacted. The school was the only place they could be checked.
"They were not there." Her husband completed the phrase. It was something she couldn't bring herself to say. They had searched everywhere, in tears. His wife was a disaster. She wept uncontrollably, making him search everywhere they could. Even bags. "You made me search everywhere; bags, cups, pin" he laughed, "I almost lost it." He said. She laughed then.
"At the time, you probably couldn't even complain."
"Heck, I wanted to search them, even the pins could be hiding them." They both laughed.
"But in our rush, we forgot to be patient." Mrs. Swiss added solemnly. They had driven past the kids on their way to the school. Adriana had spotted them, and the kids had turned back to go meet their parents.
Robert smiled sadly as he remembered the search had made their day. Had his wife not insisted on checking bags and needles, they would have left the place and missed the kids who had seen them and were heading their way. "When we found them." He shook his head, changing the narrative. They hadn't found the kids; the kids found them. "When they found us in the school, they had been so exhausted."
"Adriana collapsed." Mrs. Swiss added, looking worried. "Robert, she fainted. You think she has the stamina for this?"
"Don't get it wrong, wife." He cautioned, "They were young then."
"But Evan has always been the stronger one. If she's the one in this situation."
"Eleanor." Her husband hushed. "Not that night. Evan wasn't the stronger one then. It was Adriana. She collapsed because she had carried her little sister down that slope."
Mrs. Swiss nodded.
"If she hadn't, who knows what would have happened. Trust me, she's strong that girl. They both her. If anyone can pull this off, she can." Her husband reassured and hugged her.
Mrs. Swiss hoped for all their sakes that Adriana would really come back home.
