She crashed to the chair slowly and Harry rushed to her side. He got the phone from her and checked the content of the text. His expression darkened as he finished reading the text.
“When did he send this?” he directed the question at Karen.
“Two days ago. He left here angrily and I haven’t heard from him since then.” She answered.
“We need to inform the police. This may be bigger than us.” Harry spoke. They all drove to the police station. Harry met with the inspector and filed a missing complaint. He showed the police the text Jack had sent and Karen informed him of how he had stormed out angrily.
“I need this search to remain secret. None of these must get to the press or anybody in the public.” Harry cautioned.
“Be rest assured, Mr Blake. We will find Mr Antonio very soon, and none of this will get to the public.” The inspector replied. Harry nodded in understanding and shook hands with the inspector before walking out.
The police soon began the search. They visited some of the hotels and bars in the city and we’re met with the same response. “He hadn’t been here in the last one week.”
The police inspector drove to the bar where Jack had been kidnapped. From the parking lot, he recognized Jack’s car as one of the cars parked there. Harry had given him a photo of all of Jack’s cars so it was easier to identify the missing ones. He walked past the bouncer and got inside the bar. It was still a few minutes past four pm so the bar was almost empty, not for the few people that were drinking there.
He walked to the waiter at the counter and flashed him a smile. “One shot of vodka.” he ordered.
The waiter pushed the glass to him and he picked it up, gulping it down once. He turned to the waiter and scrutinized him. Young male, light skinned, dark brown hair and looks to be in his early twenties.
“What is your name?” he asked the waiter.
“Me?” the waiter asked, staring around. Seeing he was the only one around, he answered “Johnatan.”
“Well, Johnathan, do you know who Jack Antonio is?” the inspector asked again. This time around, adding a bit of hardness to his tone.
“Ya. Who doesn’t know Jack Antonio?” the waiter laughed. “He is the city’s billionaire. Youngest one too. He inspires me a lot.” he added.
“Nice,” the inspector answered, ordering for another shot. “Well, I see his car parked outside. Do you have any idea if he is in?” the inspector asked. His tone low and soft.
The waiter stared at him, trying to get to where he was going.”Who are you, and why should I tell you this?”
The inspector pulled out his ID card and pushed it to the waiter. “I’m inspector Harrison. Nice to meet you.” The waiter shuddered visibly as he peaked at the ID card before the inspector took it back. “Can we now have a conversation?”
The waiter nodded, visibly shaken at the discovery. “I have no idea about Mr Antonio, but you can ask the security guards. I’m sure they will know something.”
“Are there CCTV cameras here?”
“Yes.” the guard replied.
“Show me to the control room.” the inspector ordered.
The waiter took him to one of the guards, and after showing his ID, he was granted access to the footage. He selected the footage from the day Jack was reported missing and clicked on play. The footage showed Jack park outside and walk into the building. It showed him walk into a room and some minutes later, walk out before the footage stopped.
“Is this the end of the footage?” the inspector asked.
“It seems the other part was tampered with.” the man in charge of the security systems responded.
“Alright. Keep me posted if anything comes up. Here’s my card.” he slipped one of his cards to the security before walking out.
***
“I need you to get me information on Jack Antonio’s where about. Here’s a photo.” Harry informed. They were seated in the study in his lake house. The police had been making progress with their search, but he decided to involve a private investigator. He needed to make the search short as possible.
The man dressed in black shirt and Jacket picked up the picture and folded it into his pocket. “Mr Jack will be found soon.”
The two men stood up and shook hands. “I have transferred seventy percent of your fee. You will get the balance when the work is done.” Harry added.
In New York, Mr Smith and two of his men were seated in a poorly lit room. A map laid on the table as they discussed in low tones.
“From what I’ve gathered, Jack Antonio was abducted few days ago from a bar. His friend is making a search for him. He has involved the police, a private investigator and the FBI.” One of the men revealed
“My instincts tell me Damian is responsible.” Smith chirped in.
“Correct. I had once tracked him to the same bar. He has been holding secret meetings there.” the man replied.
“Get all the information you can get on him now. A delay can cause death to Mr Jack.” Roy Smith ordered and the men all got to work.
****
In one of the dark rooms in the underground section of Damian’s house, a half dead jack was tied to a pole in the middle of the room. Dried blood smeared his face, most of his skin peeled out, a result of the hot object that had been placed on it. He had barely eaten anything in his four days of abduction.
Everyday, Damian would come in to taunt and hit him. Today, Damian was currently in the room, seated on a chair across from him.
“This is gonna be the last sunset you’ll see.” Damian spoke up after being silent for over ten minutes in the room. Jack didn’t respond. He was too weak and broken to say anything. He knew he’d lost already. “Any special request you would like to make before your death?”
“Fuck you!” Jack spat.
Damian laughed at his weak attempt. Even at the point of death, he still had a sharp tongue. He got up from his seat and walked up to Jack, patting him on the already slumped shoulders. “Have a good night’s sleep. This will be the last you’ll have. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day.” With that, Damian walked out, banging the door shut as he walked out.