Tom Billionaire Ch. 06

I reached up and grabbed her hand, holding it while I stepped in close to her. I leaned very much into Taylor's personal space, and she looked up at me from only inches away. "What about us?" I asked. "Can *we* make progress?"

Taylor took a deep breath, and then without saying anything, she leaned in a quickly pecked my lips. Then backing away and pulling her hand free of mine, she nodded. "We will. Go get Cassandra. Let me work on Ashlyn. I'm still broken myself, but once we're all back home, we'll talk about starting again."

Taylor smiled, a beaming expression full of pearly white teeth. And then she turned, descending down the steps.

I watched her go, chuckling beneath my breath and reminding myself that Taylor Brynn was truly one in a million. Feeling hope for the first time, I took a deep breath. The sunlight pouring through the big bay windows on this upper level shone down on me, filling me up inside. And I managed a big smile of my own.

I then took another deep breath and looked down at my nakedness, mostly covered by the robe. Time to get back to the girl in my bed.

****

Sharpley called my cell phone at precisely 8:00pm, just as I was sitting down to dinner with everyone. I had spent most of the day fretting over when Sharpley would call, simultaneously getting sympathetic support from practically everyone while I tried to integrate Vivienne and Evania with everyone else. With Jeff and Kaitlyn's help, Evania was fitting in smoothly. She was unfailing polite and willing to chat about our history together.

But Vivienne was holding herself back, just looking scared and out of place. It didn't help that Ashlyn seemed to be giving her the cold shoulder, and Taylor just wasn't talking to anyone.

By now, the FBI had already tapped into my handset, and was certainly aware of the call. This was confirmed fifteen seconds later when Farnsworth ran into the dining room, his left hand pressed to a bluetooth earpiece and his right hand beckoning me to follow him. We'd established that should Sharpley call me, I should head into the conference room where the FBI tech team had set up, and we would finish the call there.

I continued talking into the phone as we walked. "You said something about orders."

"Yes..." Sharpley's baritone came through the line with a hint of malice. "It's good that you're willing to follow."

"Just tell me how I get her back."

"All in good time. First of all, your people must be tracing this call as we speak. They shouldn't bother. I'll tell you where I am: Paris."

"It's nice. Been there a few times myself."

"I know. I actually have a copy of the _Fashion Forward_ you and your wife did that time. I swear it looks like you're having sex right on that bench."

I blushed, remembering back several years ago. We WERE having sex, magazine photography and all.

By now, Farnsworth and I had entered the conference room. A tech was waving at Farnsworth, and I saw him mouth the word 'Paris'.

"So am I to assume you want me to bring the money to Paris?"

"Yes... You'd make a good underling, John. It's a pity I never got the chance to make you truly work for ME. But we're fixing that now."

"Is that what this is about? I didn't treat you well enough? I didn't make you rich enough? I didn't send enough hot models your way?"

"Oh, don't misunderstand me. Actually, I bear you no ill will personally. You were indeed very good to me. I made more money working for you than I ever could on my own. And yes, the models were quite tasty. That Milena you introduced me to at the Hollister party was simply _divine_. And when her friend Maile joined us... *Wow*..."

I grimaced. M&M were friends of mine, and the idea of that slimeball with his mitts all over them churned my stomach. And then I gulped as a new horror hit my brain: I'd known the twice-divorced Sharpley had a thing for beautiful women, ranging from Crystal Ward to M&M and others. I don't know what I'd do if he so much as laid a finger on my Cassandra.

But while my gut was twisting, Sharpley was talking. "I envied you, actually. There's not much more to it. You presented me with an opportunity with this Hollister deal. You left me a hole in your security, and with the right passwords, I had the chance to make my life a little more like yours. That's it. No malice towards you, just an opportunity. *So I took it.*"

"You took MY money," I spat angrily.

"You had the money to take."

"Yeah, well I fucking got it back now, didn't I?" I snarled, my blood pressure rising.

"About that... I realize I got greedy. If I'd disappeared with a couple hundred million, we might not be having this conversation. Four *billion* ruined you. A couple hundred and maybe you wouldn't have been so zealous in tracking me down. My mistake."

"Your mistake was in stealing from me in the first place."

"If you keep giving me opportunities, John, I'll steal whatever I can get my hands on... like Miss Cooper here..."

"Cassandra!" I yelled into the phone, hoping to hear a scream or other response to let me know she was still alive.

"Oh, she's not here, not at the moment. But you'll see her soon enough. We were talking orders, remember? Well here are my instructions to you."

I bit back the urge to snap something at Sharpley, willing myself to keep my mouth shut and learn what he wanted me to do.

"Go to Paris, specifically Le Carrousel du Louvre. Go to La Pyramide Inversée. My people will be watching you. At precisely 12 o'clock noon tomorrow, local time, my courier will pass you an envelope. Follow the instructions you are given, and I will give you back your precious Miss Cooper."

I glanced at Farnsworth. He thought it over and shrugged.

"12 noon? Isn't it like 2am over there right now?" I asked. "It's a seven hour flight. I'd barely make it."

"That is your problem, not mine."

I sighed. "Fine. 12 noon tomorrow."

"Bring a briefcase with the 200 million I asked for. Like I said: a couple hundred million you can live with."

"You already KEPT a couple hundred million. I didn't get all my money back, remember?"

"200 million _more_, John. I have expenses, after all. In a briefcase. Oh, and in Euros."

"Euros? That's more like THREE hundred million dollars."

"It's just a question of currency. You're the one who's forced me to leave America. It's not my fault the present exchange rate is not in your favor."

"Fine. I'll bring you fifty million in cash. In Euros. The rest will be in a numbered Swiss bank account. You give me Cassandra, I'll give you the bank account. You can verify transfer before we separate. All above board and legal. Just a business transaction we can't freeze."

"No. You'll bring me all two hundred million. In unmarked bearer bonds that can't be traced by serial number. In Euros. You're following MY orders now, John. Or you won't like what I'll do to Miss Cooper."

"You won't hurt her. You kill her and you'll get nothing from me. Like you said, this is about money. You're not a murderer."

"You're right. I'd very much like to think I'm not a murderer. But I AM a connoisseur of fine women. And your Miss Cooper is a _very_ fine woman."

"Fuck you! You touch her and I'll KILL you."

He laughed. "You try that, John. But it's a moot point right now. I swear I haven't touched her, and as long as you do what I say, I won't. 12 noon. La Pyramide Inversée. Two hundred million Euros, in unmarked bearer bonds. No denominations above ten thousand. Those are your orders. This conversation is finished."

He hung up.

****

"I'm going with you."

"Vivienne, don't be ridiculous." I hovered over my suitcase, making one last check that I had everything I needed.

"You are not leaving me behind. Not this time."

I sighed. "And why not?"

"Why leave me? How CAN you leave me? Here? In this place?" She threw her hands up and turned around. "It was hard enough for me to be without you when you went to California. But at least then, you left me in our apartment. Jeff and Kaitlyn were there to be my friends."

"Jeff and Kaitlyn are still here."

"But this is different. This place... This place is _hers_. This place is _theirs_."

"Whose?"

"Your wife's. And Ashlyn's. This is THEIR home, not OUR home. I feel... I feel like an outsider here. And it will only be worse when you and Evie leave without me."

I sighed. "Vivienne, this isn't another pleasure cruise. This could be very dangerous for you."

She shook her head. "Everyone has been talking. The FBI is going with you. French _police nationale_ will meet you. I would be safe. And..."

She trailed off, biting her lower lip.

"And?" I prompted.

"And it's Paris, Tohm. It is France. It is my home. I did not think I would say this before... but I miss my home."

She said that last part with such a heavy heart that I immediately went to wrap her up in my arms. Vivienne had typically been so energetic and feisty; these last couple of days, watching her walk around like a hollowed out shell, had been a dramatic difference. She had always been so excited to be traveling and seeing America that it never occurred to me that she might be homesick.

I took a deep breath and then suggested, "If you would like, I could send you to Dijon for a little while. You could visit Aveline and see your family and-"

"Tohm, NO!" she protested immediately, pushing me away from her and then punching me in the chest. "Do NOT send me away!"

I raised my hands defensively and then rubbed the spot where she'd hit me. "Not forever. Just until this whole thing blows over. I'd give you a ticket to come back whenever you liked."

She shook her head. "I miss my home. But I do NOT want to leave you. Tu comprends?"

I sighed and nodded.

"Please. Let me come to Paris with you. I will not try to follow you on the streets. I will stay back in the hotel, where it is safe. But do not send me away now. I can help! I do not know how many times you have been to France, but I can make your Français better. I can show you how to dress like a Parisian, to blend in better. Please?"

I rubbed my forehead, trying to think of a good way to tell her no. It felt like a bad idea to let Vivienne come on this trip. But once again, I didn't have it in my heart to leave her behind.

I took a deep breath. The clock was ticking, and I would have to get to the airfield soon to jet away. I didn't have much time. It was already nearing 3am in Paris, which meant that factoring in the time to get to the airport, fly to Charles de Gaulle, or maybe Orly, and then get into the city... I'd barely make it.

"Fine," I sighed. "Put together a suitcase. We're leaving in ten minutes. If you're not ready, I'm leaving you here."

"Oui-oui!" Giddy as a schoolgirl, Vivienne clapped her hands and then raced out the door.

Three seconds later, she raced right back, slamming into me hard enough to tackle me onto the bed. Her lips were on mine in an instant, her tongue delving into my mouth as she gave me a kiss as fierce as any she'd given me in our entire time together. And then just as suddenly, she'd raced away once again.

I lay back on the bed, just catching my breath for a moment. I wiped the back of my hand across my lips, seeing the smear of lipstick on it. And then I sat up to get my bearings once again.

"That looked like fun," came a familiar voice from over by the door.

I darted my head over, surprised to see Taylor leaning against the doorjamb. I arched an eyebrow questioningly.

She smiled and took two languid steps into the room, her feet crossing over to make her hips sway like a runway model while she stared at the floor. But after those two steps, Taylor picked her head up and bored those deep blue eyes right into the back of my skull. "She talk you into letting her tag along?"

I raised my eyebrows in surprise, but then I nodded. "Yeah."

"Good."

"Good?" I frowned, not understanding.

My wife grinned. "It means she already talked you down from any protestations about security and safety and this is a rescue mission not a pleasure trip and whatnot."

"Huh?"

Taylor's grin widened. "Cassandra's my friend. I'm coming too."

****

An hour later, we were in the air. I'd felt an odd sense of déjà vu as we boarded. Taylor had simply moved into the seat beside me, dropping her hand on my leg. We still hadn't talked about reconciling yet, but I got the distinct impression she was marking her territory now that she'd chosen to come along.

Vivienne bit her lip in a way that seemed very familiar. But she settled in next to Evania, the two girls holding hands reassuringly. And we weren't the only ones on the plane.

There was no time to organize an FBI flight, nor really any reason they couldn't ride with me. So in addition to my girls, Agents Farnsworth and Reddick and two techs were aboard as well. Though it was 10pm local time, it was 4am in Paris. This meant that even pushing the engines, we wouldn't be landing until almost 11am. And there would be almost no time for the agents to put a plan into action to protect me before my date with the Louvre's Inverse Pyramid.

That didn't mean they weren't trying. Farnsworth was trying to pull every string he could think of to rouse French police and notify them of our problem. He was going through channels at Interpol, but it was still taking time. Not helping matters was the very simple fact that it was just after *4 AM* in Paris. Nobody was awake at this hour. And wading through the bureaucracy wasn't easy.

Believe it or not, Vivienne provided the solution. "I know someone at the French consulate in New York. Perhaps he has a contact with Parisian police we can call directly."

My job dropped. "Excuse me? Since when?"

"Well... I only met him a few days ago." Vivienne blushed. "When you and Evie went to California. The French Consulate is right across Central Park, and I was visiting when I met him. It's not often you meet a native Frenchman here in the U.S."

"Exactly how _well_ do you know this man?" I asked with an unexpected edge in my voice.

Vivienne giggled happily. "Are you jealous, mon amour?"

I just sighed annoyedly.

Vivienne shrugged. "It is nothing. We talked and then met again the next morning for croissants at a patisserie he told me about. That was it. He gave me his card and I have not seen him since. Besides, he has an enchanting fiancée who came to breakfast with us."

"Do you still have his card?" Taylor asked.

"Oui." Vivienne nodded and reached into her purse. It took a second, but she pulled out the business card, emblazoned with the logo of the French Consulate. And she placed it into Taylor's outstretched hand.

"Ohmigod," Taylor gasped, covering her mouth. "I totally forgot."

"What?"

Taylor turned the card around to me. It read: Rene Aubuchon. The name didn't immediately ring a bell.

Taylor gawked at me and then smirked. "Rene... Kate... Rene..." she intoned.

Recognition dawned. "Holy shit. That's Kate's fiancé!"

"Exactly." Taylor then gestured with the card back to Vivienne. "Small world."

"Should I call him?" Vivienne asked, fishing out the cell phone I'd given her.

But Taylor shook her head, reaching to our touch screen interface for the jet's communications system. "I got this." She tapped out commands, calling up Kate's phone number and then dialing through. The speakerphone started squawking with the ringback tones.

Three rings later, Kate answered. "Hello?"

"Kate, it's Taylor."

"Taylor? Ohmigod! Are you out? Are you back in New York? I HAVE to see you! How are you? We have-"

"Kate, Kate," Taylor interrupted. "Yes, I'm back. Sort of. Johnny brought me home because of this whole Cassandra thing."

"Oh, he told me," Kate sighed on the other end of the line. "I'm sooo sorry. But if you're going to try and talk me into staying with you guys, we've really decided to just stick around here. Rene told some of his bosses and they assigned two security guys to stay with us for a couple of days."

"Really?" Taylor smiled, realizing the implications. "So he's already told his bosses about the situation?"

"Yes... why?"

"We need a favor. I'm actually in the air right now, and you're on speakerphone." Taylor glanced around to find that Farnsworth and Reddick were now leaning our way, listening to the conversation. "There are a couple of FBI Agents listening in as we speak."

"Oh, wow... uh... what can I do?"

"Get your husband on the line. It's 4am in Paris and we're having trouble cutting through the red tape to get French assistance. Johnny's got a meeting set up with the bad guys at 12 noon, and I really don't want to send my husband in without some police backup. Get it?"

"Got it," Kate confirmed. "I know just the guy. Rene went to school with this *really* cute officer in Paris. I'll have to tell you about him sometime."

"Of course, when we have more time."

"Here's Rene. Good luck, guys."

"Thanks, Kate."

****

We really lucked out in that not only was Rene's school friend willing to pick up his personal phone at 4:15am, but he was also highly-ranked enough to put together a task force in a very short time. This Captain Leclerq called the jet directly an hour later, and went into a lengthy conversation with Farnsworth and Reddick. And the agents simply told me to get some rest.

"It's getting late, Mr. Kwong," Reddick advised. "By the time we land, it will feel like 5am to you. There's a bedroom in back, isn't there? Go to sleep, and we'll wake you when we have a plan."

I sighed, too keyed up to sleep but acutely aware that Reddick's advice made sense. I rubbed my forehead, and Taylor touched my arm. "He's right. You should go."

I blinked and immediately looked over at my wife. "I'll go to bed if you go with me."

Taylor's lips formed a hard line. But before she could say anything, I added, "I just want to hold you. Please?"

"I'm still on California time, so it doesn't feel that late to me."

"Then just hold me?"

Taylor eyed me carefully, scrutinizing my face for what felt like a few minutes, though it was likely less than ten seconds. Then she gave me a quizzical look, and immediately got up from her seat. "Excuse me for a moment," she said to me. And then she immediately looked over to Vivienne, holding out her hand. "Would you come with me, please? I think we need to talk."

Vivienne's eyebrows shot up. It was certainly a surprise that Taylor was talking directly to her, probably the very FIRST time Taylor was speaking directly to her, and she put her hand to her chest. "Me?"

Taylor nodded, and then looked over at Evania. "You, too."

Evania and Vivienne exchanged looks. They both seemed encouraged by the other, and after a moment, the girls started getting up. Vivienne shot me a questioning look, but I just shrugged, not understanding myself. And then without another word, the girls followed Taylor back to the rear bedroom.

"Mmm... *that* can't be good," Reddick commented gruffly, then shot me a look.

I shrugged. I didn't think it was going to be good either.

Fortunately, we were wrong.

****

Thirty minutes had gone by with the girls holed up in the back bedroom. If I was too keyed up to sleep before, I *certainly* wasn't feeling too relaxed now.

Rather than let my overactive imagination paint all sorts of horrible discussions that were going on behind the closed door, I focused on my own task. After all, not only did I have to get myself to the specified location by 12 noon, I had to be bringing 200 million Euros in bearer bonds with me.

You'd think that would be hard to do at 5am local time, but it wasn't. Banks had special phone numbers for people like me, phone numbers that were staffed 24/7. Since I wasn't asking for 200 million in cash from a single bank, just legal documents giving the bearer access to withdraw money, it was rather easy to create the necessary bonds. And by 5:30am local time, I was promised that a bank representative would meet me at the airport with the requested briefcase.