Chapter 1703 - Missing (6)

~ Los Angeles, the Cliffside Villa ~

June 1st

12:37 PM

In the common room…

Sarah looked at all the kids and staff gathered, and she told them that Aiden is missing and that they still don't have any leads.

"We don't have solid proof, but whatever we have, is pointing toward an organization from Eastern Europe." Sarah exhaled. "I… I am going there and I'm not sure if I will be able to return. Each of you has sufficient funds to complete education and to live comfortably. Genie and Matias agreed to stay here and take care of you for a minimum of five years. Tristan will maintain the grounds and…"

"You are leaving us behind?" Ade asked in disbelief.

"I don't know what to expect, but I know that it's dangerous."

"Don't talk like here is safe." Ade responded defiantly. "I want to go also."

"Me too." Hande said. "I already lost one family. I'm not going to lose this one. This is what I trained for."

Michael and Oni stood next to Haru and Nala and their gazes didn't waver. Ron and Zula were right behind them.

Sarah watched kids as they stood up one by one and she could feel their determination. "Alright. I will not stop any of you from coming, but I want you to keep two things in mind. First, I might not be able to protect you and this is not a game. Second, I expect you to listen because your life will depend on it. If you are fine with those two, start packing. We are leaving after dinner."

…

Corey found Charlie in the room with Mike. Charlie and Mike didn't go to the office and they worked from the Cliffside Villa. 

"Can we talk?" Corey asked Charlie.

Mike understood that is his signal to exit. "I will go and check on Tiff…"

"Everyone is preparing to go to Europe." Corey said.

"Is Merve going?" Charlie asked.

Corey confirmed. "I'm going also."

Charlie didn't approve. "Corey, this is not your fight. They are not going on a camping trip."

"Charlie, I killed a man yesterday. It was a random person and he wanted to shoot at Merve. I protected her and it felt good. You say that this is not my fight, but if protecting the girl I love is not my fight, which one is?"

Charlie could not argue against that, but… "What will I tell your mother?"

"If she asks, I went on a trip to Europe."

"What if you get hurt… or worse?"

"I am going to rescue Aiden and not to die. But if something happens, I'm confident that you can think of something to tell mom. Accidents happen every day. Pick one."

Charlie shook his head in disapproval. "You have it all planned."

"The only thing I planned for is that I will not abandon Merve. Just how you and Emma are kind to me, Sarah and Aiden accepted me as one of their own. After years of not belonging anywhere, I found my place. I belong with Merve, and everyone at this home is my family. If I don't go, I will not be able to live with myself. I am not a coward."

Charlie exhaled. Part of him wanted to smack Corey and to lock him up, but another part admired that Corey found something he wants to protect. He grew up.

"Take care, Corey. Talk to your mom before leaving."

Corey grinned. "I already did. I told her that everyone here is going to Europe and that they allowed me to tag along. She asked me to take pictures and to pay attention to the architecture of old buildings..."

6:12 PM

JoAnna entered the closet in the master bedroom and she found Sarah packing clothes for herself and for Aiden.

"You should eat something." JoAnna said.

"I will eat on the plane." Sarah responded while carefully folding Aiden's t-shirt. "He loves this t-shirt. It's an old one, but there are some things he holds onto."

"We will find him, Sarah. And he will be OK."

"I know." Sarah said and hoped that she is right. "Why are you here?"

"I came to tell you that Hong is here. He wants to come with us as well. Angelo confirmed that Nero armi is on alert and keeping their eyes and ears open for any movements. Ellie is still recuperating from delivery, but Mathew is on his way to Dublin and he will be our contact when we need something. His men are ready."

"Alright… If you are done packing, go and eat so that we can head out."

"Sarah, what are we going to do if Aiden is not there?"

Sarah believes that Lebedevs are behind this, but if they are not… "If he is not in the hands of the Lebedev family, we will use them to find him. We know that someone from Eastern Europe is behind this, Lebedevs should be the right force to track them down."

Stella called Sophia to see how are things, and Sophia told her that they are all coming to Europe, without many details, because they agreed to discuss the plan among themselves before telling their mother that they are coming to the base of the Lebedev family. Stella understood that they are going on a vacation and that whatever company-crisis they had, it's resolved.

Almost everyone from the Cliffside Villa was ready to go to the base at the Ceresc Solutions, animals included. The house staff stayed behind, and a few kids who are not approved for combat because someone needs to take care of the house and Hero who is recuperating after his surgery. Veterinarian said that Hero might have a limp, but he will be OK once his wounds heal.

Michael coordinated with Noah and Jeff and they left minimum resources for defense, while everyone else was on their way to Europe.

Jeff called Oscar to come and take care of White corp. and that is how Oscar and Elanor found out that Aiden is missing.

"Do you have any idea who is behind this?" Elanor asked Jeff. She didn't understand, if Aiden was kidnapped in Los Angeles, why are they all leaving?

"We have some hints. That is why we are going to Europe."

Oscar didn't approve. "Everyone is going to Europe based on hints? What if he is not there?"

"We have nothing else to go on. There are no ransom demands, it happened more than forty-eight hours ago in the area where surveillance cameras were off. We are all going crazy from waiting."

Elanor waved at Oscar to drop the topic. "What are your hints?"

"The person behind the attacks is a woman with an Eastern European accent, and she calls herself Dice. And the team which took Aiden sounded Russian. They were looking for fighters. Sounds familiar?" Jeff said and observed his parents keenly. He could see how their expressions are changing and he was not in the mood to bicker with them. "Take care of the company and things here until we return."

"You should leave the kids with us." Elanor said.

Jeff didn't respond. There is no way that he will leave Alice and Jayden (or any other child) with Oscar and Elanor when they allowed Voronins close and they knew that Aiden was their target. 

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