Chapter 3
I was on a plane to Dubai within hours.
Sage stayed behind.
With my most trusted security team.
With my sister.
Safe.
For now.
I was going to get Serena.
And then I was going to find Sophia and Robert.
And then I was going to make Vanessa pay.
For everything.
The flight was long.
Fourteen hours.
I spent them going through everything we had on Vanessa.
Her finances.
Her connections.
Her movements over the past three years.
She'd been busy.
While the world thought I was dead.
She'd been living in my mansion.
Spending my money.
Raising my son to fear me.
Hiding my other children.
Selling my baby.
And building an empire of lies.
She had help.
I could see that now.
Bank transfers to unknown accounts.
Meetings with shady characters.
Trips to countries I'd never had business in.
She wasn't working alone.
Someone was helping her.
Someone powerful.
Someone who wanted a piece of the Stallone fortune.
I didn't know who.
But I was going to find out.
And when I did, they were going to regret ever crossing me.
We landed in Dubai.
It was hot.
Oppressive.
A city of gold and glass and secrets.
My contact met me at the airport.
An old friend.
From my days in the military.
Marcus.
He was big.
Tough.
Smart.
And he owed me a favor.
A big one.
"Stallone," he said. "Good to see you alive. I heard you were dead."
"Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated," I said.
He smiled.
"So I see. You want me to help you find your daughter."
"And the people who are buying her."
Marcus nodded.
"I've been making inquiries. The couple who's buying her is very wealthy. Very powerful. They've done this before. Bought children from women like Vanessa. They have connections. Protection. This won't be easy."
"I didn't come here because it was easy," I said. "I came here because that's my daughter. And I'm not leaving without her."
Marcus smiled.
"That's what I thought you'd say. Let's get to work."
We spent the next two days gathering intelligence.
Tracking the buyers.
Finding where the exchange was going to take place.
It was going to happen at a private villa.
On the outskirts of the city.
At midnight.
Two days from now.
The buyers would arrive.
Vanessa's people would bring Serena.
Money would change hands.
And my daughter would be gone forever.
Unless I stopped it.
We planned the rescue.
Marcus had men.
Good men.
Experienced men.
We were going to storm the villa.
Get Serena.
And arrest everyone involved.
The night of the exchange, we positioned ourselves around the villa.
Hidden.
Waiting.
I was nervous.
Scared.
But mostly, I was determined.
I was going to hold my daughter.
For the first time.
And nobody was going to stop me.
At five minutes to midnight, a car pulled up to the villa.
A woman got out.
Holding a bundle.
A baby.
Serena.
My heart stopped.
She was so small.
So fragile.
And she was being handed over to strangers.
For money.
The buyers arrived a few minutes later.
A wealthy couple in their fifties.
Expensive clothes.
Cold eyes.
They walked into the villa.
The exchange was about to happen.
"Now," Marcus said.
We moved.
Fast.
Quiet.
We took out the guards at the gate.
We moved through the grounds.
We reached the villa.
And we burst in.
"Nobody move!" Marcus shouted.
The room froze.
The woman holding Serena.
The buyers.
Vanessa's lawyer.
Everyone.
The woman holding Serena tried to run.
I moved faster than I had in years.
I caught her.
Gently.
Very gently.
I took Serena from her arms.
She was sleeping.
Peaceful.
Perfect.
She had my nose.
My chin.
She was mine.
I held her.
And for the second time in my life, I cried.
My daughter.
My beautiful baby girl.
The police arrived minutes later.
They arrested everyone.
The woman holding Serena.
The buyers.
Vanessa's lawyer.
All of them.
They were all going to prison.
For a very long time.
Serena woke up.
She looked at me.
Big blue eyes.
Just like mine.
She didn't cry.
She just looked at me.
And then she smiled.
A small, perfect smile.
And she reached for my face.
I held her tighter.
"I've got you, baby," I whispered. "Daddy's got you. You're safe now. You're home."
Marcus clapped me on the shoulder.
"Good work, my friend. You got your daughter."
"Two more to go," I said.
"We'll find them," he said. "We will."
I flew back to the States the next day.
Serena in my arms the whole way.
She was perfect.
Good-natured.
Happy.
Hardly cried at all.
She was already the center of my world.
Sage was waiting for us when we landed.
He ran to me.
He looked at Serena.
His eyes went wide.
"She's beautiful," he whispered.
"Do you want to hold her?" I asked.
He nodded.
I carefully placed Serena in his arms.
He held her like she was made of glass.
She looked up at him.
And she smiled.
"Hi, Serena," he said. "I'm your big brother. And I'm going to protect you. Forever."
I watched them.
My son.
My daughter.
Together.
And my heart was full.
But there was still a hole.
Two holes.
Sophia.
Robert.
Where were they?
The investigator called me that afternoon.
"Mr. Stallone," he said. "We found a lead on Sophia. A woman matching Vanessa's description was seen at a private school in London. Three weeks ago. She was making inquiries. About enrollment. For a seven-year-old girl. American. Named Sophia."
London.
Sophia was in London.
"I'm going to London," I said.
"Sir, there's something else," he said. "We also found something in Vanessa's correspondence. Emails. To someone in Connecticut. About Robert. The foster family that had him? They were paid to disappear. But they got greedy. They're asking for more money. A lot more. And Vanessa is furious. She's threatening to have them killed. If they're desperate enough, they might be willing to talk. To give Robert back. In exchange for immunity and protection."
"Find them," I said. "And tell them I'll give them whatever they want. As long as Robert is safe and unharmed."
"We will, sir."
I hung up.
I looked at Sage and Serena.
Playing together on the floor.
Happy.
Safe.
For now.
I was going to get Sophia and Robert back.
I was going to bring them home.
And then our family would be complete.
But Vanessa still had one more secret.
One more surprise.
And it was going to change everything.
Again.
Because I was wrong about the number of children.
May you like
There weren't four.
There were five.
