Beyond Uncertainty

25-The Revelation

FRANKIE felt nauseated. She also could not move her arms and legs. She wanted to shout and thrash but even her voice seem to have abandoned her. She tried to open her eyelids but it felt too heavy. 

"Frankie? Princess, can you hear me?"

The heart rate monitor in her room beeped and it registered 50 beats per minute, within the normal range but lower than what she would usually have. Frankie wanted to answer and move her finger to acknowledge Liam's voice but her strength failed her. She almost succeeded but succumbed to darkness once again.

Liam sighed in frustration when she did not answer. He wanted to shake Frankie to wake her up but he knew that would only worsen the situation. When Marco and Alex entered the room, he gave them privacy and walked out to the corridor of the hospital they were in. Sitting on the line of stainless steel chairs, he saw Alejandro talking on the phone with Denaris beside him looking equally worried. He sat beside them.

"Do you have news on my sister?" Liam knew that he does not have the right to be pissed but he couldn't blame himself. He wanted to shoot himself for allowing his sister's safety to be compromised. They should have secured her first. Everyone was focused on saving Frankie that they neglected Luna.

Liam and Alejandro only saw from the street's CCTV that the car where Luna was riding reversed in full speed during Frankie's retrieval operation. It only meant one thing, Luna was the real target and Frankie was just a diversion.

"Falcon was still on the line with Spike when it happened. He said he heard the tires screeched as it sped off and Luna mentioned a name. I don't know whether to believe him. He may have misheard," the agony in Alejandro's voice was too evident and heartbreaking. 

"Who was it? What was the name?"

With shaking hands that touched Alejandro's shoulder, Denaris answered, "Diana."

"What?! How could that be? Why would she kidnap my sister?" Liam had so many questions to ask but it seemed like his two companions are not prepared to give him a response.

"I can't do this right now. I'll go home for a bit and try to think of a solution. If it was really Diana who took Luna, we have to wait for her call." Alejandro rose from his seat and was about to walk towards the exit when Liam called him back.

"Alej, what about Luna's phone and the car's GPS? Can't you track them?"

"The car and phone were found an hour ago at an abandoned building. The car's camera was missing. Thankfully, Falcon is still alive when we found him. He was shot with a sedative and another with a real bullet on his arm. Stork was in the trunk, drugged, gagged and tied. They are both being treated at our warehouse. Liam, we're on a dead end here. I'll call you when I have news." Liam tapped his shoulder. Alejandro may be feeling twice the guilt since he was not able to protect his pregnant fiancee.

"Ask someone to drive for you. The guards are waiting outside. Send me a message when you get home." Alejandro nodded in response and walked away.

"I'll go with you. I need a drink," Denaris followed Alejandro and Liam leaned back on his seat. He closed his eyes and pondered about everything that happened. He wanted to analyze the events and see what they have missed.

Liam knew for a fact that Diana will never harm Francesca. They grew up together like siblings and best friends. They were even closer than Frankie is to her twin brother. When Diana supposedly died in an accident, Frankie even had to go to therapy to help her cope for the loss. Thinking about that fact made him rethink of Diana's motive for kidnapping Luna. It does not make sense. Liam reviewed the sequence of events. The ice cream was supposed to be for Luna but Frankie tasted it first. The accomplice called an ambulance. The plan was ruined when it was Frankie who was taken to the ambulance instead of Luna who rode the car with Diana. When the ambulance was intercepted, he captor had no choice but to escape with a hostage even if it is the wrong person. The question is why would she do that?

Liam knew that Denaris would not talk about his daughter even if he forced him to. He would get his answers even if he had to interview his godfather Marco. As if on queue, Marco was already sitting beside him when he opened his eyes.

"The doctor said she'll wake up once the sedatives wore off. She had a mild allergic reaction to the drug used that's why it looked like she was poisoned instead of sedated. I'm more worried about Luna. Do you have news on your sister?" Liam sighed before he replied.

"The car was found with both Stork and Falcon. The driver was found in the trunk, drugged and tied while Falcon was sedated and wounded. Luna was nowhere to be found."

"Who took her?"

"We're not sure yet but Spike heard from the phone that Luna called someone, Diana." When Liam mentioned the name, Marco clenched his fist. His eyes also turned from stoic to livid as he stood up and punched his fist with his other fist as if wanting to fight someone to the death.

"This is Denaris' fault! I've been telling him for years! I even threatened to kill him so he would concede, but he was as tough, he said it was for the best! He should not have done that to his own daughter. Of all the things he did in the past, this one is still the most unforgiveable. I can't imagine what that poor girl went through to be able to do such a terrible thing like this. All because of her fucking father!" Liam did not expect such angry outburst from his Godfather especially if it was directed to his right hand man. They were like brothers but the tension in the room increased in notches.

"Uncle..." Liam stood up and walked towards Marco but he stopped in his tracks when he saw how enraged he was. He looked like he was ready to kill.

"If something happens to Luna and Diana because of this, I will kill that fucking Denaris myself!" When he looked at Liam, he forced himself not to flinch. He knew he needed to tell him an important detail even if it would worsen his godfather's fury.

"Diana's target was Frankie. I realized earlier that her plan went wrong when Luna did not eat the ice cream. It was supposed to be a diversion for her to kidnap Frankie."

"What?!"

"I know it's absurd but that is how I see it. Uncle, do you know why Diana would want to kidnap Francesca? If I'm not mistaken, Frankie never believed that Diana was dead. She even went to search for information about Diana, that was why she associated herself with Pablo and his men. How could Diana show up now after all these years and cause some mayhem just to get a hold of Francesca?"

"Because Diana could not do anything to contact anyone. She was put in a mental institution by his own fucking son of a bitch father."