THE HEIR'S REVENGE

chapter 20: Second Kidnapping Attempt

The call came at 11:47 in the morning. I was in my office reviewing contracts when my phone lit up with the school's emergency number. My hand froze over the papers I'd been signing, and I knew before answering that something was wrong. The principal's voice was controlled but urgent, each word carefully measured to prevent panic.

"Mr. Blackwell, we need you here immediately. We're in lockdown. Your ward is safe, but there's been an incident."

I was already moving before she finished speaking, grabbing my jacket and racing toward the elevator. My fingers found Brandon's number without looking, and he answered on the first ring.

"There's trouble at Lily's school," I said, not bothering with greetings. "They're in lockdown."

"I'm already in the car," Brandon replied, and I could hear tires squealing in the background. "Got an alert from my team three minutes ago. Two men in a black van have been circling the school since morning. My guys are following them."

The elevator moved too slowly. Each floor felt like an hour. I thought about Lily's morning hug, how she'd shown me a drawing of us at the park. She'd been happy, safe, normal. Now Victoria's poison was reaching for her again.

Mrs. Patterson, Lily's kindergarten teacher, had noticed them first. According to the principal's follow-up text, she'd seen the same van pass by the playground four times during morning activities. Two men sat in front, watching the children through binoculars. She'd immediately triggered the soft lockdown protocol, bringing all children inside without causing alarm. Smart woman. She might have saved Lily's life.

My driver broke eight traffic laws getting me to the school. The building looked normal from outside except for the police cars parked at every entrance. Parents clustered behind barriers, some crying, others shouting questions at officers who had no answers. I pushed through them, showing my ID to three different checkpoints before they let me inside.

The hallways were eerily quiet. Classroom doors were locked, blinds drawn, lights dimmed. I could hear whispers of teachers reading stories, trying to keep children calm while their own voices shook. The principal, Mrs. Rodriguez, met me at the main office. Her usually perfect hair was disheveled, and her hands trembled as she pointed toward the security monitors.

"They tried during outdoor play," she said, replaying the footage. "Look."

The screen showed the kindergarten playground from twenty minutes ago. Children were playing on swings and slides while teachers supervised. Everything looked normal until you noticed the van creeping along the fence line. Then, horror in slow motion: two men in maintenance uniforms walked through the side gate. They moved casually, carrying toolboxes, looking like they belonged. But their eyes never left one child.

Lily.

She was on the swings, her pink backpack on the ground beside her. Happy. Innocent. Unaware that predators were closing in. The men split up, one approaching from the left, one from the right. Classic pincer movement. They'd done this before.

But they'd underestimated Mrs. Patterson.

The footage showed her stepping between them and Lily, her phone already in her hand. She said something to Lily, who immediately ran toward the building. The men hesitated, then moved faster, dropping their toolboxes. That's when Brandon appeared in frame.

He came over the fence like an Olympic athlete, landing in a roll and springing up directly in the first man's path. The tackle was perfect—low, hard, taking the man down before he could react. The second man reached for something in his pocket, but two of Brandon's security team materialized from behind the storage shed. They had him on the ground in seconds, his arms pinned, whatever weapon he'd been reaching for kicked away.

"Where is she now?" I asked, my voice rough with relief and rage.

"Counselor's office," Mrs. Rodriguez said. "She's scared but not hurt. She keeps asking for you."

I found Lily curled in a chair that was too big for her, a juice box untouched in her small hands. When she saw me, her face crumbled. She launched herself into my arms, and I caught her, holding her tight while she shook with silent sobs. She felt so small, so fragile, and I wanted to destroy everyone who'd made her feel unsafe.

"I'm here," I whispered into her hair. "You're safe. I'm here."

"The bad men came back," she said against my shoulder. "Just like before. They wanted to take me away again."

"But they didn't," I reminded her, rubbing her back in gentle circles. "Mrs. Patterson protected you. Brandon protected you. You're safe."

Through the window, I could see Brandon talking to police officers. The two would-be kidnappers sat in separate patrol cars, heads down, refusing to look at anyone. They'd failed, but the attempt itself was a message. Victoria wasn't giving up.

Detective Morrison arrived fifteen minutes later, her face grim. She'd been following our case since the first kidnapping attempt, and I could see frustration in every line of her body. She interviewed Lily gently, keeping her questions simple and non-threatening. Lily answered in whispers, never letting go of my hand.

"They smelled like cigarettes," Lily said. "And one had a tattoo of a snake on his neck."

Morrison noted everything, then stepped outside with me while a counselor stayed with Lily.

"They're professionals," Morrison said quietly. "Both have records—kidnapping, extortion, assault. Someone paid them well to take this risk in broad daylight."

"Victoria Pierce," I said, not a question but a statement.

"Probably, but they won't confirm. They lawyer up immediately, wouldn't even give their names at first." Morrison's jaw tightened. "We can hold them on attempted kidnapping, but without them talking, we can't prove who hired them."

Brandon joined us, a bruise forming on his knuckles. "My team has been analyzing the van's movements. It was rented yesterday using a fake ID and prepaid credit card. Professional work."

"She's getting desperate," I said, thinking about the empty bed at Peaceful Gardens. "She knows the walls are closing in."

Morrison pulled out her phone, showing me a bulletin. "Victoria Pierce is now wanted for questioning in multiple cases. Her passport's been flagged, assets frozen as of an hour ago. She can't run far."

But that didn't make Lily safer. If anything, a cornered Victoria was more dangerous. She had nothing left to lose.

"I want to see them," I said suddenly. "The men who tried to take her."

Morrison raised an eyebrow. "That's not standard—"

"Nothing about this is standard," I interrupted. "They tried to kidnap my ward. I have a right to face them."

After some negotiation, Morrison arranged for me to observe the interrogation through one-way glass. The first man, the one with the snake tattoo, sat like a statue. He was maybe forty, with dead eyes and scars that told stories of violence. When the detective asked about who hired him, he just stared at the wall