Talk Nerdy to Me

Chapter 32: Rescue Me

Summary:

Victoria makes a call... anything else would be a spoiler. :) One more chapter in this part of the series after this.

Chapter Text

Victoria Campbell, nicknamed Tori, slipped her phone into her pocket, staring at her ex-husband in the back seat of the car. He was cuffed. Shouting every slur and curse the man could come up with, which wasn't a terribly wide range. His verbiage had always been lacking, his creativity as dim as his abilities in the bedroom.

How they'd managed to have two beautiful baby boys was a miracle.

Well. Perhaps that wasn't quite the right turn of phrase. She turned her head to Ross Jones in the driver's seat, not one to mince words. "I don't think Sarai realized I put anything in her pocket. We should go find her boyfriend. He's going to be crazy worried if she found a good man."

And I can figure out if he deserves my Angel. She would put a stop to that if she needed to.

"Give him a call," Ross said. "I'll talk to him."

Tori nodded, her outward calm belied by the slightest tremor in her fingertips. Australian police - whatever they were called here, she didn't know - pulled up behind them, pulling the cuffed, still-screaming Irishman out of the rental car with little difficulty. Ross climbed out of the car to talk with them, which gave Tori just enough time to dial the number her Angel had sent via text.

It took two attempts before he answered, his tone rushed.

"Who is this?" He demanded, Australian English rolling off his tongue since her number was an American one.

Tori smiled sadly. Well. Her Angel didn't exactly tell him, if she missed her guess. "Are you Sarai Gaines' boyfriend?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone. "Who is this? Where is she?"

Tori took a deep breath. "Can you meet us out front? I'm with Ross Jones." She prayed her Angel had told him at least that much.

"I'm on my way," he said shortly.

Tori gave him directions to the car, while she listened in the background to him grabbing his bag and her Angel's. When he arrived, he was wearing a mask and sunglasses, a black beanie pulled over his head. Ross had finished with the police, holding his hand out to shake the younger man's hand.

"I apologize that we have to meet under these circumstances," Ross said, his tone grave. "Ra has been kidnapped by her brother and father."

The man swayed on his feet. "Where? Do you know where they're going? What are we doing standing here, we have to go rescue her!"

Ross put his hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm taking you with us because I believe Ra will need your support, but you need to understand that this is now an international criminal investigation, and there are rules involved in that."

Ross' tone invoked no argument, but the man's taut lines invoked angry heat, barely contained, and if Tori missed her guess his mouth was already open to argue now.

"Maritime Border Command are coordinating efforts with the US Navy to locate the boat they're on," Ross said, firmly heading off the argument at the pass. "And if I miss my guess, young man, you likely do not want to get involved in the legal complications of interfering with international law."

The man wilted at that. "Just... We're going now, right?"

"We are," Ross said, his tone clipped, helping stuff the bags in the trunk. "You might be more comfortable in the back, Tori, he's got some legs on him."