"Can you sleep in peace not knowing what has happened?" Elliot asked. "You need to be here for the annual dinner, so go back to your seat! I will return once I have a handle on what has happened."

Avery nodded. "Call Isaac and ask him out to a restaurant nearby. It's late, so don't wander too far."

"Yeah. I'll go now," he said and shot his bodyguard a look.

His bodyguard followed Elliot, and, once they left, Avery returned to her seat.

"Mom, where's Dad? Where did he go?" asked Layla, noticing that Elliot had not come back with her.

"Your dad needs to handle something."

"What's wrong? Is it dangerous?" Layla asked worriedly.

"It's not dangerous. I wouldn't have let him go if it's not safe," Avery reassured her. "If all goes well, he should be back soon."

As soon as Elliot walked out of the hall, he called Isaac.

Not sensing the crisis awaiting him, Isaac answered the call and asked brusquely, "Do you need something, Mr. Foster?"

"Come out. There's something I need to talk to