He texted both of them, introducing himself and saying he wanted to talk to them about Eve.
Lionel Marrin rang him back straight away.
“Mr. Marrin, thank you for calling back.”
“No problem. We don’t usually pick up when we don’t know the number. Why do you want to talk to us?”
Xavier ran a hand over his face. He heard the concern in Lionel’s voice. “Have you spoken to Eve lately, sir?”
“Yes, this afternoon. Why?”
“What time was that?”
“Tell me first what this is about, Xavier.”
He took a deep breath. “Eve appears to be missing.”
“What?”
“It might be a false alarm, sir. You see, we had a fight and she could just have gone somewhere with a friend.”
“But you’re worried enough to call us.”
“Yes,” he admitted.
“She rang me about the property development scheme your father is involved in.” Lionel relayed the conversation he and his friend Scott had had with Eve.
Xavier’s heart galloped, his worry for Eve multiplying. “Thank you. I’ll let you know if we have any news.”
“Have you reported it to the police?”
“We have, sir.” Actually, he had no idea if that was the case.
“Okay. Please keep us updated. Please.”
“I will, Mr. Marrin.”
He hung up and called Aidan. “It has to be Barker,” he hissed after he’d filled Aidan in. “We need to find that son of a bitch, Aidan. He has Eve.”
“Hang on, I have some data coming in right now… We’ve been trying to hack as many CCTV cameras as we can around known addresses of Your Eyes and Ears employees and TV network staff. Let me see… This looks like a white Hyundai… Yes! There’s a white Hyundai at one of Trevor Clarence’s properties. We can see it from his neighbour’s CCTV.”
“Trevor Clarence?” Xavier asked in surprise.
“Yes. Did Eve tell you about him?”
“Yes. I know he was the one who gave her the job. I’ve Googled him since Eve spoke very highly of him. I can’t believe he’s working with Barker.”
“We don’t know that for sure.”
“She talked to her father about the property development scam, Aidan. Eve promised him and his friend Scott that she won’t report about it after what they told her. This has to be Barker’s doing. I don’t care who Trevor Clarence is, but my girlfriend’s in his house and I know she’s in trouble. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Well, I do hope you guys work out your relationship. Let me get back to you.”
“Wait! What are you gonna do?”
“Consult with the chiefs.” Then the line went dead.
“For fuck’s sake!” Xavier yelled. He had to do something. He wasn’t gonna lose Eve. The police had been too late with Gail. The Indie Rebels might be too late tonight too. He wasn’t gonna sit here and wait for someone else to act.
The knock on his door startled him. He wasn’t expecting anyone.
A woman in her thirties or forties was standing outside.
“Hello,” he said as he opened the door.
Suddenly, a man appeared from around the corner, pointing a gun at him.
“Eugene Barker,” he murmured in disbelief.
“Hello, Xavier. Glad to see you,” Barker said. “Come with me right now or I’ll blow your fucking brains out.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Xavier said. “No matter how good you are, it’ll take you a while to either run down five flights of stairs or wait for the lifts to come. I notice that gun doesn’t have a silencer.”
Barker grinned. “You’re one smart fucker, aren’t you? Well, Xavier Stirling, you have a choice. You come with me right now, or I’ll blow Eve Marrin’s fucking brains out somewhere nice and private where no one can hear.”
The blood drained from Xavier’s face.
“That’s right,” Barker said. “I know about the two of you. Saw you all lovey-dovey at The Entrance. You even ate at one of my favourite restaurants.”
Xavier gulped. He couldn’t believe it. Eve had been right. Barker had been at The Entrance when they’d been there—probably one of the men wearing baseball caps.
“You won’t get to her,” he said with confidence he didn’t feel.
“Why not? I know exactly where she is.”
Xavier stared at Barker. What the hell was this guy planning?
“Okay, where are you taking me?”
“For a walk. Come now, be a good boy and walk ahead of me.”
“I need to grab my keys.”
“You won’t need them. Check him for his phone,” Barker ordered the woman.
She patted him everywhere. “Not on him.”
“Let’s go,” Barker ordered.
Xavier followed, not having any clue what would happen next.
Barker ordered him to get in the passenger seat of a black SUV, with the woman sitting behind the wheel.
Barker sat in the back. “Make the wrong move and this gun goes off. If that’s not enough incentive for you to be a good boy—whatever I do to you, I’ll also do to Eve and your parents. But don’t worry about Holly. I like her songs.”
“You son of a bitch,” Xavier spat out.
“So I’ve been told,” Barker said with a laugh. “Drive,” he ordered the woman.
Xavier glanced at their driver. He wondered who she was. Could they help each other escape when they found a chance? If they ever found a chance.
One thing for sure, he didn’t stand a chance against Barker’s gun, no matter how fast and strong he was. He had to somehow outsmart this bastard.
He remembered his dad saying that Eugene Barker was a megalomaniac who didn’t like being one-upped. How would he one-up this man? That might throw Barker’s plan in disarray.
“Okay, Stirling, this is how it’s gonna go,” Barker said. “When we get to our destination, you’re gonna load some nice packets of drugs onto a boat. Then you’ll go to jail while I go on my merry way. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Xavier snickered. “Oh, so you’re gonna have some police cohorts of yours come to arrest me, huh? How many coppers do you have under your thumb?”
Barker didn’t answer.
Xavier pressed his lips together. How could he get this guy to talk? If he was going to get arrested, might as well have some information that would be of value to the police so he could try and cut a deal.
He snickered. Now he felt like Ross Anton during his arrest.
“Hey, Eugene,” he said conversationally. “I read in the papers that another one of your henchmen got arrested the other day. I have to say, I’m pretty impressed by the number of people working for you.”
“I have more than what the stupid police expect,” Barker said smugly.
“Not good that they’re dropping like flies, though, huh?”
“Don’t care about those stupid idiots. They’re unimportant—easily replaceable.”
“So why exactly do you want me in jail? I guess it’s because you think Ross Anton told us things about you that you don’t want us blabbing around, so you want to make sure we shut our mouths. But we know nothing—”
“Don’t be stupid. Lots of people know lots of things about me. I don’t care. It only makes my legend grow.”
“Right,” Xavier said in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting that answer. “So what have we done to annoy you?”
“Do you like the feel of this gun, Xavier?” Barker pressed the nozzle against his head.
Crazy megalomaniac.
“So how did you become so powerful?” he asked.
Barker laughed. “I like that question. You see, Xavier, I do what other people don’t have the guts to do. I kill. I steal. I terrorise. But I’m generous to my people too. That’s why they stick with me. It also helps that I’m a genius. Did you know I’m a genius, Xavier? That’s why I’m always a few steps ahead of the authorities. My brain functions better than
theirs. Look at my plans. See how everything always ties together. I even got the beautiful Gloria Mendez exactly where I wanted her so Eve would hate you. And what about your dad? All huffy and arrogant, as if I couldn’t make him do what I want him to do. In the end, with some careful planning and choice threats, he’s acting like the puppet that he is.” The bastard laughed louder.
Xavier glared at the road ahead, fisting his hands. There truly was a fine line between genius and crazy.
“So what have we done to annoy you, Eugene?”
“Lots, and I’ve been enjoying making life hell for you in return.”
“Call me thick, but I just don’t get it. I mean, I get that you’re more intelligent than the average person, but what’s the point of it if nobody actually sees your genius because they don’t understand it?”
“Don’t insult me,” Barker said sharply.
“But I’m saying only you see it. Everybody else thinks you’re just trigger-happy. Full of money and bullets, but not much else.”
“You’re fucking stupid, aren’t you?”
“Yup,” Xavier agreed. He had to be if he continued to poke this angry bear.
“You really want to know, huh? Well, I’ll tell you. I don’t know why fucking Ross Anton would be more loyal to you Stirlings than to me,” Barker spat. “I made him! He wouldn’t have his wealth without my help. How does he reward me? By protecting your fucking parents! He won’t give me the passwords to your parents’ systems. Fool! And he thinks he can get away with this disloyalty? He’s only in jail for ten years. When he comes out, he’s dead! And my men inside won’t give up trying to get to him, either. You’re all not getting away with that.”
Xavier inhaled raggedly. So that was it? Barker was doing all this because his feelings were hurt? What the bloody fuck?
“We’re here,” the woman announced, driving into Cabarita Park.
“Get out,” Barker ordered.
Xavier climbed out of the car and plodded to where Barker pushed him. They stopped by a stack of boxes near a boat ramp.
“When I order you to, you’ll help me carry these boxes one by one to that boat,” Barker said, looking around and seeming to wait around for something.
Xavier stared at the man impassively. At least Barker didn’t intend to kill him—only to get him caught doing something illegal. That was probably not a bad thing, considering the other option was to die. At least he could fight to prove his innocence in court, especially with the information Barker had so freely given him.
Xavier heard a vehicle approaching and glanced at the direction of the sound.
“Don’t think no weapons are trained at you,” Barker said. “I have marksmen with your chest and head in their sights right now. So help me carry these boxes.”
Xavier sighed and did as he was told.
“You know, Stirling,” Barker said as they loaded the first box, “Eve Marrin annoys me too.”
Xavier glared at the man.
“But I’ll forgive her for anything if she gives you Stirlings a bad name. It’s time you stop smelling like roses. But if she continues to be so fucking stubborn, like Ross Anton, then she’ll suffer worse than Veronica Lee. Did I tell you I have Veronica kept in some nice house somewhere? Nice grounds, too. Garden’s well-kept. Pity I don’t let her out.”
“Leave Eve out of this,” Xavier growled.
“Oh, I will, if she does a good job tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
Barker chortled. “You’d love to find out, won’t you? By the way, there’s something else I want you to know about Eve and Holly and your parents.”
“What?”
“If you ever tell the police anything other than you’ve been working for me as Ross’s replacement, they’re all dead, starting with Eve. So don’t try to say I set you up, understand?”
Cold fear clutched Xavier’s heart.
Barker chuckled. “See? That’s how I became powerful, because I use my head when others, like you, use your heart.”
“You sick bastard. Don’t you dare touch my family and Eve.”
“I won’t if you do exactly as I told you to.”
The woman turned on the boat’s engine and Barker jumped in. “Carry that last box, Xavier. Hurry.”
Xavier lifted the box and, to his surprise, the boat sped off, carrying Barker and the woman, and leaving him alone.
Fuck. Now what?
He shook his head. He supposed the police would be coming now, catching him with one box of drugs—what kind, he had no idea. Shit.
He bet Barker would be expecting him to run. But he was one hundred percent sure that would get him in more trouble. He’d better do what was not expected of him.
He placed the box down and sat on the ground beside it. Then he waited.
What was he going to tell the police when they got here?
Well, Barker’s plan was working yet again, because Xavier wouldn’t tell the truth. He’d feed the police with the line that he’d been working for the notorious criminal since Ross’s arrest. He simply wasn’t going to risk his family’s and Eve’s safety until Barker was behind bars.
Funnily enough, Xavier wasn’t too worried for himself. He was sure the Indie Rebels would have his back. He had no idea what the IR would do once they discovered he’d been arrested, but he trusted they’d find a way to get him out.
He sighed and waited. How much longer before the police arrived?
He stood up and stretched, then sat back down again.
The sound of approaching vehicles reached his ears. Soon police with bullet-proof vests and helmets were swarming the place. They even had sniffer dogs with them.
Hah, he couldn’t have gotten far even if he had run. He was glad he’d trusted his instincts.
“Hands in the air!”
Xavier obeyed. Then bright lights shined on his face, making him squint.
Someone shoved him to the ground to pat him down and handcuff his wrists. Then he was forced to his feet and pushed forward towards the police cars.
Ah, fuck. There was a news van in here, too.
“Xavier,” a tremulous voice called.
His heart jumped out of his chest.
Eve.
She was staring at him with wide, fearful eyes, a cameraman behind her.
Then it dawned on him. Barker had wanted Eve to witness his arrest—and report it to the public.
Trevor Clarence whispered in Eve’s ear, giving her a bit of a nudge.
Do it, baby, Xavier willed, his breath shallowing. Do it.
But Eve only continued to stare.
Trevor frowned at Eve, touching her shoulder.
Xavier gave her a subtle nod. “Do it,” he mouthed.
Slowly, Eve started to speak into the microphone.
Chapter 21
“I repeat,” Eve said, trying to stop her voice from trembling, “we are witnessing the live arrest of Xavier Stirling, who was seen loading boxes of what is believed to be drugs in a speedboat. Police are now searching for that boat, containing Eugene Barker and a woman companion. Watch the ten o’clock news for the complete coverage.”
Eve put down her arm, watching as Xavier was loaded into a police car.
“Good work. I know that was a shock, but you did great,” Trevor said.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“Now, let’s head back to the station. Jim,” Trevor called to the cameraman who had come in the news van. “Were we able to sneak in a few seconds live on TV?”
“Aaron said yes,” Jim said.
“Good. Let’s go, Eve.”
“Excuse me,” a woman called out to them. “I’m Detective Swanson.”
“Hello, Detective,” Trevor said. “We’d like a warrant if you want a copy of our footage.”
“I’m not asking for one right now. I’d like to interview you as eyewitnesses.”
“Of course,” Eve said readily.
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Eve,” Tre
vor said.
“I’d like to. This is a big deal. We saw Barker with Xavier Stirling.”
Trevor smiled. “Okay. We’ll wait for you.”
“Would you still need me tonight? It’s been exhausting. I’d like to go home and rest, if that’s okay. I’ll be at the studio first thing tomorrow.”
“I can give you a lift home after the interview,” Swanson said.
“Thank you, Detective.”
Eve followed Swanson, waving goodbye to Trevor and Jim.
“Tell me what happened.” Swanson said as they stood next to her vehicle.
“Trevor Clarence advised me that he got a tip-off regarding Barker being here tonight. He said he knew that police would be coming too.”
“Yes, we got a tip-off.”
“Why were you late, Detective?”
Swanson appeared taken aback by her question. “We got here as soon as we could. How did you get here before us?”
Eve shrugged. “We left when I got to Trevor’s place. He said we had to go.”
“Why were you there?”
“His girlfriend’s son took me there. He’s my co-worker. We were supposed to have dinner, which I wasn’t expecting.”
“No?”
Eve noticed Trevor watching them and she smiled at him.
“Perhaps we should go to the station,” Swanson said.
“Yes. That’s a good idea. Will I be able to see Xavier there?”
“Probably not tonight.”
They got in the car and Eve gazed at Swanson. “Detective, did you notice how Xavier was sitting on the ground next to the box?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t you think that’s strange if he was guilty? Shouldn’t he have run and tried to escape? He had plenty of time to do so after Barker left.”
Swanson smiled. “I wondered about that.”
“He didn’t seem upset that Barker left him behind, either.”
“You don’t think he’s guilty.”
“No. I think he was set up.”
Swanson was quiet for a long moment as they drove. “What else do you know?”
“This is pure speculation on my part, but you might want to start checking out Trevor Clarence.”
Xavier Page 18