I heard Kevin take a deep breath and huff as he spoke next. “Fine, we’ll meet the day after next at eight pm and I’ll bring Scarlett. No funny business, Kade. I’ll call you thirty minutes before and tell you where to go.”
“Fine,” I growled out. “But I’m warning you now, that if there is one scratch on her body when I see her, you won’t live to see the sun rise the next day.” Then, he ended the call.
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it. I wished he would have been right there so I could beat the fuck out of him. All this time, he was playing for the other team and I didn’t know about it. I should have seen it. Even after his plea for me to help him, even then, he was desperate and I didn’t see it. I was too fucking focused on his reaction to Scarlett to even care. Everything had just been one big fucking game and I was the main piece to the puzzle.
At that moment, I felt like everything was weighing on my shoulders. Those past eight months had been so tiring. My life had changed so much and I wasn’t happy at all with the way it was headed.
Stuffing the phone back in my pocket I looked up at Frank and Paul standing in the same spot they were before I got on the phone. “We need to talk about what happens after I get Scarlett back,” I said to Frank as I stood next to my chair.
“And what would that be?”
“When I get Scarlett back, I’m done with this shit. I’m going back to my band and I don’t want to hear from you again. Everything you are associated with is fucked up, drugs, trafficking, money laundering and murder. Who the fuck gave you the right to play God?”
Frank looked at Paul, then back to me, and started laughing. The ‘throw back your head, hilarious’ kind of laugh. All he was doing was pissing me off more.
“You can’t just get out, Nick,” he stated as he walked around his desk to sit in his chair. “Everything I told you before still stands. You’re the only family I have left. Except, I will agree with Paul here, when I say that this line of work is not for you.”
Was he fucking serious? Of course, it wasn’t for me
Leaning forward, Frank opened up a box and pulled out a cigar. “Once this is over, I won’t hold you back from returning to your band, but you will still be a part of this family. And if Scarlett does decide to stay with you,” he lit his cigar and took a few puffs, “then she will be under our protection.”
“And what if I disagree and tell you to go fuck yourself?” I stood there and stared him down.
He gave me a small chuckle. “You can tell me to go fuck myself all you want. But the truth of the matter is, you’re in too deep already. You’ve seen too much and you’ve done too much to just walk away. And like I said, we’re family. How do you think people would perceive you if they knew we were kin? Because that can be arranged as well.”
He was trying to fucking blackmail me into submission and it was working. I just wanted to get back to my band and start living a new life with Scarlett.
I stared him down as if to challenge him, but there was really nothing for me to do. He was right. I was already in too deep and I was no match for him and all his men. “Fine,” I finally said. “So what do we do now?”
“Now?” Paul answered for Frank. “Now, we plan our attack. Now that we know when he plans on meeting you, we know he’ll be at Vic’s to get Scarlett, so it’ll be the perfect time to make our move.”
“Okay, wait a minute,” I said holding my hands up. “We all need to be on the same fucking page. I know that you plan on taking out the family, but you can’t kill Kevin. As much as I want him to hurt, I can’t let you do that.”
“And why is that?” Frank asked, amused at my outburst.
“Because he’s Scarlett’s step-brother. I know that doesn’t mean shit to you, but it will mean something to Scarlett. And if it means something to Scarlett, it will mean something to me. Even though I don’t know how she’ll feel about him after all of this is over. I’d rather see him rot in jail and lose all his respect with the FBI than to be dead.”
Frank looked me over, contemplating my words. “Okay, Nick, I’ll give that to you, but that’s it. I can’t promise he won’t get hurt. This will be a shoot-out after all. And while we are on the subject. You are not going to be involved in it at all. You will walk in after us when we have a clearing for you, so you can go get Scarlett. But once we are inside … you are on your own. So, tomorrow while I’m out of town, I want you to go out back and do some target shooting.” I went to speak, but he cut me off. “I know you don’t think you’ll need to use your gun, Nick, but more than likely, it’s going to happen. In this kind of situation, it’s either you or them.”
That’s the way the rest of our evening went. We talked over the plan and what everyone’s job would be. He also found out from his rat, how many of Vic’s men would be in the house. Apparently, Vic was coming up with the same idea as Frank. We just happened to be two steps ahead of him.
The next day, felt like a wasted fucking day. I didn’t get any sleep the night before, and I had been sitting at Frank’s house all fucking day. Some military-looking guys, who I had never met before, showed up to do some practice shooting out in the back of Frank’s property. I went out there with them like Frank instructed me to do, but that only took up about two hours of my time.
The rest of the time was spent with me thinking about Scarlett and what I would say to her when I got her home. I hoped like hell, that when I was finally about to talk to her about what she saw, she would believe me when I said it wasn’t real. I know how much I hurt her before with that Jessica shit. I didn’t want her feeling the same way again.
I looked over at the clock on Frank’s bookshelf. It was only eleven minutes past three. Frank said he wouldn’t be back until around eight that night. He was supposed to go out of town, but changed plans at the last minute, rescheduling his appointment so he could get ready for the throw down tomorrow. He had been gone all day going to meet people I didn’t know and didn’t care to know; then he had plans to go scope out Vic’s place. If his rat pulled through, they would be able to get by the security undetected. That was what we were aiming for, a no hassle run in.
Sitting back in my chair, I ran my hands over my face in agitation. Just thinking about everything that would happen the following night was wearing on me. So many people would die. Even I had the possibility of dying, but the thought of her dying in there outweighed my own safety. I would do whatever I had to do to protect her.
I just hoped she still wanted me to.
From what I could tell by the food being brought to me, two days had already passed. I was scared and alone, with my imagination playing all kinds of scenarios. Ones where I was killed or beaten to death or the good ones where I was saved, or just barely making it out alive. It was crazy, really, but I couldn’t help the thoughts.
After that first day, once the drugs were fully out of my system, I wasn’t able to sleep, so I had a lot of time to think. The things that continuously ran through my head were reasons as to why I was here. I would replay the conversation I had with Vic and try to see if I could piece it all together, but I had no idea what was going on. I think my biggest question was why Bryce would get himself involved with something like this, but nobody would tell me anything and I hadn’t seen Bryce or Vic since that first day. Vic stopped bringing me food; some other guy named Sawyer brought it. He was tall with a runner’s build and light brown hair. At first, I was terrified since I had never seen him before and so many things could happen with him coming in by himself. He would glance at me with a smirk and then leave without a word, every time. I felt vulnerable and I hated it, so I would eat my food, drink the water, and leave the tray to go sit in my corner.
I could tell I was drawing into myself, cocooning my emotions. Being in a dazed-like state helped ease my fears, but they were still there; I just no longer showed them on my face. There was no point. Vic had said no harm would come to me, but I was being hurt now … not physically, but mentally and emotionall
y. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get over it, considering I didn’t even know how long I’d be there.
I had just been served dinner on the third day by Sawyer, when Bryce walked into what I now officially called my cell. I didn’t look up at him, but I knew it was him because I could see his blond hair in my peripheral.
“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come back to see you.”
I didn’t reply.
Walking over to me, he squatted down, letting out a sigh. “I’m hoping you won’t be here much longer, okay? I want you to know that I feel really horrible about what has happened, but I promise as soon as this is over I’ll make it up to you.”
Was he fucking serious? He felt horrible? He would make it up to me? I looked up at him with disgust. “Who the fuck are you to come in here pretending you care? Huh? You can take your ‘I’ll make it up to you’ and shove it up your ass!” My heart was pounding out of my chest. How dare he say he felt horrible? If he really felt that damn horrible, I wouldn’t have been there in the first place.
He looked at me and smirked. “Wow!” he said amused, standing back up. “You really are feisty when you get angry, aren’t you?”
I frowned at him. What the hell happened to the Bryce I knew? That surely wasn’t him. “Why Bryce? Why is all of this happening? Why are you hurting me like this? You can at least give me the common courtesy and tell me exactly why I am here?”
He looked at me deep in thought. I could see him battling with his emotions. Walking toward me, he held out his hand.
I looked up at him confused.
“I’ll tell you, Scarlett, but first, you need a shower.”
I looked down at myself remembering that it had been three days since I had showered. My skin felt gross and my hair was greasy and matted.
Looking up at him, I stood up on my own avoiding his help. He dropped his hand giving me a disapproving look, but I didn’t give a shit. I really didn’t want to be anywhere near him. I only wanted him to tell me what was going on, and then he could disappear for good. I really didn’t care.
Turning his back toward me, he walked toward the door. I stood in my spot not knowing if I should follow him or not. I assumed if he was going to take me anywhere, he’d put cuffs on me or something. I wasn’t expecting him to just let me walk out that door with him.
He looked back when he realized I wasn’t following him. “Come on. There is a shower just down the hall. I have some clothes for you too that I took from your place.”
I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. I told myself, this would be over soon. It had to be. Jules had probably reported me as a missing person so the police would be looking for me too.
Staring at the floor, I walked toward him as he opened up the door. He stepped out and turned, waiting for me to cross the threshold. As I stepped out, I looked around taking in my surroundings, since I didn’t get to see it on the way in. All I saw were walls.
After he closed the door, he grabbed my arm and led me to the left. The walls on either side of me were a dark-red and the lighting was very dim. I guessed this was the finished portion of the basement.
When we got to the end of the hallway, there was a door to my left and a staircase to the far right. My heart rate beat faster as I thought about kicking Bryce in the balls and making a run for it up those stairs. But I knew enough that if I did try to make a run for it, there could be a good possibility I would get shot. I didn’t want to take that chance.
Pulling me toward the door to the left, he opened it and we walked in. The lights were dimmed just like the hallway, but I could see a shower clearly. It was the only thing in the room beside a toilet. There was a showerhead up on a concrete wall with the temperature dials below it and the drain was on the floor a few feet away from the wall.
I looked over at him expecting him to leave me there, but he closed the door and locked it. He then let go of my arm. “I have shower supplies, a towel, and your clothes sitting over there in the corner,” he pointed. “Go ahead and get undressed. I’ll get the shower started for you,” he said, walking toward the far wall toward the shower.
Is he serious?
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Bryce. I’m not getting undressed and taking a shower in front of you.” I stood there defiantly with my arms crossed over my chest. He was out of his damn mind if he thought that was going to happen.
He turned on the shower, getting his navy blue shirt and khaki pants wet in the process, ignoring everything I said. Reaching his hand out, he felt the water to check the temperature, and then he looked over at me. I hadn’t moved and I wasn’t going to. Not until he left.
He walked toward me with a smirk on his face. “I’m not leaving, Scarlett, so get it out of your pretty little head. It’s against the rules,” he said smugly.
“Rules, Bryce? What rules are those? That you have to maintain your creeper status at all times?” I retorted.
He laughed, which only solidified my comment about him being a creeper. “Scarlett, I can’t leave because you are under my supervision and care in this house. The only people allowed to come near you are the ones I appoint and Vic. There are too many people who come in and out of this house to leave you alone.”
What was he talking about? That was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. “I’m alone all the time in that cell, Bryce, so why would it matter if I showered without you in here.”
He let out a sigh. “I know it sounds stupid, but you’ve just got to trust me, Scarlett. I’m doing what Vic told me to do. You don’t understand the magnitude of this situation. There is some big shit going down and there are more people here than usual. You don’t even want to know how many of them have wanted to come down and take a peek at Nick’s girl.”
My eyes widened in fear. I rushed forward and started punching and hitting him in the chest. “Then tell me what the hell is going on!” I yelled in between punches.
Grabbing my wrists, he stopped my attack on his chest. I was so pissed and upset I could feel the tears rolling down my face. It had been two days since I last cried. I thought I was cried out, but apparently not.
“Listen to me!” he shouted sternly. “I’m going to tell you everything, okay. Just please … do what I ask. Then, we’ll go back to the room and I’ll talk.”
I looked into his eyes to try and gage his emotions. This was the Bryce I was used to. He held my wrist up against his chest and looked down at me, like he was pleading for me to just obey.
After a few moments, I lowered my head and sagged my shoulders in defeat. I just didn’t feel like fighting. I could feel the tingling anxiety in the pit of my stomach; the feeling I always got when I was about to do something that made me uncomfortable.
I pulled my arms away from his chest and turned toward the corner of the room to grab the towel, my clothes, and shower supplies, making sure not to make eye contact with him. If I didn’t see him, I could try to pretend he wasn’t there.
I walked toward the shower and stopped a few feet away, enough so my clothes wouldn’t get wet and the towel wouldn’t be too far away, and placed everything on the floor. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, and then started removing my clothes except for my bra and underwear. There was no way I was going to get completely naked with him staring at me.
Taking another deep breath, I opened my eyes, and then squatted down to pick up the supplies. I noticed that the wall had a small indention in it to place the shower supplies, so I walked toward it and placed everything in there.
Walking into the shower, I gasped as the water hit my skin. It was almost too hot to bear, but as soon as my body got used to it, it felt amazing. I wanted so desperately to enjoy it under different circumstances. I wanted to cry and wash away the fear and hurt I felt for Bryce’s betrayal and for Kade’s indiscretions. But I didn’t have that luxury.
Washing my body and hair as quickly as I could, I finally finished and walked over to the wall to turn the water off. Then I turned and walked toward my
towel, picking it up to dry off quickly; getting as much water out of my saturated bra and underwear as I could. Not looking at Bryce the entire time. I don’t think I would be able to stop myself from trying to slap him across the face if I was to see him staring at me.
Tossing the towel on top of my dirty clothes, I bent down to pick up the set of clean clothes he had brought me. I dressed in grey yoga pants and a blue tank top. It was then I turned to see that Bryce was not in the same spot he was before. He was in the corner where my clothes and towel had been before my shower. His arms were folded across his chest and his head was tilted down as if he was staring at the floor.
Was he diverting his eyes the entire time? I highly doubted it.
I cleared my throat causing him to look up at me. “I’m done,” I mumbled.
I stood there, slowly looking him over. I could see the dark circles under his eyes, as if he weren’t sleeping very well or at all. I wanted to ask him about it, but my time of giving a shit about him was officially over. He ruined any kind of friendship we had when he handed me that drink that night.
Looking away from me, he made his way over to the door, pulling out a key to open it from the inside. Opening the door, he looked over at me, waiting for me to make my way out of the room. I walked very slowly, prolonging my time outside of my cell.
“Are you going to answer my questions now?” I asked as I walked past him.
He walked out the door, closing it as he went. “I told you I would and I will, Scarlett. Let’s get back into the room.”
I really didn’t want to go back into that room, but I had no other choice. If what he said were true, I didn’t want to try and escape by running up those stairs. I could only imagine the chaos that would meet me up there.
As I walked up to the door, I noticed that it was open. I looked back at Bryce and he nodded his head for me to go in, so I did. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that the bed sheets had been changed and the blanket I had been using was neatly folded on the bed.
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