Breaking Free (Steele Ridge Book 5)

by Adrienne Giordano

  And not hate her for it.

  The e-mail popped up. No message. Only a video attachment. Oh, boy. Here we go again. How many times had he asked her to grab a piece of footage for him? Hundreds? Thousands, even. She’d never sent the videos out, but denial only took a girl so far. Down deep she knew he used the clips as leverage.

  Now she sat on the other side of it, anticipating what she'd see, her body stiffening as she prepared herself for the emotional hell about to kick in. Outside, a loud crack of thunder drew her gaze to the French doors. She’d raised the shades and was now met with blackness similar to her mood.

  She clicked the file and a dark image appeared. She tapped the arrow to roll the video. A few seconds in, a flash of light shined on a door opening. Whoever was holding the device shooting the video moved left, angling the camera away from the light, pointing it down to a pair of hiking boots.

  “Oh, no.”

  She froze the image. Gage’s boots?

  Please no. She clicked, letting the video roll so she could get a better look. The camera operator moved back, bringing more of the boots into view. Laces, hem of jeans. Rope.

  She kept watching, willing her mind to be still. This was a highly organized production with Phil in the director's chair. He expected panic. She wouldn't give it to him. Not this time.

  On the screen, the man's legs moved. Just an inch or two, but he definitely moved and her shoulders drooped a smidge.

  The camera inched up, to his waist, and his shirt. Gage's shirt.

  It's him. From the second she'd hit play, down deep she’d known, but had hoped…

  Wait. All she saw was his chest. No arms. Images of Gage’s arms being severed flashed and Micki sucked in a hard breath. The resolve to stay calm crumbled and she grabbed a fistful of her comforter, squeezing so hard the skin over her knuckles stretched. What did Phil do? A groan shredded her throat.

  He wants this.

  Breaking her down was the plan.

  The camera panned up, revealing Gage's shoulders, his jaw, his arms.

  Relief brought a surge of energy plowing into her and she let go of the comforter, hopped off the bed and shook out her legs.

  Finally, the person holding the camera, panned wide enough for her to get the full image. The money shot.

  Gage, trussed up like an animal and hanging from the ceiling.

  The scream Micki let fly brought Jonah bursting into the room. Already working with frayed nerves, the thwack of the door against the wall sent her reeling.

  “Jonah!” She shoved the phone at him.

  He snagged the phone, punched at the screen and watched, a horrified look transforming his features. “Holy God, this guy is insane.”

  “We have to do something.”

  “Oh, we’ll do something.” Jonah tapped at the screen. “You got Reid’s number in here? Never mind, got it.” He tapped a few more times and seconds later, the sound of Reid’s phone ringing echoed in the room via speakerphone.

  “Hey, bro.”

  “Are you at Brynne’s?”

  “No. She’s out with her friend. I’m at the bunkhouse. Why do you sound spooked?”

  Jonah whirled and headed for the steps, motioning for her to follow. She grabbed her laptop and hurried behind him.

  “Micki and I are coming down. We’ve got a huge fucking problem.”

  22

  “You just got this?” Reid asked, his gaze still glued to the video on the third time through.

  “Yes. They e-mailed it to me a few minutes ago.”

  “They?”

  “Tomas found Gage and me in the B earlier. I assume he and Phil are working together.”

  And oh, what a bitter pill after her good friend Tomas had assured her he’d help.

  Conniving liar. She’d get them. Both of them. After this, she’d rip herself open for the government. She’d give them every ounce of blood.

  “Any idea where this was shot?” Jonah asked.

  “No.” She opened her laptop. “I’ll find out, though.”

  Reid handed Jonah the phone and hustled to his own laptop. “While you're doing that, I’m gonna check something.”

  “What?”

  “I slapped that GPS unit on Flynn’s car. I can locate the car.”

  Jonah stepped behind Micki, watching over her shoulder as she typed. “Do you see what I’m doing here?”

  He hesitated a minute, then bumped her shoulder. “Oh, yeah.”

  “If I know them,” she said, “they’re waiting for me to respond.”

  “And when Tomas opens your e-mail they’ll get a nice surprise by way of malware.”

  Yep, yep, yep. She had, after all, learned from the master. “The malware attacks the signaling system. Once it’s downloaded, I’ll be able to track their location.”

  She CC’d Phil, hit send, and sat back. “Come on, boys. Open that sucker up.”

  Micki minimized the screen, then opened another one. “I developed an application to work with the malware. As soon as they open the attachment, a map will pop up and show us where they are.”

  “Damn, I forgot how good you were at this.”

  Not something to be proud of, at the moment, but if her nefarious creations saved Gage, she’d live with it.

  Three seconds later, said map popped up with a blinking red dot in the center.

  “I’m in,” Reid called from behind his own computer.

  “Me too. I’ve got an address on Barkley.”

  “Bingo. That’s what I’ve got.”

  Jonah waggled a finger at her screen. “Zoom in a little. I think that’s the vacant strip mall on the edge of town.”

  Reid headed for the door. “Let’s load up and roll.”

  Minutes later, Micki sat in the passenger seat of Reid’s truck bolting down the slick, pitch-black mountain road. The rain had let up, but in the distance another round of thunder rolled, moving out to the east.

  The only illumination as far as Micki could see were the truck’s headlights shredding the blackness and the glow of her laptop while she made use of her hotspot and that bit of malware she’d planted on Tomas’s phone.

  Jonah popped his head between the bucket seats and raked his hands over his scruffy face. How many times had he done that since watching the video of Gage?

  “We should call Mags,” he said. “You know how she gets when we butt into police business.”

  Reid shrugged. “So call her.”

  Micki glanced up. How would they explain this nightmare? “Does she have the personnel to handle a hostage situation?”

  “She’ll call in SWAT.”

  Jonah grunted. “They’re all county.”

  Micki gave up on her keyboard. “What does that mean?”

  “It means Steele Ridge isn’t big enough for our own SWAT team. Around here, that unit is comprised of guys from all over the county. Mobilizing takes time.”

  Micki went back to her laptop, scanned a few more files and…there. Yes!

  “But,” Reid mused, “that timing might work. We’ll get a head start on them and have Suds busted out by the time they show up. Then they can handle Flynn and his pain in the ass sidekick. Yeah, Jonah. Call Mags.”

  If the load of weapons Reid had thrown in the truck bed was any indication, he was about to launch a small war in their little town.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Micki saw Reid glance at her, but she kept pounding on her keyboard. Another few keystrokes and she’d be in.

  “What are you doing there?”

  “I CC’d Phil on my response to Tomas. I have control of both of their phones. I’m poking around. Like most people, Phil has weaknesses. His biggest, most soul-sucking one is money. Particularly his. He’s constantly moving cash between accounts. It’s our good fortune he’s a fan of online banking.”

  Jonah, still trying to reach Mags, snorted. “His passwords are on his phone.”

  “You are correct, my brilliant twin. Talk about the emperor wearing no clothes.” />
  “Damn. I got voicemail.” He left their cousin a message and disconnected.

  Reid took a turn a wee bit too fast, and the truck swerved. She held the laptop with one hand and grabbed the door handle with the other, but big brother, completely at ease behind the wheel, maneuvered the S-turn like a pro. Between him and Evie, their driving was insane.

  “Mikayla,” he said, “tell me you’re not cleaning out his bank account.”

  “I’m not cleaning out his bank account.”

  “Thank God.”

  “I'm cleaning out his investment account.”

  At that, Jonah hooted and Reid sighed. Interesting reactions from her brothers. “Relax, Reid. All I did was move it. His broker will realize there’s a problem and find it. I just need to scare him.”

  “Remind me not to piss you off.”

  Satisfied with her work and her personal safety, she released her death grip on the door handle and shut the laptop. Time to check in with Phil.

  She shifted in her seat so she could see both her brothers. The argument with Gage had taught her an important lesson and she wasn’t about to blow it again. “Both of you, listen up. I’m about to call Phil.” Before either of them could argue, she held up her hands. “Let me finish. I know him. He needs my attention right now. It has nothing to do with me. It’s about the win. That’s what he loves and I want him to think he’s won.”

  Jonah shoved his head between the seats again. “How?”

  “By telling him I’m going back to Vegas.”

  “No.”

  “The two of you, just…shut up. I’m not really going back. I’m just telling him that. When you hear me say it, don’t freak. Okay? I promise you, I’m not going back. Whatever happens, I’m not.”

  And, God, she hoped they got to Gage before Phil did something really stupid. Well, more insanely stupid than what he’d already done. She’d fix this. For what he’d done to Gage, she’d make sure he went to prison for a good long time.

  This time, she had control.

  She snagged her phone from the cup holder, punched up his number, and hit the speaker button so the boys could listen in.

  It only took two rings.

  “I’m surprised it took you this long,” Phil said by way of greeting.

  “Let him go.”

  “Sorry. Can’t do that.”

  Micki let out a long, desperate sigh. “You win, Phil. Is that what you want? I’ll go back to Vegas. Just please, please, let Gage go.”

  Begging couldn’t hurt.

  Phil made his usual, demeaning tsk-tsk-tsk sound. “We are way beyond that. You betrayed me. Now you’ll pay.”

  “Please, tell me what you want. I’ll do it. Anything.”

  “You’ll recant. Whatever you told the State’s Attorney—”

  “I didn’t—”

  “Don’t lie to me!”

  Jonah’s head appeared through the seats again and his gritted teeth let her know her twin was at the end of his patience. Before he spoke, she sliced her hand across her throat.

  What her brothers didn’t know was that Phil didn’t lose control often. He wouldn’t allow it. People, he said, made mistakes when out of control.

  Right now? Phil was out of control.

  “Please,” Micki said. “Gage has nothing to do with this. Let him go and I’ll give you whatever you want.”

  Except admitting she’d spoken to the SA. Knowing Phil, he might not have confirmation of that and could be bluffing her.

  He hesitated. “In one hour, meet me by the fountain in town.”

  “Why?”

  “One hour!”

  The line went dead and, just in case, she tapped the end button. She set the phone into the cup holder feeling…calm. A week ago, that argument with Phil would have terrified her. Now? Being home, surrounded by people who loved her—her real family—somehow she’d found the spine to stand up to him.

  Operation reclaim-my-life in full swing.

  “I just bought us time,” she said. “He thinks I’ll see him in an hour.”

  Reid nodded. “Good work. When we walk in on him, he’ll be surprised.”

  They cruised into town, where all the shops had closed for the night. In contrast to the dreary gray-black sky, a rainbow of festive holiday lights formed a canopy over the buildings, reflecting off shop windows and bringing an odd comfort. Christmas with her family this year.

  Only the B was open at this time of night and a smattering of cars sat parked in front of the building. In Vegas, things would just be amping up about now. Grif and Britt stood in front of the old Murchison building where Grif kept an office. Even at this hour, he wore his slick Hollywood clothes. Not exactly proper attire for this mission, but since they’d caught him on his way home from a board meeting, he didn’t have time to change.

  Reid hit the window button. “Hop in.”

  The two of them piled into the back, squeezing Jonah into the middle.

  Once inside, having driven with Reid enough to know the potential threat, Britt reached for the seat belt. “What the hell’s going on?”

  “Phil’s got Suds.”

  All sound ceased and Micki swung back to see the rare sight of Britt stunned into silence. “No way,” he said. “When? We were just in the Triple B a couple of hours ago.”

  Micki pulled the video up on her phone and handed it back. “I was e-mailed this.”

  “God Almighty,” Grif said.

  The breathy edge in his voice said it all.

  “I bet,” Micki said, “they used a starter interrupter to disable the truck’s engine.”

  She turned and met Britt’s gaze. “I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming. When Tomas came into the B, he probably called Phil and told him we were in there. Phil went looking for the truck and found it behind the B.”

  “You were in the work truck. How’d they know?”

  “I told you. Randi has a spy. That person probably tipped them off that we were in the B. They know Gage, they know he comes in the back door a lot. Phil probably saw the truck, knew we were inside and ran the plates. It wasn’t a stretch that we’d be in a vehicle owned by the Steeles. Simple logic.”

  The emperor wearing no clothes.

  How many times had she overheard Tomas on the phone, talking about starter interrupters. He had a contact that kept him in a steady supply of them.

  They drove out of town, cutting through a heavily wooded street with ancient, towering trees and thick brush that she suddenly realized she’d missed, living in Vegas. Nature in all its glory.

  Purity.

  Clean living. One without secrets and denial and fear.

  Here, she found freedom. Freedom with a man who was now hanging from a ceiling. She couldn’t have that. No, sir. Gage Barber had given her hope, something she’d been without for ten years and now that she’d had a little taste, a sampling of what normal life could be, she craved it. All of it.

  With him.

  “Here’s the plan,” she said.

  Reid let out a laugh. Yes, she’d shocked him. The woman surrounded by alpha males was taking control. Reid might be the warrior, but she knew their enemy. Understood him on a level her brothers couldn’t. Plus, she had the stomach for getting into sewers with Phil.

  “When we get there,” she continued. “I’m going in.”

  “Ha!” Jonah said. “You think you’re gonna walk right in the front door?”

  “That’s exactly what I think.” She held up the laptop. “I just removed five million dollars from his investment account. Whatever he’s doing to Gage, he’ll stop if it means getting his money back.”

  “Jesus, Mikayla,” Britt said, heavy on the judgment.

  If she’d offended him, or perhaps enlightened him regarding a side of his sister he didn’t like, too bad. When it came to rules of engagement, Phil Flynn didn’t have any.

  Neither would they.

  “That’s nuts,” Grif added. “You’re not going in there alone. I’ll go wi
th you. I’ll talk him down.”

  “If someone goes with me, he’ll get nervous. Guys, believe me. When I walk in there and tell him I have his money, he won’t hurt me. I know this man.”

  Reid made a humming noise. “As much as I hate it, she’s right. If we send her in the front, we can bust in the back. With the right timing, it’ll be over in seconds. Even if his sidekick is watching the back, there are four of us. What’s he gonna do?”

  “I’m not having it,” Britt said. “One of us stays with her. End of it.”

  Oh, these men were infuriating. One thing she hadn’t missed while in Vegas was the pushy side of her brothers.

  Jonah let out a sigh. “Don’t bother arguing with him. It won’t work and it’ll wind up a bloodbath. I’ll go in with Micki. Flynn’s been using me to manipulate her for ten years. If he sees a united front, it’ll set him back some. And I haven’t had a chance to tell you this, but my lawyer called earlier. Tessa agreed to speak with the State’s Attorney and the Asheville District Attorney—we’re covering all bases here. She’ll clear me. Phil’s got nothing on us. We’re free.”

  Micki whirled around and with only the light from the dashboard met Jonah’s gaze. A sudden fury of mixed emotions rolled inside her. All these years of being alone, of responding to Phil’s every whim and at the same time harboring self-judgment that, if she’d thought too long about it, would have leveled her. Or sent her to a psychotic break.

  And it could have been fixed with a phone call? So much for Gage’s theory about her being heroic.

  A phone call.

  “Jonah,” she said, her voice barreling through a chokehold. “That’s great.”

  He nodded. “It is. Before your wheels start spinning, stop. Every decision you made, I’d have made the same one. You were scared and we were broke. It’s easy to fix problems when you’re rich. And we sure as hell haven’t been rich that long.”

  We. Not I.

  She reached back, extending her hand and Jonah grabbed hold, squeezing hard. “We’ve got this. We’re here for you.”

  “Jesus Hotel Christ,” Reid said. “Can we deal with this foo-foo emotional crap later? I mean, I’m not built for this shit.”