“I can’t just leave,” I protested. “I’d need to talk to my parents, my friends.”
“You can do all that later,” said Billy, shaking his head. “Right now we need to get outside of the city. Because the people after him won’t stop at just Caleb. They’re going to come for the people he cares about. If we don’t move now—”
He didn’t need to say any more.
“Okay, okay. I’ll come. But he’s okay, right?”
“For now, he’s fine. But the longer you and him stay in Baltimore, the longer you risk some serious shit going down. Now, come on. And give me your phone.”
I took my phone out of my pocket and before I could say a word, he snatched it from me and threw it on the sidewalk, smashing the screen.
“Hey!” I said.
“We’ll get you a new one,” he said. “These people are rich and connected, and that thing’s basically a GPS in your pocket.”
There was so much more I wanted to know. Who was after Caleb? Did he owe people money? Would we have to spend the rest of our lives on the run?
But Billy didn’t give me time to ask any of those questions. He hurried me down the street, toward a black van down an alley on the next block.
“Get in the back,” he said, opening the doors. “They’re looking for you, and if they see you in the car…”
He didn’t need to elaborate. I climbed in the back and he shut the doors, locking them behind me. The van rumbled to life, and we were off.
Minutes ticked by, the van turning every now and then. My heart raced the entire way, and all I could think about was whether or not Caleb was safe.
After what I guessed to be about forty minutes, the van came to a stop and Billy killed the engine. Through the thick walls of the van, I heard crunching on gravel, followed by the doors opening. Light poured into the back, and I had to squint my eyes to see.
“Come on,” he said, sticking out his tattooed hand to me.
I took his hand and he helped me out of the van. There were abandoned buildings, factories and warehouses, all around us. Clouds had covered the sky since I’d gotten into the van, the light appearing dim now that my eyes had adjusted.
“Caleb’s here?” I asked.
“He’s here. Come on.”
Billy led me into the nearest warehouse. The place was empty, cardboard boxes here and there, and the smell of stale water was thick in the air.
“Caleb?” I called out, my voice echoing through the vast space.
“Come on.” Billy locked the door behind us and led me further into the warehouse.
The main space was just as empty, and Caleb gestured for me to follow him to one of the offices on the second floor. He opened the door and I stepped in. The room was dilapidated, like the office for a manager overseeing a crew that hadn’t worked there in years.
And there was no Caleb.
Billy stepped in and shut the door.
“Wait,” I asked. “Where—”
“Caleb will be here soon,” he said. “But for now, I’m gonna need you to sit tight. I’ve got big plans for you, girlie.”
Horror dawned on me as I realized that I’d been tricked.
That had been hours ago. Billy had kept me locked in the office since, not having come up other than to open the door enough to toss in a bottle of water or some vending machine snacks.
The office window looked out onto the main floor of the warehouse, and down below I could see Billy. He’d been pacing back and forth, making occasional phone calls. I couldn’t tell what he’d been saying, but I was sure it had to do with me.
I banged on the window until my arms were sore. Finally, I managed to either get Billy’s attention, or annoy him enough to come up. He ascended the stairs, opening the office door and stepping inside.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
He grinned like he had me right where he wanted me.
“All right, guess I might as well let you in on the plan.”
“Plan? What plan? Where’s Caleb?”
“He’s coming—don’t you worry about that.”
I took a deep breath, fear still running through me. Tears formed in my eyes, but I did my best to fight them back.
“Why am I here? What are you planning on doing with me?”
“We’re planning on getting a shitload of money out of you.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know what Caleb told you, but I’m broke. I don’t have any money.”
“Yeah, sure, you don’t. But your parents sure as hell do.”
My stomach sank as it dawned on me what was happening.
“You kidnapped me?”
He grinned, sitting down on the edge of the desk. “Keep those hands where I can see them, by the way. Don’t want to have to get rough with you.” In his hand was a bottle of water, and he took a slow swig, not bothering to hurry himself up. “Anyway, yeah—that’s the plan. Gonna ransom you for money, enough that I won’t have to work again for a long, long time. Hell, maybe I’ll take a vacation while I’m at it.”
“You’ll get caught. I don’t know what you know about my parents, but they’re not going to just hand over money to some crook.”
“Sure they will. Once they see we’ve got their precious little girl locked up, they’ll give us anything we want to get you back.”
So much rushed through my head that I didn’t know where to begin.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said. “I know your brother—he’s a good man. He wants to go straight. You can do it too, if you really want to.”
He laughed. “Beautiful, there’s not a chance in the world of that happening. I’m a felon, and there’s no life waiting for me other than what I can carve out for myself by breaking the law. Caleb… I don’t know. He’s smart as shit, but he’s a softie sometimes. Explains why he likes you so much he was almost willing to really screw things up for the both of us.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. If one of us has to be the one to do what needs to be done, it might as well be me.”
“But you don’t have to do anything. You can let me go right now. I promise I won’t go to the cops or tell my parents. Listen, I know Caleb, and I know he cares about you like no one else. He wouldn’t want you to do this. I know it.”
Billy said nothing at first, instead crossing his arms over his chest and flashing me a cunning smile.
“Oh, wouldn’t he? Then tell me…why was it his idea?”
Chapter 18
Caleb
I arrived at the warehouse feeling ready to kick the damn door down. But going in like a reckless hothead wouldn’t help. Billy was there, and I need to be careful with how I handled the situation.
There was a black van out front, and I recognized it right away as a car Billy had borrowed from a friend for random jobs around the city. No doubt he’d tossed her in the back of it and driven her out here.
After scanning the perimeter to make sure Billy wasn’t outside, I started on finding out what I could. The warehouse was two stories, and on the side was a fire escape that led to the second floor. I went up and into the side entrance.
The second floor appeared to be the administrative section of the warehouse, though whatever employees once worked there had punched their final time card a long, long time ago. I moved slowly down the hall, eventually reaching what appeared to be the manager’s office.
The low murmur of conversation could be heard through the door. There were two voices, a man’s and a woman’s. Right away I picked them out as Billy and Sierra. But I couldn’t make out a word they were saying, despite pressing my ear against the door.
Seconds later I heard heavy footfalls making their way to the door. I rushed around the corner, ducking around it just in time to watch as Billy left the office and locked it behind him.
Locked. That meant unless I did feel up for kicking down a door, I wouldn’t be able to get inside. And I didn’t want to resort to violence of any kind if I didn’t have to. I’d
thrown a punch or two in my day, but resolving this with words would be the far better outcome.
Once Billy was gone, I hurried down the hall and stepped out onto the flight of metal stairs overlooking the main warehouse floor.
There he was. Billy locked eyes with me, a big smile spreading across his face.
“Holy shit!” he said, standing up and setting down the phone he’d been playing on. “Been waiting for you to show up!”
My eyes fixed on his, I stepped slowly down the stairs until I was at his level.
“What the hell are you doing, Billy?”
Billy appeared confused. “I’m doing what I said I was going to do—kidnapping this chick and ransoming her for some fat cash. Why do you look surprised?”
“I’m not surprised. I’m pissed.”
Seconds later I was on the main floor, making my way to Billy.
“I didn’t give you permission to do this. Why the hell would you go around my back and get yourself into this kind of trouble?”
He narrowed his eyes. “Man, that’s just like you—always thinking I’m the little baby brother who needs permission.”
“How the hell did you even find her?”
He shrugged. “Easy—followed you to her place yesterday. Nice pad she’s got, by the way. If that’s what Mom and Dad are able to spend on their little girl, imagine what they’ll be willing to shell out to get their little girl back.”
“It’s not going to come to that. We’re not going to go through with it.”
“And why the hell not? I’ve got her here, she’s locked up, and all we need to do is film a video of her and send it to her parents. I’ve got an encrypted number and everything—they won’t be able to track us.” He raised his finger, as if another point had occurred to him. “And don’t worry—I didn’t lay a finger on her. Managed to talk her into coming with me, no muss, no fuss. You would’ve been proud.”
“Not a thing you’ve done today is worth being proud of.”
He shook his head, clearly frustrated. “Man, this is some serious bullshit. I bust my ass to pull off this con, and all you have to say is negative shit.”
“It’s not a con, Billy. Cons don’t involve hurting anyone, and they sure as hell don’t involve kidnapping. What you’ve done today… This is bad, really, really bad.”
He shrugged. “Whatever, it’s done. Nothing to do but go through with it.”
“No, that’s not true. We can let her go. She and I…”
“You and her what?” He took a minute, but soon his eyes went wide in understanding. “Oh…fuck! How the hell did it take me so long? You’re in love with the girl, aren’t you?”
I said nothing, instead keeping my eyes narrowed into sharp slits.
“Shit, Caleb. No wonder you’re going soft on me.”
“You don’t have to do this, Billy. I’m going straight. And you can too.”
He said nothing for a moment, as if wanting to make sure I’d actually said what I just had.
“You’re what?”
“Going straight. The crime, the cons—I’m done with them all. And I want you to be done with them too.”
“Shit,” he said, shaking his head. “You sound just like that chick. And I’m going to tell you the same thing I told her—there’s no going back. I’m a felon, and this is the only life I’ve ever known.”
He raised an accusing finger toward me. “You think you can really start fresh? Bro, this is it—we’re in this life until we’re dead or in jail. Or, if you want to play it smart, until we hit one last score and don’t ever have to do it again.”
“Billy, you’re wrong. We can be done right now. You’re out of jail, and you’re only thirty. You can start fresh, do whatever you want. Just because we’ve lived this way doesn’t mean it’s what we’re destined to do.”
He shook his head. “No, this is it. Now, you’ve got one of two options—you can stay here and help me, or you can turn around and leave right now.”
“Or I could call the cops.”
“You wouldn’t do that.”
He was right, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
“Let me go outside and think about it,” I said.
“Nothing to think about. But you want to wrap your head around what needs to happen, then fine. Just leave your keys and your phone here.”
I took them both out of my pocket and tossed them over to Billy. He neatly caught them and set them both on a nearby table.
“You’ve got twenty minutes,” he said. “Hopefully you’ll have come to your damn senses by then.” He pointed to the front door. “And don’t get any big ideas about talking to her. Go out the front, and I’m going to lock the second-floor entrance as soon as you’re gone. Come back soon.”
I nodded as Billy led me to the front door.
“I want this to work,” I said. “I want us to be brothers, and I want us to start fresh.”
“Lot of things I want,” he said. “But wanting’s not enough.”
I stepped out and he shut the door behind me. Of course, I didn’t need to think. Not a chance I was going to join in on this. As soon as I was outside, I hurried over to the stairs, hoping to get back to the second-floor entrance before Billy did. But as soon as I got close, I heard the lock click shut on the other side.
“Damn,” I hissed before looking for another way in.
It didn’t take me long before I spotted a window that led into one of the offices. It took some doing, but I managed to get it open and climb inside. After that, I made my way to the hallway, checking first to make sure Billy wasn’t there.
When the coast was clear, I hurried down the hall and stopped in front of the manager’s office door. I knocked softly, my heart racing.
“Sierra.” My voice came out in a hiss.
I waited, hoping to hear something, anything. Finally, the sound of quick steps coming toward the door sounded out.
“Caleb? Is that you?”
Relief washed over me. “Yeah! I’m going to try to get in. Hold on.”
The door outside had been a deadbolt, but the office door lock was far less substantial. After fetching a paperclip from a nearby office, I worked the lock and had it open in a few seconds.
I pushed open the door, and there she was.
“Caleb!” she started toward me but stopped mid-step. A fearful expression formed on her face. “Wait—get the hell out of here!”
“What? Why? I’m here to save you!”
“Billy told me that you were in on it with him.”
Shit. Of course he would say something like that.
“I’m not—Billy brought up the plan with me and I shot it down. No way I’d ever, ever do something like that.” I stepped closer to her, close enough to take her hands. “I love you, Sierra. I’d never do anything to put you in danger.”
She appeared tense at first, but soon her anxiety faded.
“You mean all of that?”
“Of course I do. I want out of this life. And I want Billy out of it along with me. No way I’m going to let him go through with it.”
“Then what do we do?”
“We leave. We sneak out and I get in touch with Billy later.”
“Won’t he be pissed?”
“Of course he will. But I’m going to be doing him the favor to end all favors. Right now, we’ve got to get moving.”
“Are you kidding me, bro?” Billy’s voice sounded out from behind us.
We turned to see him standing at the entrance to the office, his hands balled into tight fists.
“It’s over, Billy,” I said. “I’m taking Sierra, and we’re leaving.”
But instead of relenting, he stood fast.
“Not if I have anything to say about it.”
Chapter 19
Sierra
“What the hell are you talking about?” Caleb was confused, taken aback by his brother’s words.
“You heard me,” said Billy, his chest puffed out and his hands in tight fists. “I wan
t you in on this, and it’s not too late. You want to be a part of his job, all you have to do is say the word. But if you’re going to try to stop me…well, I’m not going to let you.”
Caleb scoffed. “Billy, I don’t know what to tell you—it’s over. I’m taking Sierra, and we’re leaving. This was some serious shit, but if you want, we can put it all behind us. For now, we’re out of here.”
Billy didn’t move an inch, only shaking his head. “I’ve come too far for you to just take her like this. Bro, I don’t want to hurt you, but I’m not going to let you just walk out of here.”
“This is insane, dude,” Caleb said. “What are you going to do—beat me up and tie me to a chair? It’s over. That’s all there is to it.”
But Billy still seemed primed for a fight. Not knowing what else to do, I took Caleb’s hand and squeezed it.
“Stay right there,” said Billy. “I’ll figure something out. But neither of you are going anywhere.” He let out a sound of frustration. “Why the hell do you have to do this shit, bro? This is the last job we’ll ever need to pull. It’ll be easy, and no one needs to get hurt. Hell, she could even be in on it!”
His eyes flashed, as if he’d just thought of the most brilliant idea imaginable. “You said you’re on your own now, right? Then this is perfect! We don’t kidnap her, but we pretend to. We get some money from your parents and split it three ways. Man, this is it! We all get some money, and we can all go our separate ways.”
“You’re not getting it, Billy,” said Caleb. “I’m done with being a criminal. And if you want to play this smart, you’ll be done too.”
“Are you fucking serious! This is the job of a lifetime and you’re throwing it away!”
Caleb ignored his words, instead turning to me and nodding. “Come on—let’s go.”
My hand still in his, the two of us started toward the office door. But Billy didn’t move a muscle. At least, not until we were close. He stepped to the side, blocking Caleb from going further.
Caleb stopped in front of Billy and looked him up and down with hard eyes. The brothers were inches from one another, my heart racing as I wondered what was going to happen.
Breaker - A Fake Boyfriend Romance (Criminal Passions Book 3) Page 12
