“Brynn!” exclaims Jensen, once he comes to the phone. “Get down here right away. We’ve been trying to call you. Hurry! Hurry!”
“What’s wrong? I had put my phone on silent because my job is always trying to interrupt my personal time…”
“Come down here now please,” he says. “I need to tell you in person.”
Suddenly I’m filled with an overwhelming dread. If normally cool, calm and collected Jensen is this worked up, then something is definitely wrong.
I throw Larson’s clothes in his general direction and start getting dressed, filling him in on what Jensen had told me. He grabs my hand and we head down to the hotel lobby as fast as we can.
“This is bad,” I tell him. “I don’t even know what it is but this is really, really bad and I’m really scared.”
“It’ll be okay,” he says, squeezing my hand tight. “I won’t let anything bad happen.”
When we get down to the lobby, Jensen, Whitney and Monica are there.
“Where’s Caleb?” I ask them. “And Harlow and Ramsey? Did they all stay back with the kids?”
“Larson, we’ve got to go now,” Jensen says, nodding at Larson. “They took the kids.”
“What?”
My legs feel like they’re going to fall out from underneath me.
“Who took the kids?”
“Someone came and got them,” Jensen says. “And Riley too.”
“What the hell?”
I feel like sitting down on the chair before I faint, but I also need to take action. I don’t want to just sit there and do nothing when my baby boy is missing.
“We were outside looking at the snow,” Whitney says. “The boys didn’t have proper winter jackets so Riley had taken them back inside but the rest of us were still outside. Literally just a few minutes passed and we went back inside and they were gone.”
“Gone?” I ask. “Well maybe she took them to the store or something…”
“No,” Whitney says, and hands me a note. “This was in their place.”
I open the piece of notebook paper and it just says:
Neglectful parents have their kids taken by clowns when they’re not watching them.
“What the hell?”
“This is a kidnapping,” Monica says. “I don’t know what those stupid clowns have been up to or why but this is not some stupid prank. This is straight up kidnapping and they are going to go to jail. Ramsey and the others will find them. I promise you that, Brynn.”
“I’ve called the Desert Dogs and they’re scouring the city,” Jensen informs us. “Come on, Larson, we need to go join them. Harlow and Ramsey are also looking for them by car.”
“Oh my god.”
I squeeze Larson’s hand before letting it go, with a mixture of emotions. I want him here with me. But it makes more sense that he’s out there finding my son. And Drew and James and Riley too.”
“I’ll find them,” Larson says, holding me tight. “And I will make them fucking pay. Don’t worry.”
But it’s like telling me not to breathe. Of course I’m going to worry.
“Hurry up and find them,” I tell him. “I’ll die if anything happened to Caleb.”
“Wherever they are, Riley’s with them,” Jensen tells me. “And she won’t let anything happen to them. I know she won’t.”
“Okay,” I say, although it’s small comfort.
Larson and Jensen rush out of the hotel to their bikes waiting outside. I had been thinking that yesterday had turned out to be the best day of my life. But today is already by far the worst.
Chapter 42 – Larson
Fuck these fucking clowns.
I can’t believe they took Caleb. The best little boy in the world. He doesn’t deserve to be fucking scared like this.
I speed off on my bike with Jensen by our side. We meet up with some of the other Desert Dogs but so far they’ve been unable to find the boys or Riley or any of the clowns.
“That was such a cryptic note,” Jensen remarks. “It doesn’t make any sense. We weren’t neglecting our children. We were right there with them.”
“Nothing about these clowns makes any sense,” says another of our members. “They’re just like trolls.”
I know that’s the popular theory, but I think these clowns are after something. I think they’re after me.
I’m going to make them fucking pay.
I can’t believe I told Brynn I love her, but didn’t get to tell her the rest of my story. I need to talk to her and explain what else I think could be happening. But first I need to concentrate on finding Caleb and the others.
“We need to find one of these fucking clowns and make him squeal like a baby pig,” I decide. “Where do clowns hang out? Circuses? Arcades?”
I know my ideas are fucking ridiculous but I have to think of any possibility that I can. I have to do something to find these assholes instead of just literally spinning my wheels.
“Where do they get their costumes?” I ask, thinking back about to what Chad had said at Billy’s earlier. “Everyone go to a different specialty shop and ask around about people buying anything that could be clown wear,” I instruct.
“Good idea,” says Jensen, shaking his head at me as if he’s surprised I ever have any.
It’s not a good idea because Chad told me the stores had stopped selling clown wear. But it’s the best I can come up with at the moment.
We divide up all the local places we can think of that might have seen these clowns.
“Call me if any of you find anything out at all,” I tell them. “I want to be there when we find these fuckers.”
“Sure will, Larson,” the members say, as they each set out in small groups to different areas of the City.
I circle out to the Party City on the West Side, but the manager confirms to me that there have been no clown sightings there and that they stopped selling any clown wear before Halloween.
“I mean, we have your standard variety wigs and colorful outfits and stuff,” he says with a shrug. “I guess someone with some imagination and creativity could throw together something resembling a clown costume. But as far as standard looking clown costumes, nope. We saw what was happening on the news and we didn’t want to be selling anything that could support or endorse that kind of mayhem.”
I thank him and ask him to call me if he sees anything suspicious at all, which are the instructions that all the members of Desert Dogs have been told to ask everything they talk to. I head back to my bike.
Hopefully someone will stumble upon some clues but I don’t think this is the way to find Caleb and the others. I’m sure all the stores will have the standard answers. And the other members have that covered for now.
I need to go check on Brynn as I’m sure she’s a mess. And I need to tell her what I left out of our prior conversation before she hates me forever.
Chapter 43 – Brynn
I want to be out there looking for Caleb with Larson and the others. But first I need to talk to some people. I’m so fucking angry and scared that I can barely think straight.
First off, I need to call Steven. I’m pretty sure he’s behind this because of the way the note was worded. He’s trying to prove me an unfit parent so he can take Caleb and not have to pay child support.
“Hello?” he answers, sounding tired and hungover, like I had woken him up.
He definitely doesn’t sound like he was expecting to hear from me, but I’m not going to let that fool me.
“What did you do with Caleb?” I demand.
“What?”
“This isn’t funny.”
“Caleb?”
He sounds as if he forgot our own son’s name.
“I didn’t do anything with Caleb. What are you talking about?”
Shit.
If for some strange reason it turns out that Steven’s not behind this, I certainly don’t want to give him any ammunition to use against me in court.
But maybe I should tell
him. Caleb is his son too, after all.
Maybe it’s a test to see if I tell him or not.
My mind races with all the possibilities and I have no idea what’s going on.
I decide to tell Steven if Caleb isn’t back within twenty-four hours, at which point I will need to find out if Steven really is involved or at least inform him of what’s happened.
But I can’t go twenty-four hours without finding out if Caleb is okay. I have to find out now. And Steven doesn’t seem like he’s going to be very helpful in any event.
“Nothing,” I tell him.
I need to figure out a good cover for having called him. I hadn’t thought this far ahead.
“I just wanted to know what you mean to do about the agreement,” I ad lib. “I sent you one back.”
It’s true, I had changed almost everything he’d suggested because none of it was fair to me. Or Caleb for that matter. I knew he wouldn’t like it and hadn’t meant to discuss it now but I didn’t know what else to say I was calling about.
“It’s an awful proposal,” he tells me. “I’ve gotten a lawyer. He will be in contact.”
“Steven,” I say, frustrated. “Seriously? You’d rather spend money on a lawyer than on our son?”
“Look Brynn, I tried to tell you, I’m just not interested in being your sugar daddy. You can work with me to get me out of this huge obligation I can’t afford, or you can fight me in court. Or you could always just let me sign away my rights so I’ll be out of your life forever and you won’t have to deal with me.”
“What did you just say?”
My heart is pounding and I don’t know how much more I can take. First I find out Caleb is missing and now I find out that his father thinks so little of him that he wants to just completely give him up.
My poor baby. He doesn’t deserve this.
“You heard me,” Steven says, and then audibly yawns into the phone. “I gotta go. You woke me up.”
I angrily hang up, wanting so bad to say “Fuck off” but knowing it’s futile. I will have to deal with Steven later. Right now I have to find out where Caleb is.
This could be some elaborate scheme on Steven’s part but he doesn’t seem smart enough to pull that off. Plus, now that I think about it, how would he orchestrate clowns to wreck havoc for months in Albuquerque when he’s in New York, only to finally take Caleb now?
It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but nothing does right now. All I know is that if Steven is behind this, he’s not letting me in on it. So it’s time to call the next suspect.
My hands shake as I dial Clay’s number. I know that doing this could cost me my job— my livelihood and way to provide for Caleb and myself— but I have to do it. I’m sick of catering to everything they want. I need to worry about what’s good for me too, like Riley says. And what’s good for me is finding my son.
“Brynn,” Clay says, sounding happy to hear that I called. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“You tell me,” I tell him. “What is going on?”
“Excuse me?” he says, sounding genuinely surprised. “I thought you would appreciate having the long weekend off for Thanksgiving. But it sounds like you’re upset.”
I can’t straight up accuse him of kidnapping my son. I’d sound like a crazy person. And that wouldn’t even make sense, now that I think about it.
But I don’t know what to think anymore.
“Clay, what is going on with the clowns from your party?” I ask him.
“What?” he asks, in the same confused tone of voice that Steven had had.
“It was pretty shitty to have clowns there when there were real ones terrorizing people,” I tell him.
I don’t usually talk to my clients like this but I’m sick of putting up with Clay and I need to find Caleb.
“Oh come on, Brynn,” he says, laughing. “You just had to call me the day after Thanksgiving to discuss my choice of Halloween fun? What has gotten into you?”
“What has gotten into me? What has gotten into you?” I demand. “Clowns were at the house I was staying at that night, trying to get into the car. I didn’t tell you because I don’t know that they had anything to do with the clowns at your party. But maybe they followed me home. Because now something worse has happened.”
“Oh, Brynn. My clowns were harmless. For entertainment purposes only. And I’m sorry to hear about what happened but there were clowns all over the city on Halloween so it’s not right of you to blame it on me. I was just having some harmless fun.”
“Some harmless fun?” I explode. “You warned everyone to be careful of the clowns out there but then you had some at your party?”
I remember how he had looked at me. I decide to just put it all out on the table.
“You acted like I wouldn’t be safe if I left your house. What was that about? Then after that you started this whole arrangement.”
“Oh, Brynn,” he says.
His dismissive tone is making me even angrier.
“It was all in jest. I have to admit I was quite intrigued by your choice of outfit. I thought maybe we could enjoy Halloween night together. It was just a joke though. Once you left I figured, fine, if she chooses that loser biker over me, it’s her loss. I certainly didn’t send any clowns after you or anything, if that’s what you’re implying.”
He says it as if he has much bigger weapons at his disposal. Which he probably does.
“So why did you come to New York and start this whole regional branch idea after that?” I ask, catching on to what he could mean.
“Because I wanted you and you didn’t want me,” he says, shrugging. “And now we’re stuck together. You know it as much as I do.”
I hate his smug tone and the fact that he knows he owns me. His next step is probably going to be straight up sexual harassment and I can’t do a thing about it because the firm would side with him over me in a heartbeat. Hell, they’d jump at the chance to have me gone so the partners could be in charge like they want to be anyway. Sooner or later he’s going to say I have to sleep with him or lose my job, I just know it.
But right now I have to concentrate on finding Caleb, and none of this entire conversation seems to be leading me towards accomplishing that goal.
“So you really have nothing to do with the clowns anymore, in any way or form?” I ask him.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Clay says.
“Something bad has happened,” I tell him, not wanting to say more than that.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he says. “You’re clearly freaking out about some emotional problem, I can tell. I hope all is well in La La Land with your biker dude. Hope he didn’t get arrested or anything. But I also hope you return to your senses soon. I was actually going to call you later today and tell you that I need you to do some work for me over the weekend.”
Fuck you, I want to tell him, just like I wanted to tell Steven. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.
“I won’t be able to do that work,” I tell him, and then I hang up.
It probably means I’ve just lost my job, but I don’t care. Clearly I was going to lose it anyway if I don’t sleep with this asshole, which I don’t want to do.
I just want to find Caleb. And not break down in the process.
Just then, Larson comes rushing in. I hope he has good news, but even if he doesn’t I’m glad he’s back. I could sure use his support right now. My world is crashing down and I can’t figure out a way to stop it.
Chapter 44 – Larson
Brynn looks like I feel. A defeated, deflated mess. But I hope I don’t look that way too. I need to give her some hope.
“I’ve figured out that the clowns aren’t buying stuff at the stores,” I tell her, as if that’s very helpful. “They have to have some more organized secret operation going on. This has to be bigger than something random and troll-ish.”
“I agree,” she says, looking like she’s going to cry but not actually crying. “At first I thought Ste
ven was behind this. That he was doing it to say I’m a bad parent and take Caleb away from me. But I called him and he sounds clueless and he basically said he wants to sign away his rights to Caleb.”
Now she is crying, and I wrap her up tight in my arms.
“I’m sorry, Brynn,” I tell her, kissing the tears away from her face. “That’s horrible.”
“In a strange way I’m sorry he’s not behind it,” she tells me, looking at me earnestly. “It would suck that his dad was that shitty to want to kidnap him just to get at me. But it’s even shittier that his dad doesn’t even care that much I guess. And at least I would have known he was safe. Now I don’t know what to think.”
“Brynn,” I tell her, pulling her up against my chest. “I have to tell you something. I didn’t want to tell you earlier because I’m not good at talking about it. But I had planned to. And now I need to. Because I think it could have something to do with whatever happened to Caleb.”
“What?”
She pushes back and looks at me with a mixture of confusion and anger. As she should. I know I should have told her. But I honestly didn’t know that Caleb could get caught up in this. Although I should have. These people are fucking ruthless. They’ll do anything to get back at me.
“I had a wife, and a son,” I tell her.
“You did?”
She looks absolutely shocked, but why wouldn’t she? It’s pretty shocking information to be just learning for the first time.
“I did. And I had to do a job against someone who was a terrorist. He had done awful things against the country. So I did that job. But his family retaliated.”
“They did?”
“It crushed my whole world. I wanted to die myself. I wish I could have traded places with them."
"Oh my god. I'm sure. I'm so sorry…"
"Shhhh," I tell her. "You don't have to be sorry. Just listen. Because I don’t want history to repeat itself. History is not going to repeat itself.”
She’s shaking now, and crying.
Sold as a Fake Fiancee: A Virgin and a Billionaire Romance Page 97
