“I managed to convince Emma to show Ernie where the key might be. I have a feeling it’s in a blue box her mum gave her that she’s now using as a jewellery box. It has to have a hidden compartment because the area inside seems too small for the actual outer box. Of course I never thought to wonder why before. You never told me you were looking for a key. Anyway, we told her finding it could help free her uncle from prison. I was gonna go with them, but I think Ernie didn’t trust me enough. He told me to stay here and tell you what happened.”
“All three of them went?” Kerrod asked. “Including Kallan?”
“Well, I suggested to Ernie it might be best that Kallan doesn’t see you here until you’re ready to out yourself, so he agreed to bring Kallan with him in the car—all tied up.”
“What if someone spots him in the backseat?”
“We put him in the boot.”
Kerrod shook his head.
“How did you explain away the kidnapping to Emma?” Addison asked.
“Just like we talked about—that I was on my way to her place to say sorry, and then I saw people trying to kidnap her. She believed that Ernie was an undercover cop with that fake badge of his. And once she trusted Ernie, she had no problem buying the story that Kallan is an Indie Rebel—one of her family’s enemies.”
Addison narrowed his eyes at him while he whipped his phone out, presumably to call Ernie.
Bryce held his breath. Hopefully, they wouldn’t hear Ernie’s phone vibrate.
“Fuck, he’s not answering,” Addison said. “Anyway, what the hell where you doing just sitting there? Why didn’t you tell us they’d gone?”
“I was going to, but I couldn’t find the bloody trap door, could I? With all these tiles, I couldn’t remember which blocks lifted up.”
“Are you dumb?” Addison asked in disbelief.
Bryce just shrugged.
Addison rolled his eyes. “I’m going to Emma’s apartment. Kerrod, continue working. You keep him company, Bryce.”
“Sure. I think I’m getting close,” Kerrod said.
“You keep saying that. My patience is wearing thin,” Addison said with a glare.
“I’m much closer than I was yesterday,” Kerrod said defensively, climbing back down the basement ladder.
Addison walked to the door. “I think it’s time to bring Emma into the fold.”
“Addison,” Bryce said. “Emma doesn’t have to know about the syndicate.”
“Nah. It’s easier if she knows. Plus, Myra would finally have someone to bitch with regarding our activities.” Addison exited and banged the door shut.
Bryce fisted his hands, but ordered himself to remain calm even if he wanted to charge onto Addison and deck the fucker.
This wasn’t what he’d hoped for. He’d wanted Addison and Kerrod together so he could keep an eye on both. But even though Addison was the big boss, Kerrod was the more important target at this point in time. He was pleased he had the bastard in his sights.
Quietly, he went down to the basement. While Kerrod was just as well-built as he was, he was sure he could overpower him.
But the door to Kerrod’s room was locked. Damn it! The man was a bit paranoid.
He went back up, hoping that somehow the IR team would find out where he was.
Had Emma and Kallan gone far away enough for Addison not to bump into them? God, he hoped so.
Chapter 22
“We’re almost there,” Kallan said. “We’re lucky we’re close to my friend’s place.”
Emma glanced around again as they walked briskly. It was such a quiet neighbourhood and most of the houses were dark. No surprises there, as it was quite late. People would be in bed.
It made her nervous, though. They’d been walking for more than five minutes. What if one of the Fixers found them and took them back to the warehouse? They were so exposed here, the only two people outside on this long street.
“I haven’t said I’m sorry yet,” Kallan said. “I’ll say it now. I’m sorry. I was supposed to be your bodyguard and I let you down.”
Emma glanced at him in surprise. “Hey, it’s not your fault. But how did you know I was in danger?”
“Myra.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “How did she know?”
“I’m still figuring that out. She called me earlier and told me I needed to get to you pronto as kidnappers might be coming for you. She said she didn’t want to take the time to explain, that I should just go and literally drag you out of your apartment to take you somewhere safe. I’d thought about calling the police, but since I was so close to you, I just bolted out of my apartment and ran to yours. Unfortunately, I was still a couple of minutes too late. And I should have called the police.”
Emma stared at Kallan, having a hard time processing what he’d just said. Her dad’s fiancée was the one who told him she was in danger?
“Not far to go,” Kallan said as they turned into a street. “We’ll make another right turn at that intersection up ahead, and my friend’s house is around the corner.”
Emma nodded, feeling empty and achy—and very thirsty. She heard a vehicle turn to the street they were on, and a black van suddenly stopped next to them. She tensed, ready to scream her lungs out if someone suspicious got out of that vehicle.
But someone grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth.
Oh, no. Not again.
She struggled as she was lifted bodily into the van with face-to-face bench-type seats running along each side. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kallan had met the same fate. When she was released inside the vehicle, Emma turned to look at their captors.
Her eyes widened and her heart raced. Apart from her and Kallan, there were five other people getting into the van. And they were all wearing all-black attire from head to foot.
Indie Rebels.
“Don’t be scared,” one of the guys said. “We’re not here to hurt you.”
Emma glared at them, her fear quickly replaced by anger. “You bastards.”
“Emma, we’re not your enemy,” said another.
She narrowed her eyes. “So you know who I am. What do you plan to do? Set me up like you did to my uncle?”
“We didn’t set up your uncle. But we can talk about that later. Tell us what happened in the warehouse.”
“Leave her alone,” Kallan growled.
The first guy who had spoken sighed. “Look, we know that Bryce Green is in there, and we don’t want him to get hurt in any way. We need to know what’s gone on so we can act accordingly.”
Despite her lack of trust for these IRs, Emma asked a question. “How can we believe you?”
First Speaker rose from his seat to squat in front of her. “Emma, we honestly want to save Bryce. Please, tell us what happened. Time could be running out.”
Emma blinked. This person’s soft plea had sounded…heartfelt. God, she found herself wanting to hope. She glanced at Kallan, sitting in front of her.
“I wouldn’t trust them at all,” Kallan said, shaking his head.
First Speaker let out a sigh. “Who told you we’re the bad guys?”
Emma scowled. “You set my uncle up. You put him in jail.”
“Yes, we put him in jail. But who told you we set him up?”
Emma huffed. What were they trying to prove?
“Let me answer that for you,” First Speaker said. “The only people telling you we’re the bad guys are from the Fern family, correct?”
Emma blinked. That was true. But, of course, she believed her family.
“I’m sorry to say this, Emma, but your dad is the head of a crime gang called the Fixers.”
She gasped out loud. “No.”
“Your uncle was his right-hand man. They’d been in the illegal drug trade for many years.”
Emma shook her head, refusing to believe it. How dare these people accuse her father—her family—of something so despicable.
“Addison is very hard to catch because he’s always go
ing in and out of the country to hide from us and the police.”
“Maybe that’s how Myra knew you were in trouble,” Kallan said, his eyes rounding. “And your dad’s looking for evidence your mother had against them…”
Emma’s breath left her, and she felt herself sway slightly as the floor underneath her seemed to give way.
“Emma,” said the IR to her right, steadying her. “Are you okay?”
“Here’s some water.”
The woman’s voice startled Emma. It sounded familiar. She looked to her left to glance at her.
Kallan took the bottle and opened it. “Drink,” he urged.
Emma took large gulps, still looking at the woman. Unfortunately, with the IR’s dark glasses, Emma couldn’t even see her eyes. But she couldn’t possibly know this lady.
“This is not a joke or a set-up,” the IR on Emma’s right said. “You have to tell us what happened.”
Emma frowned, realising something. All these people sounded familiar. It had to be her head. It was a jumble of thoughts, none of which made much sense. She wasn’t thinking straight.
And her father was the head of the Fixers.
“No. That can’t be true,” she said in a strong voice, needing her words to be reality. Yet, scene after scene started popping in her head—from her childhood to today. Some of her mother’s words and actions that had confused her in the past started to make sense—if her dad was truly an underworld figure.
“No,” she repeated in a whisper. These IRs had to be tricking her and Kallan. They were good at that, right?
“Bryce has been helping us recently, too,” First Speaker said gently. “He knows the Fixers have been sprouting lies about us. He’s been helping us get some intel. We’re on his side. And if we don’t act now, it might be too late for him. Please, guys.”
“How do we know this is not bullshit?” Kallan demanded. “How did Bryce end up helping you?”
“We found out that the Fixers wanted something from Emma, but we don’t know what. We approached Bryce and told him the situation because we’re keen to take the whole syndicate down. He agreed to help. Because of Emma.”
Emma took a sharp intake of breath. Bryce was working with the Indie Rebels because of her? Did he really trust them?
Wait, hadn’t Bryce asked her and Kallan to call the IRs? What had he said exactly? “Better yet, call the Indie Rebels.”
Her heart pounded. Perhaps these people might be able to help Bryce after all. She and Kallan had failed to call the police, and time might be running out. Still…
“No one’s coming for Bryce but us,” First Speaker said insistently. “Whether you tell us what happened or not, we’ll be going in anyway. But we might make the wrong decisions without your input.”
Emma shut her eyes. She had no idea how far she could trust these guys or if she could trust them at all. But if they could help Bryce in any way before the Fixers got to him…
“Someone drugged me and Kallan,” she began.
Kallan exhaled harshly, but didn’t try to stop her.
“Do you know who did it?” the lady IR asked.
She shook her head, and told them the whole story.
The Indie Rebels started talking tactics while they drove to the warehouse, discussing different scenarios and how they would approach each one.
Emma was impressed, and the more she listened, the more she believed they really meant to save Bryce. Thank you, God.
“You guys stay here,” First Speaker said to her and Kallan as they stopped before they got to the driveway of the warehouse. “The driver will stay with you.”
“I’m going with you,” Kallan said.
“No.”
“I want to help Bryce. Actually, put it this way. I want to make sure you help Bryce. Plus, those bastard Fixers drugged me and Emma.”
“No.”
“I’ll follow anyway,” Kallan said stubbornly. “So you might as well include me in your plans or I’ll just be a liability.”
First Speaker sighed. “Okay, fine. You follow my orders, clear?”
“Fine,” Kallan said dryly.
Four Indie Rebels went into the warehouse with Kallan.
“I wish I could go too,” Emma said. “But I don’t have the skills Kallan has and I could make things worse for Bryce.”
“Good call,” said the driver, a woman.
Emma eyed the masked lady who, for some reason, had a funny deep tone. Was she trying to disguise her voice? “I kept you here, didn’t I? You could have gone with them.”
“You’re just as important as Bryce, Emma. We can’t let anything happen to you.”
The sincerity in the woman’s tone touched Emma. Why did they care so much about her?
Or were they only trying to make her drop her guard?
Regardless, if these people brought Bryce out of that warehouse and back to her, she’d be indebted to them.
“Yes, copy,” the driver said to no one in particular.
Emma realised this IR had a listening device in her ear. Maybe all of them did. “Was that from someone in the warehouse?”
“No. It was someone at our control centre. You have a sister, right?”
Her heart pounded. “Are they safe? Jill and Myra?”
“It’s clear Myra knows a few things about the Fixers—she knew you were about to be kidnapped. We’ve checked her out and learnt that she’d tried to escape the syndicate more than once in the past.”
Emma’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yes. Then when she had Jill, she stopped trying. Our worry is that they might punish her when they learn that she was the one who called Kallan and warned him about your kidnapping. We’re pretty sure that her phone calls are always being monitored. It’s only a matter of time before the Fixers find out what she did.”
Fear gripped Emma’s chest. “You’ve got to help her. Please.”
“Some of our agents are already on their way to their place. We want to remove her and Jill from their house as soon as possible before Addison finds out what she did.”
Emma stared at the IR. That the Fixers were a criminal syndicate, she understood. But her father being its head? She still couldn’t believe it.
She didn’t want to believe it.
Chapter 23
Bryce noticed the warehouse’s entrance door open and, before he could react, four Indie Rebels streamed in quietly, followed by Kallan. He grinned his relief. His teammates were here.
But where was Emma?
“What’s the status?” Aidan asked.
“Is Emma safe?” First and foremost, he had to know.
“Yes. She’s fine.”
He let out a breath, then pointed to the open trap door. “Jester’s working in a locked room down there.”
“You found Jester?” Aidan asked excitedly.
“Yes. And Addison has gone to Emma’s apartment to look for the key. I assume Emma and Kallan had told you what happened here earlier.”
Aidan nodded and sent instructions to the control centre to hack cameras around Emma’s apartment so they could track Addison. “We’ll come for him as soon as we get Jester.”
“Who is Jester?” asked Jaxon. “Someone we know?”
“Yes,” Bryce said. “But first, we need to get Kallan up-to-speed on this particular issue.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see,” he said quietly.
Aidan nodded, and proceeded to tell Kallan a summary of who Jester was and why they were looking for him.
“Wow,” Kallan said. “He’s currently your number one enemy, huh?”
“Yes,” Bryce said with a sigh. “Kallan… He’s your brother. Kerrod.”
Kallan staggered back. “No.”
“I’m sorry, bro.”
“We gotta move,” Aidan said. “What are we up against downstairs?”
“Just a locked door. High quality combination lock. You’ll need special equipment.”
“I came prepared,” Xavier s
aid, opening a backpack he carried and pulling out a small machine. He climbed down the ladder and everyone followed, one-by-one.
Bryce glanced at Kallan. The shock on the man’s face hadn’t disappeared.
Xavier attached the IR lock-picker machine and pressed a button, while the costumed IRs positioned themselves for an invasion of Kerrod’s office. Bryce stayed at the back. He wasn’t wearing his IR outfit. He couldn’t be seen acting fluidly with the others.
They heard a very faint click and Aidan opened the door. Quietly and swiftly, they’d surrounded Kerrod, and Jaxon cuffed him. Kerrod hadn’t even gotten to utter a single word.
Kallan walked into the room.
“Kallan!” Kerrod cried.
“What in the hell is going on, Kerrod?” Kallan asked, his voice cold and his face stony.
Kerrod slumped in his seat. “They threatened me, Kallan.”
“You didn’t seem threatened a while ago,” Bryce interjected. “You looked like a very willing participant.”
Kerrod glared at him. “When you’re under Addison Fern’s thumb, you follow orders, even when he’s not around.”
“But you’re Jester,” Aidan said. “You’ve been known to work with several underground organisations, not just the Fixers.”
“And I’ve been threatened by all of them,” Kerrod said with a mirthless snicker. “You don’t seriously believe those people take no for an answer, do you? So can you help me?”
“With what?” Jaxon asked sarcastically.
“I need you to keep me safe from Addison and his men.”
The IRs looked each other.
“I’ll show you all the projects I’m working on. Just protect me, please.”
“What about Sharryn?” Bryce asked.
Kerrod’s lips tugged to one side. “That’s an arranged engagement. I agreed to be part of the Fern family in exchange for protection from the other groups that won’t leave me alone. They constantly threaten me to work for them.”
“So you’re not in love with her?”
“I don’t mind her. But no, I’m not in love with her. I doubt she’s in love with me either. The Fixers syndicate is her main priority, and she sees me as valuable asset.”
Bryce: The Project (Indie Rebels Book 3) Page 18
