Roped In

by L. P. Dover

  “Did he ever have security walking around?”

  “Nah, not ever. This is a first.”

  Probably because he had precious cargo in the house. The sound of a car caught my ear. “Someone’s coming.” A small, red sports car came barreling down the road and I recognized it immediately.

  “It’s Hadley’s father,” Nick pointed out.

  “I know.” I held up the binoculars and watched him get through the gate with no issues. “Well, this just got interesting.”

  “Do you think he put the hit out on you?”

  My blood boiled. “I don’t know. If he did, he’ll fucking regret it.” George got out of the car and walked right into the house.

  “She’ll be fine, right?” Nick asked.

  “I fucking hope so. Whatever happens tonight, I need you to be all in. There’s no hesitating. If you want her out alive, you have to be willing to do whatever’s necessary.”

  He nodded. “I won’t hesitate, even if I have to kill Tristan myself.”

  “Even knowing you might get killed in the process? If you want to back out, now’s the time to do it. I can do this myself.” The last thing I needed was to worry about him while we were in there. I saw how upset Hadley was when he was in the hospital, and I didn’t want her having to go through that again.

  Nick huffed. “I’ll be fine. I’m a fucking hockey player. I like to kick ass.”

  Rolling my eyes, I glanced down at my watch. We had two more hours for the sun to go down. We’d already been out there for over three, and it felt like a fucking eternity. Usually, I’d go in guns blazing, but I couldn’t do that, not with Hadley’s life on the line. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out. It showed up as Hadley.

  Nick glanced down at it. “Why does he keep calling from her phone?”

  “Because he knows I’ll answer it.” I accepted the call and growled low into the phone. “What?”

  “I see you’re still alive. I knew you would be.”

  “Can’t say the same for you. What do you want?”

  “We’re on the same side, Mr. Evans. And right now, Hadley needs our help. I need you here, tonight. We don’t have much time.”

  I scoffed. “Don’t worry, I already know where you are. I don’t need your help.” I hung up, not waiting for a reply. I didn’t trust him, not when he was one of the reasons Hadley was gone.

  Nick stared at me. “What?” I snapped.

  “It sounds like he’s really trying to help.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I can’t trust anyone but myself. I learned that the hard way.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  For the next couple of hours, I showed Nick how to hold his pistol and how to load it. One of Mason’s guys had given us extra ammo, since I only had enough for myself. Nick needed to be prepared. The guy might be a pain in my ass, but I could see it in his eyes, he wasn’t afraid. It was what I needed.

  The sky began to turn dark, and it was time to move. Once everything was packed up, we moved closer to the house so I could set up. Nick pointed to the house. “How are we going to get in?”

  I opened my laptop and typed away. “I’m going to override the security system. For just a few brief minutes, we’ll be able to climb the fence undetected. As soon as we get in, I want to find Hadley and then get you two out of there.”

  “What about you?” he stormed, jerking his head toward me.

  “I’m not leaving until they pay for what they did.”

  “Hadley’s not going to like that.”

  I knew she wouldn’t, but she had no choice. “She’ll just have to understand.”

  A twig snapped behind us a couple hundred feet back. I tensed and so did Nick. “What was that?” he whispered.

  “Someone’s here.” I pointed to one of the large trees beside us. “Crouch low in front of that tree. We don’t want to shoot out here.”

  “Don’t shoot, got it.” He crawled over to the tree and crouched low.

  It was so dark, I could barely see him, but I had a night sensor on my pistol that helped. Another twig snapped and when I pointed my gun in the general direction, I found what I was looking for. It was Connor. As quietly as I could, I stood and took small, calculated steps through the brush. Without him knowing, I circled around and came up behind him.

  “I told you I didn’t need you,” I warned.

  He lifted his hands and held them out. “I told Hadley you would come.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Either in her room or Tristan’s. I saw them taking her away, kicking and screaming. She obviously found out something while I was gone. The next thing I knew, they were coming to my house to put a bullet in my head.”

  “And why would they do that?”

  He sighed. “Because Tristan and I don’t see eye to eye. When I found out what he was up to, I challenged him on it. And if there’s one thing you don’t do, it’s cross him.”

  “Why did you then?”

  His shoulders stiffened. “You’re not the only one he took something from.”

  “You expect me to believe this?”

  “No, but it’s all you got. He’s planning to take her to Ireland tomorrow and as soon as she’s with our people, getting her out will be nearly impossible.”

  “What does her father have to do with this? Did he order the hit on me?”

  He shook his head. “No, he’s clueless. That was all Tristan. George doesn’t even know he was the one involved here. Every message was passed through me. The man was desperate after the last threat, so he asked me to fake her death. Obviously, he doesn’t know the consequences of dealing with my kind.”

  Nick left his spot by the tree and stormed over. “Why does Tristan want to take Hadley?”

  If Connor was surprised at his presence, he didn’t show it. “Because he’s obsessed with her; has been for years. Can I drop my arms now?”

  Lowering my gun, I stepped around him and he dropped his arms. “Are you trying to say he’s been here this whole time just for her?”

  “As fucked up as it sounds, that’s exactly what I’m saying. He orchestrated this whole thing, studying her and her friends.” He turned to Nick. “Including you. He hated you with Hadley. Thinks you tried to take her away from him.”

  Nick tensed. “What a fucking bastard. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was the one who broke into Hadley’s that night and killed Scott.”

  “And shot you,” I added.

  Connor glanced back and forth at us. “I’ve thought about that. He denied it when I asked him. He claims he was with a girl that night. If I went snooping, he’d know.” He shrugged and pointed at the house. “But now we have a bigger problem. Tristan’s plan was to take Hadley away before her father got back. I don’t know what the fuck he’s doing here early. Tristan isn’t going to like that. My guess is, they’ll kill him to keep him out of the way. Tristan gets off on getting rid of obstacles.”

  The sky grew darker and time was running out. “All right, let’s get this shit started,” I said, hurrying to my laptop. “How many people does he have in there?”

  “Just two. I’m assuming Dillon is missing because you got rid of him already?”

  Nick snorted. “He’s not dead, but Evans fucked him up.”

  They talked back and forth while I typed away and got everything ready to go. All I had to do was click one button and the system would be down. “Where should we go in at?” I asked.

  Connor cleared his throat. “The window in Hadley’s room is unlocked. I caught her trying to escape last night. When I shut it, I never locked it.”

  “Why did she try to leave?”

  “Tristan drugged her and thought she was passed out when he said he wanted you dead. When she woke up, she tried to get to you. I was there to stop her.”

  Clenching my teeth, I clicked the override button. There was no telling what all that fucker had done to her. “This ends tonight. Let’s go.”

  We took off for the fence and got
over it with ease. Without the override, we wouldn’t have been able to withstand the electrical current running through the wires. It’d be like getting struck by lightning. Once again, I was thankful for my many connections.

  When we got to the back of the house, I climbed up the side and opened the window Connor pointed to. Hadley wasn’t in there, but I slid in and helped Nick and Connor inside.

  “She must be in Tristan’s room,” Connor hissed.

  The thought made me so goddamn pissed I couldn’t see straight. I stormed for the door. “I’m going up there to find her.”

  Nick pulled out his gun and had it ready. “And I’ll try to find her father. The faster we find them both, the quicker we can get the hell out of here.”

  I didn’t like him going out on his own, but he knew the risks. “What are you going to do?” I asked Connor.

  Eyes blazing, he held up his gun. “I’m ready for my own revenge.”

  They both took off down the stairs and I went up to the third floor. The hallway was dark but I knew exactly where to go when a figure caught my eye. Tristan had one of his goons stationed right outside of a room. Unfortunately, I couldn’t shoot or it’d alert the whole house. Sneaking into one of the other rooms, I closed the door and lightly scraped my fingers across it.

  “Come on, bastard,” I grumbled.

  The sound of his footsteps steadily approached and the door creaked open. As soon as I saw the gun in his hand, I grabbed his wrist and twisted. He started to shout, but I wrapped my other arm around his face and snapped his neck. One down, two to go. I pulled him further into the room and stole the keys off his belt.

  Hurrying down the hall, I studied the lock. There were a ton of keys, but only a couple of brass ones; that was what I needed. I tried the first, second, and third one, but they didn’t work. I got down to the last one and it turned home. Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and opened the door, not knowing what the hell I was going to see.

  Hadley

  For the past couple of hours, I dreaded the moment Tristan would walk through that door and now the time had finally come. My eyes burned, but I refused to let him break me. No matter what happened, I was going to stand strong with my head held high. Could I fight him off? Maybe, but not for long. I knew I didn’t stand a chance in the long run, at least not alone. My father was there somewhere, and I didn’t know if Tristan was going to keep his word. I had no doubt he would kill him if I defied him.

  Closing my eyes, I clutched my stomach and took a deep breath. I felt sick and disgusted with myself for what I was about to do. There was no choice as long as my dad’s life was on the line. Maybe I could make myself sick and puke on him when he tried to fuck me. Either way, I had to figure it out. The door opened and closed, his footsteps drawing closer. My heart pounded harder with each passing second. He knew I’d do anything to keep my family and friends safe. How could I lay there and pretend to enjoy him fucking me?

  “Please, Tristan,” I begged, “don’t make me do this.” Holding my stomach tighter, I fought the urge to vomit. I might need it later.

  “Hadley.” Gasping, I opened my eyes and froze. “Hadley, are you okay?”

  Slowly, I turned around, tears falling the moment I saw him. He approached slowly, staring at me as if I would break. Little did he know, he gave me all the strength I needed. “You’re here!” I cried, rushing into his arms.

  His arms closed in around me and he held me so tight I could barely breathe, but I didn’t care. He was there. That was all that mattered. “I’m here,” he murmured. I didn’t want to let him go, but he pulled back and clutched my face in his firm grip, his gray eyes dark and dangerous. “What did he do to you?”

  “Nothing,” I said, hoping he couldn’t see the lie in my face. His gaze narrowed and I looked away; he could see right through me. “Other than drugging me, he hasn’t had the chance to do much. But my father’s here somewhere and he’s in trouble. So is Connor.”

  Grabbing my hand, he pulled me to the door. “Connor’s fine. He’s here with me and Nick.”

  “Nick?” I hissed. “Why is he here?”

  He stopped in front of the door and sighed. “He cares about you, Hadley. As much as I dislike the guy, he’s actually been quite useful. Now let’s go.” We snuck out into the hall, and he froze, pulling out his phone.

  “Who is it?” I whispered.

  “It’s Nick. He’s downstairs with your father. He needs help getting him out.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, I followed him down the stairs. My father was still alive. “Where’s Tristan? He has two other guys with him,” I informed him.

  Squeezing my hand, he jerked me into a darkened corner, his gaze on a security camera by the ceiling. “There’s only one now.”

  “What happened to the other one?” I asked.

  He glanced at me quickly and then averted his gaze back to the camera. “He’s dead. There was no other way.” Once the camera turned toward the other side of the room, we took off down the hall. “Nick said it’s the second door on the right.” We got to the door and he guided me out of the way. “Let me go in there first. It might be a trap.” Holding his gun in one hand, he turned the knob with the other. The room was half lit and the only thing I could see over Blake’s shoulder was Nick’s head. Blake glanced back at me. “We’re good, come on.”

  We rushed inside to find Nick trying to get my father free from his restraints. His head lolled to the side and he was bound to a chair, clearly drugged.

  “Dad,” I gasped, racing over to him. I tried to lift his head, but he was out.

  Nick passed Blake the knife, then lifted me up in his arms. “Thank fucking God you’re okay. We thought you were dead.”

  “I would’ve been if you two didn’t show up. There is no way I could’ve submitted to his wishes.” I shivered at the thought.

  He set me down and went straight back to helping Blake. Once my father was free, Nick hauled him up by one side and I took the other. Blake peered out the door and motioned for us to follow him. We got to the main foyer and all I could see was the front door beckoning us closer. Almost there.

  Blake grasped my chin and kissed me. “I want you to go with Nick and hide in the woods. I’ll be out there soon.” I started to protest, but he kissed me again. “Don’t, Hadley. Just do as I say.”

  I didn’t want him leaving me, not when I just got him back.

  “Hads, let’s go,” Nick urged. We started for the door, but it slammed open and we stopped dead in our tracks. Nick pulled out his gun, but we were in a standoff, and the other guy was most likely faster.

  “Going somewhere?” Shades taunted, pointing his gun straight at Nick’s face.

  Blake’s gun clicked from behind. “Drop it.”

  “Maybe you should drop yours,” Tristan called out as he entered the room.

  Shades smirked and walked around the edge of the room, while Nick followed his movements. Now we were facing Tristan and Blake, but Tristan was behind Blake who in turn had his gun still pointed at Shades. Tristan was in the clear.

  “You lying sack of shit,” Nick spat. “How could you do this?”

  Tristan rolled his eyes. “Pretty easy, actually. My only mistake was not killing you.”

  Nick tensed. “So it was you.”

  “Nothing personal, brother. You had something I wanted and I used you to get to it. Speaking of which,” he noted, turning his dark eyes to me, “you’re not in my bed where you’re supposed to be. I told you bad things would happen if you disobeyed me.”

  “Tristan, please,” I begged. “You don’t have to do this. I’ll go with you.” Blake shook his head, but I had no choice. I couldn’t gamble with their lives. Taking a deep breath, I let go of my father and glanced at Nick. “I’m sorry.” One step at a time, I walked over to Tristan and stood by his side.

  “Good girl. Now let’s make sure you don’t do it again.” Then everything moved in slow motion as he pointed his gun at my father and fired.
/>   “No!” I screamed, falling to the floor.

  My father hissed, but was still out of it from the drugs. Nick grunted with holding his weight and eventually dropped him to the floor so he could keep his gun trained on Shades. Blood oozed onto the floor from his thigh and all I could see was red.

  “Bastard,” I shouted, glaring straight at Tristan.

  “It was just a knick, love. A simple reminder to take my threats seriously.” He edged closer to Blake. “Now what am I going to do about this one? That is, if I’m correct in assuming this is the infamous Blake Evans. I heard you killed one of my guys. Not an easy task.”

  “Two,” Blake pointed out. “The other one’s upstairs.” Tristan growled and slammed the heel of his gun down on the back of Blake’s head. Hissing, he fell to his knees, a trail of blood dripping down his neck.

  I choked in terror. “Tristan, stop! I’ll go with you if you just leave them alone. I’ll do whatever you want.” It was a lie, but I had to get him away from Blake.

  Turning his attention to me, he smirked. “So you’ll let me fuck you whenever I want?”

  By the look in his eyes, he’d kill them all no matter what I did. I just needed to give them more time. Clenching my teeth, I closed my eyes and nodded.

  “I can’t hear you, Hadley,” Tristan taunted.

  My eyes snapped open and I shot to my feet. “Yes!” Adrenaline coursed through my veins. “You want me now? Let’s go.” He stared at me like I’d lost my mind, and maybe I had. All I knew was, I had to do something. Pulse racing, I stalked past him toward the stairs, not knowing what the hell I was going to do.

  An idea hit me and I had a split second to act. Grabbing the antique Celtic cross Tristan had showcased on one of his tables, I turned and hurled it at his head. He saw it in enough time to duck, but it gave Blake the time he needed to act.

  Then everything moved in super speed all around me. Blake and Tristan battled it out while Nick and Shades fought on the other side of the room. I didn’t know who to help or where to go. A gun fired and I screamed, but then I was dragged out of the room from behind and let go.