One Family

by Smyth, R. A

  “We should get to class,” Aiden interjects, completely unaware of the filthy words Barrett is muttering to our girl or the way my dick is straining against my fly.

  “I’ve gotta go to the loo first,” Sophie blurts out, not hanging around before dashing away. You’d think she was about to piss herself, but the cheesy as fuck grin that spreads across Barrett’s face as he gives us a two-finger salute and takes off after her tells me all I need to know.

  Chapter 39

  “I’m heading in now,” Oliver whispers, the faint sound of a car door closing and gravel crunching under his feet as he makes his way into The Citadel coming through over the speakers.

  Through the micro-camera attached to his leather jacket, we can watch everything as he climbs the steps into the mansion.

  “Oliver?” Some well-dressed guy in a suit asks. “What are you doing here?”

  “Just thought I’d stop by,” he responds casually, like he isn’t walking into the lion’s den with a video-audio recording device strapped to him.

  “Huh, didn’t think this sort of place was your thing. Rarely see you here.”

  “Yeah, it’s not usually, but I’m feeling a little...adventurous tonight.”

  The guy just chuckles, like it’s fucking funny.

  “Sure. We’re quiet tonight, so you have your choice of girls.”

  “Excellent,” he responds, shifting his body so we can take in the expansive foyer. There’s a reception area to one side, with a large bar and seating area on the other. Other than Oliver and the guy presumably manning the reception desk, no one else is around.

  “Wow, it really is empty,” Ty says, echoing my thoughts. “Things must not be going well, without all the rich fucks here to help.”

  “Pussy’s not as good as it used to be though,” the guy says in a low voice, leaning in close to Oliver so his words don’t resonate. “Between you and me, I prefer them Asian girls, but we haven’t had any in a while.”

  Yeah, probably since Kirk offed Meaghan’s dad, and he lost his ties to the import-export business.

  “That sucks,” Oliver responds, sounding like he really doesn’t give a shit about it. Which I’m sure he doesn’t.

  “Anyway,” the guy continues, coughing to clear his throat. “Don’t let me keep you. We have some new security measures I need to take you through, then you can enjoy your night.”

  New security measures? Shit. My eyes flash up to Aiden and Ty, who share a similar look, clearly unaware of these changes.

  “Sure,” Oliver agrees easily. Am I the only one that hears the tightness in his voice?

  “Just stick your phone, weapon and anything else that’s metal into the tray and walk through the detector. You’ll get everything back when you leave,” the guy explains, indicating what looks like a metal detector you’d find at the airport.

  I breathe a sigh of relief. A metal detector is no big deal. Kirk must be worried about people bringing weapons into The Citadel. As much as we wanna destroy every sick fuck associated with this place, we’re not here to kill or maim them tonight.

  We watch as Oliver empties his pockets. Between the small collection of knives and guns he has on him, plus his phone, he needs two trays just to hold all his crap. Where the hell does he hide all that on him?!

  Moving over to the detector, he steps into it. That’s the last we see or hear. As soon as he enters the detector, everything goes black. The video stops and the audio goes dead.

  “What the fuck just happened?” I panic.

  Preston grabs the laptop off the table, pressing frantically at the keys in a bid to bring it all back to life while we all watch him anxiously.

  “I don’t know,” he eventually sighs. “There must be some sort of interference on his end.”

  “FUCK,” Aiden roars, jumping to his feet and pacing around the warehouse. “We should have expected this,”

  “We thought they would pat him down and take away his phone and weapons, but we couldn’t have predicted they’d have something set up to jam outgoing signals. That’s high-tech stuff,” Preston justifies, still working away on the laptop, hoping to bring back the signal.

  “What if they’re on to him now?” I ask anxiously, gnawing on my lip. If something happens to Oliver, it’s all our fault.

  “I’ve gotta go check on him,” Aiden says, moving to grab the car keys from the breakfast bar. Before he can get them though, Barrett sweeps in, snatching them up. “What the fuck are you doing?” Aiden growls at him.

  “You can’t just go storming over there, what’re you gonna do?” He asks.

  “I dunno, I’ll think of something on the way.”

  Aiden runs his hands through his hair, fisting it in his frustration so the ends stick up all over the place.

  “He’s right, man,” Ty reasons, sighing heavily. “We can’t go storming in there, yet. There might not even be anything wrong and we could blow this whole thing to shit if we interfere. We need to give him time.”

  Glaring at Ty, his jaw ticking, he finally relents. “Fine,” he snarls through gritted teeth. “But I’m not sitting here waiting for him. I’m at least going to be close by if he needs me.”

  Turning his gaze back to Barrett, he holds out his hand expectantly for the keys. Every aspect of his demeanor right now warns Barrett not to fucking mess with him.

  “He’s right,” I interject, breaking up the standoff between the two of them. “We need to be there if Oliver needs us.”

  “There’s no we about this,” Preston barks, his eyes narrowing as they meet mine. “You’re staying here.”

  “I sure as hell am not,” I snort, refusing to be left behind. There is absolutely no way I’m staying in this stupid fucking warehouse while one or more of them is out there, possibly needing help.

  “Ty and I will go, you three stay here,” Aiden says authoritatively.

  “No,” I push, adamant that if Oliver is in trouble, I want to be there for him. He’s done so much for us. Kirk would have caught us a long time ago if it hadn’t been for his interference.

  Ty, seeing the resolve in my eye, sighs. “We should all go,” he says.

  “Definitely not.”

  “No way.”

  Both Preston and Aiden respond at once.

  “There’s no reason for Sophie to go,” Preston growls at him. “She’ll be safe here. We’ve no idea what could go down tonight!”

  “Which is why you two should stay here with her,” Aiden barks. “All three of you would be a liability.”

  Preston snorts, offended at Aiden’s statement. “I think Barrett and I have more than proven we can handle this shit,” he snarls, glaring darkly at Aiden. He’s right, though. They have. They haven’t faltered once with doing what needed done.

  “Eh, hello! Am I the only one who recalls that I killed Kurt. I think that shows that I can handle myself too,” I snark, pissed off that they're treating me like some helpless idiot who can’t look after herself. Yeah, I don’t have the same fighting or weapons training as they do, but I’ve come a long way from the girl that showed up here many months ago. I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to get us all out of this alive.

  All four of them cringe, not liking the reminder. I know each of them is furious they weren’t the ones that got to kill him, but honestly, I’m kinda glad it was me. I feel like I’ve taken a part of myself back, reclaimed something he’d stolen from me. If the guys had just swooped in and saved me, I don’t think I would have bounced back the way I have. I feel stronger now, more capable. I’m still coming to terms with what he made me do, but the actual killing him bit? That doesn’t keep me awake at night.

  “I’m coming,” I persist. “Besides,” I continue, stomping over to snatch the keys from Barrett before anyone else can say a word. “For all we know Oliver is fine, and we won't be doing anything but going for a late night drive.”

  Preston scowls at me, but thankfully he backs down. So does Aiden, and the four of them mumble words of agr
eement while Aiden moves to the room at the back of the warehouse where they’ve been keeping our weapons.

  Once we’re all armed, we pile into the SUV and Barrett drives us towards The Citadel. None of us say anything, everyone preparing themselves for what might happen tonight.

  My leg bounces while I wish with everything I’ve got that nothing more exciting than sitting in a parked car is ahead of us. I’d been fully behind the plan to gather video evidence and do the same thing we did with Kurt’s dad. It would have been fairly safe for all of us and we could have taken down The Citadel and the TFB in one go. What the hell are we going to do about it all now?

  Barrett pulls over a couple of streets away from Pine Tree Lane. The silence in the car reaches deafening levels as we all peer out the windscreen, everyone tense and on alert.

  “So we just sit here?” Barrett asks.

  “Yup,” Ty responds, popping the ‘p’. “Can’t do anything until we hear from him or know for sure shit’s gone down.”

  “Huh,” Barrett muses, relaxing back in his seat. “Thought being a criminal would be a bit more exciting.”

  I notice Ty shaking his head from where he’s sitting beside me, not bothering to dignify Barrett’s dig with a response.

  Reaching across the center console, Barrett opens the glove-box, rummaging around until he produces several bags of sweeties.

  “What the hell, man?” Preston grouches. “What are you doing keeping that crap in my car?”

  Shrugging, Barrett opens a bag of Starburst, rummaging around until he finds whatever flavor he likes and digging it out. “You never know when you might need a sugar hit.”

  Once he’s picked out all the purple ones, he holds the bag out to the rest of us. “Starburst?” He offers.

  I burst out laughing, the ridiculousness of this scene getting the best of me. I mean, this shit is insane. We’re staking out a place that knowingly sells girls against their will, while Oliver might be in grave danger, or even dead, and Barrett is offering us sweeties. When the fuck did my life turn into this mess?

  Tears are streaming down my face by the time I manage to calm myself down, all four guys looking at me like I’ve totally lost the plot.

  “At least it’s a change of scenery from the warehouse and school,” I supply.

  Snorting, Ty chuckles, “We’re doing something wrong if this is an exciting date night.”

  “God, this would be the world's worst date,” Barrett laments. His eyes heat as he looks my way, his eyes dropping down my body. I’m not wearing anything special, but from the way he looks at me, I feel like I’m wearing the sexiest thing ever. “I’ll take you on a proper date when this is all over,” he promises in a husky voice, making heat coil in my core. Yes, please.

  “Is that something you want?” Aiden asks, looking at me like I’m some complicated puzzle he can’t work out. “To go out on dates?”

  “I wouldn’t say no to a date,” I answer, smiling softly at him. “But all I want is to be with you guys and know that we’re all safe.” I assure him. He’s not a dating guy. We’ve gone on a couple more trips into the forest where he teaches me to shoot and wield a knife. Every one of those is an Aiden-type date. While another girl might lift their nose in disgust at the notion of doing that on a date, I love it. It’s perfectly Aiden. Every time we go, I learn a little bit more about him. He opens up when we’re out there, and, at the end of the day, isn’t that the whole point of a date? To get to know each other and enjoy spending time together?

  “What else does everyone want to do when this is all over?” I ask, looking at each of them. We haven’t had much of a discussion about what the plan is. I think it’s been silently decided that wherever we go, we’ll be going there together; but perhaps that’s just me holding on to the hope that all four of them will still want to be a part of whatever we all are once we’re no longer tied to Crescentwood.

  They all think it over for a moment before Ty throws out his idea. “Maybe travel for a bit?” He says with a casual shrug. “Other than here, I’ve never left Oregon, and neither have you. We could go see what else is out there,” he suggests.

  “I love that idea,” I agree, smiling warmly.

  “I’m game for an adventure,” Barrett shrugs, not realizing how much his admission means to me.

  Looking at Aiden, he says. “You know I’m in,” confirming what I already figured.

  Lastly, I turn to look at Preston, knowing all three of them are staring just as intently. He’s the one I’m least sure will stay after this is all over.

  Sighing, he rolls his eyes. “You’re stuck with me, Princess. I’m not going anywhere. So apparently I’m following these three dipshits across the country with you.”

  My smile turning into a full-blown grin, I jump forward, wedging my upper half between the front two seats so I can slam my lips against his. Damn, if we weren’t in a car right now, I’d show all of them how fucking excited I am for our future.

  “Where will we go?” I ask, sitting back in my seat, still sporting my stupid grin.

  “Anywhere you want,” Ty says easily.

  Aiden snorts. “Anywhere beats here.”

  “So true,” I agree. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the warehouse,” I tack on, looking at Preston and Barrett, hoping I haven’t offended them. I mean, the people of Crescentwood suck. Which is a shame cause the area is beautiful. “The warehouse is great, but it’s a little...small for everyone. And it doesn’t have a bath.”

  “So a bathtub is a must in your dream home?” Aiden asks. The intense way he’s looking at me catches me off guard. I can’t work out what he’s thinking, but it feels so much deeper than the conversation warrants.

  “Absolutely,” I insist.

  “What else?”

  “Emm,” I muse, thinking it over.

  “I want a hot tub,” Barrett says, turning round to wink at me.

  Laughing, Ty adds, “I’d settle for more than one bathroom.”

  “Definitely,” Preston agrees. “And my own room.”

  “You want your own room?” I question, the smile slipping slightly at the thought that he wouldn’t wanna share a room permanently.

  Turning round in the front seat of the car, so he’s looking at me, his eyes are unusually soft as he takes me in.

  “I’ll be sleeping with you every night, Princess. I just want my own space. I don’t even need a bed in it.”

  I can feel a blush creeping over my cheeks as I bite my lower lips at his sweet words, an excited smile tilting my lips.

  “We’ll need a big bed then,” Ty muses. “Bigger than what we’ve got. Barrett’s a serious bed hog!”

  “Hey!” Barrett exclaims. “I like to spread out in my sleep. Just cause I don’t wanna cuddle one of you fuckers doesn’t mean I’m a bed hog.”

  Laughing, I flick my gaze between Preston and Aiden, raising my eyebrows expectantly. “Well?” I ask. “You two haven’t said what you’d want in your future house.”

  “I dunno,” Aiden shrugs. “Never really thought about it. Maybe a weapons room or something?”

  “Would you need a weapons room, though, once all this shit is behind us?” Barrett questions.

  “I dunno. I’ve never known anything but this life. Honestly can’t imagine one without guns and violence in it.”

  The weight of his words resonates in the air around us, sitting heavy in my heart.

  Snuggling into his side, he wraps his arm around me, squeezing me against him.

  “You’ll know what that life’s like soon.” I promise in a low voice.

  Glancing at Ty, he gives me a sad, broken smile. What these two have had to live through sickens me. They deserve so much more than that. Linking my fingers with Ty’s, I squeeze his hand, making the same promise to him.

  After a moment, he clears his throat, breaking eye contact with me to look at Preston. “What about you? What do you want?”

  “I guess I’d take a home gym,” he shrugs.

&nb
sp; “Oh, yeah. I’d take one of those,” Ty agrees enthusiastically. “And a game room.”

  “Definitely a game room!” Barrett adds, nodding his head.

  “And a garage”

  “A library.”

  “Oh, a swimming pool.”

  The three of us burst out laughing, shouting out every ridiculous thing we want in our dream house, since apparently we’ve moved away from the everyday necessities like bathtubs and bedrooms.

  Unfortunately, the real world comes crashing through our moment when Aiden’s phone rings.

  “It’s Oliver,” he says in a blank tone before answering the call, putting it on speaker. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” Oliver’s voice comes over the phone, sounding weary. “I lost contact with you as soon as I went through that detector. I’m guessing it was some sort of jammer?”

  “Yeah, that’s our thinking. Where are you now?”

  “I’m just leaving the house.”

  “We’re just parked round the corner, do you wanna come meet us?”

  “Sure.”

  Rattling off directions to where we are, Aiden hangs up the phone, and it’s only a few minutes before headlights come towards us and Oliver's car pulls up.

  Shifting into Ty’s lap so Aiden can move over and give Oliver room to slide into the back seat, we all stare at him expectantly, waiting to hear what happened.

  “Well? What happened after the video cut out?” Aiden presses.

  “Nothing, man. I wasn’t even sure if the video had cut out, I just knew I lost you over the earpiece. They didn’t do anything, though. The guy didn’t react at all; just waved me on through. I’ve spent the last hour wandering around that fucking place, gathering video footage in the hopes that the video was still recording.”

  “Sorry, dude. It cut out at the same time as the audio.”

  Pulling his laptop out of a bag at his feet, Preston says, “Give me the camera and I’ll check it’s not having issues streaming the footage.” Holding his hand out for Oliver to drop the camera into, he connects it to his laptop and starts typing away.

  “Fuck, I hope so. I can’t unsee that shit!”