Three Stepbrothers Save Christmas: O'Reilly Fight Club Book Four, page 29
We need to find him; our family isn’t complete without him, and I need to tell him he is mine, and I refuse to give up on us. Not now, not ever.
51
Travis
Well, isn’t this just fucking wonderful. Not that I was expecting anything different, mind you. What did I think was going to happen when I strolled up to the front gates of a notorious drug lord and demanded to speak to him? I wasn’t going to be invited in and offered a tray of cake and sandwiches whilst we sipped tea. I had a feeling I would end up locked in a fucking room with nothing but a chair and a barred window.
At least I’m not chained up or dead. I suppose that’s a bonus. ‘Look for the silver lining’, my grandmother would always say. Well, right now, I’d just be happy to see anything other than these four fucking walls.
I look up at the clock on the wall and wonder if it’s even moving. I’ve apparently been in here for two hours, but it feels more like six.
I have no idea if Nicholson is here or if he even knows who I am. To them, I’m probably some junkie looking for a hit.
I rub the back of my neck as I walk over to the window and look outside into the dull, wet day. My mind wanders straight to Verity as it has since I left. Is she okay? Does she understand why I’m doing this? Will she ever forgive me for leaving her, even if only temporarily? I might not plan on dying, but I do know it’s a real possibility; that’s why I left my grandmother's ring with her.
Granny always hated our mother, so she gave me the ring instead of her and told me to give it to the love of my life. I bet she never dreamt the love of my life would also be the love of my brothers as well. I smile as I picture the way our Granny would shake her head in dismay at that one.
She would have loved Verity, as would my father. If he had a daughter, there’s no way he would have ever treated her how Henry has treated Verity. My father loved his kids more than life itself, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for us. That is how a parent should be and how I will be when we have kids. But first, I need to get Verity out of this fucking arranged marriage and leave here, ideally with all limbs still attached.
The door flies open, and I’m greeted by the arsehole who escorted me in here with a more presentable guy behind him. I could take them both easily. The new guy’s not thin, but he’s not as built as me, plus I’m taller and know how to fight. I bet this guy relies on his gun shoved in the back of his trousers.
“Is he in, or am I just to wait patiently until he arrives?” I ask, crossing my arms and leaning back against the window.
“Like I’m telling you shit. Apparently, you haven’t even given us your name!”
“Actually, I did; your mate there just wasn’t listening,” I sigh, rolling my eyes. When he just stares at me, I shake my head and try not to lose my composer. “It’s Donavon, Travis Donavon. I have something that the boss might be interested in.”
“Oh yeah, and what’s that?” the guy who brought me in here asks as he tries to appear relaxed and leans against the doorway behind the new guy. Instead, he looks like the class nerd trying to copy the cool kids and failing miserably.
“A deal, I get what I want, and he makes a lot of money. It’s a win-win.” One good thing about working with some of the people I do accounts for is that I’ve learnt how to handle the rich and dangerous. I know when to be cocky and when to suck up. There's no need to suck up to the guy they send to do the digging. The guy who brought me in here is nothing but a cheap security guard who probably gets paid in whores and drugs. There’s no need for pleasantries. This new guy, however, seems to be higher up the chain and could even be Nicholson’s second. He has the suit and the attitude of someone above the other guy's paycheck.
“Alright, Donavon. I’m Justin, the second in command. The guy behind me is Phil. Don’t mind him. He doesn’t get to throw his weight around much and is hoping he gets to fight someone soon. If you want to see the Boss, it’s my rules you need to play by.”
Great, a second who is up his own arse, just what I need.
“Would I be right in thinking what you want to see the boss about is something to do with this one?” He turns his back to me as I push myself away from the wall. I know he’s up to something, but I don’t know what until I see who is being held behind him.
“You put him in here, and I will kill the fucker,” I warn through gritted teeth.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. The boss wants to speak to him, and I have a feeling you will want to be in the conversation,” Philip laughs as he pushes Henry into the room. My blood boils as I look at the guy who has sold his own daughter to these lowlifes.
“Have fun, and try not to spill any blood; it’s a bastard to clean off the carpet.” Justin slams the door, laughing before I hear the sound of the key turning in the lock.
“Where the fuck is she?” Henry hisses through his teeth.
“Somewhere you won’t find her,” I reply as I lean back against the wall, trying to put as much distance between me and this piece of shit. It is taking everything in me not to kill the fucker where he stands. It wouldn’t be hard; this man has never had a fight in his life, and it shows. But if Nicholson wants him alive, then I have to keep him that way. For now, anyway.
He looks worse for wear than when I last saw him. He’s taken a bit of a beating and looks like he hasn’t showered or shaved in a few days. His usual tidy salt and pepper hair is ruffled, to say the least. No life-threatening injuries, unfortunately, but enough to scuff him up a little.
“Do you have any idea what you have done?” Henry storms towards me, his little fists clenched by his side. I doubt he has ever punched anyone in his life.
“Yep, and it’s only going to get worse for you unless you help me get Verity out of this arranged marriage.”
“I can’t. What part of they will kill me are you not understanding?”
“I understand that part perfectly well; I’m just trying to work out how that is Verity’s problem,” I snap back as I lean over him. When he doesn’t have an answer, I shake my head and go back to leaning against the wall.
“You really are the lowest of the low. I’m just glad your daughter will be far away from here when you fall from the little pedi stool you’ve placed yourself on.” I start walking away from him, needing time to figure out the last few details to share with Nicholson. Cause if Henry is pissed now, he will be well and truly fucked off by the time I’m finished with him.
52
Ryan
I’m going to kill him.
If the son of a bitch doesn’t get himself killed, I am going to do it.
What the fuck was he thinking running off like this leaving us to pick up the pieces of Verity’s broken heart? He knew what he was doing, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he had been planning it from day one.
Verity seems to have listened to me after reading Travis’s letters. She came out of his room, ate and had something to drink. She also listened in to Ethan and me, discussing our options. She commented on a few little things, then said she was tired. Ethan is now lying with her in Travis’s room while I wait for Calvin to go over a few things and find the best route to getting out of the country without being seen.
When Travis left, he didn’t take the car he drove us here in. I know he had his vehicle hidden close by in case of emergencies, and it seems he walked or ran to that. Logan is trying to track it using their access to CCTV, but nothing has shown up so far, which doesn’t surprise me. He might only be an accountant to most, but Travis has trained himself to be stealthy as fuck when he wants to be. I know he always has fake licence plates to hand and can change them quicker than any car thief.
When we arrived, Calvin told us he had hidden a burner phone with a few guns. One we can use to make calls if we need to, so we can plan ahead if we need to run. I need to put as much in place as possible, ready for the three-day deadline. But I can’t seem to do what needs to be done.
The thought of running when my brother could need us is killing me. We have faced everything together our whole lives. We have always had each other’s backs, no matter what. But Travis was right; we need to put Verity’s safety first this time. If Travis survives this, he will find us. I will leave him a sign each time we move on to somewhere new.
I pick up the burner phone and look at the blank screen. It’s a real piece of shit. When was the last time mobiles had buttons on them? It’s as low-tech as they come, which is perfect for what we need it for. Things like apps and new mobiles with GPS are easy to track and to hack. This piece of shit probably doesn’t even have predictive text. I bet Verity couldn’t even use it. Thankfully, being older means I learned to text on phones with buttons.
I’m just trying to work up the courage to turn it on and start making calls when I hear the knock at the front door before someone enters. I hold out the gun and aim it at the door as I wait to see who it is.
“It’s me, don’t shoot.”
I let out a sigh of relief as Maximus walks into view with his hands up.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snap, putting the gun down on the side.
“I heard about Trav. I’ve come to be an extra pair of eyes and ears until you have a plan or leave,” he says, walking further into the room, shrugging off his jacket as he approaches.
“You actually have no idea how much of a relief that is to hear,” I sigh, rubbing my face. I’ve been contemplating not sleeping at night now we are down a guard for our girl.
“I thought it might be. How’s she doing?” he asks, looking around.
“She’s sleeping at the moment, I think. She has hardly spoken since he left. She got herself so worked up that she vomited everywhere. I don’t know what she will do if he doesn’t return,” I admit as I lean against the kitchen counter.
“Well, just keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid,” Maximus replies, not realising how accurate it is.
We haven’t told anyone about the self-harming; that’s her business, and we are happy to keep it that way for her. But if she starts getting worse, I will get others involved. I just don’t know how to do that while on the run. Fuck, this isn’t going to be easy.
I hear footsteps on the wooden stairs and look up in time to see Verity and Ethan walk into view.
“Maximus? I thought I heard your voice,” Ethan says, greeting him with a handshake.
“Yeah, just come to help keep an eye on things.” He turns to look at Verity, who is dressed in some yoga pants and Travis’s hoodie. “How you doing, Verity?” he asks as he hugs her.
“I’m okay,” she lies whilst stepping back. She knocks his coat from the back of the chair as she does and quickly apologises whilst picking it up and carrying it to the coat hooks on the other side of the room.
“You didn’t have to do that; I would have hung it up,” Maximus frowns as she shrugs, walking back.
“I want to keep busy,” she replies before leaning against me. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her head.
“Do you want anything, Little Kitten? Coffee? Toast? A large gin?” I offer, forcing a smile, but I don’t get one in return. She just shakes her head and walks over to the kettle.
“I’ll do it. Anyone want one?” she asks, looking around. We all shake our heads and watch as she makes herself a hot chocolate. She looks so small and vulnerable it’s hard to watch. I want to stop her and make her sit down so I can do it, but she says she wants to keep busy, and I have to let her. I know the feeling, so I leave her to it and look to Maximus and Ethan, who are also watching her.
“Do you guys know what he may know to get her out of this?” Maximus asks quietly as Verity whisks some milk.
“Yeah, the three of us discussed it before,” I reply, letting him know Verity can hear this. “Logan said he found evidence that Henry was hiding more money. He doesn’t know everything but knew Travis would. He left some printouts for Travis, as he said he would if anything came to light. He never expected him to run off alone to tackle it, though. That was a surprise to all of us.”
“Logan is a good guy and wouldn’t want to see Travis hurt, not only because he is under his care, but because Logan does this job for a reason. He would have gone with Travis as backup,” Maximus explains. I have to agree. He couldn’t apologise enough when he popped around earlier. He had no idea Travis would be stupid enough to rush off alone.
A commotion catches all our attention, and I see Verity standing with milk pouring onto the floor by her.
“I’m sorry; I will clean it up. I didn’t mean to,” she sobs as she bursts into tears.
I move her away from the mess, which looks like she has knocked over the milk she was whisking.
“I’m sorry, Bear,” she sobs again.
“Stop apologising; it was just an accident. Did you burn yourself?” I ask, checking her hands. I can only see it down the front of Travis’s hoodie, which will upset her more than anything. When I see she is unharmed, I pull her into my arms and hold her against my chest.
“Hey, there’s no point crying over spilt milk, right?” I ask, offering her a small smile. “Why don’t you go and change your top, and I’ll finish making your drink for you? Ethan can help clean up the mess,” I add a wink to try and lighten the mood, but she just nods and starts towards the door. As she goes to leave, she stops and looks at the two of us.
“I love you, both of you. You know that, right?”
I stare at her for a moment, my breath catching as she says the three words I wasn’t sure she would say for a long time.
“We love you too, Baby Girl,” Ethans says as I nod and give her a more genuine smile.
“I never told Daddy, and I wish I had. I don’t want any of you to think I don’t love you because I do, more than anything,” she whispers before turning around and hurrying out of sight.
“Shit,” Ethan sighs as he turns to look at me. “I didn’t expect that to hurt as much as it felt amazing to hear.”
Maximus claps him on the shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze.
“I know what you mean,” I reply, rubbing my face before taking a deep breath to settle my nerves before I start cleaning up the mess. We stay silent for a short while, both lost in our thoughts.
I always imagined Verity saying she loved me for the first time in a romantic way, not as a heartbroken woman who may have lost one of the guys she loves forever.
She looked so sad and lost standing there in the hoodie that swamps her, so it hangs almost down to her trainers.
I freeze the cloth in my hand.
Why was she wearing shoes?
Dropping the cloth, I spin on the spot and rush towards the stairs.
“What’s going on?” I hear Maximus and Ethan call behind me. I don’t have time to reply as I take the stairs three at a time and rush to her room, throwing open the door to find it empty.
“Kitten!” I yell out as I rush to the next room, which is mine, but it, too, is empty.
“What is it?” Ethan demands, stopping in front of me.
“She had shoes on!” I yell, pushing him out of the way as I barge into the bathroom; it’s empty. I turn to see Ethan checking his room and cursing, telling me she’s not there. We get to Travis’s room together, and we throw open the door at the same time as I hear car tyres skid on the gravel outside.
“Fuck!” I yell as we rush down the stairs and out the door, but the car’s long gone.
“I’ll get my keys!” Maximus yells, rushing into the lounge and pulling the coat from where she hung it.
We all run to the car and try to open the doors, but nothing will open.
“Come on!” I scream as Maximus starts rummaging around in his pockets.
“Fuck!” he curses as he drops his coat and pats down his trousers. “She’s taken my key!”
“What?” Ethan and I shout together as I grab the coat from the ground and start checking all the pockets.
“She must have taken it when she hung the coat up!” Maximus curses.
“Fuck!” I yell, throwing the coat onto the ground as I start to pace with my head in my hands.
“What the hell do we do?” Ethan yells at me.
“I don’t fucking know!” I scream back as I look around. The car was here for us to use. We only had the one to ensure the extra vehicles didn’t attract unwanted attention. We already know Travis has taken his car.
I rush back into the house and back up to the rooms to see if there is anything that tells us she knows where she is going. But all I find is a piece of paper with her handwriting on it.
I’m sorry, I have to save him.
I love you both so much.
Yours always
Verity
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
53
Travis
I look out the window into the night and try to see if there is anyone below. The viewpoint from up here is shit. Other than the prick who threw Henry in here earlier, we haven’t seen or heard anyone.
“Hey! HEY!”
I turn around as Henry starts banging on the door.
“Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” he yells, banging on the door again.
“Shut the fuck up. They won’t tell you shit until it suits them,” I snap, reminding myself for the hundredth time that I can’t kill him. Yet.
“This is all your fucking fault! Why couldn’t you just leave when we did? I told you to stay the hell away from her!” He turns and storms forward as I stand tall and look down at the short prick as he tries to glare at me. He’s not as brave as he makes out.
“My fault? I don’t remember agreeing for Verity to marry a drug lord's son! One who is known for beating women. Nor do I remember getting into so much debt with said drug lord that I had to sell my daughter to him as payment.” I poke him in the chest, causing him to, thankfully, distance himself from me. “How the fuck did you end up owing him anyway?”
