Chapter 30 Don’t Get Caught
Don’t Get Caught
Havoc
We watch the empty security feed for any sign of Creed or the women who disappeared into Greer’s house seemingly forever ago.
“Your son is insane.”
That seems pretty obvious. He walked into the spiders’ den with little hope of survival to find out what is going on. “He’s always been fearless. I think it’s because I gave him a dirt bike at a young age.”
“Riding has nothing to do with it. That boy is just like you.” Maddox takes a long drink from his mug.
“Yesterday, when you walked into my office and explained how some of my kids were going to do something that shouldn’t get them killed to help your brother avoid death and catch a drug dealer, you showed absolutely no sign of fear.
It’s like you invited them over for a tea party in your parlor. ”
I was and still am terrified. “A man doesn’t let fear stop him from doing something important.”
“Exactly. That kid of yours who’s going in deep, is he ready for this?”
A car drives by slowly, probably staring at the limos and men with barely hidden guns.
“Ryot isn’t a trained operative.”
“So you might have sent your brother in to be tortured and die.”
“Yeah.” That thought keeps me up at night. “He knows what he’s facing.”
“Does a boy his age really understand? When Ethan was training me, he had me experience some of what I would go through if I were taken captive. He did it to prepare me and to help me understand what torture meant.”
“You don’t truly understand pain, both physical and mental, until you experience it.” Waiting in that hospital room to see if my baby was going to die because I trusted the wrong woman…I would have preferred death by a thousand cuts.
“It’s the same as love. I didn’t truly understand what it meant until she came into my life.”
“I thought I loved the woman who gave birth to Creed, but I know now that was an unhealthy form of obsession. My whole world was this woman to the point that I couldn’t see—no, the right word is wouldn’t—I wouldn’t let myself see what a horrible person she was.” Until my son paid the price.
“There’s a little bit of obsession connected with love. But it’s more than that, so much more—Creed made it out alive.” Maddox nods at the screen. “And he’s smiling.”
“What could he have possibly talked about with those women for so long?” He definitely looks happy.
“You know, if he got all the dirt from them, we’re going to have to use his skills again.”
Right. Has my son broken the code to understanding women?
That thought is mind-boggling.
The door opens a few seconds later.
“Dad, I’m back.”
Like I don’t already know. “We’re in the kitchen.”
Creed rushes in.
“So, what were they doing?” Maddox doesn’t even pretend not to be interested.
“Eating breakfast.” Creed starts to shove his books into his backpack.
“They had to have talked while you were there.” Tell us everything.
“Nonstop. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. They talk over each other. Change topics without warning. Laugh for no reason. It was the wildest thing I’ve ever seen.”
That’s totally believable. “So what did they talk about?”
“The food was good. I’m late for class. Can I take my bike today?”
Irritating kid won’t answer my question. “Any chance of rain?”
“Nope.” Creed grins.
“Drive safe. I won’t be home in time for dinner. So head over to the clubhouse or one of your friends. Just call and let me know where you go.”
“Will do. Love you, Dad. Bye, Maddox.” He rushes out.
“That kid knows something.”
“Without a doubt.” Something he doesn’t want to share with me. Or is it Maddox? I’ll ask Creed again tomorrow. “I’ve got to head to the clubhouse. Want to come? You’re welcome to stay here and wait for Mindy.”
“Let me see how long she’s going to be.” Maddox picks up his phone and a second later says, “Let’s go over the plan again. They’re just settling in for the day.”
What could those women possibly have to talk about?
***
The waiting is going to kill me. Six brothers and a half dozen of Maddox’s guys are staged with us at a warehouse two blocks away from the club where Ryot is working.
“Someone said you needed my help.” Everett saunters in with a laptop bag on his shoulder and Max Rage behind him, glaring.
“Glad you could make it.” Maddox stands up. “We were hoping you could get us eyes inside the drug deal. We have kids in there, and we’re flying blind right now.”
“It wasn’t safe setting any up. They might own the club.” Fly steps forward. He’s coordinating tonight’s OP as much as possible. “We definitely know they have dealers inside.”
“It’s a good thing we don’t need to install cameras. We’re going to use the ones they already have.” Everett sits down and starts setting up.
Max joins us instead of sitting by his side.
“Is the kid really that good?” I whisper to him.
“This is child’s play for him.” Max leans back. “I just came in case there was someone I could hit. Fiona is driving me nuts.”
“What’s new? That’s what women do.” Maddox starts to relax. “Sometimes I think it’s a game. Mindy drives me out of my mind one day. The next day, she’s the sweetest ever. What is Fiona doing?”
“She keeps waffling about when to get married. I plan to ask her soon, but I don’t want to wait. So if she started planning with my family, that would help.”
“Don’t even talk about getting married.” Maddox pulls a box out of his pocket.
“Aren’t we the ones who are supposed to be afraid of commitment?
” He flips it open, revealing three rings that all came together to form one.
Two snakes wind around a central stone. One of the snakes is black.
The other purple. They’re each made of dozens of stones.
Creepy.
Creative.
Perfect for the two of them.
“We’re in,” Everett announces.
“Are you sure this can’t be traced?” Fly moves in front of the screens to get a better look.
“Not a chance. A five-year-old could have hacked their system without them knowing.” Everett flips through images until Ryot is up on one side of the screen, with the others focusing on the ‘kids’ Maddox sent in.
They’re all Adder prospects and in their early twenties, which is perfect for college students.
“If things go sideways, the guys are able to defend themselves, right?” There are a lot of moving pieces on this small OP.
“Yeah, they’ve all been training for over five years. We were careful about who we picked for just that reason. Two of them have been out of the country, which means there’s no way anyone would tie them to us. Your guy is safe.”
I want to believe Maddox, but nothing has gone smoothly with this group.
***
Two long hours and three cups of coffee later, Everett shouts, “Ryot was just handed a bag of pills. Pulling the guy up on facial recognition to see if I get any hits on the police or FBI database.”
Everett can do that? I glance over at Max, who’s moved over to the ring surrounding Everett. He doesn’t look at all worried.
“Fowler Barrone has a rap sheet a mile long, full of petty stuff. Nothing that pops out. No known associates. We can do a deeper dive after we make sure Ryot stays alive.”
Good plan.