Chapter 12
Chapter twelve
Mac
After a moment venting my frustration that my assistant has been kidnapped, again, I put the knife away and call the cops.
While it’s ringing, I grab E’s wrist and drag him down the hall and downstairs to the converted garage that is Di’s secure computer room.
The second bedroom was mine when I first bought the place, and Di keeps it as a guest room, but her command center, as she calls it, has been bricked in so it has no doors or windows directly outside.
“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?” A tiny voice asks over the line.
“Hello, I’m at 808 Burch Street in Glendale, and I just saw someone kick in the door,” I fib, though I will be able to see it on the recording.
I pull out my expanding key ring and unlock the deadbolt before typing in the six-digit code to open the fire-safe door.
“I think they’re dragging the lady who lives there out and they are wearing masks,” I add, pitching my voice up like I’m scared.
E gives me a look of confusion that clears when he realizes what I’m doing.
“Do you know who lives there, sir?” the woman asks, and I can hear her clicking away, likely already dispatching a unit to the property. I have maybe three minutes to get what I need and get us out.
“Yes, she lives alone. Diana Pena. I think I’m going to hide!”
Hanging up, I tuck my phone away. I have no intention of waiting for the police or turning over the security footage. As soon as I give them my name, someone will leak it to TMZ, and I’ll have paparazzi following me everywhere.
“Grab the laptop,” I point as E follows me into the dark room lit by led strips. One wall is camera feeds, many of them are for my house, but a few show Di’s property. The rest are a mix that looks like a city or even tropical locations. Half the room is filled with servers and air conditioners.
Unplugging everything takes a minute, even though I know she has the room stop-gapped, but I don’t want to take any chances. There is also a go bag by the door I scoop up without bothering to check the contents.
“Anything else?” E asks, clutching the laptop under one arm.
“No, let’s go before the cops get here.” I close the door, locking it and wiping the control panel of any fingerprints. Hopefully they leave this room alone.
E follows me up the stairs and out of the house. We get in the car right as the sound of sirens reach us, and I hope no neighbors are watching to report my vehicle. I won’t be going far, only up the hill to my house. And then we’ll figure it out from there.
Parking in the garage, I realize E hasn’t spoken since Di’s house. Turning to find him staring blankly ahead at the garage wall, I see he’s still holding the laptop close. “I can take that for you?”
“What? Oh,” E blinks and hands it over. I set it on my lap before unbuckling his seatbelt, but I put a hand on his chest to hold him still when he turns to get out. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No, pet. You did well,” I confirm, rubbing at his chest and feeling how rapid his heart rate is. “You stuck with me and followed my instructions perfectly.”
“Thank you, Sir.” E gives me a small smile that falls quickly. “But what are we going to do about Di?”
“We?” I ask with a raised brow. “There is no we. I’ll find who did this and take care of them.”
“Oh yeah?” E bristles, frowning at me and pushing my hand off slowly. “You’re going to leave me alone in your house for how long?”
Shit. Di being taken throws a wrench in my plans, mainly the routine I’ve built with E. It’s getting late on Thursday, and I did two shows this morning back-to-back so I have the next three days off. But I can’t leave him alone for days.
He’s shown that he won’t run for a short period, and I’ve never forced myself on him, but E might get bored or lonely enough after days to flip the script on me.
“You’re mine,” I reply, realizing that means I’m responsible for him. I also hate the idea of not seeing him for days. Interesting. “You go where I go.”
“Good, because I recognized some of the places on Di’s screens,” E says before leaving the car.
It takes me a second to compute his words before scrambling out to follow E. I’m the one following him into the house, the garage opening to the mud room beside the kitchen. “Wait. What do you mean?”
“Di was watching my dad,” E says, and it’s not a question. “But she didn’t have cameras on all of his properties.”
“You know we were looking into your father?” I ask suspiciously. I know he and Di talked, and his dad came up, but that seems like more than Di would have given up.
“I didn’t. I do now,” E shrugs and runs fingers through his hair. He’s pacing and gesticulating while he works through his thoughts out loud, shuffling in the too-big shoes. “He’s a bad guy, and you want to keep me. Maybe you want to take him out so no one comes looking for me? Not that he would.”
“You don’t think your father would care that you were kidnapped by a notorious killer?” I ask, gauging the truth of his statement.
From what little E’s told me, and what Di has found, it’s likely not a stretch.
I’ve been reluctant to go after Thomas Miller, partially because I don’t know where he is, but also having E as my pet complicates things.
Not emotionally, but from a public standpoint.
I’ve been ignoring the rumors about my sighting with him, but if I ever let him leave the house, he’ll be with me and people will notice.
“Maybe? I don’t know. He did cut me off and say I was no son of his after he changed the locks at the New York house.” E takes a seat on the bench beside the door and rubs his face. “I won’t shed a tear for that man when he goes, even though I will be left without a dime.”
“Apparently I’ve underestimated your dislike for the man.
” I squat in front of him and remove his hands from his face.
I’m wary that E’s eagerness to go after his father is a trick, but if he has information I can use…
“You understand I’m saying your father sent people after Di, and I will do anything to save her. ”
“She’s only in this position because of me,” E whispered, looking at our joined hands. “I should help rescue her.”
He isn’t accurate, since we were already planning to kill the man before I met his son, but I’m not going to correct him. Whether this whole thing was a plan from his father, though it would be a long game to play with his life is on the line, doesn’t matter.
“You’ll come with me,” I confirm, standing and pulling him up. “Come help me pack.”
Instructing E to get a duffle from my closet and pick a nice suit plus some casual clothes for me, I open Di’s laptop on my dresser. She has a login set up for me with access to information she’s gathered and her camera feeds, but it’s not the same as the reach at her home.
“This says your dad is likely in Cuba this week. Can you get us to the right location?” I call out to E in my walk-in dressing room.
“Pfft, I lived there every summer,” he calls back, walking out with a leather bag filled to the brim and a garment bag slung over the other arm.
Realizing he’s still in my oversized clothes, I take the bag from him. “In the laundry room beside the mudroom, your clothes and shoes are folded in the cabinet above the sink.”
E nods and leaves, and I realize I do have some trust he won’t leave me. We have a common goal. When I get Di back and take out his father, I’ll have to reassess our routine. Maybe he can move into the main house.
Clicking the folder on the screen labeled, ‘Travel Arrangements,’ I open the booking site for the charter company and book a plane for two hours from now to take us to Cuba with a refueling stop in Houston.
Finally, I open the go bag and find what I’m hoping for. A new passport for E and everything I need to find my assistant.