Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
JACK
Since the double whammy of Arlo blocking me followed by finding out some cunt was threatening his life, my brain felt like it had been put in a blender. Top that off with the fact that he’d specified that I wasn’t to guard him at the gala?
Yeah. That had fucking hurt.
My first instinct had been to go straight to Arlo’s house and demand he tell me everything. To insist he show me these letters he’d been getting so I could dissect all the evidence and track this fucker down.
I knew that was stepping over the lines he’d drawn though. As much as it pained me, I fought against that instinct and instead called Simon.
I didn’t get much from him—not that I’d expected to. Even without the NDAs, Simon was loyal to a fault. What he did tell me was that this prick had been stalking Arlo for almost a year.
A year.
That had had me slumping back against a wall until I hit the floor. This had been happening while I’d still been working for the band. All that time, Arlo had been seeing me but keeping this hidden.
He hadn’t wanted me to know.
Fuck. That killed me more than anything else. I’d spent a decade protecting him, and now, when he needed me most, he didn’t want me.
It’d taken a lot of arguing with my business partners to get me into the surveillance van outside the venue. When I’d refused to budge, they’d eventually agreed, on the proviso that I wasn’t to let Arlo know I was there.
Which was fine. Contrary to what the others believed, I wasn’t going to force my presence on Arlo when he’d made it clear it wasn’t wanted. I was, however, going to do whatever it took to ensure his safety.
Even if it was from a distance.
I monitored the event carefully, scrutinising the feeds from both the internal cameras and the lapel pin ones that Corey, Will and Alex wore. For the most part, it seemed like a standard fundraiser, similar to dozens of others I’d attended with the band over the years.
I tried hard to not focus on Arlo, knowing that wasn’t the best way to protect him. My attention was better used monitoring the crowd, making sure no one was acting suspiciously.
Every now and then though, I cracked. For a few seconds at a time, I’d zoom in on his face, drinking in every detail like an artist who knew his muse was about to vanish.
Was he thinner? It seemed like it. There were bags under his eyes too. Was he having trouble sleeping?
I had to blink away some tears as I spotted his perfectly knotted bow tie. Who had helped him with that? Had he finally learned to do it himself?
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until a bloke with a comb-over approached Arlo. Something about him had alarm bells ringing in my mind. I knew his face, but from where?
Bringing up Corey’s feed to get a closer look, I tried to place him. His face looked familiar, but not enough to be obvious.
The man gripped Arlo’s elbow, making him flinch. Suddenly, a similar moment flashed into my mind from a several years before.
This fucker had hit on Arlo at a gala and hadn’t taken no for an answer. It’d ended with me stepping in and making it clear what would happen if he didn’t back off and leave Arlo alone.
I cursed under my breath. That was the kind of incident that could lead to someone fixating on Arlo. I imagined that to this guy, Arlo had become the unattainable object, the ultimate prize to be won.
Pressing my ear, I spoke rapidly. “Corey, code red. That man has approached Arlo in the past and got aggressive when things didn’t go his way.”
Corey didn’t respond, but I didn’t expect him to. If this was the stalker, he wouldn’t want to tip him off that we were suspicious until it was necessary.
Flicking the guest manifesto open, I didn’t have to go past the first page to find him. Duncan Smith—gallery owner and co-organiser of the event.
My chest twisted. Just how many times had Arlo been in a room with this man while this was being set up? Why had he waited until tonight? Was it a game to him? Did he think by approaching him here successfully that he was somehow winning at something?
I watched in frustration as both Simon and Corey tried to extract Arlo from the situation, only for him to wave them off.
If I’d been there, he’d have been over my shoulder and out the door by now.
That’s probably why you weren’t invited.
The two of them retreated to an alcove, sitting far closer than I felt comfortable with. All of a sudden, Arlo stiffened, the blood draining from his face.
I was straight back on the comms. “Corey, get him out of there.”
Corey stepped forward along with Simon, who must’ve picked up on Arlo’s body language too.
That was when the situation went south.
Arlo lifted a shaky hand. “I’m fine. Give us some space.”
He was lying. The question was, why?
They continued talking for a few minutes, out of range of Corey’s mic. I analysed Arlo’s body language, not liking what I saw. Whatever Smith was saying was terrifying him.
My eyes dropped down to where their bodies were pressed together, my mouth drying out as I spotted Smith’s hand inside his jacket. “Cor, I think he’s armed. Check the jacket.”
This time, Corey responded. The time for subtlety had passed. “It looks suspicious. He’s definitely holding Arlo there against his will. What do you advise?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. As the leader of their unit, they’d always deferred to me to make the final call, and given I was the one with access to all the surveillance, it made sense for me to make decisions.
But fuck, I’d never done so with this much at risk. Sure, the decisions I’d made affected whether my unit and I lived or died.
But this was Arlo. My Arlo.
I couldn’t risk him.
Like he could tell what I was thinking, Alex’s sharp voice cut over the comms. “Jack, snap out of it. We need all of our brains online if we’re going to get him out of this situation.”
Alex’s warning worked. I shook my head like I was trying to get water out of my ears. “Okay, Rhys, Dylan and Ryan, escort the remaining band members from the premises. Louis and the artists too. Clear the area of everyone else. Let’s keep this contained and minimised.”
On the screens, I could see my orders being followed. “Alex and Will, cover the side and back exits just in case he takes Arlo from the building. I want them tailed, but do not engage unless you can guarantee Arlo’s safety. I’ll take the front entrance.
“Corey and Simon, try to determine what kind of weapon we’re dealing with here.”
I froze, my finger on my comms button as I watched Arlo and Smith stand. Fuck. He was definitely holding Arlo against his will.
I listened as Arlo tried to persuade Simon and Corey to let him pass. Arlo could lie with the best of them, but I could always tell.
Then Arlo looked Simon directly in the eye, speaking clearly. “I’m fine, I promise. Duncan and I are just going for a stroll.”
From Corey’s camera, I saw Simon’s eyes widen before he carefully schooled his expression. “Okay.”
Smith and Arlo walked out of shot, then Simon’s panicked voice came over the comms. “Arlo said his code word. He’s being coerced.”
Even though that was what I’d suspected, I still cursed at the confirmation. “Which exit?”
“Front.”
“On it.”
I slipped from the van on silent feet, immediately spotting Arlo and Smith on the pavement a few feet away. They were still huddled together, making me assume that whatever weapon he had was against his side.
They were heading in the direction of a shiny Mercedes. I had to stop them before they got there. Arlo wasn’t leaving the scene.
I wouldn’t allow it.
Blending into the shadows, I used the adrenaline thrumming through me to focus. In the darkness of the alley ahead and to the right of the building, I could just make out the figures of Will and Alex. Behind me, I heard Corey approach on whisper-soft feet.
Just as we had hundreds of times before, we silently surrounded our target. None of us would make the move though, not until we were certain we could immobilise Smith without Arlo being injured.
I catalogued every movement Smith made, noting any weaknesses. How he favoured his left leg over his right. The droop in his right shoulder.
Not that I needed an advantage over him. Once we took the weapon out of the equation, taking him down would be a piece of cake.
They were almost level with the car now. Fear pricked at me, but I tamped it down, refusing to let anything sway my focus.
Smith pulled away from Arlo slightly, opening his jacket. A second later, the lights on the car flashed. He must’ve been reaching for his keys.
Up ahead from the shadows, Will straightened. He gave a flurry of hand movements, a code we’d devised many years ago for use in situations like this that demanded silence.
No weapon.
I signalled back. Sure?
His response was immediate. No weapon.
It was all the confirmation I needed.
Crossing the distance between us, I was behind them in seconds. My hand punched into his shoulder, hitting the nerve and forcing the arm he had around Arlo to fall. At the same time, my boot connected with the back of his knee, sending him towards the floor.
Arlo gave a startled gasp, jumping aside as soon as Smith released him. His eyes went wide as he watched the four of us swarm Smith, immobilising him completely.
I held him in place with my knee until Corey strapped his wrists together with plastic zip ties. I didn’t trust myself to do anything more. If I let myself too close, I’d lose control.
I didn’t think I’d be able to stop myself from killing the fucker.
“This is uncalled for,” Smith was yelling, spit flying from his mouth. “You’ve attacked an innocent man. I’ll sue you. I’ll sue you all!”
I ignored him, striding over to Arlo. My arms rose to pull him to me, but I stopped myself at the last second. “Are you okay?”
Arlo’s eyes were swimming as he looked up at me. “Jack?”