13. Stepped Up Basis
Stepped Up Basis
Drew
The drive from the airport takes a few hours. We’re all exhausted. My hand hurts from punching Tom, and he has a pretty bruise forming on his jaw from both Wyatt and me. He deserves a lot more, but I’ll leave that to Sara.
Though I can’t guarantee Dante and Finn won’t take a few shots at him too.
“We can’t turn on cellular here, but there’s wifi.” Wyatt narrows his gaze on everyone. “We need the Feds to do their thing, so we’re sure everybody is safe.”
“There’s a reason I went on a yacht.” Natasha squeezes Tom’s hand and leans into his side in the back seat. “My father is persistent. We’re better off not leaving any digital footprint.”
“Definitely not the first few days we’re here.” I rub the back of my neck. I don’t even know where here is. But at least here should be where Sara is and that’s enough for me.
“When was the last time anyone was out here?” Tom asks.
Wyatt glances in the rearview mirror with a slight scowl. “Probably the last time you ghosted us.”
Being with Sara and the others was always going to be complicated, but there’s some resentment Dante, Finn, and Wyatt already harbor toward Tom, and Sara and I will have to duck the shrapnel when it explodes.
Normally, I’d be all over poking to see if I could trigger it.
I love a good explosion, but Sara might not want that.
I’m focused on doing whatever Sara wants.
“Sara should stay near us.” Tom’s voice tries to carry authority, but he must know that’s futile.
“Fuck you.” Wyatt pulls into a garage and cuts the engine before turning to look back at Tom. “You gave her into our care. She’s still not out of danger because of you. She’ll sleep where we want her to sleep.”
Tom’s eyes narrow, his lips press into a thin line.
I get out of the car and step out to look at the “clubhouse.” It’s a mansion in the middle of nowhere. There are no other vehicles here, but that doesn’t mean Dante, Finn, and Sara aren’t inside. Sebastian and his crew could have dropped them off.
A chill creeps up my spine. That wouldn’t be smart though. As much as I appreciate the services Sebastian provides, he can be bought. If Sebastian knew the location of Peter’s daughter, how much would Peter Sokolov be willing to spend to get her back?
I rub my hands together as the others get out and Wyatt pops the trunk.
We stopped for groceries and supplies. I grab my bag and a few boxes to carry inside. Wyatt does the same and I follow him to the side door. It has a keypad on it. He types in the numbers and the door unlocks.
It opens up to a mudroom. Wyatt leads the way into a large kitchen with light coming in from the oversized windows. I set the boxes on the island and put my bag next to the door that leads into the dining room. Passing Natasha and Tom on the way out to get more, I give her a respectful nod.
I can understand doing anything to protect the mother of your child, but I wouldn’t have left my sister in danger to do it. Not that I have a sister, but I do have people I would do anything to protect.
They aren’t in any immediate danger or I couldn’t have come on this trip. Or else I would have figured out a way to keep them safe and make Sara safe too.
We haven’t heard anything from the others. And we don’t expect to. There’s no way for us to communicate our success or for them to let us know if they’re in trouble. For all I know, Sara is still a prisoner.
I rub at the ache in my chest as I set down another box. Natasha puts away the groceries. Tom passed me on my way in as he went back to the car. Wyatt isn’t in the kitchen.
“He went to check out the rest of the house,” Natasha says softly. Her dark eyes meet mine. “I’m sorry your girlfriend is in trouble because of me.”
I tilt my head to the side. She’s being honest.
“You knew what your father was capable of.” I’m not here to upset a pregnant woman, but I also need to be blunt. “A lot of this falls on Tom, but you know your father best. This whole situation could have been avoided if we’d been more aware of the danger.”
She lowers her eyes to the counter. “I may try to avoid seeing the cruel man behind the father I know. I may excuse his fierceness because of the way he loves me and spoils me.” She lifts her gaze to me.
“I honestly thought he’d give me time to come to terms with what he wanted from me.
And that would be enough time for us to figure out what to do. ”
“I can understand your thinking, but I don’t think Tom really comprehended the choice he was forcing Peter to make.
” Leaning on the island, I cross my arms over my chest. “You’ve disappeared before, but you’ve never run away with someone.
You’ve never had to face a marriage to someone you may or may not like.
He knew this time you might not resurface.
Especially when Tom disappeared at the same time. ”
She nods and tears shimmer in her eyes. “I thought he’d love me enough to let me go.”
I shake my head. “It’s not love that makes him hold on so tight.
It’s control. It’s his future. That’s what you are to him.
That’s what that child will be to him. You can put him in prison where he’ll bide his time.
Waiting until that child decides to meet their grandfather and then he’ll sink his hooks into your child.
Just like he tried to sink his hooks into you. ”
A tear slips down her cheek and she cradles her abdomen, which doesn’t even look like she’s pregnant yet. When Tom comes in, his gaze narrows on her tear and he turns to me.
“You knew what the two of you were getting into.” I shrug as I walk to the doorway and grab my bag.
“We didn’t. So think about that when you see your sister again.
When Finn and Dante come walking through that door.
Because we all lost her. Think how you would feel if you lost Natasha to her father. ”
Having said what I needed to say, I leave to find Wyatt.
* * *
Wyatt
“Hey.”
Drew finds me in the primary bedroom. This house is huge and used to be my real father’s family estate. I’ve put some money into it, but a trust owns it and the documentation is sketchy, just like my real father. So no one should be able to find us here.
I nod at him. He drops his bag next to the door.
“Is this where we’re staying?” Drew asks. He sits on the couch that overlooks the oversized bed. The room is enormous.
I’ve never stayed in it before.
“And before you qualify that—” Drew smirks. “I mean all of us, because I’m not letting Sara out of my sight, and I don’t think any of us will want to even sleep across the hall.”
I glance at the doorway. Tom usually stays in the other wing in the other primary bedroom. “I don’t know about Tom—”
“Fuck Tom.” Drew shakes his head. “Either he gets on board or we throw him to the sharks. He shouldn’t have any right to how Sara feels. If she wants all of us in here, she deserves all of us in here.”
I sink onto the edge of the bed and run my hand through my hair. It’s not that simple. But I’ll try. “I need to talk to Sara alone.”
“That can be arranged.” Drew clasps his hands between his knees as he meets my eyes. “Unless you have a marriage we don’t know about, there’s not a lot that would keep Sara away from you.”
I swallow and look out the window. “There’s a lot you don’t know about my family.”
He squints at me. “Hawkins is a well-known family.”
“He’s not my biological father.” Blowing out a breath, I rise. “I can tell you after I tell her, but what she decides stands. I won’t force her to be with me.”
Drew tips his chin. “It’s always been about Sara.”
“Help me clean the sheets?” I jerk my head toward the bed as I pull off the comforter. We spend the rest of the day tidying up and waiting. Trying not to think about what complications they ran into since they aren’t here already.
“They were supposed to get her before dawn?” Tom asks as we sit around the kitchen table eating a hastily put together meal.
I nod. The desire to turn on my phone weighs heavily on me. We don’t know where they are. If they’ve all been captured. If they’re all hurt, or worse. I push my plate away after picking at it. I’m not hungry.
If everything went perfectly, they’d be here by now. It’s late. Past ten. And still nothing.
“My father doesn’t hurt women.” Natasha sets her fork on her plate and rests her elbows on the table. “If he took her, he would keep her safe.”
I run a hand through my hair and pick up my plate, throwing the leftovers into the trash and rinsing it before putting it in the dishwasher. I stare out into the dark night.
Where are they?
“How long do we give them?” Drew asks as he steps beside me. “We could leave the lovebirds here and go find out what’s happening, but we might miss them.”
My fingers clench the edge of the countertop. “Dante and Finn know what they’re doing. If it was too risky to go in during the early morning hours, maybe they’ll try tonight.”
Drew claps his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “Then we wait and see what tomorrow brings.”
I nod and turn to look at Tom with his head bent toward Natasha. His smile is soft as he says something only she can hear. He doesn’t deserve to be happy while we’re in torment. But as his best friend for years, it makes me happy to see him settled with someone.
Even if I think it won’t last. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong. Maybe Sara will prove Tom wrong and she’ll overlook what happened in the past.
“On the way to the laundry room, I noticed a pool table.” Drew drops his hand from my shoulder. “Let’s kill some time while we wait.”
I glance at the happy couple again, and Tom’s and my gazes collide. Stress lines accentuate his eyes. Good. He deserves to worry about Sara the way we have.
“Come on, Tom.” I jerk my head in the direction of the billiards room. “I want to win some of your money. Drew also wants to put you to shame.”
Tom smirks. “I think I’m up by a dollar.”
We play for quarters. Not real money and no one ever pays the other, but it makes the game a little more competitive. “Easy to change our fortunes then.”
* * *