Chapter 84
eighty-four
JO
Adira offered us all tea and has been bee bopping around the house like we’re not aware of her usual zombie state.
She’s smiling and asking Belle about Cal and his family.
Belle is kind enough to answer her, but she doesn’t have a poker face and is openly frowning.
Adira either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.
Kai and Ezra are stone-faced, and it’s the first time I’ve really noticed how identical they are.
Ezra’s hair and beard really change his whole face.
Now that he’s trimmed both, it would have been a lot more obvious that he wasn’t Ben.
It’s not until Adira takes a seat . . . on Gavin’s lap that Kai snaps.
“Okay. What the fuck?” he says, leaping to his feet and gesturing at his parents with both hands.
“Language!” Gavin chastises.
“No, I think fuck was pretty appropriate here,” Ezra argues. “You two need to start talking and fast. Maverick needs our help, and we’re wasting time watching our parents canoodle.”
Belle snorts and immediately covers her mouth, eyes wide. “I’m so sorry. I know this is a serious conversation, but canoodle is such a funny word.”
“Are you Midnightmare5650?” I ask before we end up off topic. Ezra’s right. Maverick doesn’t have the time to spare for this. We need to find him. It’s already been four days. I can’t imagine what he’s going through.
“I am,” Adira confirms with a soft smile.
“How?” Ezra asks, leaning forward. We’re all seated really close together on the couch while Gavin and Adira share a wingback chair.
“I’m going to give you the quick version, and we can have a more in-depth discussion later. Because you’re right,” Adira says, leaning forward and placing her hand on top of Ezra’s, “Maverick doesn’t have a lot of time.”
“The condensed version is, I’ve always known Ezra was alive.” Kai goes pale, and Belle gasps. “Eva had eyes on me. On this house. I think she always had a feeling he wasn’t really dead. So Gavin and I divorced, and he left to help Ezra. I stayed and pretended to drink away my grief.”
“Why were you such an asshole to Kai?” Belle interrupts. And yeah, I’d like to know that, too.
“I couldn’t have him looking. I needed Eva to stay away from him. It’s why I gave that interview. If you were too busy dealing with the press, then you couldn’t be looking into your brother.”
“That’s fucked up,” I say under my breath, but definitely loud enough for everyone to hear. Adira smiles sadly at me.
“It is, but it’s what kept everyone away and the eyes that could harm my family away from them.”
“Can we get to the Midnightmare5650 part?” Ezra says, shifting in his seat. I’m sure this conversation is making him uncomfortable.
“I’m not as skilled with computers as your father, but I do know a thing or two. I kept searching for who I thought was Gianna until Gavin figured out it was actually Noelle I should be looking for.”
“That’s why she said you know she’s alive! You found her,” I say, getting a little too excited. “Wait. How did you know how to unlock that weird door?”
“I did find Noelle. Purely by accident. She was in the background of a picture of some fancy latte. I recognized her immediately from studying her photograph. I reached out and Gavin and I helped her hide. Which worked until she disappeared four months ago.”
I wanted to be sick. Noelle was in that cave thing for four months. Ezra was down there for two days and had to sleep with the light on last night.
“And the door?” Kai asks.
“Your dad mapped that place out after Ezra handed over the video to him. That bunker and door were already there. We got the blueprints for it, trying to figure out its purpose and if Eva used it for something. Your dad went out there and checked it before he left to follow Ezra, and it was empty. We never thought about it again. Just assumed that Eva used that barn because it wasn’t near anything. ”
“That’s awfully convenient,” Kai says. His brows are furrowed and shoulders stiff.
“I think it’s more of a return to the scene of the crime situation,” Gavin says.
“Patrick knew that area, and I have a feeling he’s murdered more than just Gianna there.
Even the picture of Noelle was at a local coffee shop.
She was trying to lie low but still looking for Gianna.
She had no idea her girlfriend was dead at the time. ”
“Where’s Maverick?” I ask. I don’t care about any of this right now. I should, and I know I will later, but right now is not the time.
“I don’t know for sure, but I have an idea.”
“Can we just get straight to the point?” Ezra says, the frustration clear in his tone. “Where do you think he might be and we’ll start there? Because right now we have nothing and don’t know where to look.”
“Home.” Adira says with a sigh.
“Specifically his parents’ house,” Gavin adds when he notices that both his sons are about to explode. “Technically, it’s Maverick’s once Eva’s death is filed, but your mom noticed a lot of construction vehicles traveling to and from the property.”
“And we know Maverick would rather sell that place or burn it to the ground. There’s no way he’s renovating it,” Adira adds.
“But Patrick might think he’s entitled to it,” I say, coming to the same conclusion they have. “So why aren’t we there?”
“We were afraid of spooking Patrick and having him hurt Maverick.” I nod as Gavin explains.
“I just found out about it last night. I got here as fast as I could after we spoke, Jo. Once I realized Ezra was going to be fine, I switched to looking for Maverick. This is the best and only lead we have.”
“Do we call the police?” Belle asks.
“No,” Ezra, Gavin, and I say at the same time.
“He seems to know someone who keeps covering things up for him. Harrison has been trying to figure out who, but we think involving the police any more than we already have will just send Patrick running. And if he takes Maverick with him, I don’t know if we’ll be able to find him.”
I bite my lip, trying to figure out what to do.
I want to storm in and take Maverick back, but I know that’s not smart and will potentially make things worse for him.
I can tell from the way Ezra is vibrating next to me that he’s feeling the same way.
Our friends are all back at Jeanne’s, and Harrison is still at the hospital with Noelle.
“Call them. Get them here. Tell them to bring Jeanne’s weapons. Patrick can’t take us all,” Kai says, standing and taking Belle with him. I watch as he storms out of the house and down the driveway.
“That’s my fault,” Adira sighs. “I knew explaining to him that you were alive would make him look for you. I didn’t know what else to do, but I should’ve done better.”
“Yeah. Probably.” Ezra admits, not giving her an out. Adira’s smile is small, but it seems proud.
“Alright,” Gavin says, standing and placing Adira where he was sitting. “I’m going to pull the last blueprints the town has on the place, and we can figure out a plan.”
Plans I can do.
Turns out you can get dynamite easily, like in the movies. You just have to have a guy like Gavin with military contacts.
Our group was able to gather weapons and Martha and make it here in just over two hours.
It was enough time for Ezra and me to sit down with Gavin and come up with a plan.
I could tell from the way the two men interacted that they were used to planning like this.
Probably from all the moves and name changes to keep Ezra safe.
We had a solid plan in place, but the biggest issue is that we knew next to nothing about the inside.
Ezra had been in the house a few times, but only sneaking in and out of Maverick’s bedroom.
Going in blind was dangerous, but Gavin took a risk and flew a drone over the property.
With the last of the fall leaves on the ground, it made it easy to see the house fully.
There were no additions and no guards on the property.
There could be some inside, but we won’t know.
Gavin didn’t want to risk anything other than a quick fly-over.
Making Patrick suspicious was dangerous, and even that quick drone flight was a major risk.
“We’ll time the explosions, here, here, and here,” Gavin says, pointing at the map of the property.
“That will get any guards out of the house, if there are any, and hopefully Patrick as well. The moment we have eyes on him, Ezra and Jo will go in.” We both nod, waiting for the next instructions.
“Once they’re both inside, we’ll set off a second set of explosions here and here,” he says, pointing to the front of the house.
“Then I meet Ezra, Jo, and Maverick at the back door and get them to the truck,” Kai says.
We don’t know what shape we’re going to find Maverick in, so the plan is that Kai is going to drive the truck around back after the first explosion goes off, so no one hears it.
There’s a small dirt road that’s overgrown and leads to the servants’ entrance.
Because, of course, those assholes had a servants’ entrance.
Ezra knew about it because that was the way he used to sneak out.
I didn’t miss the disapproving stare his parents gave him when he volunteered that information.
Not because he was sneaking out of a man’s bed, but because he was sneaking at all.
It took an amount of effort that I deserve a prize for to keep my mouth shut.
Those two aren’t exactly the pillars of honesty and truthfulness.
Willa, Belle, and Declan are all in charge of the detonations.
Well, just pressing a button and watching the drone footage, but Willa’s excitement is bordering on scary.
Martha is going to be in the woods with her rifle, just in case.
Ezra and I will carry guns. Gavin is staying back to fly a drone over and monitor everything with Adira’s help.
“But what about police?” Declan asks. Ezra snorts.
“They’ll be distracted,” Gavin answers. The good thing about small towns is that nothing really happens in them, so their police force is small.
Well, good for us, anyway. “Another explosion will go off exactly ten minutes before the first one on the Wolfe property. That gives the police here time to react and get to the site, which is five miles south. Hopefully, that will give us enough time to extract Maverick.”
“Who is setting that one off?” Willa asks with a frown, probably having realized everyone here already has a job.
“I am.”
I swing around at the sound of the deep voice behind me. In the doorway stands a man well over six feet tall , with a muscular, athletic build, wavy blond hair that flops over his steel-gray eyes, and a scowl that I’ve never seen before.
“Jasper?” Ezra gasps, practically running to embrace his best friend. “What are you doing here?”
“What the fuck do you mean? You were kidnapped, Ezra!” Jasper yells, his arms firmly around Ezra with no sign of letting go.
I’ve never heard that tone from him before.
We’ve interacted a lot over the last few weeks, him always insisting on talking to me too when he would call Ezra.
This whole thing must have really scared him.
Not that I blame him. I’m still terrified.
“How did you find out?” Ezra asks.
“Cal,” Jasper sighs, finally letting go. “He called me to complain about the amount of times you’ve gone missing. Which is only twice, but that’s two more than your average person, so I can’t really blame him.”
“He called me looking for you, and I explained everything,” Gavin says, answering the unasked question. “Said he wanted to help.”
“Aren’t all the explosions remote?” I ask him, not wanting to put Jasper in danger when I know everyone else setting off the explosions will be safe in this house.
“Yes,” Gavin says. “He’ll be here with everyone else, but he will also need to monitor the police radio for me.”
“Okay,” I say with a sigh. I’m not sure if I’m relieved that Jasper won’t be in danger or nervous that Ezra will.
“Hey, Jo Jo,” Jasper says, wrapping me up in a strong hug.
“We’ll get Maverick out and make Patrick pay.
” He leans down and kisses the top of my head.
I hear Ezra growl before I’m yanked back into his hard chest. Jasper’s face lights up like it’s Christmas, and he just caught Santa leaving presents.
“Don’t,” Ezra grumbles.
“I’m happy for you, Ezzy baby!” Jasper says, clapping his hands together and smiling. He truly looks elated for his friend. “Now we just have to get your man back!”
“My guys will have the explosives set within the hour. Take the time to prepare,” Gavin says before taking Adira’s hand and heading outside.
Jasper goes around the room and greets everyone while I stay snuggled in Ezra’s arms. It’s strange how moments like these can make me feel so complete and incomplete at the same time.
I felt it every time I snuggled with Maverick before I ever met Ezra.
I just thought it was from thinking my feelings would never be returned.
Now I recognize it for what it is. I was never meant to be with just one person.
Maverick, Ezra, and I complete each other.
It took the broken pieces of three hearts to make the single one that beats between us.