Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Wells
Did Tinsley call you?
Me
Hello to you too. No, I was texting with her earlier though. What’s going on?
Wells
Daphne called me. She couldn’t reach me first so she spoke to Tinsley, which is fine, but I just wanted to make sure she was ok because she didn’t answer my call.
Before I can text Wells back, my girl calls me.
Fighting the smile that her name inherently causes, I look around the conference room, not sure why we even had this meeting.
This was supposed to be the rescheduled finance meeting from last week, but somehow, communication lines got crossed and our Senior Vice President of Finance Natasha Markova drove out to the Forrest Falls location thinking our meeting was there while I drove here into Nashville.
If I had known we could have done this all remotely, I would’ve stayed in Forrest Falls and just called in.
I hate wasted time, and this meeting is a giant time suck.
I nod at Jett as I stand up and walk out to take the call.
They can figure out the rest of the meeting without me.
“Hey, Red, what’s going on?” I answer, but instead of hearing my girl, I hear muffled voices.
I pull the phone back and make sure I read the caller ID correctly and then try to make out what’s being said.
I tell Jett to have Ethan get the car ready and start walking to the elevator.
Since Tinsley has been staying with me, when I have to come into Nashville for meetings but plan on going back to Forrest Falls, I have Ethan drive me so I can work during the commute.
We have a helicopter too, but I prefer to drive.
I press the down button and wait for the elevator.
But those plans go out the window the moment I hear my girl scream bloody murder.
I pivot as I mute my end of the call and run full speed back to Jett.
“Get the pilot to the helipad, now.” And I start running up the stairs to the rooftop with Jett on my heels.
We have a fleet of pilots on standby for various aircrafts, and usually the helicopter pilots fly Wells around the most, and when Wells is abroad, they just hang out in their office on call, but the pilots keep everything ready to go at the drop of a hat.
The pilot on shift today dropped Wells off in Forrest Falls earlier this week and has just been waiting to be needed since then.
“Where to, Mr. Callahan?” the pilot asks, flipping switches and bringing the bird to life as I put the headset on. Ethan and Jett both climb in with me, not sure what’s going on but knowing something is very fucking wrong.
“Forrest Falls, but do not land at my building. Take me to my father’s, please.
” My father’s backyard is acres of open field, so there’s plenty of space to land, something I’ve had to do occasionally when running late for a family event or dinner.
Instead of the hour-drive commute, the helicopter gets us there in about half the time.
I connect my cell to my headset, and I can hear Tinsley struggling and crying out in the apartment.
I’ll kill them.
I will fucking kill them.
I don’t know who it is, but if they hurt her, I will end them—and I have a very educated guess who the hell is involved, if not the asshole inflicting the pain right now.
I ask Jett for his cell and use it to text Liam, Wells, Walker, and Thor. Thankfully, he has all their numbers saved from communicating with them on my behalf in the past, so I don’t have to waste time looking them up.
Me
It’s Jack on Jett’s phone. Emergency. Not a drill.
Liam
What’s going on?
Me
Tinsley called me but she’s under some sort of attack at the penthouse.
She somehow made the call but doesn’t have the phone on her.
I can hear at least two other offenders.
Liam, can you connect Thor and whoever the hell else needs access to the cameras in my penthouse?
I’m en route by helicopter to Dad’s. I’m not landing on the building, don’t want them to know I’m coming.
When our sister Savannah was kidnapped last year and their home security systems had been hacked, Liam’s contact and tech guru Sophia did an overhaul to all of our security systems to ensure that scenario never happened again—which makes it pretty fucking clear that someone is in on this bullshit.
The high-tech system is a closed-loop feed, and very, very few people have access to it, but when we need to access it, Liam is able to get into any of our feeds.
I don’t know—nor do I frankly care about the logistics—I just want the security features that I thought were like Fort fucking Knox and the safest place for my girl.
But I hadn’t expected a traitor in my midst. Whoever they are, I will find them, and I will come for them. Most people would call the local authorities first, but most people don’t have a brother like Liam Fucking Callahan.
Liam
I have a live feed up. It’s Rick Wilson, Debbie Jo Wilson, and Kane Daughtry.
Walker
…I’m on this text thread.
Me
I know. It wasn’t an oversight.
Wells
I’m in the offices downstairs. I’ll shut this down right now. That douche canoe is long overdue for a punch in the face.
Liam
No you won’t. I can see at least two guns, Wells. Stay fucking put.
Wells
He’s holding her at gun point?! Is she ok??!?!?!
Liam
Yes. It looks like Kane is injured in some capacity and isn’t moving that much but is conscious on the floor. Guessing a gunshot somewhere to the lower abdomen by position and blood pooling on the floor.
Walker
Where in the penthouse are they? I’m at my house but en route.
Me
Walker, can you meet me when I land at Dad’s?
Walker
Of course. Headed to Murphy’s now.
Liam
Kitchen area. Kane is right by the powder room in the foyer.
Rick has Tinsley in the kitchen, she’s on the floor, up against the island but seems ok overall.
Debbie Jo also has a gun but is holding it low to her side and slightly behind her person.
I’m not sure the other people in the room realize she is also armed.
Thor
Who’s taking point here, Mr. Callahan?
Thor
Sorry, Mr. Jack Callahan?
Me
Liam’s running point.
Me
Wells do NOT draw attention within the office. Play it fucking cool, man. I don’t trust anyone right now at Lux outside of you, Max, Ethan, and Jett.
Wells
Shouldn’t we just get in there ASAP and get my sister the fuck out of there?!
Me
Someone in that building is helping them somehow, I would bet my entire fucking fortune on it. There’s no way they should’ve been able to access our penthouse without someone inside helping them. Go meet Thor in your loft. Thor, make sure Allie does NOT go up there.
Liam
We will find the mole, Jack. Sophia’s on it.
Liam
Residential elevator is disabled once Wells gets off on his floor, and stairways are secured. No one is getting in or out.
Liam
Jack, I’m going to call you from one of my cells.
Merge that incoming call with your current phone call.
It will keep the line open with Sophia and me if something happens to your phone.
We have the audio and video from the cameras, but not sure Tinsley is aware of that if we get disconnected from her.
Liam
Sophia is going to lock down the rest of the building.
No one will be leaving or making outgoing calls or communications.
It’s going to be a dead zone below the residential floors.
If we knock out their cell service, it may push Kane and Rick too hard and too fast, but if someone in Lux is giving them a heads up, it will disable that ability.
Thor
Security is being told this is a drill, staff is not being notified as per protocol for security drills but will be played off as a tech issue.
We land moments later and Jett, Ethan, and I jump into Walker’s truck as he floors it, getting us to the underground parking of my building in less than five minutes when it’s usually a ten-minute drive.
While on the way, Walker lets me know that he’s going to follow our plausible deniability rule to a point and let me take the lead because it’s Tinsley, but he will be taking Rick into custody today.
Most of my brothers, or well, all of us Callahan men, have our own moral codes or sense of right and wrong.
It’s a deep sense of right and wrong, but it doesn’t necessarily always follow certain laws, regulations, or social norms if it means protecting a loved one.
But we didn’t take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
Well, Liam may have taken some oaths of his own over the years, but who knows with my brother.
But we don’t want to put my brother-in-law, Walker, a former decorated sniper with the U.S.
Army Rangers and current FBI Agent in a precarious situation where he would ever have to choose between badge or family.
We respect him—and his work—too much. So, we use the term plausible deniability around him as his hint to leave the room, or when we’re trying to prevent him from being put in a situation where he would have to make a challenging decision.
We would never ask him to make that choice.
Walker telling me he will be taking Rick into custody was his way of basically telling me not to kill the guy … but he didn’t say Rick needed to go into custody uninjured, and if Walker meant Rick needs to be unharmed, then he really should have been specific with me.
Because today? Today, I’m splitting hairs. To be fair, I didn’t make any promises, I just looked at him when he informed me of his plans, keeping my face as neutral as I’m able to right now given the circumstances, and then looked back to the road as we raced to my girl.
There are too many unknowns in this scenario, but I know that I will be getting to Tinsley, and after today, whether he leaves with Walker or leaves this earth all together, today is the last day Rick Wilson will ever lay a hand on my girl.
If I have any say in it, it will be the last time she is in the same room as him for the rest of his life as well.
I need to figure out how he even bypassed our security system and guards to get the opportunity to be in the same building, let alone the same room as her in the first fucking place.
I take my role as protector very seriously when it comes to the people that I love, and I failed my girl when they somehow got to her.
And someone is going to pay; someone will face my wrath.
I don’t like unknowns. I like plans and answers and protocols.
I like structure, and yes, I like control. I like things I can depend on.
Like my brothers. I may have no clue where in the world Liam is right now, but I am beyond grateful that I know my brother will always show up for his family—and bring an entire team of bad asses when necessary. I never have to question him or any of my siblings for that matter.