Chapter Twenty-Two
JAX
We managed to leave the club without drawing any unnecessary attention to ourselves, the frigid December air creeping into the car and the late hour adding an extra layer of wariness.
George told us all the information he has relating to Richard and Lily is kept on a laptop that he has locked in a safe in his office, so that’s where we’re headed.
He sits beside me, his trembling hands clutching the tissues I tossed at him to stop the bleeding. I’m pretty sure he has a broken nose, a reminder of River’s handiwork.
The silence in the car is thick with our barely contained fury. Knowing that someone else is also after Richard, while Mia is with him, is all the fuel we need to get to him before they do.
Elliot navigates the streets, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror every few minutes, as if reassuring himself that George is still here. Like the fucker can go anywhere. He sure as hell wouldn’t have the balls to attempt to jump from a moving car, that’s for sure.
River is still wound up so tight, his knee bouncing with irritation—it’s why he’s in the front passenger seat and not in the back with George here. I wouldn’t put it past him to stab the fucker in the thigh.
“This is it,” George says asElliot slows down to one of the large steel structures. “Take the next turn into the next underground car park.”
“And you’re sure you can get us all up to your office without being seen?”
“Yes.”
“Good, because if you’re lying, George, it won’t just be you paying the price. It will be your family, too,” River tosses over his shoulder.
George audibly gulps. It’s a lie, but he doesn’t need to know that.
The car park is almost full, but being in the city, it’s not much of a surprise. Thankfully, it’s empty of people as Elliot pulls into a bay, cleverly avoiding the cameras.
“Move,” I say, my voice low, menacing. As soon as we’re out of the car, Elliot retrieves his bag from the boot. George’s eyes dart around the car park, and my hand automatically clamps down on his shoulder. “Remember what I said. Don’t be getting any ideas. You’ll regret it.”
He nods, all the entitled arrogance we’ve seen from him before long gone.
“I’m all set, boss,” Elliot says, joining us around the side of the car.
“Right, lead the way.” I wave my hand in front of me for George to go first.
Our footsteps echo around us, George’s heavy breaths fogging the air, fear rolling off him in palpable waves. He leads us to the main building but navigates towards a back alleyway and a back entrance.
Elliot is already looking for CCTV.
“You won’t find any cameras here,” George says, fishing out his keys and a key card and entering a code to shut off the alarm .
“If there is, I’ll find it and wipe it anyway,” he replies.
We’re led inside and into what appears to be some kind of service lift. The ride up to the top floor is torturously slow. George fidgets. I mean I get it, being trapped in this metal box with us three is enough to make anyone feel anxious.
Using his key card, the electronic door opens onto a pristine and deserted floor, the lights only coming on with our movement.
He leads us to an office at the end of the hall, his name and CEO printed onto a gold plaque.
Inside his office, the atmosphere shifts, the interior a monotonous beige, clashing with the raw tension we’ve brought with us.
George walks over to his desk, his movements stiff and jerky.
“Easy,” River says, taking an intimidating step forward as George reaches underneath.
The picture behind George shifts, revealing a hidden safe.
“Someone clearly has a lot to hide,” Elliot says in a condescending tone.
George moves to the safe, and I tilt my head towards River, who is hot on his heels, the knife to his throat in a flash, causing his hand to freeze mid-air.
“As long as you don’t try anything foolish, I won’t need to give you a matching nick on the other side,” he says, his tone threatening.
Slowly, George types in a code, the keypad going from red to green and the door clicking open.
“Move aside.” River reaches in and pulls out a laptop and what appears to be an ugly-looking brown Filofax.Who knew they were still a thing?
“What do we have here,” he says, tossing the leather towards Elliot, who catches it with ease.
River passes the laptop to George, who hugs it to his chest like a lifeline before sitting at the mahogany desk. Lifting the lid and starting it up,
I stand behind him, my presence a looming threat.
“I want to see who has access to these so-called videos and images of Lily.”
He swallows hard and sniffs, his fingers trembling as they hover over the keyboard.
“So, what exactly is your involvement in this?” I ask.
He clears his throat, his shoulders tensing. “I just recommend clients in exchange for a small payment fee.”
I grip his shoulder—hard. “And what exactly constitutes a small payment?”
“Ten grand per client.”
I shake my head. In what world is that a small payment? “And what else do you do exactly? Do you have a full list?”
“N-no, only the handful I’ve recommended. Some are frequent members of a few clubs I visit. Richard keeps the main clientele list.”
“And the ones you say are after Richard?”
He swallows nervously. “Yes, they are the ones I recommended, but if they find out I told you. I’m a dead man.”
He pulls up a folder and opens it.
“Elliot,” I say and step aside. He brings over a small black hard drive and plugs the cable into George’s computer before returning to his laptop and clicking a few buttons.
“Hey, what are you doing?” George asks, panic etching his face.
“A database transfer,” Elliot replies.
“B-but?—”
I cut him off. “But what? You fucked up, George. This is your own doing. Now, show us the videos and images you have of Lily.”
He clicks on an App.
“What the fuck?” My hand tightens on the back of George’s chair, the leather creaking under my grip. “Please tell me this isn’t what I think it is?”
It’s an entire fucking network.
Elliot lets out a low curse. “The dark web, you have our girl on the fucking dark web?”
“It’s not me. Richard is the one who runs it... I just?—”
“Do not finish that fucking sentence,” River grits out. “Not unless you really want to see what my blade can do.”
“So why does Richard owe these men money?” I ask, giving a warning look to River to calm the fuck down.
“Because he never supplied the most recent feed. They paid upfront, and he didn’t deliver.”
I frown. “What do you mean, he didn’t deliver? Deliver what?”
Beads of sweat trickle down George’s temple. “He usually provides live feeds to his step-daughter’s room, only it never came.”
Fuck! I feel physically sick—Richard was not only watching but also selling it.
“When, when was this?” I ask, but I already know the answer—the same night I went to Lily’s room and confronted her.I scrub my hand over my jaw when George confirms this.
I can’t bring myself to look at River or Elliot. Too many emotions are vying for my attention, so instead I turn and punch the wall, busting my knuckles and leaving a red stain and dent in the process.
The wanker beside me flinches and sinks into his chair as though it will help him disappear, not a fucking chance.
The room falls silent as the gravity of the situation hits us.
It’s George who breaks us from our internal thoughts.
“W-what happens now?”
I reach out and grab him by the scruff of his neck, pull him out of the chair, and shove him towards Elliot .
“I want you to point out the names of the men after Richard. Now!”
The weasel doesn’t take long to comply, and we have everything we need.
Now we know what kind of shit George has been involved in. It doesn’t matter that he’s pleaded diminished responsibility, with this type of evidence he’ll be going down, one way or another.
“If Richard contacts you, we’ll know about it. Your laptop and phone have now been tapped. I wouldn’t suggest going far, either. You’ll only make this worse for yourself and your family. If I find out you’ve withheld anything else from us, you’re a dead man, do you understand?”
George’s eyes widen, filled with fear. “I-I understand,” he stammers.
“Good.”
I nod to River, and he smiles, but it is full of malice and ill intent as he rounds on George, punching him in the stomach for good measure.
“We’ll be seeing you,” he says, grabbing the keycard and slamming the door behind us, leaving a bent-over George snivelling on the floor.
None of us says a word, as the weight of what we’ve just uncovered settles over us. Each name adds another threat and is threaded in a darker web of corruption, which is slowly beginning to unravel, revealing its true depth. If these men want retribution and they find Richard before we do, they will not hesitate to take it in the form of using Mia as collateral damage.