Page 50 of He is… Creed: Part Three

“I love him.”

“He loves you too, or he wouldn’t be so worried about you. Just keep telling him you love him. You’ll get through to him.” She draws my blood and then packs up. “Let me get this to the lab and make sure I feel good about you heading out in the morning. I assume it’s going to be at the crack of dawn. I can’t release you until I review the results.”

With a nod, I stand up and follow Katie to the exit. “I’ll call you in a bit with the results.” Katie reaches for the knob, and awareness rushes over me. She opens the door, and Caleb is standing in the doorway, with Creed and Jensen on either side of him. Katie eyes me over her shoulder. “More soon,” she says, and disappears into the hallway.

I back into the room, allowing the men to enter, ever aware of Caleb in the lead, not Creed. “What’s wrong?” I ask, my gaze seeking Creed’s and colliding with the force of a freight train. He’s withdrawn and distant in a way that wrenches my heart.

“We need your help, Addie,” Caleb says as the three of them take positions inside the room, all in their black fatigues. Warriors preparing for battle, I think.

My gaze hangs on Creed a moment, and then jerks to Caleb. “Anything.”

He motions to the table, and the four of us sit, Creed to my left. Jensen plays the call from Brock. “Brock wants to kill me. Whatever he’s up to, it’s nothing good.”

“There’s a whole lot of no good going on,” Caleb replies. “Which is why we’re ending this, all of this, once and for all tomorrow night.”

My eyes rocket to Creed’s. “What does that mean?” I ask, willing him to answer.

Caleb replies before Creed has the chance. “The bloodshed has to end, and frankly, the world as we know it is at risk and has been for far too long.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Take your father and his close allies into custody. They’ll come here to Sunrise City. We hope that means we find Red Dart, but if we don’t, we’re hopeful your father will talk. We hope you’ll aid in that effort.”

I swallow hard, emotions ping-ponging inside me, but I know this has to happen. I do. The truth is, my father has been out of control for far too long. But what kills me right now—what really hurts me—is that Creed understands how tormented I am over this, no matter how wrong my father is in his actions. And he still allowed me to find out from Caleb. I don’t even look at Creed anymore. I focus on Caleb and Caleb alone. “I promise I’d do anything to help. I meant it. He had a chance to show me he’d do right by us all, most importantly the GTECHs, and he has not. Tell me what to do.”

“We’d like you to return that phone call. Make him feel everything is as it should be. Convince him you’re returning tomorrow.”

“You say that like I’m not returning,” I observe, surveying their faces and realizing that was their intention. “I have to go back. You say my father knows Creed is involved, that he most likely knows I’ve had contact with Creed. If I don’t go back and convince him everything is okay, he’ll disappear with Red Dart before you can get to him.”

“No,” Creed says, his voice steel. “I will not allow you to take that risk.”

I level him with a sharp stare. “This is my decision. You do not get a say in what happens to me. Not anymore.” My gaze burns into him a moment before it returns to Caleb. “Let’s make that phone call.”

Caleb eyes Creed. “We’ll protect her, Creed.”

The room ticks with thick silence before Creed fixes me in a penetrating stare. “You’ll wear a wire and do exactly as I tell you.”

“Fine,” is all I say.

Jensen hands me the phone, and everyone at the table puts some sort of earbud in to listen to my conversation. The phone rings, and I end up in Brock’s voicemail, which makes my job easy. When it beeps, I say, “Brock, it’s Addie. I got your message. I’ll be in tomorrow, but I need to sleep the rest of this headache off. Just catch up with me early in the morning. As for my father letting me in on Red Dart, I’ll believe it when I see it, and I’m not sure why he would tell you and not me.” I disconnect and explain. “If I didn’t act skeptical, he’d be skeptical.”

“Makes sense,” Caleb says, and when I go to hand the phone back, Caleb adds, “One more call. We’re concerned that a lot of people saw you with Creed. We believe they were all with Julian, not your father, but just in case. We think you telling him you had a run-in with Creed is a good idea. It will offset any stories he might be told and buy us some time.”

“I was seen with Creed,” I say, my gaze shifting to Creed’s. “I don’t know how I didn’t think of that.”

“I did,” he says. “Which is why this is a dangerous endeavor, Addie.”

I draw in a breath. “But necessary. I’m going to have to be fast about what I do, though.” I shift my gaze to Caleb. “And so are you.”

“We will be,” Caleb assures me. “Think of a story and tell us when you’re ready.”

“Just make the call,” I say to Jensen. “I got it.”

He nods, and a moment later, the phone is ringing again. My father answers quickly, and I teasingly say, “Hello, General,” trying not to sound strained.

“Addie, sweetheart,” he says. “How do you feel?”

“My headache is better, but there’s something else. A problem.”

---