Page 73 of Hush (Fighting Fate)

That had been two days ago. I think. Considering I couldn’t actually see if the sun had been rising and falling, I wasn’t entirely positive, but it certainly felt like it.

At some stage I’d brought up my concern regarding Mom putting in a missing persons report, but he’d only waved it off, saying his father wouldn’t allow it. Knowing he was right didn’t make my being there any easier.

At some stage during the third day, he went out, leaving me gagged and bound for what felt like hours. When he came back, he had food and water, and was freshly showered and dressed. Bastard.

After that, he was fidgety, continually pacing and checking his cell. I watched him on three separate occasions snort a line of coke, and afterwards he would look so on edge and flighty I was scared to even breathe in case it brought me to his attention.

But I was wrong to think that kind of mood was the worst he could produce. So, so very wrong.

By night fall on the third day, Aaron took a call and was instantly happy. My blood ran cold as I watched him turn to me with a look that resembled his father’s malicious one.

“Finally,” he said, moving closer. “You’re going to be useful to me.”

With that, any hope I’d been holding onto disappeared.

Chapter 48

Noah

By the time the day of the exchange came around, I was a mess. Inside anyway. On the outside I was the same pissed off, aloof and focused dick I always was in front of the guys.

I’d spent the entire day and night after I’d found out Kaeli was missing, scouring the places I thought Aaron might be or could possibly be holding her, but had come up with nothing. I’d dragged Davo with me all over the fucking town, beating up anyone who might’ve had an idea where the fucker was hiding her, but no one knew a fucking thing.

The only way I’d been able to convince TJ to let me keep looking was to convince him we needed to keep up appearances - show people that nothing was different. It worked for a while, but by the end of the night, he’d reached his limit and we were all on lockdown.

I thought, under the circumstances, I’d done a pretty fucking good job faking I was merely just pissed and not psychotically ready to tear the entire underworld apart to find her.

It had taken way more patience than I realized I actually had, but I couldn’t risk the operation. It wasn’t that I thought the operation was more important, because it fucking wasn’t. It was because I knew once the operation was over, I would be free to find her and make whoever was responsible, pay.

Sitting back on the lounge, I lit a joint and forced my shoulders to appear relaxed while TJ went over the plan. We were to take two vehicles - one being the van TJ had acquired to carry the merchandise, leaving one outside the gates of the industrial estate for a quick get-away. Davo and Mac were to hang back and to the sides to cover us from behind, and Pock, Vinnie and I, who were going to be carrying the cash, were to keep a close formation around TJ.

Seeing as this was the biggest transaction TJ had made to date, he’d actually put a lot of thought into making it go down as smoothly as possible. But I knew my team, and this was a statewide bust on a national level. There was going to be some pretty heavy artillery waiting for them the second the exchange was done.

After a final check to ensure all the money was right and our guns were loaded, we piled into the cars and drove south.

Keep

ing a little distance behind the van TJ was in, I found myself checking the mirrors constantly. I was as nervous as hell that something was going to stop the exchange from taking place, and I wanted to be ready for anything.

As part of the plan, I followed TJ’s car through the city, taking the long way to the meeting point to hopefully flush out anyone who might be following us.

The first surprise came the second we pulled up to the gates of the warehouse estate we were meeting Mr. X. They were shut and guarded by two of Mr. X’s men with assault weapons.

After conducting a thorough search of each of us for wires, and an even more thorough search of the van, including the use of an electronic detector for transmitters, they finally let us through.

We drove at snail’s pace, following one of the guys as he led the way to the designated warehouse. At our approach, the roller door was hoisted up and we were quickly ushered inside with the door closing just as quick behind us.

The instant the door slammed shut, we were surrounded by Mr. X’s men, every single one of them pointing a gun in our direction.

“Guns please, boys,” one of them said with a nod.

TJ nodded and we followed his lead, pulling them out and holding them up in an appeasing way.

“On the table,” the guy said, indicating to the table a few feet away.

Making sure we made slow, deliberate movements, we all stepped over to the table and slowly lay our weapons down before moving back again.

At the guy’s nod, Mr. X’s men lowered their guns and stepped back.

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