Page 38 of Bad Boy Billionaire Protector

“Mason…?”

“Yeah. I’m thinking…Okay look, I’ll need to check with my boss since we’ll have to request it through the US Marshalls Office. It’s risky, because the DOJ needs you to stay alive long enough to stand witness at any trial we’re able to bring against the professor. They might allow you to speak to the family, but I can’t promise anything. Let me see what I can do.”

“All right then. I can take that.” He sounded so upbeat.

I didn’t have it in my heart that it was unlikely to be approved, but I didn’t want to take away this small piece of hope that he had.

“Okay, I have to go now but I’ll let you know as soon as I know something more.”

“All right. Love you bro. Thanks for doing this for me. Things are finally looking up.”

“Love you, too.”

I finished the call and threw the phone down on the couch. I buried my head in my hands, guilt filling me up at putting my little brother through all this. This was the first time I had heard hope in his voice throughout this whole ordeal. But he was the key to my undercover investigation, and more importantly, he was my brother and I was going to make damned sure he stayed safe.

I knew I was the worst brother by stealing his girlfriend and claiming her as my own. I dreaded the day that I had to deliver that news to him. But I couldn’t do it just now. There was too much at stake. I couldn’t risk him going off the deep end in the middle of the investigation. No matter how much guilt I carried.

Chapter 18 – Mason

Itoldtheprofessorthat I wanted to be part of the inner circle so he told me that my first test would be to part of the abduction team for the new initiates. I arrived at The Corinthian at 10:00 pm sharp with my cloak and mask and was led to a small anteroom where people were being arranged into teams of three. We were given a list of names and addresses for the candidates we had to abduct that night. I looked at the list and noticed Amber’s name was there.

Fuck. What was I going to do? I couldn’t risk kicking up a fuss about it or I would blow my cover. I would just have to go with it and try and let her know I was there and I would be looking out for her.

We arrived at the first person named on the list and the abduction went smoothly. Amber was second on the list. We arrived at her dorm room and one of the team members unlocked the door with a skeleton key. Their influence must run very deep to have gotten hold of a key like that since only janitorial staff should have them.

I pushed her to wake her as the other team members hauled her out of bed. She opened her mouth to scream but I managed to clamp my hand around her mouth before she made a sound.

I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “It’s me. Don’t make a sound. It’s The Order. They’re going to put you through some tests to see if you’ll be a good candidate to join the society. Nothing bad will happen to you. I’ll make sure of it. I’ll be there the whole time. Nod once if you understand.”

She nodded and stopped writhing around in her captors’ hands. She went limp and let them lift her to her feet and take her out of her dorm room and down the stairs. Once down the stairs, they put a hood on her head and dragged her to our van. I sat in the back with her and held her hand. She clutched it tightly.

“What the actual hell is happening?” She whispered to me.

“Professor Owens has decided you’d made a good candidate to be a member of The Order. I told him to leave you alone, but he decided to go ahead with it anyway.”

“I never even expressed an interest in the stupid thing. Why would he want me to join?”

“I don’t know. He seems to know more than he lets on and might be using this as a power play.”

“Well, shit. This is all I need. I almost had a heart attack when I woke up. I thought someone had come to kill me.”

“I’m so sorry. I begged him to leave you out of it.”

She sighed under the hood. “It’s okay. I’ll do what I can to make sure I get in.”

“Are you sure? You could just purposefully fail everything?”

“What kind of games are they anyway?”

“I have no idea,” I confessed. “I’m just one of the abducting team members, which I’m doing as part of my attempt to get into their inner circle.”

“The plot thickens, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”

“I think it’s a bit late for that now.”

“I know. I’m so sorry.”

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