“He’s right,” Parker said, “we should get inside.”
We walked over to the elevator and Knight entered the code, then stepped inside. We all followed and I watched with humor as my family’s faces looked on in confusion at the level of security that Knight had to go through to get the elevator to move.
“Did I miss something?” my dad asked. “Did we enter Fort Knox and I didn’t realize it?”
“We take security very seriously here.”
“I can see that, but why?”
“Because we’d all like to be alive,” Knight said, right before the doors opened and he stepped out.
My brother turned to me, arms crossed over his chest. “He’s a cheery fella.”
“He’s…intense, but very good.”
We headed for the conference room and my family all took a seat at the table. Cap walked in and took his place at the head of the table.
“I’m Sebastian, owner of Reed Security. Sorry, but this is going to be rushed. I need to know everything that the FBI said to you.”
“They told us that Blake stole confidential information. They tried to tell us that she had lost it and had been acting weird for the last year and a half. Whatever this is, they’re trying to paint you as the fall guy,” Todd said.
“So, they didn’t give out any specifics?”
“No, they were fishing. They wanted to know what we knew and they were hoping we would lead them to you.”
“How did you get away?” I asked curiously.
“It took a lot of vehicle swapping. We had them chasing us all over town for a while.”
Todd’s phone rang and he stood, moving to the other side of the room.
“Well, obviously, we can’t have you guys hanging around here,” Cap said. “I’d love to have a way for you to help us out, but eventually they’ll find out you’re here and that won’t be good for your sister.”
“They already know,” Todd said, shoving his phone in his pocket. “That was Kyle. The FBI seized all his computer equipment. They must have seen us meet up with him.”
“Who’s Kyle?” Cap asked.
“He’s a police officer that’s also a very good friend. He did a search on the car Blake had in storage so we could find you. He wiped everything, but he said it’s only a matter of time before they find out what he was looking into.”
“Did he say when they took it all?” Knight asked.
“This morning,” Todd answered.
“They’ve already got someone on their way then,” Knight said. “You need to leave now.”
“Where would I go?”
“You and Parker can go stay at my house in Colorado. It’s safe.”
“I need to see Kiera. I’m sorry, I can’t go.”
“Who’s Kiera?” my dad asked.
“The woman that accused me of rape.”
“Whoa,” Matt said, “that’s sounds like you’re asking for trouble. If you go see the woman that you supposedly raped, you’re looking at walking into a shit ton of other crap.”
“Including kidnapping,” Knight pointed out.
“You kidnapped her?” I asked.
“He did,” Parker pointed to Knight.
“Maybe you shouldn’t go.”
“I need to.” Parker pulled me off to the side, away from prying ears. “You remember all those things I told you I wanted?” I nodded. “I still want that, but I can’t have it if I don’t clear my name. We already stepped in a big pile of shit, but even if we get out of it, I’ll still have this shit hanging over my head. I have to do this now.”
I wanted so badly for him to run with me, but I understood. He needed this and I couldn’t stop him from doing it. He was right, if he didn’t clear his name now, he never would.
“Alright. Let’s plan to meet up at Knight’s place by the end of the week. If one of us isn’t there…”
“Yeah,” he nodded.
“Feds are at the door,” Rob said, storming into the room and flicking on the monitor. “They have a warrant. Whatever you’re going to do, you need to do it fast.”
“Go,” I said urgently. “Go do what you have to. We’ll see each other again.”
He pulled me into his arms and kissed me hard. I almost pulled back, almost begged him not to go. He stepped back with a pained look and stormed from the room with Knight.
I turned back to Cap, ready to figure out the next step, but it was already too late. I saw them on the monitors, heading up in the elevator with one of the guards from the front gate. Knight must have taken Parker a different direction. If I stayed, I gave Parker a chance to get away.
“Cap, deny everything. I showed up here looking for help and you didn’t give it.”
“What? No, I don’t run away from my problems.”
“Shut up. We don’t have a lot of time. They’ll come in here and they’ll take me into custody. You don’t know anything. You called my brothers when I showed up here, but you didn’t tell them anything other than you wanted to meet with them. They didn’t know why they were coming,” I said to all of them.
“Blake, maybe you work with shit people, but I don’t. I take care of the people around me.”
“That’s what I’m counting on. You and Knight still have to figure out what’s going on. You can’t help me if you’re being watched all the time. Figure it out and stop whatever’s happening so that you can get me out. I’ll be fine.”
He looked pissed, but he nodded. I hugged my family just as the elevators opened. “Not a word,” I hissed.
My boss came storming off the elevator. His face was red and he was pissed. I would say I was surprised that he was here, but the way he reacted to the information I brought him made it pretty clear that he needed me back where he could watch me and he needed to know what I knew. I looked back at my family and gave a reassuring smile. I wasn’t
