“We’re not doing a fuckin’ swap, Eva. Cree would kill me himself. But maybe we could lure Callum out of hiding.”
“We have to help Emily too. If they’re doing that to Cree, can you imagine what they’re doing to Emily?” I say.
“What do you know about her?” asks Chains.
I shrug. “Just that she comes to the youth centre. She lives with her father. Her mum’s not around. You can call Marcus and he’ll tell you more. He knows stuff from social workers that I’m not included in.”
Riggs nods. “I’ll put a call in. The police haven’t got her listed as missing. I find it odd. I might pay her dad a visit.”
“Hand me your cell,” says Chains. He types away and then shows it to Riggs, who nods. He then shows it to me.
Me: I’m ready to talk now.
A few minutes later, a reply comes.
Callum: About time. I have another treat for you.
And then a video comes through. Chains presses play and lays the cell on the desk so we can all look down at it. Cree is still tied to a chair, but this time, Michelle is sucking his cock. I look away. If I ever see that bitch again, I’ll rip her damn hair out.
“Text him back and ask where and when,” orders Riggs. “Let’s get this sorted out.”
Chapter Fourteen
Eva
“Let’s go over the plan one more time,” says Riggs, and I roll my eyes. We’ve been over the plan several times. “We hang back. You stay in view the whole time no matter what. Get as much information as you can.” I nod my head.
Riggs’ cell rings and he presses it to his ear. We’re almost at the meeting spot Callum chose. “Are you kidding me?” growls Riggs. “So, she’s fucked in the head?” He disconnects the call and glares at Chains. “That was Marcus. He did some digging, and apparently, Emily isn’t a vulnerable child. She’s an adult. Her dad isn’t her dad at all—they’re together. She’s been lying. Now, why would she lie?”
I gasp. “No way!” I screech. “I saw her dad. He’s like twenty years older than her!”
“How long has she been coming to the centre?” asks Chains.
“Six months. Maybe less.” I shrug.
“She’s part of it,” says Riggs, and Chains nods in agreement.
“Cree was helping her. Her and her dad,” I say. The sickness in my stomach threatens to expel itself all over the back seat of Chains’ nice car. “Do you think that’s why she came to the centre? Because of me?” I ask weakly. Riggs nods again and I clasp my hands together.
If Callum is set on me, then there’s no way he’ll give Cree up until he gets what he wants. The realisation of just how serious this situation is finally hits me hard.
The car stops by some abandoned sheds. At some point, people used to grow vegetables here, but that was years ago, and now the land is dried up and untidy. The sheds are dilapidated and unsafe. I have to walk to the other end of the field to meet Callum, but some of the Kings came on their bikes fully armed, and as I get out of the car, I see the guys walking their bikes onto the cracked soil so Callum doesn’t hear them.
“Remember the plan,” says Riggs, and I nod nervously.
It’s getting dark and it’s hard to walk on the uneven ground. I spot a figure waiting patiently. I get a few metres away and stop. I can’t see his face properly, but I sense it’s him. “What do you want from me, Callum?” I ask.
“Oh baby, you know what I want. I almost had you and all along you were teasing me.”
“I wasn’t. I wanted to know what the club was about, but when you told me, I decided it wasn’t for me. I wasn’t teasing you. I just changed my mind.”
“If you want to see Cree alive, you’ll need to come with me.”
“I can’t do that,” I say. He holds out his cell and I squint to see the screen. It’s Cree. He yells out, and I move closer in a panic to see the screen. Cree’s chest is bleeding and Michelle smiles at the camera as she digs her nails into his skin and scrapes them along his flesh. He hisses and his jaw goes rigid.
“She’s not playing ball, Michelle,” Callum says to the screen, and Michelle arches her brow. I watch in horror as she holds up a silver letter opener. It’s shiny and the point looks sharp. Without warning, she holds it above Cree and then drives it down into his thigh. He tries to contain the growl, but I hear it, and I see the pain on his face as it twitches. “Okay, okay, stop. I’ll come with you,” I hiss. “Just stop.”
“No,” yells Cree. “Don’t you fucking dare!”
I begin to cry. I don’t know what to do, and I know there’s every chance that I’ll go with Callum and they won’t bother to let Cree go, but I can’t walk away and leave him to be hurt like that. I resist the urge to glance back to where I know Riggs and Chains are watching. I pray they’ll follow us.
There’s a car just beyond where Callum stands. He points to it, and as we get closer, he opens the trunk. “Get in,” he snaps.
“In the trunk?” I screw my face up, but he waits until I sigh and climb in. I look back one last time to where I know Riggs will be cursing me right now. I hope he understands that this is the only way. Just as he closes the trunk, I see a huge fireball in the distance. Callum smirks. “Bye-bye, Kings Rebellions.” And then he slams the trunk closed and I’m left in the dark with my hands over my mouth, trying to
