Billionaire Romance: Spencer's Torment (A Seductive Alpha Billionaire Romance Book 2) (4 page)

I was determined to get Emily back as I made my way out to the front yard where a swarm of men in various uniforms, along with my security detail were huddled, discussing the next appropriate course of action. As I approached them, everyone turned to stare at me, holding their breath, the anticipation hanging in the air.

I just shook my head and said, “You know, I could’ve used one of you assholes in there. No thanks to
you
,” I looked pointedly at the detective that had deserted me, “we lost the call and now we’re no closer to tracking his location.”

The detective looked around nervously, fumbling on his words, more worried about trying to cover his own ass. I held up my hand and said,  “Just stop! I don’t really give a shit
why
it happened. I’m more concerned with how we’re going to get Emily back alive—and that requires
all
of us to be at the top of our game because I can tell you, Calvin sure as hell has all of his bases covered. Got it?” I said, pointedly staring at each of their faces. They all nodded sheepishly. “Good. Now, first things first, we’ve
got
to get all this bullshit out of here,” I said, jerking a thumb towards the handful of squad cars with their red and blue lights flashing silently in the darkness. “Calvin’s got cameras set up inside the house and we can’t be sure that he doesn’t have eyes on us out here as well,” I explained. “Besides, they’re just drawing attention and making the neighbors uncomfortable,” I continued, noticing the large crowd that had gathered around the perimeter of the crime scene.

They all just stared blankly at me until finally, a younger looking officer replied, “But sir, where are we going to put them?”

“I don’t fucking know, kid. Just get them
out
of here,” I said, running a hand through my hair, exasperated. “They can’t be seen anywhere near here. That goes for all the yellow tape and equipment inside as well—it has to go. It can’t look like there’s any sort of investigation going on here. I was given specific instructions that I had to get rid of
all
of you within an hour or else he’s going to kill Emily. He may be bluffing, or he may not. Either way, it’s not a chance I can afford to take with my girlfriend’s life and I’d really appreciate it if you’d all work with me on this and just do what I ask! Please,” I sighed, throwing my hands in the air.

“Yes, of course, Mr. Ford,” a few of them mumbled and finally, as if by magic, all of the officers sprung into action and started deconstructing the crime scene—moving cop cars down the street, packing up equipment, and making it appear as though nothing had ever happened here—like it was just any other normal night, in any other normal American suburb.

As I stared at the empty, glowing house, I was reminded just how fucked up the past forty-eight hours had been. Not only had I found Emily drunk and roofied at some club, about to be kidnapped, but I’d had to hospitalize her after discovering her in a pool of her own blood, only to find out it was because she had had a miscarriage—a baby that very well could have been my brother’s. And on top of it all, my hunger for revenge was ultimately what lead Emily right back into Calvin’s sick and twisted web.

I wished that I could close my eyes and open them again only to realize this had all just been a horrible nightmare. But wishing wasn’t going to get me anywhere—
I have to be strong for Emily and get her out of all this and then maybe, just maybe we can start the life together that we deserve
, I thought to myself as a lone tear ran down my cheek. I wasn’t going to let her slip through my fingers like I had with Lauren, and in another sense, my mom. I knew I couldn’t change the past, but I could make things right for Emily—here and now.

“Boss?”

I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I turned, startled to find Crawford standing there.
Fuck.
I glanced away and quickly wiped the tears that had stained my cheeks, erasing the evidence. It was a stupid habit that had been ingrained in me when I was child by a foster dad who was always quick to point out,
“Real men don’t cry!”
anytime he caught me being emotional.

“Yeah?” I asked, clearing my throat, attempting to compose myself, then I turned back to face him.

“Is everything okay?” Crawford asked warily, a look of concern filling his eyes. He’d never seen me like this, a calculated measure on my part.

“It will be,” I said gravely. And I meant it. “We need to get everyone rounded up so we can discuss our next course of action. I’ve got a plan.”

*****

“So, is everyone clear on their specific job and how this is all gonna go down?” I asked, glancing around at all of their faces, the unease palpable.

“Look, Mr. Ford…I know this is your girlfriend and your brother we’re talking about here, but I don’t think this is the wisest strategy move,” Lieutenant Parker said, stepping forward slowly with his hands out—cautious as though he was trying to talk me down from a ledge.

“With all due respect, sir, it’s not up to you and I don’t appreciate your condescending tone. In order for this to work effectively and without a hitch, everyone’s got to be on the same page—the page I’ve already written up. There will be no deviating from this course of action, because if anyone so much as breathes wrong, Calvin’s gonna know something’s up. And I can’t risk Emily being caught in the middle of all of this,” I said, shaking my head. Then, I turned my gaze directly on Lieutenant Parker so that he’d understand I meant business and said through clenched teeth, “We do it
my
way.”

He nodded, dropping his hands in defeat and backed off. “Okay, okay. I hear you. How much time do we have?” he asked, glancing at his watch, causing me to do the same.

It was nearly 9 p.m. and Calvin was due to call back at any minute.
Shit.
“Alright. Everybody needs to get in place down the street! Calvin will be calling soon and I can’t have any of you here, it’s too risky,” I said. Then, I turned to Crawford and asked, “You know what to do, right?”

Crawford nodded and started off down the block, Young and O’Neill trailing behind him on high alert. His job, aside from riding along with me to retrieve Emily, was to keep an eye out for Bridget’s car and intercept her before she pulled in the driveway. I couldn’t afford for her to come home in the middle of all this and compromise the objective.

I was completely alone now and my thoughts drifted to a dark place. Part of me wondered if this would actually work, thoughts of doubt creeping into my subconscious, but I pushed them aside.
This has to work, there is no other option,
I told myself, running my palms up and down my face in an effort to clear my mental confusion.
It will all be over soon.

As if I’d summoned a demon, my phone started ringing, the loudness piercing the quiet of the night and I jumped at the unexpected noise, fumbling in my pockets to answer it as quickly as possible. I didn’t want to run the risk of missing Calvin’s call since I didn’t have a call back number for him. Plus, who knew what he’d do to Emily if I didn’t answer fast enough.

“Hello?” I said, out of breath as I placed the phone up to my ear. At first, there was no response and a feeling of dread came over me that I was too slow and I’d missed his call, but then, he spoke.

“Where are you?” Calvin asked, an edge to his voice that I didn’t like.

“What?” I asked stupidly. “Oh, I’m just…out front. I’m going inside now,” I said, turning the knob to the front door and stepping into the entryway.

Calvin sighed and then through clenched teeth he said, “What the fuck were you doing outside, Spencer? You aren’t trying to fuck me over are you?”

“Of course not, Cal. I was just getting some fresh air.
Jesus
. I wouldn’t do anything to compromise this. You know I care about Emily too much to risk making the wrong move,” I said, hoping I was being convincing enough.

He paused for a few seconds and then finally replied. “I sure hope you’re telling me the truth, here—for Emily’s sake, that is. Because I have to be honest: I have no problems slitting her damn throat. She’s being a pain in my ass, anyway and I’d really enjoy getting rid of her,” he laughed casually, as if we’d merely been discussing the weather and my stomach dropped. Until now, I hadn’t realized how sick he truly was and a new surge of fear and self-doubt raced through me.

“Cal, don’t you dare hurt her,” I warned, trying to keep my voice at an even tone, not wanting to set him off.

“Or what, Spencer? What the fuck are you going to do about it, huh? That’s right: nothing. Because there’s nothing you
can
do,” he spat, “because
I’m
the one in charge, goddammit!”

I could hear him seething with anger and immediately regretted my decision to speak up. After all, he was right: he was in charge and as much as I hated to admit it, I was at his mercy—especially if I wanted to keep Emily safe. So I tried a gentler approach and said, “Yes, yes. You’re right, Cal. I don’t know what I was thinking. It’s just…I really care about her
and
you and I’d really like to see you both. That’s all.”

Everything was quiet for a few seconds and then, finally, he said, “You know what, Spencer? You’re right. I’d like to see you, too. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, something important. It’s only right that I do it in person.” His tone sounded different, optimistic even and I took it as a good sign.

“That sounds great. Just tell me where to meet you,” I said, trying not to blow it by sounding overly excited, my plan falling into place perfectly.

“Ah, Ah. Not so fast, Spencer. First, I need to make sure that you’re completely alone.

“I’m completely alone, Calvin, I swear. I did as you asked. That’s part of the reason I was outside. I was making sure they were all gone. You can even check the cameras if you don’t believe me,” I said as I paced back and forth in the entryway.

“Go to the living room,” he commanded. “I need to make sure I can see a clear picture of your face.”

I did as he asked and walked into the living room, giving it a discreet once-over to be sure there was no stray equipment lying around. To my relief, the room was back to its original state and there was no sign that the cops had ever even been there.

“Alright, now tell me, Spencer: how did you convince the authorities to leave? After all, once they’re in the middle of an investigation, I really doubt they’re inclined to just pack up and leave without ever solving the problem. So, what’d you tell them?” he asked smugly. “Oh, and in case I need to point out the obvious: I can see you and I’ll be able to tell if you’re lying. So don’t even
think
about bullshitting me.”

I swallowed, buying myself a few seconds as I came up with an answer that would satisfy him and finally I settled on, “Honestly? I told them that you were my brother and this had all just been a misunderstanding. That Emily hadn’t been taken against her will, she had left willingly because she wanted to be with you. That I’d received a call from her, even saying she had had a change of heart and felt like we needed to break up—that she really wanted to be with you,” as the words left my mouth, a wave of nausea came over me and I couldn’t believe what I was saying, but I had to remind myself it was all for the greater good and that it wasn’t really true.

“Hmm,” he said, as if he was processing what I’d just told him. “And they believed you?”

“Yeah, they did. I mean, they were a little pissed about the whole thing, but what are they gonna do, ya know? I guess that’s one of the perks of being a billionaire: people listen to you, no questions asked,” I said with a shrug.

Calvin marinaded on what I’d just told him, deciding whether or not he believed me. Finally he responded, “Alright, I’m texting you the address. And Spencer…?”

“Yeah?”

“No bullshit or your bitch dies. I mean it. You come alone,” he growled.

“I hear you, Cal. I’ll come alone and we’ll talk—just me and you, like when we were kids,” I said, hoping he’d be reminded of the way things used to be.

“We’ll see,” he responded darkly, and with a
click
, he was gone.

I stared straight ahead, my eyes fixated on Emily’s jacket draped across the back of the couch and I walked over to it, picking it up in my hands, feeling the softness on my fingertips. I brought the fabric up to my nose and breathed in her scent—lilac mixed with peppermint gum and a sad smile played on my lips as I closed my eyes and pictured her beautiful face, her head tipped back laughing.

My thoughts were interrupted a few seconds later when my text alert
dinged.
I glanced down and saw the address Calvin had sent me, along with another text that read, “
I know exactly how long the drive takes, so if you deviate at all, the deal’s off. You have two hours.”

I quickly sprung into action and pulled the address up with my GPS, grabbing Emily’s coat and my car keys.

As I climbed into the Escalade, I put my phone into the dash mount and glanced at the directions. The end point was about as off-the-map as you could get and the GPS estimated a two hour drive exactly…in perfect conditions. As I peeled out of the driveway, I just prayed I’d get to Emily in time—before it was too late.