Page 67 of Trust In Me

Everyone looks around, counting who should come and who should stay behind. Liam is the first to speak. “Obviously Kellan and Whiskey are going to take the first two spots. Then me and Kian will take three and four. We don’t need to take anyone else if nobody wants to come.”

Bree looks like she is about to say something, but Whiskey cuts her off. “My friend Joker is here. I would prefer for him to have a seat. For all of you, Mia is your priority, and that’s fine. But I need someone there with me, who will be there for Shayla. Please, it’s only fair.”

Bree nods. “I agree. I think that’s more than fair. So, I will take the last seat.” The look on Bree’s face is fierce and unwavering. She’s determined to be on that helicopter, and there’s a million reasons why she shouldn’t, but I don’t bother saying anything. I see the looks of concern on Liam’s and Kian’s faces, and I wait for one of them to take the risk.

Liam steps in front of his wife and places his hand on her very tiny bump. If I didn’t know she was pregnant, I would think she was just a little bloated, but knowing he’s holding his hand over their future kid, it’s almost painful to watch. Bree’s face softens slightly as Liam places his other hand against her cheek. “I know I shouldn’t ask you to sit this one out, but I am asking. I can’t go into battle worrying about you, Bree. If you’re there with me, that’s exactly what I’d be doing. I’d be worried about you and our little peanut. So please, for me, don’t go.”

Kian steps forward and speaks before Bree gets a chance to answer Liam. “I’m with Liam on this, boss lady. My job is to keep you safe. When I go into this, I can’t be worrying about protecting you.”

Bree gently places her lips against Liam’s, before pulling away with a small smile on her face. “I’m pissed as hell at you two right now, but I get what you’re saying. So, let’s compromise. I want the last seat on the chopper. I promise not to take part in the job, I will stay as far away as possible from any danger, staying in the helicopter the whole time. But, when you find Mia, I need to be there for her.” Her voice breaks at the end and the emotion fills the room.

“I think that’s more than fair. Can Paddy arrange transport home for an extra two, since we will have Shayla and Mia when we are done?” I ask, and Bree nods her head.

“He is working on it as we speak. By the time we land in Liverpool, he will have a plan.”

“Right. Let’s get going then,” I say, and everyone stands in a blur of movement and activity. They all disperse into different directions, gathering what they need for the job. I make my way over to Hallie to say goodbye.

* * *

The helicopter touches down literally around the corner from the Fratacello house, which is good because we have just thirty minutes before the ceremony is due to start. The flight took just over an hour, and even though I feel like we’re actually doing something, sitting down is hard. I have no option but to think about what kind of situation we’ll be walking into. What kind of pain Mia has suffered while I’ve been unable to help her. The idea that this asshole thinks he’s going to marry my girl, sends me into a rage. I need to make sure he never gets a chance to hurt Mia again.

Exactly thirty minutes before the ceremony is due to start, just as we are landing, my phone buzzes to indicate a new notification. Opening up my phone, I find a new link has appeared from Shayla. It’s password protected again, and I look over at Whiskey, to see he’s also received a message.

Once the helicopter has landed, we swap information and I don’t hesitate to log in. She’s managed to get me backdoor access to the Fratacello security system, and it’s also a blueprint of the house. The note only says that no matter what we see, no matter how much my instinct tells me to breach early, Shayla begs me not to act before she sends me a sign.

“How the fuck will we know what the sign is?” I ask Whiskey, reading through all the information again to make sure I haven’t missed anything.

Whiskey simply smiles as he takes his phone off me. “I know my wife, Kel. I will know what the sign is.”

Well, that’s pretty fucking vague. But, I guess I have no choice but to trust him.

Opening my laptop, I get the security feed set up and curse myself for only bringing one laptop. The house is fucking huge, and there are numerous security cameras with important things going on. But, because I only have one screen, I’m limited by which I can show first. I must have voiced this concern aloud as Liam replies, “I know this is hard, bro, but you have to take Mia out of the equation. This is just any other job for us, and we have done fuckloads of them. Let’s scout the footage the way we would any other job. Methodically, do the external grounds, move through the front door, and sweep each floor in a clockwise motion, the way we would if we’re going in for real. We will find Mia when you do the sweep, but we also need to assess any danger before we even think of stepping foot through the door. There are civilians in there who have no idea what they’re in the middle of. Nobody can lose their life today. Understand?”

I nod and thank him for helping my brain to stay focused. When I’m anxious like this, my brain isn’t always able to focus.

Everyone huddles around the screen as I do the walk through. I try not to go too fast, and with each new camera I bring up, we all discuss the security of the house and things we need to be aware of. We’re planning how we can move through the house, who will take out which security guards, and how we then go about getting the girls out. Thankfully, the wedding appears to be set up in the sunroom at the back of the house. The guests appear to be entering through the side gate, keeping the house relatively free from civilians, with the exception of the staff who were catering the event.

It isn’t until we get up to the top floor that I finally find Mia. She’s in a plain-looking bedroom and Shayla’s with her. I watch on the computer screen as Mia stands in front of the mirror, and all I can see is my beautiful girl dressed in a stupidly large, poofy wedding dress. I’m not going to deny that she doesn’t look fucking stunning in the gown, but even if I didn’t know that this wedding was a massive fucking sham, I would have known she didn’t pick the dress. Mia is so petite, and she’s always said she would prefer a smaller, more form-fitted dress. I know this because Bree and Mia made us sit through far too many fucking episodes ofSay Yes to the Dresswhile they were prepping for Bree’s wedding. It never occurred to me how fucking much I want to see Mia in a wedding dress, but not like this. I want her to be in the dress of her choosing, walking down the aisle towards me and Hallie. Not like this.

I try to zoom the camera in as much as I can, but they’re fucking shoddy cameras, and I’m unable to properly assess whether Mia is unhurt or not. Regrettably, once I’ve assessed that she and Shayla are both alive and well, we continue the rest of the scan. Once we’ve finished, there's only around fifteen minutes before the ceremony is due to start, and Shayla made it clear that we would be breaching in approximately five minutes' time.

Bree takes control, directing each of us and assigning roles for how we’ll enter, and what all our jobs will be. “Kellan, do you want to breach or provide guidance from here? Nobody's better at manning multiple security cameras and providing instructions than you are. I personally think you will be most useful here, but I won’t ask you to stay behind if you don’t want to.”

My heart races, I knew eventually I’d have to make this decision, but now the time is here, I’m so fucking lost. Bree is right. Strategically, I would be better suited to running the command centre, keeping an eye on the CCTV, and guiding people from here. But, my heart couldn’t fucking disagree more. I need to be in there. I need to get to Mia, and I need to make sure Kyle never torments her ever again.

“Kel, Bree won’t tell you what to do, but I will. For the safety of each of us, I need you to stay here. I know why you want to be in there, and I can promise you, not just as your best friend, but as your brother, I will make sure Kyle has breathed his last breath. As soon as Mia is safe, we will get her straight out here and get her to you. Please, monitor the CCTV and keep us safe, and in return we will get Mia out safely,” Liam says, his hand on my shoulder as he matches my gaze.

I know he can see the fear and the anger in my eyes. My breath hitches when he addresses the fact that we are legitimate brothers. It’s something we haven’t had a chance to talk about yet, and we will probably need a fuck-tonne of therapy to deal with that shit in the near future, but to hear him address it makes my heart swell. It feels like I finally have the family I’ve always hoped for. Now I need to trust Liam to bring home the girl I love and complete our family.

“I swear to God, Liam, you better get her out safely. Promise me.” My breath hitches and I hate how much the emotion clogs my voice. Bree places her hand on mine, giving me a small smile to let me know she feels exactly the same way. Her instinct is to run in there, guns blazing, and destroy anyone and everyone who stands in her way. This is what she does, and she is fucking better at it than me.

Liam promises me that he’ll do his best, like always. With that, we all sit and repeat the plan, making sure everyone knows their role. I watch as people file into the sunroom and begin taking their seats. It appears that the last of the guests have entered, and security is moving into position around the sunroom. There are now very few security guards manning the grounds. Stupid fucker, he’s moved all his team to one room, which is where Kyle appears to be heading, leaving the vast proportion of the house unprotected.

As I watch Kyle moving through the house, another link appears on my phone. Opening it, I find Shayla has sent me the information I need to take control of the security alarms. I actually didn’t need it, as I’d already run one of my programs to make sure I have control over it.

“There. Look, Shayla’s giving us the signal,” Whiskey shouts, pointing at the small window I have open at the bottom of the screen, keeping an eye on the girls. I make the window bigger and see a security guard opening the door to the girls’ room. Whilst he’s unlocking the door, Shayla stands squarely in front of the camera, and holds a shot glass up. She appears to be saying something, so I activate the sound, and Shayla’s voice echoes loudly out of the laptop speakers.

“We should toast your wedding. I personally love a shot of Whiskey. In fact, I love a whole load of Whiskey, and I can’t wait to get more. I need it now!” Shayla shouts, holding the glass up to the camera.

---