Page 31 of Reclaiming Chaos
Chapter15
Ridge
Icouldn’t be seeing this. No way was I seeing my face and those of my family on this freaking board. We’d been so careful through the years. Careful enough to keep out of the news and to keep our secrets away from prying eyes.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Carlee said.
“Like hell you do,” I growled and slowly moved down the board of faces and names I called family.
“Veronica, could you give us a minute, please,” Carlee asked.
“Certainly. I’ll put on a pot of coffee,” Veronica said, and the sound of the door closing behind me had me balling my fists at what this all meant.
“You spied on me.”
“We all did. Only we didn’t know at the time how important you’d be.” Carlee walked down the board and pointed to a picture of Reyes. “It started with Reyes. He was getting paid to secretly tip off people on where your investigation was headed. It was why Russell sent a security guard to watch him when you entered the picture. I’d been given the picture with you and he in it, and that’s when I knew Russell had to be stopped. I knew if I didn’t stop him that you’d end up dead, and I couldn’t let that happen.”
I ran my hands over my face, fighting the frustration winding me tight.
“Why?” I growled.
“Why what?” she asked.
“Why couldn’t you let that happen? You have an ulterior motive for everything you do. So, what is it this time?”
Her brows dipped, and she frowned. “Russell has a god complex. One look at you and your secrets and I knew he had me for good. He’d never let me go because then he’d know my secret too.”
“And what’s that, Carlee? What is this precious secret you don’t want to discuss?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“If he knew what you mean to my future, he’d know that you’re my weakness. Hurting you is the one threat that would force my hand. Saving your life means losing mine.”
“None of this makes any damn sense!”
Carlee closed the distance between us. She rested her hand on my face. “You’re my future, Ridge. You might not know it yet, or feel the connection, but you are, and he has the means to crush that when your secrets get exposed.”
“I don’t have secrets,” I said.
“You’ve been hiding one your entire life. Family members with abilities that far outreach anything we can do here. A healer. A tracker, just to name a few. And then there is Gwen who’s a master of knowing things.” Carlee said. “Your weakness is your family’s secrets.”
Carlee dropped her hand. “If he blackmails you, you’d do anything to protect your family.” She let out a nervous laugh. “The jacked-up part is that he wouldn’t even need to blackmail you. He’d just threaten me to get what he needs.”
There was pain behind Carlee’s eyes. Her vulnerability lay heavy in her face.
“Carlee,” I said, taking her hand and leading her to a couch across the room. I eased her down onto it then sat beside her. “I can’t say that I understand all of this or the ramifications, but I can tell you what I know. And what I know is that I can take care of myself and my secrets. You don’t have to bow to any of his demands if you’re worried that I’ll be hurt or compromised.”
“Ridge. You don’t know what he’s capable of doing. If he wants you hurt, you won’t even see him coming.” She dropped her gaze to where our hands touched. “Just like you didn’t see the hotel shooter.” She lifted her gaze to his. “Even if you do catch Reyes’ killer, Russell will just blackmail a hundred more to find and kill you until you’re buried six feet under.”
She had a point. If what they knew about Russell was true, what was to stop him from continuing to want me dead until he succeeded? “He has the fake book. Don’t you think that was his objective?”
“Until now. The others have held off on telling him your importance to me. They know as well as I do what will happen when he finds out.”
“What’s your plan? How do we get to him and expose his crimes?”
“We steal the material he’s been using as blackmail and destroy it. Then we expose him for what he is.”
I turned my gaze to the board in the middle of the room and to the row of pictures of my brothers and sister. Carlee was right about one thing. I’d do anything to keep them safe, just like they’d do for me. But if these people, these watchers, knew about my family, what was to stop another remote viewer from watching me and discovering the truth? I’d have to warn them if I couldn’t put a stop to this.
My heart clenched tight at the thought. They’d all be in danger.
“And how do we do that? Do you even know where he keeps the information?”
She nodded. “I’ve seen it. We just have to lay low for another week, at which time Mr. Russell is going to host a party in the FT building, and you’re going to walk me through the front door. You’re going to blackmail him with the contents of my book in exchange for dropping the charges against me.”
“Am I?”
She sighed without answering. “You’ve got about thirty minutes to look around, and then we should really be going.”
“Why is that?”
“So, we don’t get caught,” she answered as she walked away.
