Tides of Vengeance (The Montclair Brothers Book 4) (5 page)

“As far as getting in contact with Tyler, I’ll take care of that, Carrie. Now try and get some sleep. I promise we’ll figure everything out in the morning.” Brian thanked her for helping him and said good night.

Carrie awoke to the bright sun shining through the blue tent. She yawned and stretched, before looking over to her right. Brian wasn’t next to her. Full of panic, Carrie pushed open the tent flap and quickly climbed out. He wasn’t anywhere in the barn. She grabbed her purse and began to run as fast as the rotting wood on the floor would let her. She was ready to scream Brian’s name when he came walking around the corner.

“Good morning!” He smiled and stretched his arms out to hug her.

“Good morning?! Where the heck did you go?! You can’t scare the crap out of me like that, or leave my side, Brian!” She wanted to shake him.

“Sure, okay. Next time I have to take a leak, I’ll haul you with me…” He looked down at her and rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Carrie. You need to stop worrying so much.”

She calmed down and felt the relief settle in. “I’m sorry, Brian. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“I think we need to get a plan together so you’ll stop being so afraid. Let me see the map.” He grinned and winked, so she knew he wasn’t angry about her outburst.

She reached into her purse and pulled out the map. They sat on the ground in the sunlight, and Carrie was grateful to feel the warmth on her skin. She looked around, but couldn’t see much with all the trees and overgrowth. That, at least, made her feel a little more at ease.

“Carrie, look at this. We’re in Ohio, right near the border. The closest town is called Laurel,” said Brian as he pointed to the place on the map.

“I thought this was all state land.” She was happy about being close to some resources, but they could easily be spotted in a town. They hadn’t even had the chance to dye their hair.

“Maybe we’re further west than I thought.” He studied the map a little more before looking up. “There’s a lake that way. I think it’d be too long of a hike for us to get to, but we could try. The water wouldn’t be safe to drink, but we could catch some fish to eat.” He reached over and ruffled her hair. “See? A new day filled with new opportunities!”

“Brian, that lake is probably a good ten miles or so away. I’m not walking through the woods for ten miles. I barely made it here to this barn.”

“Well either way, staying where we are isn’t going to help us any. Here, take a drink of water.” He reached in his pocket and handed her the bottle.

Carrie took a small drink and replaced the lid. “You’re right. We’re going to have to make our way into town and hope for the best. If you stay hidden in the woods, I can have a look around once we get there.”

“I’m not going to risk you getting caught, Carrie. You do realize that once they figure out you helped me, the cops will be looking for you as well. A police officer in jail is a very bad thing.” He looked at her sternly.

“That’s the best plan I can come up with. Even if I get arrested, they won’t know you’re with me unless you reveal yourself. All I have to do is play dumb, and Vincent will take care of the rest.”
Providing he doesn’t want to kill me
, she thought.

“How about this. I’m like ten times faster than you. Let me at least go nab us some food.” Brian rubbed his belly.

Carrie shook her head and felt even worse. Brian’s hunger was just confirming how poorly she was pulling this plan off. “Alright, let’s leave this stuff here, and we’ll head into town. You can’t let yourself be spotted, Brian.”

“Don’t worry, no one’s going to see us.”

“What in the hell are you doing on my property!”

Carrie and Brian both jumped to their feet and spun around.

Chapter 5

T
yler drummed on
his desk with the fingers of one hand, while his forehead rested in the other. Any second now, he’d be getting a call from security about a problem in the Montclair Pharmaceutical’s cafeteria. Imagine that. Sean and Elissa had decided they’d cause their big scene at breakfast, while everyone was getting coffee and bagels to start their day. His gut was in knots, worrying that none of this was going to work. First of all, Vincent’s secretary, the sweet quiet thing that she was, had waited until now to show her feisty side, and his brother Sean had gone along with this whole dumb idea.

He stared down at the two stacks of paperwork on his desk. One was Sean’s termination papers, along with the biggest severance check the company had ever written, and the other held the same for Elissa. Her check was a little smaller, but it was still substantial. Those two were going to need every dime they could get their hands on to pull this off. The stress from all of this was going to kill him, he was sure of it.

He hadn’t heard from Brian or Carrie, and now two more members of the family were leaving. He’d discussed ways of communicating with Sean and Elissa last night, but they’d all agreed that any contact with them could potentially risk everything. Tyler didn’t need the cops to know about his involvement in yet another disappearance. He doubted they even realized Carrie was gone; if they’d seen her on the cameras at the courthouse, surely he would have already been questioned about her.

Sean and Tyler had practiced the scene that was to unfold in the cafeteria. When they got the call about the scene, Vincent and Jacob were supposed to run down to the basement, as well, and be his back-up when he fired Sean and Elissa. His brothers were also responsible for pulling him off of Sean, once his brother took a swing at him. He prayed to God that Sean faked the punch.

When the phone call came in, Tyler was supposed to bolt out of his office, and thump Vincent’s door on the way to the elevator. Jacob would be in there too, probably slouched on the sofa sleeping.

After the firing, Emma was to go over to shipping and receiving, and ask for boxes. She’d be responsible for clearing out both offices, and having the boxes placed in storage. On the termination papers, which would be mailed today, there was a clause informing them that they had thirty days to pick up their personal possessions. Emma was asked to act miffed about all the extra work. Tyler didn’t think she’d have a problem, especially when she actually started packing them up.

This was going to be a huge production, and he prayed that no one screwed up their part in it. Renee was supposed to show up around noon and cause a scene in the lobby, about him firing his brother. Tyler told her she’d better not get too upset or else. He didn’t need to be taking her back to the ER.

Tyler took his suit jacket off, rolled up his sleeves, and loosened his tie. He wanted to be free to move his arms during the scuffle, especially if Sean decided to make things look
too
real. Besides, he wasn’t normally all buttoned up at the office, unless he was meeting with a client. Vincent had warned everyone about what a bad idea this whole thing was, and Tyler was beginning to think he might be right.

Then there was Elissa. What if she chickened out? What if she couldn’t pull it off and the whole thing looked fake as hell? Jacob had suggested that they rehearse, but she “wasn’t going to do any such thing” as she’d said. Tyler hadn’t seen the girl this morning, so he didn’t know if she’d backed out or what. Vincent was handling that side of things, but right now, Tyler felt nothing but dread. He’d seen Sean when they first arrived at work this morning, but all his brother had offered him was a cocky grin and thumbs up, which didn’t make him feel any better.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Sean tried to control his imagination. Several scenarios were playing in his mind about what Elissa had planned, to make it look like they were acting inappropriately. Would she kiss him? Or would she kiss him and then spin around and slap his face? He’d called her this morning, but all she would say is, “I have no idea.” That wasn’t very reassuring. What if she was expecting him to take the lead in all of this? He wanted to call his big brother, but Vincent had warned them, there couldn’t be any arrows pointing at each other. Impromptu would have to be the name of the game.

He looked at the clock on his desk. Just a few more minutes and he’d have to start heading down to the cafeteria. Jacob had told him to dress like he was trying to impress a girl. Sean stepped into his office bathroom, gargled with mouthwash, combed his hair, and straightened his tie. He hoped to hell that Tyler took it easy on him. They were roughly the same size, but his older brother was a force to be reckoned with.

Sean took one last look around his office. He’d been instructed by Vincent to leave everything as it was. There was a half cup of coffee and a stale bagel, with two bites missing, still sitting on his desk from the day before. A file was left open and a few pages were spread around. Sean’s biggest concern was Tyler making it downstairs before the cops were called. Being thrown in jail didn’t quite fit into their plan.

Once they got fired and thrown out of Montclair Pharmaceuticals, Sean was to meet Elissa at her Equinox in the employee parking lot. They’d angrily squeal out of the lot and drive south. Maybe he should drive. Sean doubted that Elissa was capable of spinning her tires or showing any aggression over being fired.

He had Brian’s address and had been informed by Vincent that Shirley was still in Southfield. Their goal was to search her house as thoroughly as they could. He’d sworn to Tyler that he’d go through every inch of the Waters’ property, until they found evidence of Brian’s torture. Their search efforts couldn’t take longer than a couple of weeks, because that’s how long Elissa had told her sitter she’d be gone.

They were all taking risks and making sacrifices, but that’s what you did for those you love. Still, he felt badly about Elissa leaving her children for so long. But like she’d said, “I’ll be back to my boys in two weeks. Tyler might not ever see his son again if we don’t do something.” He knew she was right.

Sean didn’t question whether they’d come back to Southfield empty-handed or not. He’d either find the evidence to convict Hank and Shirley legally, or they’d do it while breaking every law in the books. He was angry, tired, and determined to help his brother; those were his three biggest incentives to get the job done.

It was almost time. Sean had to meet Elissa at the elevator, and then they’d walk hand in hand to the cafeteria. All eyes would surely be on them. First of all, he was known as the bachelor, being the only Montclair brother who wasn’t claimed. Curiosity would surely get the best of their employees. Secondly, all of the staff had recently received updated copies of the company’s policies, and here was one of their bosses, doing a no-no. Conduct in the workplace had been assigned a section of its own ever since Tyler’s ex-girlfriend, Denise, busted up his Mercedes with a baseball bat. Sean still laughed about it to this day. The dating policy was pretty much useless since Jacob started dating Emma, so he knew they couldn’t use it to enforce a termination. They were going to have to put on a pretty big show, and Elissa had better hold up her end. He glanced at his watch; it was time to go.

Sean spotted Elissa as he approached the elevator. She looked pretty much the same as she usually did. She was wearing a white blouse and a white skirt with a black floral pattern on it. A black sweater hung loosely over her shoulders, and those black heels made her legs look—

“Good morning, Sweetheart!” Elissa took a step forward, stood on her tip toes, and kissed his cheek. She slid her hand down his arm, placing it softly in his palm. Sean couldn’t help but notice how together and relaxed she was acting. He wished he could feel the same way. His heart was beating a million miles a minute.

“I missed you, Babes.” Sean softly kissed her lips and gave her a big Montclair smile. Cameras didn’t cover the entire length of the twelfth floor hallway, so the brothers could have their privacy, but they were installed at the end of the corridor to monitor who got on and off the elevators. Their behavior was currently being recorded. Sean decided to test the waters and pat her on her small behind. Just when he got up the courage, the doors opened and she stepped inside. He knew they were still being filmed. He leaned down and nuzzled her neck as he held her close. Her delicious aroma flooded his senses. She returned the affection and ran her fingers through the back of his hair. Her full lips looked ripe as hell, and he wouldn’t mind nibbling on those, too.

The elevator stopped four times, to pick up other employees, on their way to the cafeteria. Sean reached down and proudly held her hand, while telling her how much he loved her. He expected to feel a sweaty palm or slight trembling, but Elissa still didn’t show one sign of being nervous. His doubt in her was fading. They stepped off the elevator and saw two guards standing at their post. Sean said good morning to them and proceeded to the cafeteria. The entire room had cameras, and two more guards were stationed at the glass doors leading to the patio. Sean could easily see that no one was sitting out there, so he scanned the room and spotted the perfect place to make their scene.

There was a decent sized aisle way between the rows of tables, where Tyler could tackle him without cracking his head open on a chair, or hurting someone else. He took a deep breath. There were only about fifteen people or so in the cafeteria, but that was plenty to count as witnesses.

“Would you like some coffee, Love?” asked Sean as he ran his palm down her back.

“No, I want
you
.” Elissa wrapped her hand around his tie and gently pulled. She backed up to an empty table and sat down on the top of it. Her legs were slightly spread.

Holy shit
, thought Sean. He closed the gap and stepped towards her. His legs were resting against her knees. He looked down at her hungry eyes, her pink lips…He bent down to take them in his mouth. A moan escaped him, which wasn’t planned, but
what the hell
. At least it would make their charade appear more realistic.

“Come on, Baby, can’t we go to your office? I have something to give you.” Elissa raised her eyebrows and winked at him. Her smile was seductive. Sean took his eyes off of her for a second and noticed a few people were staring.

“And what exactly is it that you have for me?” He returned her smile, and leaned down to kiss her again.

Elissa pulled on his tie again, only this time she slid her skirt up slightly and wrapped her legs around the back of his thighs.

Oh my God
. He lowered himself to whisper loud enough for others to hear, as he felt the involuntary response in his groin. “Miss Elissa, I’m trying really hard not to rip your clothes off.” He was proud of himself for playing his role to the tee and garnishing the necessary attention…but he meant every word of it.

Elissa hiked her skirt up even more. The skin above her thigh highs was now showing, and without thinking, Sean placed his hand on her exposed leg and slid it up to her ass. He quickly realized that she wasn’t wearing anything under that skirt. His arousal began to throb. Without any forethought, he pushed her down on the table with his body and moved his mouth to her neck. Her tight nipples were visible through her white blouse, making him salivate.

“I have to have you, Sean. Please, Baby, touch me.” Elissa spread her knees just a little more, wrapping her legs tightly around his hips.

“Elissa…” he uttered. If she kept it up, there’d be nothing fake about any of this. Where had Little Miss Mouse been keeping this wild woman lying before him?

“Knock it the hell off!” yelled a guard. The other employees had begun to complain as well.

“Get a room, you sickos!” yelled the elderly cashier.

“Call, Tyler!” one guard directed the other.

Thank God
, thought Sean.

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Tyler’s phone rang and he just about jumped out of his chair.

“Mr. Montclair! We have a situation in the cafeteria. I know Sean’s your brother and all, but we can’t have him acting like this! You need to get down here and handle it.” Tyler could hear the panic in the guard’s voice.

“On my way.” Tyler ran from his office and pounded on Vincent’s door, as he took off towards the elevator. He heard his brothers running up behind him before the elevator had a chance to open.

Knowing they were on camera, Tyler began pacing in a display of nervousness. Luckily the guard specifically mentioned his brother Sean. It would really help things along if the fake couple was still acting obnoxiously so he’d have the grounds to terminate him.

When the elevator doors opened, the three brothers ran into the cafeteria. Tyler’s jaw about dropped. Elissa’s butt was planted on the table with her neck bent backwards, and Sean had his hand on her ass. This was clearly a visual that’d be burned in his memory for life, causing him to feel nauseated on a daily basis. It was time to get the show on the road.

“Sean!” Tyler yelled, his voice full of outrage. “What the hell are you doing?! Haven’t I warned you about this?” Tyler ran to his brother, grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him backwards off Elissa.

“Don’t you have any work to do? I’m rather busy.” Sean smiled sarcastically at him and bent back down to continue making out with Elissa.

“Oh no you don’t!” This time, Tyler pulled him backwards and shoved him hard. He tried not to flinch when he knew the punch was coming.