“The woman is Anisa and the man is Cobalt. They used to work for Connor, but quit when they could no longer take how he was treating Nathan. Now they love him like they’re his parents. It reminds me of you with Felicity and Garrett.”
As Cherri was explaining it, Nathan walked over and gave them both big hugs, and Anisa held Nathan’s face just like a mother would. Nathan had been pretty muted since I returned, but when Anisa and Cobalt entered the room, he lit right up. It made me happy to know that there were some people loving Nathan like the parents he never had. He deserved that.
“I invited Anisa and Cobalt because I figured it was time for us to stop storming into dangerous situations alone.”
“You just decided that right now?” Colette said.
“Anisa and Cobalt are retired as far as the muscle aspect is concerned, not just because Anisa only has use of one eye now, but because my father convinced them to take up a pacifistic lifestyle. But I asked them if they would be willing to make an exception for us.”
“And of course,” Anisa said. “We’d do anything for you.”
“You’re still mostly going to be stealth,” Nathan said. “T.C. said that the place he set Connor up with is bugged, so we need your help to get us in. Although, I’ll admit, once we’re in, I’m not sure what we do. If Connor knows we’re there together, he’s most likely to just run. I think that most of The Royal Court, Anisa, and Cobalt, could be watching any visible exits, but knowing Connor, he’s got a hidden way out. That was probably just as big a part of the deal as all the security.”
“For sure,” Brayden said. “The place he brought me to always had tons of ways in and tons of ways out.”
“Right,” Nathan said.
“Actually, though, I think I might have a plan,” Brayden said. “I could be bait.”
Nathan raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Do you guys still have those two guys?” Brayden asked Anisa and Cobalt.
“Yeah,” Anisa said.
“I say we have those two guys blindfold me and tie my wrists and bring me to Connor like they used to do. They can say they escaped and captured me or something. If Deon and Nathan can sneak in behind them, then as soon as Connor’s out, you make the jump.”
“I don’t like that plan at all,” Kyle said.
“I don’t either,” Brayden said, “but it would work. Connor thinks he can manipulate me, probably still. If I appear in front of him, with those two that worked for him saying they captured me, it’ll be enough to coax him out. He’ll think that, through me, he can get to you. Either by force or by thinking he could control me again.”
“Brayden,” Nathan said. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t,” he replied. “I want to do this. For once, I want to be the one turning the tables on Connor.”
“If you do,” I said. “We’ll owe you our lives.” I looked past Brayden to Kyle when I said, “I’d protect him with my life.”
It was clear Kyle and the rest of the Court were uncomfortable with the plan, but no one could deny that it was probably the best course of action. If Brayden was dangled in front of Connor as a way to find Nathan and me, he’d absolutely take the bait.
“I’m not weak,” Brayden said. “I appreciate you saying that, but I know how to protect myself, and it’s time for me to play my part in all of this. I want to play an active role in ending Connor for good.”
“Okay,” Nathan said. “If you’re sure.”
Brayden nodded. “I’m sure.”
“We can get you close, no problem,” Anisa said. “We’ll drive ahead and scope the place out and call you with the points to take. We’ll grab those two morons on the way as well, and fill them in on the plan.”
“Out of curiosity,” Jaxon said. “What’s keeping them from blowing everything up in our faces? They could flip out of pure spite.”
“They won’t,” Cobalt said, cracking his knuckles. “You can trust me on that.”
Jaxon looked at Cobalt as if he didn’t trust that he could muscle his way through it, but he didn’t say anything. His gaze traveled further to me and we locked eyes. He nodded at me as if to say, ‘Make good on your promise to protect him,’ and I could see that, in spite of how little Jaxon spoke, he cared about The Royal Court as much as the next person over.
“We’re going to get ready. I’ll send you the address we got from T.C.,” Nathan said. “Everyone take a few minutes to breathe. This is the calm before the storm, and we want to be ready for whatever is waiting for us. This is it. It’s time to end Connor Loche’s reign of torment.”
30
Deon
The address T.C. had given us led us to a business park in South Postings, not far from the high school. It gave everyone more than a few willies to know that Connor was holed up so close, but because he was, it meant we could walk to the location instead of drive. Anisa had called Nathan to let him know the best way to enter the park without being seen, and we found ourselves sneaking in from a small forest behind the park, closest to the door to the building Connor was supposedly hiding in.
Everyone was together apart from Brayden, who met up with Anisa and Cobalt to be handed over to Connor's thugs and carry out his plan. My heart was pounding as we watched Brayden approach the front door, and next to me, Kyle was up on his tiptoes, ready to pounce if need be.
“Okay,” Nathan whispered. “Once they’re through that first door, we can sneak along the building and follow them in. Deon and I will slip in and call if we need help.”
“You're not going in there without us,” Nikita said. “Cherri and I will be right behind you.”
Both Cherri and Nikita had a burning look of determination on their faces, and I knew it would be fruitless to argue. Nathan must have seen it too, because he simply watched Nikita for a moment and then let out a sigh of defeat.
“Fine. The four of us are going in with Brayden. The rest of you should man any possible exit you can see. If you spy Connor making a run for it, call for Anisa and Cobalt.”
Everyone nodded and not a moment later, a buzzer pierced the night silence. The men dragged Brayden in faux restraints through the door, sticking a pipe in the door jamb as they entered. Nathan, Nikita, Cherri and I left the treeline of the forest behind, slipped up to the side of the building, and slid along the popcorn walls until we were at the door. Nathan held it open and we slipped inside, leaving the pipe in the door jamb, just in case.
“Well, well, look what we have here,” an evil voice that sent a chill down my spine began. “If it isn’t Brayden? You disappeared after you failed me.”
We snuck to the corner and peered around, and there he was—the devil himself. Connor looked worse for wear, no longer a silver fox, now a sickly thin man with greasy, wispy gray hair and sunken eyes. He still looked as smug as I remembered, but it looked out of place on him now, like a little boy wearing a hat that was too big.
“I did what you told me to,” Brayden said. “It’s these idiots that fumbled.”