Thick As Thieves Ch. 04

"You okay?" he asked, reaching for my hand. I accepted it gratefully and nodded.

"I'm feeling the calm before the storm," I commented. He chuckled.

"Well...hopefully not too big a storm," he replied. I let him move his chair closer before kissing me gently.

Jonathan

"You sure you want to go alone?" I asked while taking a break from her mouth. She nodded with a deep sigh. I laid my hand on her cheek, looking at her closely, trying to see if there was something else hidden in her expression. But right now she was just calm. "The fear might jump out at you once you're closer," I commented.

"Oh, probably," she agreed with a chuckle. Her phone signalled, letting her know it was time to leave. I carefully walked with her to the door of our room. She looked up at me one last time.

"I'm right here," I promised, wrapping my arms around her again. "I'll be right here if you need anything at all," I swore. She sighed and slowly let me go.

"Thank you, Nate. I'll be back in a bit," she whispered before kissing my cheek and opening the door. I still felt odd letting her go. But after last night I felt reassured about everything. Or maybe it was just the sex taking over my head.

When the door closed I debated going back to bed, still groggy and tired. But once I laid down again I found that I couldn't close my eyes. I sighed with a knowing smile on my face.

"That's always how it works. Right?" I asked aloud. I threw on a pair of clean boxers and pulled on some jeans before grabbing my laptop out of my bag, wanting a cure for my boredom. When I unlocked it I found myself thinking about her mother and supposed brother. Well, might as well look up more info on them, I figured. She's meeting them anyway.

I typed Carice Pennington's name into our info server and started reading on her. Some pictures of her and Mark Kentwood popped up as well as other info. They looked pretty happy together when they were younger. Pictures can hide a lot I guess. Apparently it took Carice eight years and two kids to leave the house.

"Why did you leave her with him?" I wondered aloud. "Why were you with the ass wipe in the first place?" I chuckled to myself, trying not to be too judgemental. I tried to look more into the present; like what she was doing now for work, and if she had anyone talking about her. Nothing much was really reported. That happened to people who aren't really all that noteworthy, or more in the background, since this system was usually used for research on targets.

I was able to find out through google and other search engines that she was working at some sort of flower shop. But there wasn't much to know about her.

After I while I went back to our info server and clicked the name linked to info on her older son. M. Pennington-Kentwood. There was almost nothing on him at all; some pictures of when he was a child, but nothing more.

"Huh." I froze when I got a better look at the name.

"Known as Max. Appaling young guy." Harry's voice was inside my head.

"Max Kentwood..." I read out loud. Sometimes if people who were involved in really shady businesses they could cover up their tracks really well. There was no other reason I wouldn't be able to find anything on him.

"He's apparently benefited by some big company boss." Mark kentwood would fit that category!

"Fuck!" I slammed the laptop shut and got my hoodie. If I hurried I could make it to her car before she took off...if she hadn't already. My heart raced and I picked up speed in an adrenaline-rushed panic. I couldn't focus on anything else. Find her car! Find her car! Find her car!

I didn't notice a helicopter on the roof of a building in front of me. And I didn't notice anyone around me. All I could see before I tried to reach for my cell phone was an empty parking space where the car had been. She was gone already.

Before I could even try to come back to my senses I felt something sharp in the back of my neck. My body reacted by jumping away. But my vision was suddenly getting blurry and my body was shutting down. Men with guns were picking me up by the arms and carrying me to a black van.

"No, no, no...," I couldn't finish my sentence, and my slowing body wouldn't allow me to fight back.

Margret

With trembling hands I finally got the rope untied. The pain in my ribs and the guards surrounding us made the job at hand move much slower than I would have preferred. I had to stop at times when the guards circled us. On top of that, whoever tied us up knew what they were doing with knots.

All I had to do was make sure the guards didn't see me untying Wayne's restraints...and find a way to make sure he wouldn't jump too quickly once I had him freed.

"Be smart," I whispered while taking his hands. He squeezed me back, telling me he was okay. This time we worked together on untying him. Hopefully it wouldn't take as long as mine had.

"Needed in Area 2," all the guards radios suddenly echoed. One guard picked up his two way transceiver.

"Max isn't far from Area 2. He said he needed us here," he replied.

"I know what he said," the voice on the radio replied. "But we need more men here now! The Chaser has our explosives and managed to free some of the new shipment."

"You've dealt with The Chaser before, you can deal with him now..." the guard started.

"We need more people here!" the voice said again. "NOW! Make sure targets are secure and get your asses over here!" the voice shouted. The guards looked to one another.

"Lock down the building," the guard finally grumbled before they rushed out. I took my chance and jumped out of the chair with a yelp of pain from the burning sensation radiating through my ribs. I looked around the room for something sharp to cut Wayne's ropes. I eventually found a small boxcutter knife and decided it was better than nothing. Wayne did his part by pulling on the ropes while I cut away at the thick fibers. Eventually the rope snapped and he was free.

"Let's go." He picked me up somewhat carefully and began running out.

The building wasn't on lock down yet. If we were quick and careful we could make it out before the doors were locked, which would cause us even more trouble. I struggled enough with walking or being carried. Running wouldn't be the best thing for me right now. Every bounce from the footsteps Wayne took cause a jolt of pain in my ribs.

We just need to get out, I thought to myself through the pain.

We managed just that, before Wayne found that we were further from help than expected.

"We need to know where we are." He ran on the sidewalk, being sure to stay in alleyways.

The pain kept getting worse with every move. I clenched my teeth.

"Get to a payphone," I whispered. "Call my cousin Julia. Get her to track its location. We'll see who can help us from there." He shook his head.

"I can't leave you here..."

"Just go," I ordered. "And hurry! I'll be fine." He hesitated. "Go!" I shouted. He nodded and gently put me down in the corner, out of sight from anyone who would pass by on the streets.

I tried to stick with shallow breaths and tried to find a somewhat comfortable position. All I could do was hope that we weren't far from help.

We had some family members scattered around, but some were his. And they didn't know about what we did for a living. We didn't have to tell them I suppose. But it would still be easier if it was someone from my family.

After what felt like forever, I finally saw Wayne coming from around the corner.

"Your parents are coming," he said. "We'll take you to their house. Then they're gonna give me their car to find Nate and Anya." I nodded, making a mental note of how to tell my parents the truth about Anya. Wayne and I had even hid it from them.

"Don't even wait for me to get in the house," I ordered. "As soon as they get me out, take the car. We need to get our kids." He nodded.

"I know." He held me.

****

My mother was the one to sit me down in the back seat. Her long silver hair was pulled up into an elastic, like it always was back when she was working. She was a doctor before retirement. But if she ever went back to looking after a patient, she'd have her hair pulled back.

"What happened?" my father asked urgently once they were in the car. I wanted to tell them the truth when we were alone. Wayne looked back to me.

"I'll tell you at home..." I began.

"No!" my mom interrupted me just as strongly and sternly as she would have years ago. "You're going to tell us now! How many people do we need to round up to get our grandbabies back?" I looked to the roof of the car.

"Look at me, honey," my mom ordered, but less harshly now. "We need to know what in the hell happened and how many people we need to help us. How did you possibly get involved with a Kentwood? And what the hell did you do to piss one off?" she asked seriously. I sighed.

"Don't take this out on An," I replied. "She didn't even know until a few days ago..."

"What'd she do?" Mom asked, her voice becoming stern once again.

"It was us, Mom," I admitted. " Wayne and me. She didn't do anything. We took her, Mom. We took her when she was just a baby." I had no choice but to tell her the truth. Her face froze in a glare aimed at me while she held an ice pack to my ribs. There were a few times when she'd open her mouth just to close it again before anything was said..

"She's still my daughter, Mom," I said in a pleading whine. She closed her eyes.

"You got her out of there. That was...good, Margie. But now we'll need everyone we can find to help us," she said. I looked to Wayne, worrying about how bad this was going to be. He stared back at me.

"It'll be okay," he mouthed silently. A voice in the back of my head began screeching, begging me to say something. It was definitely not going to be okay.

The car stopped then, and my mom gently helped me out. Then Wayne got into the driver's seat replacing my dad.

"Wayne?" I put my hand on the window. He rolled it down, ready to hear me.

"...please be careful," I begged. He smiled.

"Recklessly careful, baby," he said before driving off. I hadn't heard him say that in a while. It used to be his little phrase. It was the oxymoron that had "seduced" me when we had first met. Something felt...missing when I watched the car disappear in the distance.

"We need to get you inside," Mom said, pulling me back against her.

Anya

Nate was right when he said I'd probably feel the anxiety come on when I was closer to the Kentwood house. After I had parked outside I couldn't breathe for a short time. Now here I was, standing at her door, trying to work up the courage to knock.

Just as I raised my hand to knock the door opened, leaving me standing there with my fist in the air, a shocked look on my face. I probably looked like an idiot.

More shock washed through me when I saw her. She looked a lot like me.

"Ms. Miller?" she asked. I was in shock...and mesmerized by the similarities. She had the same dirty blond hair, same eyes, same body type... and the same fucking voice! There was no doubt about the fact that she was my mom. It was mind boggling to see her for the first time. This was really her.

"Um...Yes...may I come in?" I finally spoke, putting my hand down. She nervously stepped aside, and I just as nervously stepped in.

"I made us some tea. If you would take a seat on the couch I'll get it." She gestured to a black vinyl loveseat.

"Thank you..., Ms. Pennington." I carefully took a seat, feeling my heartbeat in my throat. She had photographs of her and a recognizable young man visible around the room. Due to my nervousness I couldn't place where I had seen him before. Shortly she returned with a cup of tea for me and one for herself.

"I could make a cup of coffee too if you'd like...?

"No, no. The tea is perfect. I prefer tea." I explained. She sat down in the leather chair across from me.

"What's your favorite?" she asked. I shrugged, still a little shaky.

"Usually a cinnamon black tea. There are some pretty good ones out there." I chuckled nervously. She took a sip from her and set in on a coaster on the coffee table. I sat there, saying nothing, realizing just how unprepared I was for this whole thing. I forgot all of the questions I was going to ask. And I hadn't written them down anywhere.

She watched me, looking unreadable for the longest time. Eventually she gestured toward the tea.

"It'll get cold fast." I put it closer to my lips, but was too busy trying to think of other things to say in utter terror and panick.

"I...um...I also like peppermint tea. It helps calm the stomach. My mom..." I didn't know what else to say for a moment out of sheer panic. "...uh...she...used to make me peppermint tea when I was sick. M...um...my brother hated it. But I liked it." She seemed confused by me.

"You have a brother?" she asked. I nodded.

"Um...well adoptive brother I guess." I was so nervous I didn't know if I might be revealing too much. She stared at me in silence for a long time.

"So you wanted to ask about...?" she asked.

"Oh, yes...um.." I took a deep breath. "Um...why do you think someone would steal your daughter?" I asked from the top of my head. She seemed to be uncomfortable with the way I phrased it. I took a long gulp of the tea.

"Her father was in all sorts of...I don't know," she stuttered."Maybe someone thought if they had the damn thing they'd be able to control him," she said.

The damn thing? So I'm a "damn thing"?! Well, she's made her feelings about me perfectly clear. I froze momentarily, not knowing what to say next.

"Did... did he ever find out who took her?" I asked. She shook her head.

"He found our son instead," she answered. I didn't know how to respond.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that." I seemed to be slowly getting tired. I took another big sip of my tea. She stared at me for a long while, seeming to fidget, and suddenly looking unsure of herself.

"Is there something wron...?" I began.

"You're not working for Mark." She said as if it was a realization. I froze, looking at her.

"What? Oh. Mr. Kentwood. No. No, I..."

"Don't lie to me," she said sternly. "You're not a cop. But you're not here to hurt me either, are you?" She seemed a little worried. Why would she think I was here to hurt her? How...?

"No, I wouldn't hurt you. But I..." She suddenly slapped the tea away from me.

"I'm sorry," she said as if in a daze. "I can't have you here right now!"

"Ms. Pennington!" I gently took her shoulders, and then everything felt fuzzy and blurry. I couldn't feel my legs and nearly fell over. "Wha-...?" I was so confused by what was happening to me. She took hold of me before I fell and led me back to the loveseat.

"I-I'm sorry," she said. "My son thought you were working for him...Mark. He told me that we could use you to make Mark leave m..." It dawned on me at that moment that she knew who I was. Which meant her son did too. But how?

"I just wanted to meet you," I breathed, my speech slurred by whatever had been put in the tea.. "I-I..." She looked lost. Her son. "What's my brother's name?" I asked.

"Max," she answered, trying to get me to drink some water. I jumped away from her as soon as I heard the name.

I'm dead now!

I tried to say something in a warning, but everything was getting more and more blurry. And I couldn't get up. I could hardly move. Suddenly I heard the front door open and saw a shape through my blurred vision.

"Max, I don't think she..." The figure pushed her to the ground, and she yelped in surprise.

"You had one fucking job, woman!" I heard a man shout.

"Max?!" She sounded shocked and confused. I heard a gunshot. I couldn't see fully what happened. But I saw red flying everywhere as gunfire kept exploding in my ears.

I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried. I couldn't scream for help. My eyes were so heavy... The last thought in my head was Nate.

Marge

My mom had me stuck in bed, but we were all calling anyone we knew who could help us. A lot of people were too far away. Others had faster means of transportation, but I didn't know if it was enough.

We had only four people who were actually close enough to do anything. And one of them we couldn't reach out to. We were only looking into family members. We couldn't exactly call the police to report anything. We needed to rely on each other in this case.

"What if they don't get them in time?" I asked still trying not to panic. My father and mother shared a look.

"She's right," Dad said. "You two keep trying to get more people. I can't just sit here anymore." My mom looked at him. She was about to protest, but let out a sigh instead.

"The neighbors have a different type of security system on their car," Mom replied. "Don't go for them." He nodded and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Be safe you two. And don't leave the house," he ordered. We nodded. Then he quickly bent down to kiss my forehead. After he had left my mom stared at the phone.

"I don't know who else we can call." She sighed. I shook my head.

"Nor I." I tried to think harder.

"Why didn't you tell your father and I about her?" Mom asked. I shook my head and shrugged.

"I didn't want her thinking she wasn't a part of the family," I replied. "I didn't want anyone else thinking she wasn't a part of the family." She looked at me, disappointed.

"Do you really think we'd shut her out?" she asked. I sighed.

"I didn't know what to think, Mom. All I knew was that I was lucky enough to have Nate. But then I saw this beautiful baby girl in the hands of a monster." I remembered that moment. "When I held her it...it was no different than when I held Nate for the first time." I looked up at Mom. "I couldn't leave her there. Wayne agreed with me, so we took her." She nodded.

"It just had to be at the Kentwoods!" She shook her head with a chuckle. I looked at her.

"How do you know the Kentwoods?" I inquired. "I thought they weren't a big money name until about a decade ago." She sighed.

"They had a lot of dirty dealings before your time too, dear," she said. "Your father...tried to target them years ago. It didn't end well." I looked at her, wanting to know more. But she didn't want to tell me. "He lost...a lot that day. That's all I'll say." I sighed and looked at my phone again.

"I could say we shouldn't have taken her," I said. "But I'd be lying. We should have told her...we should have told Nate. Maybe she wouldn't have wanted to meet her mother." I shook my head.

"You couldn't have known, Emmie." My mom stroked my hair.

"How did Nate react when he found out?" she asked.

"Oh, he was pretty happy..." I cut myself off, and then she looked at me.

"Well, why would he be happy?" she asked. I tried to find a delicate way of saying it. But nothing was coming to me.

"Um...well, Mom...there's a lot of isolation in our family..."

"Well, yes. It comes with the job." She laughed.

"Well...we...maybe we isolated them too much," I said. "But they worked together so well, and they got along so well. Aw, Mom. This is a hard one to explain!" I laughed, and then regretted it as pain burst through.

"Just say it, honey," she offered. I took a deep breath.

"Nate and Anya fell in love, Mom," I explained. She stared at me for a long moment, eyes wide.

"... Oh..." She didn't know what to say. There was an even longer moment of silence as I let her process it. "Well...did...did they...?" she tried to ask.

"We saw them after a night together. That's how it was confirmed," I explained.

"Con...confirmed?" she asked. I nodded.

"I suspected something, but I didn't know for sure," I explained.

"Well, why didn't you tell them right then?" she demanded. I sighed.