Xposed

“I’ve got the boys with me,” Hollister said quickly. His voice quivered and Indi knew immediately something was wrong. “Something bad has happened. Can we come in?”

Indi’s protective side kicked in immediately. While he’d never met Hollister’s younger brothers, Hollister had talked about them endlessly. “Get in!” Indi said quickly and waited until he felt three bodies pass by him before he locked the door and activated the alarm system. “Has Leonard fucked with you again? Did he try to hurt your brothers?”

“No. Not yet; at least. He…he…”

“Spit it out, Hollister,” Indi snapped. “You’re scaring me. Try to remember that I’m totally in the dark here.”

“Leonard and a new crew—nobody I’ve ever seen before—nabbed Levi and Clay outside the house. They took ‘m both, Judas! They’re gone. When you go away in a van with Leonard, you don’t come back. They’ll be coming for me next, and I know they’ll hurt the boys just to torture me. I’m afraid for you too, Judas.”

Indi dropped onto the couch. “First of all, call me Indi or Indigo—that’s my real name. Second, tell me exactly what happened. Every detail.” Indi willed his heart to stop thumping with panic. He wouldn’t lose Clay and would kill anybody that tried to keep them apart.

You. Are. Blind. A voice inside his head screamed. What can you possibly do?

He would do whatever it took.

“Every detail, Hollister.”

“Boys, sit down,” Hollister said. “Okay, I was upstairs looking out the window when I saw Levi and Clay pull up—they were coming in hot, if you know what I mean. Intense looks on their faces. I think they were ready for battle…like the shit is finally about to hit.”

“They were together?” Indi asked.

“Yes, in Clay’s Jeep.” Hollister paused. “Why am I supposed to call you by a different name?”

“Another time, Hollister. We have to resolve this problem before we address the clusterfuck of my life. Were they coming here or to your house? Could you tell?”

Hollister paused to think. “I think maybe Clay was headed in your direction and Levi was coming in mine—they never really had a chance to make much of a move, though. The van and crew were on them as soon as they pulled up and got out of the Jeep. This was definitely some sort of set up. I think Levi and Clay were trying to get away from them…get to us. They just ran out of time.”

“How did they take them? Guns? How many guys did Clay take out? Do you have bodies lying in the street?” Indi asked.

“You aren’t getting it, Ju…Indi,” Hollister corrected the name mistake. “They took them. Leonard has a direct link with the Doctor. Once you get in the Doctor’s van, you’re never seen again. Ever!”

“How many people did Clay take out?” Indi asked patiently…well, as patient as he could be at the moment. His fear for Clay was almost debilitating, but he knew he had to push through in order to save Clay and Levi.

“None. The van pulled up, a bunch of guys jumped out, threw bags over their heads, and tossed them in the van. It wasn’t two minutes, Indi. You know I would have done anything to save them. They don’t fucking deserve this. Hell, nobody does.” Hollister let out a small whimper. “Now I made a deal with the devil—devil being Levi since he’s been captured—and I’ve put my brothers in danger. You don’t know what these people are capable of, Indi. Clay is dead. Levi is dead. End of story.”

Indi leaned back on the sofa. Casually. “Trust me, Hollister, if Clay didn’t kill or wound anybody when they took him, then he let them do it. I don’t know as much about Levi as you do, but he doesn’t seem the type to go down without a fight either. No, there’s more to it. I’d like to think they were rushing over here to let us in on their plan, but I doubt that’s it. Clay, I’m certain, thinks I’m useless to him in a fight.”

“Clay couldn’t think that about you Indi—not after seeing you take out Leonard’s first crew the way you did. I think you are the only one that thinks you aren’t a total badass. Work on that. Now, back to Levi and Clay. Do you really think they might still be alive?”

“I think my heart would know if Clay was no longer alive on this earth. I also know that Clay wouldn’t go without a fight that would leave people dead or injured. It might not have looked like it, but they went willingly.” Indi stroked Sky’s neck as his mind tried to work at a whirlwind pace. “There’s a plan; we just don’t know it yet.” Indi stood up. “First things first, let’s take care of getting you guys to a safe place. You’ve all seen Leonard’s face, if not other higher-up people in the organization, so they’ll be coming for you. Like you said, I think they’ll come for me, too. They’ll need to tie up all loose ends.”