“I’ll be happy to submit letters to your professors if necessary, when we go to trial for the days you have to miss,” McAdams said.
“Maybe we can take online courses where we don’t have to be there in person,” Chaney suggested.
“If there are any in the classes we’re taking,” Justus agreed.
McAdams looked at his watch and picked up his briefcase. “I have to go. I’ll be in touch.”
“How about lunch?” Liberty asked, trying to sound cheerful and lighten the mood, as their attorney left.
“Whatcha say?” Justus asked.
Chaney hesitated with a worried expression and laced her fingers in front of her. “My parents hired a driver and he’s waiting for me downstairs, otherwise I’d say yes.”
“How would they know if you didn’t return straight home?” Justus said.
“Oh, they’d know. He’d make sure they’d know,” Chaney said.
“It’s okay, honey.” Liberty squeezed her friend’s shoulder. “I know you’re in a tough position right now. You want to honor your parents by abiding by their wishes, but you also want to make your own decisions. It’s hard because you feel at your age you should be able to assert your independence. And we don’t want to make it harder for you, so we understand if you can’t go today. Give them time and they’ll come around.”
“I doubt it. They are threatening to withdraw my college tuition and housing money if I see Justus outside of the trial proceedings,” Chaney said. “They want me to cut all ties with her and you. It doesn’t matter to them that you spearheaded our rescue with the Brotherhood Protectors.”
She looked at them both with pleading in her eyes. “If it were up to them, I’d be back in Baltimore with them right now. Locked in my old room.”
Justus hugged her tightly. “It’s okay. We’ll get through this. We’ve been through worse.”
Chaney nodded. “I hate living alone, especially after our abduction, but they have me in a gated community with round-the-clock security so at least I know I’m safe.”
The three walked out of the conference room toward the bank of elevators. They didn’t have to wait long before the doors opened on one of the elevators and they stepped inside. Justus noticed two young men standing at the back as she entered. Then before the doors closed, two other men jumped on, bumping her into Chaney.
“Sorry,” Justus said.
“It’s okay.” Chaney shot her a quick smile but looked around at the two men and grimaced.
The elevator stopped on every other floor picking up a passenger or letting someone that got on a floor or two above off. The men who had bumped into Justus inched closer to her and the hairs on her neck prickled. She could almost feel the men breathing on her, making her skin crawl. She closed her eyes, fighting the urge to scream as she grabbed for Chaney’s hand.
“What is it?” her friend whispered, glancing over and her eyes widened, gasping in shock.
“It would be a shame if two pretty young things like you had acid dashed onto your faces just because you said something you shouldn’t,” one of the men said with a sneer.
Liberty grabbed both the girls, pushing them behind her as the two young men in the back lunged forward. The other passengers scattered to one side as the younger men pushed the threatening men against the wall, bending their arms behind their backs, and cuffed them with zip tie cuffs.
Chaney began to sob, shaking her head from side to side. “I can’t take this.”
“Liberty, what are we going to do?” Justus asked.
“You both need to calm down,” Liberty told them. “The Brotherhood Protectors won't let anything happen to either of you.”
“But Asher is in Fool’s Gold,” Justus pointed out. “We’re all alone in Colorado Springs.”
“Not exactly.” One of the young men said glancing over his shoulder at them. “The Brotherhood Protectors have you covered. Specifically, the Lone Wolf Agency.”
Justus stared at him and then his companion. Were they Brotherhood Protectors? They sure had the look about them the way Asher had. Upon closer notice, she noticed they looked identical. Were they twins?
She did a double take.
Holy Cow! They were twins.
Warmth surged through her.
