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Everyone was still looking at me as I sat there in silence, not really knowing what to say. The last forty-eight hours had taken their toll, especially with the lack of sleep. I could feel myself finally starting to lose it in front of my colleagues. Showing my true feelings to Tyler was one thing, but with the rest of the guys was a completely different ball game. I went to get up from my seat, but felt a hand on my shoulder stop me. I was fighting back the tears from the pain I was feeling inside.
I looked down at the table, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. I didn’t want to see the pity in them. I knew everyone in this room and down at Kings View understood what I was going through, but it didn’t make it any easier to let them see me this way.
I heard someone get up from their chair and walk around the table. I could only assume it was Jayden, as I had Nathan and Tyler sitting next to me. I heard Nathan move to allow Jayden to sit down next to me. I felt him place his arm around me and pull me into a hug. This small gesture made me completely lose it and the tears I had been holding back for the whole meeting started to fall.
Calmly, Jayden started to speak. “You know we all understand what you are going through, Richard. But I know it doesn’t make things any easier to show your pain in front of us all. Just remember, though, we have all been there. We have all lost it in front of friends or colleagues. We aren’t going to think of you any differently. You need to let it out. The pain you are feeling won’t help you to concentrate and get Daniel free.”
I felt Jayden release his hold on me and finally found the courage to look up and saw that the call had ended, and it was just the three guys in the room who could see me now.
I managed to speak as the tears continued to fall. “I’m sorry. I really don’t know what to say. Everything has happened so quickly, from finding Daniel to the situation with his wife and now his being arrested. It’s just taken its toll. I know you guys are all there for me, but it’s still a very lonely place for me to be. You can get Mason back on the call if you want so we can finish the meeting.”
Jayden gave me a smile. “We’ve discussed everything we need to. Tyler has a plan together, and I am going to liaise with the guys down in Kings View. If you need some time, then we can keep things going here.”
I appreciated the sentiment, but I needed to keep myself occupied. Being alone was the last thing I needed right now.
“It’s fine. I’ll be okay in a moment. I need to keep busy, as you know. I will work with Tyler again and get all the information we need.”
He gave me a nod and a smile. With that, we all got up from the table and headed our separate ways. It was time for me to prove my boyfriend’s innocence, and I was going to do just that.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kevin
Icouldn’t believe I was currently lying in a hospital bed after the arranged car accident. I know I had asked Ryan to make it look convincing, but there was a limit. I hadn’t expected him to make it so convincing that I would have to spend the next three days or more in the hospital with my injuries.
Just to make matters worse, I had a police guard outside my room. Detective Stevenson had said it was for my own protection when he had come to see me in here. He had questioned me about what had happened, and I had told him everything I had planned out. I was heading into London to meet with my solicitor regarding Katherine’s will, as she had made me her executor, and I had been run off the road by Daniel. I wasn’t sure if he believed me, so I asked him to check the local police cameras if he didn’t. I already knew that Ryan had changed them so they could clearly see Daniel’s number plate, so I wasn’t worried about that. However, the longer I was in here, the more worried I was starting to get, especially with a policeman at my door.
I pulled out my mobile to call Ryan and check that everything was going according to plan. He knew that if this didn’t work the way I wanted it to, he wouldn’t get paid, so I was certain he would follow everything to the tee. I dialled his number and waited for him to answer. I knew that I had to be careful and make sure that the police officer outside didn’t twig into the conversation we were having, so when Ryan answered the phone, I greeted him with a random name.
“Joe, how are you?”
I could tell he was totally perplexed as he spoke back.
“Kevin? Is that you? Why the fuck are you calling me Joe?”
I wasn’t going to explain completely why, not with PC Plod standing outside.
“Yeah, I’m not so good at the moment. Stuck in the hospital after a car accident at the weekend. Have had the police here speaking to me all day.”
I hoped by the way I was speaking, he would get the message, although knowing how thick he could be at times, I doubted it. I was amazed when he spoke next.
“I take it you have a copper outside your room.”
At least he realised some things. I decided to continue as though I was talking about a business deal that couldn’t wait, just to throw the officer off the scent. I watched as he turned his head slightly, as though trying to listen in on the conversation.
“Yes, should be out soon though. Anyway, the reason I called was to check on the business deal we were working on. Is everything going smoothly with the plan?”
I could hear him laughing at the end of the phone. I wasn’t quite sure what was so amusing to him. He wasn’t the one who was lying in hospital with one leg in a cast and several broken ribs.
“Everything is going fine. They arrested Daniel and took his car away. Not that they would be able to find anything on it. That was why I never hit your car. If I had, you wouldn’t be able to prove it was Daniel who did it. I’m lying low currently. I’ve gone up north to visit some friends. I’m not going to say where, because then you have complete deniability if you are asked.”
Yeah, and I also won’t be able to tell the police where you are if things go tits up here, I thought to myself.
He continued to speak. “I have people down there keeping an eye on everything for me, and all is well. Sorry you ended up staying in the hospital, but I had to make it look realistic. If you want Daniel to go down for this, then we had to make it look as though he was attempting to kill you. Anyway, I have to go now. You know I don’t like staying on the phone too long. Especially if you have the police there. Let me know when you are back home.”
I didn’t get a chance to say another word before he ended the call. Even though I knew how good Ryan was, I was starting to worry about involving him in my plan. I wasn’t sure how he would fare if the police caught up to him. Would he stick to the script we had discussed? Or would he just spill all and tell them everything?
It was the one thing I hadn’t considered in all of this. I had no backup plan if he told them everything. I just had to hope that he valued his freedom as much as I did, but with him being so far away in God knew where, I was starting to worry.
