Page 13 of Brave Horizons (Barrington Billionaires #19)

TOPEKA

She sat at the small table, her hands trembling slightly as she recounted every detail she had gathered about her father’s operations.

Hillary’s pen moved swiftly across her notepad, capturing every word.

The tape recorder between them felt like an extra person in the room and made Topeka sweat a little more.

The thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, each roll growing louder and more insistent. The impending storm added a layer of urgency to their task, making the air feel heavy and charged.

“I think I need a break,” Topeka said finally, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her temples. The emotional toll of reliving those dark moments was evident in her voice.

Hillary looked up from her notes, her expression unreadable. “Thank you, Topeka. This information is crucial.”

Before Topeka could respond, the door opened, and Alex walked in, carrying a tray of sandwiches and some gear from his truck. He set the tray down on the table, then began arranging a lantern, his other weapons, and a battery-powered radio.

“The storm is coming in fast,” Alex said, his tone serious. “It’s very strong. This house is small, without a basement, and the yard is lined with trees that could cause a problem if one comes down in the strong wind heading this way.”

Hillary barely looked up from her notepad. “We don’t leave the designated area until more security arrives with instructions.”

Alex pulled out his phone and showed her the radar. “Look at this. The strongest bit of the storm will be passing right over us. This house is not secure. We need to go somewhere safer, and we need to go now.”

Hillary glanced at the phone, then back at Alex, her expression unwavering. “That’s not how this works. We have protocols for a reason. We stay put until the security team arrives.”

Topeka’s heart raced as she watched the exchange. The tension between Alex and Hillary was palpable, and the rising storm outside mirrored the growing anxiety inside her.

She felt like she had to have his back. “Hillary, Alex knows what he’s talking about. If he says we need to move, we should listen.”

Hillary sighed, her resolve softening slightly. “We can’t just wander aimlessly out in a storm. That’s not safe. Now, the weather was not part of the original plan, but we need to ride it out.”

Alex shook his head. “I’m not proposing we leave without a plan.

I kept an eye out on our way in. There’s an old warehouse about three miles from here.

It looked abandoned and I checked it out online.

It’s a storage facility for an old construction company that doesn’t work in the area anymore.

It’s solid, no trees around it, and it’ll give us better shelter.

We can ride out the storm there and regroup once it passes. ”

“Do we have time to get there?” Topeka asked as she pushed her way back from the table ready to spring into action once Alex made it clear she needed to.

“No,” Hillary said, stiffening her back. “We aren’t going anywhere. It’s not safe. The assassins your father has out looking for you are amazing trackers. We feel like we’ve done everything right, but we can’t know that for sure. We stay in this house and let the storm pass.”

A loud crack of thunder followed by a popping noise interrupted the argument. The light overhead flickered but didn’t go out.

“You’ve got your job,” Alex said firmly, “and I have mine. You’re right her face is plastered all over the news. We can’t exactly waltz her into an emergency room if this house comes down on us. We need to go now.” Alex gestured for Topeka to come along and she took steps toward him.

Russ stood as well but looked more reluctant. “You don’t think the house will hold up to the storm? ”

The lights flickered again and then went out. Alex clicked the button on the side of the lantern and took Topeka by the hand. “I can’t make you guys come, but I hope you do. My truck is running. We need to go now.”

Hillary groaned and stood up. “Fine, but all of this has to come with us. Grab these papers. My computer. All of it. I can’t be away from it once I start documenting statements.”

Russ helped her gather everything up and repack her bag in a hurry. He was skeptical of Alex’s plan. Maybe of Alex in general. But he was also smart enough to grab the sandwiches.

“How do you know this factory or mill is safe? You’ve never been in it.

It could be a death trap.” Lightning crackled across the sky as they made their way to Alex’s truck.

Hillary and Russ slid into the back seat.

The rain became heavier and, though Topeka wanted to take Alex’s hand, she knew he needed to concentrate on driving down the dark roads toward the place he thought could keep them safe.

“Topeka,” Russ asserted as he leaned up and touched her shoulder. “How are you so confident this is the right thing to do?”

“I trust Alex.” She didn’t turn around to look at Russ, instead keeping her eyes fixed on the dark road and the heavy rain now pummeling the truck.

“This storm is going to be bad. Obviously, if it was enough to slow down the other security people, it must be rough. That house was small and unsafe. This is a better option. ”

“Can you even see?” Hillary asked, holding her bag to her chest like a scared child with a teddy bear.

“We’re good. I’ve driven in worse. I’ve held my ground on an oil rig in worse. The sand storms in the Middle East on deployment wipe out all visibility. This is nothing.”

“It’s not nothing,” Hillary squeaked out as thunder rumbled above them.

“We’re coming up on the factory. I checked it out on the satellite map options and there was a covered area I can pull under.

Right beneath your seat is a toolbox. Grab the hammer and the largest set of pliers.

I assume they have the doors padlocked. When I pull up, everyone stay put, hand me those tools and I’ll scope it out as quickly as possible. ”

“I can help,” Russ said, already reaching for the toolbox. “If the door is jammed an extra shoulder to smash into it might make the difference.”

Alex hesitated and then agreed. “Fine. You two watch for a signal from us. Then kill the engine on the truck and come our way. The storm is moving fast and it’s huge.

Might be over us for a couple hours. I’ll grab my packs from the back of the truck after.

They’re under the waterproof covers so we should have some sleeping bags and basic gear. ”

Topeka’s heart thudded as the lightning became more frequent and was clearly striking closer.

She drew in a deep breath as Alex pulled the car under the metal canopy and hopped out.

Russ was a beat behind, the tools in his hand.

She watched as they used the tools to pound off a lock on a chain.

Alex drew his weapon and flashlight, crossing one over the other as he stepped inside the building.

“They’re in,” Topeka reported to Hillary who seemed to be holding her breath.

“I hate this,” she finally said with the punctuation of a sharp inhale of breath. “We don’t deviate from the plan. Now the security team might arrive at the house and we won’t be there. If phone service is spotty because of the storm and they can’t reach us...”

“They aren’t going to arrive at the house in this kind of storm. They’re stuck in it too. When it passes, we’ll be right back at the house and ready to meet up with them.”

“You don’t understand,” she groaned wearily. “You don’t know how all of this works.”

“So enlighten me.” Topeka wanted to spin in her seat and look at Hillary but her eyes were fixed on the door Alex had disappeared through and Russ was still standing near.

Hillary’s voice became louder as the pounding rain grew more intense on the metal overhang above them.

“You don’t get visibility to how close the danger is to you.

You don’t see every moving part. This level of protection stands on a knife’s edge and to just abruptly decide something is going to change is reckless and deadly.

Deadly.” She reiterated the words as though it held some deep personal memory associated with it.

Before Topeka could make her point about her trust for Alex again, he was waving them in.

“Let’s go,” Topeka said firmly as she swung open her door and hopped out.

The blowing wind had the rain pelting her and she was soaking wet, her feet in a deep puddle.

Yet she waited the extra moment for Hillary to get out.

They ran toward the door and Alex ushered them in. Russ was standing in the middle of the open room with the lantern still clutched in his hand. Topeka took some comfort in the fact that Alex had holstered his weapon. He’d deemed this spot safe enough.

“This is a reinforced roof and the building is rock solid,” he explained. “The windows are a bit of a liability though, so we’re going to stay in the middle here. I’m going to grab some gear and we can hole up here as long as we need to.”

“We’ll get back to the house the second it’s safe,” Hillary asserted, blocking Alex’s path back to his truck. “Maybe you don’t know the ranking system around here, but you don’t give orders. I decide what happens with these two until I hand them off to the next team.”

Alex lowered his voice and Topeka strained to hear.

“I’m not trying to step on your toes, but I am not going to let some pissing match put her in danger.

The second the storm clears and we can get back to the house we will.

Sometimes you have to be nimble and make last second decisions to keep people alive. ”

“Last second decisions get people killed,” Hillary shot back, her chin tipping up in resolve. “Just hurry up and get your stuff. I have no phone service here. I can’t reach out to tell anyone where we are. I need this over.”

Alex and Topeka exchanged a troubled look. The word over was too final for her liking.