Page 71

Colton

I call a community-wide emergency meeting on Sunday afternoon. We expect a low turnout, but over fifty people flood the largest conference room at the Grand Hotel. That’s nearly seventy-five percent of our numbers.

Maybe they’ve all been expecting something like this, I realize as I shut the door to the conference room.

“I appreciate you all coming out on such late notice,” I say. All eyes are on me—even my father’s.

Mark is officially back in power after spending almost an entire week cooped up in his house. He did exactly what I predicted: put out hits on Gerard and Brandon and ordered everyone to listen to him instead of me. The man looked like a fool, especially when no one listened to him.

There were only a few people who surprised me when they stood down. It wasn’t until Xander pointed out they’re probably scared that it clicked for me. If one person goes against the Rooks, it’s a show of disloyalty, regardless of what Mark says.

That’s good news for us. It means forcing him out of his position might be easier than we expected. And that means we can have the strength of the entirety of the Glass Rooks behind us when we get Haven out of Cornerstone.

That’s the thing about the Rooks. We take care of our own, and that includes my wife.

“Some things have come to light recently,” I continue as I start passing out folders to everyone at the table. “Things I think you should all be aware of.”

Mark grabs my elbow as I pass him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Prioritizing the values you’ve spent the last decade shitting on.” Yanking my arm free, I continue around the table, tossing a folder in front of each person at the table. When I’m done, I hand the rest to Charlotte. “Pass these around for me?”

Her smile is proud. Strong. “Of course.”

I come to stand behind my father, and Xander and Lucas flank me. I make eye contact with Cal from across the room, and he nods. Even though Wes and Kellan are still at Cornerstone, we have his support.

“As you know,” I start out, “the Glass Rooks was founded on some very strong principles. When each of us joined, we pledged our loyalty to the organization, but more importantly, to each other. We help each other. We protect each other. We grow together, both personally and financially.”

There are some murmured agreements throughout the room, and I catch Theo and Greg exchanging a careful glance. They know exactly where this meeting is going, and I trust them to have my back if things go awry.

I clear my throat. “It’s recently been brought to my attention that my father hasn’t been adhering to those guidelines.”

That causes a commotion, so I have to pause again. Stephen Lane shifts uncomfortably, as do a few other men, and Mark shoots out of his seat.

“This is ridiculous,” he exclaims before turning to face everyone. “He’s lying. This is sabotage.”

I sigh. I expected this from him. Hell, I expected worse. But this is why we brought proof. He has nothing to support his claims.

“Not only is Mark stealing money from the general fund, but he’s also responsible for the death of Joe Carver and for covering it up. That, and he’s planning on restructuring the Rooks. He wants to replace all of us with people who don’t know who they’re working for and don’t know anyone else in the organization.”

“It’s safer for everyone,” Mark sputters.

“You mean it’s easier for you to make sure no one finds out you’re exploiting them.”

“You’re saying a lot of things, Colton,” Lane says warningly. “Where’s your proof?”

“Sitting right in front of you,” I reply with a flat look. “Everyone, inside your folders, you’ll find screenshots of emails and texts from Mark talking about his plans for the Rooks.”

The rustling of papers fills the room as everyone looks over the proof we printed out this morning. A couple people gasp, and there are more than a few dirty looks that get pointed Mark’s way.

“So you don’t have any proof about what happened to Joe?” Lane challenges. “And what about your accusation that he’s stealing money from the Rooks’ general fund?”

“Lucas, if you would?” I ask.

With a nod, Lucas moves to his laptop, which we connected to a speaker. He plays the recording Greg gave him—the one incriminating not only Mark, but also Lane.

Mark stares at Greg with shocked fury. “You—”

“We take from others,” I say, loudly enough to cover his voice, “but never from each other. Mark has demonstrated over and over again that he’s abandoned the very principles he’s founded the Glass Rooks on. He’s not fit to lead us anymore.”

“And what about Joe?” someone from the crowd shouts.

“Doesn’t matter.” Jack Smith’s eyes are dark as he focuses in on Mark. “How much have you stolen from us? Is that why you’ve been denying so many funding requests lately? What the hell, Mark?”

“Everything Colton is saying about Joe is true,” Gerard cuts in as he stands from his spot at the table. “I worked that job. I’d just joined the Rooks, so I didn’t feel comfortable confronting the person running point, but Mark did neglect to follow the safety procedures. I—I’m sorry I never said anything. He threatened my family.”

“I can confirm that as well,” Dave Carver—Joe’s brother—says. “Joe had no idea Mark was sacrificing his safety. I confronted Mark about it after the fact, and he told me that if I ever breathed a word about it, he’d come for my nephew.”

Mark jumps to his feet. “I said no such thing!”

Jack Smith’s fist slams down on the table. “It doesn’t fucking matter. You stole from us. You lied to us. And you’re trying to take away the one thing that keeps us all protected. You’re lucky I don’t shoot you where you stand, you bastard.”

“The last page in your folders,” I tell everyone. “It’s my father’s personal log of every job he’s ever run point on. I scanned the entry for that specific job. You don’t have to take my word for it. Mark admits it himself.”

When Mark whips around to face me, Xander steps forward protectively. He’s having a hard enough time containing his fury as it is. Mark tried to kill his family, for fuck’s sake. All Xander needs is an excuse, and he’ll beat the man to death right here.

And, looking around the room at all the shocked and hurt expressions, I don’t think he’d be doing it alone.

“I gave you everything,” my father hisses. “I trusted you.”

I nod to all the people in the room who’re watching silently, their fury so palpable, I can practically taste it in the air. “And they all trusted you.”

Without another word, I make eye contact with Gerard and then Brandon. They stand and quickly make their way to us.

I step back. “Get him out of here.”

“Are we killing him?” Gerard whispers.

Xander goes stiff beside me.

“No,” I say quietly. “That privilege belongs to someone else.”

Mark is shouting as Brandon handcuffs him. I don’t pay attention to a single thing he says. He’s lost all respect from me.

“You can’t just throw him out,” Lane sputters. “He’s the founder, for fuck’s sake!”

“And from this point forward, he’ll have nothing to do with the organization,” I say firmly. “Traitors get kicked out, and that includes him. He’s not above the rules he set.”

Murmurs of agreement ripple through the room. It strengthens the hope inside me. Our plan is working. Not only are we saving the Rooks, but this gives us a much greater chance of successfully rescuing Haven.

“Take Lane, too,” I tell Gerard.

He grins. “Oh, with pleasure. That fucker is annoying as hell.”

Gerard and Brandon take them out of the hotel the back way so they don’t cause a scene in the lobby. They’ll throw Mark and Lane in a cell—not at the station, but at an abandoned asylum about a half hour out of town.

“So we’re just gonna let some kid take over and lead for us?” a loud voice asks from the back of the room. “He just graduated college, for fuck’s sake.”

“That kid has been preparing to take on this role for years,” Charlotte says. Her tone is commanding and confident without a single ounce of the anger I know she’s feeling. “Colton will have me as an advisor, as well.”

“I think he’s the perfect fit,” Greg says. “I’ve heard some of his plans. His decisions will be informed by our needs and requests, and he wants to establish more transparency between him and the board and the rest of you.”

“And let’s not forget the bylaws,” Dave adds. “The position is Colton’s by the same rules we all agreed to apply to remove Mark from leadership.”

“Does anyone object?” Charlotte asks as she scans the room.

No one speaks up. Even if a few want to, I have an overwhelming majority.

Greg stands and walks over to me. “Then let me be the first to congratulate you as the new head of the Glass Rooks.”

When Greg holds out his hand, I shake it, doing everything I can to dim the grin on my face. Now isn’t the time to look like an overexcited kid.

“Thank you,” I say, my voice thick with emotion. It doesn’t feel real that I’ve achieved what I’ve been fighting for since I was a teenager. But I’m here. I’m here, and finally, Mark isn’t.

I’m flooded with a round of congratulations, handshakes, and hugs. It feels right, but without Haven by my side, also horribly wrong. When I catch glimpses of Lucas and Xander, I know they feel the same way.

All of this is pointless without her. I’d rather die than live without my wife.

People slowly file out of the room until only a few are left. Charlotte kisses me on the cheek and pats my chest, reminding me she’s only ever a text away. Rachel Porter says she has faith in me as she leaves, and the people behind her agree.

There are a handful of people who’re unwilling to believe that I can do this. I don’t hold it against them. I know I’m young, but I’ll prove myself with time.

Alex Perrison is the last to leave. He shakes my hand and slaps me on the back at the same time. “I’ve been waiting for this for years. I’m proud of you, Colton.”

“Thank you. And… actually, there’s something I could really use your help with.”

He smiles. “Anything for you, boss.”

. . .

“We found her.”

Me, Xander, and Lucas all breathe a collective sigh of relief at Wes’s words. He stayed nearby Cornerstone with Kellan all night to give us an idea of what their security is like, and they’re still out there.

“Kellan went into town this morning and bought a drone,” Wes explains. “We were able to get a decent look at the compound, and we found Haven right outside the church. It was only for a few seconds before they shot the drone down, though. Looks like their security is pretty strict.”

“Is she all right?” Lucas asks.

“Pretty sure, yeah. She seemed upset, but I think she realized the drone was us. She looked hopeful for a second.”

“Good. That’s…” I trail off as it sets in that she’s still alive. I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so worried about her. “That’s good.”

“Have you found another way in?” Xander asks.

“We think so,” Wes replies. “We walked the perimeter and found a road that cuts through the woods. My guess is it connects to a main road a mile or so west of here. But the important thing is that it looks like it goes through a hill that slopes downward right outside the perimeter.”

“Where does it lead to?” Kellan asks.

“Other than somewhere into Cornerstone, we don’t know. There’s a large metal door that probably leads into some kind of garage, but we can’t open it without the PIN for the keypad.”

Lucas perks up. “I can crack it. It’ll probably take me less than ten minutes.”

“Perfect,” Kellan says.

“What’s on the other side of the wall?” I ask. “Like, which buildings?”

“Hmm. To the left, we have the church and what we’re assuming is some type of community building, and to the right, what looks like the parsonage. All the other residential buildings are farther into the compound.”

“It probably leads to the house, then,” I say. “I don’t know much about this place other than what Haven and Julie have said, but I know enough about cult leaders. Beckham probably comes and goes secretly through the tunnel. Exception to his own rules.”

“So if we can get into the tunnel,” Xander says slowly, “then…”

“Then we can get into his house,” I finish. “From there… somehow, we have to find Haven.”

“Kellan and I are going to head back into town and grab a couple more drones,” Wes says. “Hopefully, we can be more discreet this time, and we can find which residential building she’s in. It looks like a mix of townhomes and apartments.”

“Perfect,” I say. “The more information you can get us, the better. We can’t risk this going sideways and getting Haven killed.”

It causes me physical pain, knowing we can’t barge into Cornerstone tonight and grab her. But we need time to prepare. We only have one chance to save Haven, and we can’t fuck it up.

“Once we have her, we can get her out the way we came in,” I say. “Or, if things go wrong, then we can have people break through the front gate. But hopefully that doesn’t happen.”

“Who’s gonna do that?” Wes asks.

“We’ve recruited a few Rooks,” I reply. “Currently, they’re just for backup. But if we can find Haven with the drones and figure out where she’ll be, then that might change, depending on where she is.”

“Makes sense,” Kellan says.

I run a hand through my hair, thinking. “Now all we have to do is figure out a way to make sure no one from Cornerstone follows us once we have Haven again.”

Xander grins. “Oh, I have the perfect idea.”