Levels Of Exposure (Distortion Series Book 2) Read online

  “Yes sir,” Evan said with a nod.

  “I suggest you blend in and keep a low profile.” Black sat up in his chair. “In fact, I don’t wish to see you again until Jackson returns. He assured me that you won’t cause trouble.”

  “You won’t even know I’m here,” Evan confirmed.

  “One more thing, Evan.” Black made sure he had Evan’s full attention. “Keep your dick away from the girls.”

  Evan raised his hands. “Of course, yeah. I wasn’t planning on―”

  “Benny will show you where to go,” Black said dismissively as he turned his attention back toward his computer screen.

  Evan followed Benny out to the hall and into a small private lounge down a long narrow passageway. The room opened up into an area with several seating areas that consisted of sofas and chairs. It was cluttered with what looked like glittery stage attire and the coffee tables were littered with discarded takeout boxes and cups. Evan had never claimed to be neat but even he found the space messy. It looked to also be a prep area for the girls, a row of vanities lined one wall and a few women were touching up their makeup.

  Benny gave Evan a shove on the back of the shoulder. “Sit.” He pointed toward the nearest sofa.

  “What did you bring us, Benny? A snack?” A platinum blonde wearing a red silk robe sauntered over toward them.

  “I need you ladies to keep an eye on him while I track down Dillon to watch him,” Benny said as he grabbed the cuffs out of his pocket. He grabbed hold of one of the bars covering the window behind the sofa and gave it a shake to confirm it was secure. “Sit,” he ordered Evan.

  “Again with the cuffs? Can’t I just promise not to go anywhere?” Evan asked hopefully.

  “Sit,” Benny barked impatiently.

  Evan dropped down on the sofa with a sigh and held out his hand. Benny grabbed it and secured the cuff around his wrist before fastening him to the metal bars that lined the large window. “Really? This is a bit uncomfortable,” Evan complained as he pulled against the restricting angle.

  “I’ll be back,” Benny said before storming off.

  “What if I have to go to the washroom?” Benny ignored him. “Fuck!” Evan said in annoyance as he gave his arm a shake against the cuffs. “He’s full of personality, isn’t he?” The girls in the room were all watching him curiously.

  “Yeah, Benny can be a bit much, sometimes.” The platinum blonde smiled and walked over to sit beside him. She placed her hand on his thigh and leaned in. “So what’s your story?”

  “Ah…” Evan leaned back into the sofa. He was taken aback by her forwardness. “I’m just fulfilling a lifelong dream of being handcuffed in a strip bar.” He answered with the first thing that came to mind. He didn’t think it wise to get into any truthful details.

  She giggled at his answer and bit her lip. “You’re funny. I like you.” She ran her hand up his thigh and Evan became very still.

  “I like you too and I also like that robe,” Evan said, letting his gaze drop to the front, where the silky fabric barely covered her breasts. “Red is a good color on you.” Evan’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat to hide the fact that she made him very nervous.

  “You’re sweet.” She placed a kiss on his cheek.

  A woman leaned in the doorway. “Krystal, you’re up.” Her long chestnut hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. She wore nothing but bright sparkly blue underwear. Evan tried to keep his gaze respectful but he was overwhelmed by all the exposed flesh.

  “I gotta go, sweetheart. I’ll be back to check on you later.” Krystal patted his leg and pushed off the sofa.

  “Who’s this?” the brunette asked curiously as she pointed at Evan.

  Krystal shrugged her shoulders. “Benny dropped him off.”

  “Evan,” he offered his name. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Yes, it is.” The brunette winked and followed Krystal down the hallway.

  Evan tried to adjust his arm but it didn’t do any good. He leaned back on the sofa and watched the girls primping across the room. He hoped Jackson knew what he was doing. Evan felt anxious having to wait around, not knowing what was happening.

  Evan was starting to feel himself drift to sleep when the door slammed closed and he bolted up in his seat. A sharp pain pulled at his arm from being held at an odd angle. He moaned in distress as he looked up to see Krystal staring down at him. “You scared the shit out of me.” He threw his arm over his face and tried to adjust his arm.

  “Do you want to party with me?” Krystal asked. The closeness of her voice startled him and he opened his eyes to see her leaning in.

  He raised his brow and rattled his cuff to remind her that he was in no position to party. She crawled onto his lap and Evan looked around the room to see they were alone. He narrowed his eyes in question.

  She grabbed the ties of her robe and pulled it open, baring her breasts. “Whoa.” Evan gasped, his hesitance slipping away. It was hard to think logically when a naked woman was sitting on his lap.

  Krystal reached into her panties and pulled out a small packet of pills. “What’re those?” Evan asked as she opened them.

  “A little something to take the edge off,” she said excitedly.

  Evan looked at the pills she held up to his mouth. “I really shouldn’t,” Evan said as she placed it against his lips.

  “Open up,” she cooed.

  “I’m a recovering…” Evan leaned back in his seat and stared up at the ceiling in disbelief. How could he say no when a naked woman was trying to feed him Percocet? The last week of misery faded from his mind as he fought to get himself clean. All he could think about was the immediate relief the drug could give him and the erection straining in his pants. “Fuck it. Give it to me.” Evan opened his mouth and a wide smile brightened her face. She leaned back and grabbed a glass off the table and held it up for him to take.

  He brought it to his lips and sipped the cheap whiskey that burned his mouth and throat, but he didn’t care. He wanted to forget where he was as he downed the entire glass. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa. Krystal leaned in and kissed his neck, pressing her body against his.

  “I have a thing for men in handcuffs,” Krystal whispered against his ear.

  “I’ve noticed.” Evan smiled lazily. The combination of the pills and the liquor were starting to burn away the edges of his reality and he welcomed it with open arms. “Do you have anymore?” Evan asked. He tilted his head up to meet her lips.

  “Of course.” She passed him the package. Evan tipped it up to his mouth and swallowed a few more before he grabbed her by the back of the head and deepened the kiss.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Jackson

  “Did you take too many painkillers? What the fuck is wrong with you?” Teddy swatted the flower that Dane was tickling his neck with. “I’m trying to work here.”

  “Just trying to show you how annoying you can be,” Dane said with a laugh. “How’s it feel to be on the receiving end?”

  “Well, I’m glad I don’t have to put up with me,” Teddy said as he typed away on his computer. They were in the back of a floral cargo van that Teddy had acquired to allow them access to the hotel without drawing attention. The local flower shop was down the street from hotel and shouldn’t be cause for concern if seen near the location. Jackson had put Teddy in charge of attaining a vehicle and he did not disappoint. Jackson didn’t want to rent anything because it would raise flags to those who might be keeping an eye on his activity.

  “How did you even talk that woman into giving you this van, anyway?” Jackson asked, leaning back through the front seats.

  “Why do you guys always doubt my skills?” Teddy said, shaking his head.

  “We’re just amazed that people fall for your shit,” Jackson said as he smiled at Dane.

  “Did you sleep with her?” Dane asked suspiciously.

  “No, I’m not like that.” Teddy tried to keep a straight face but ended up laugh
ing. “But seriously, I didn’t sleep with her.”

  “You feeling all right?” Dane asked with narrowed eyes as he put his hand on Teddy’s forehead. Teddy pulled away from him.

  “It’s that girl from the apartment,” Jackson said. “He’s all shook up.” He laughed.

  “I felt like that the first time I saw tits too,” Dane teased.

  “I know you two are bored as I do my thing, but seriously, I’m trying to infiltrate a fucking fortress here,” Teddy said firmly as he waved at his computer.

  “Yeah, yeah, don’t cry,” Dane said as he crawled through the front seats and dropped down in the passenger seat next to Jackson.

  “And don’t go thinking I’m in love or some foolish shit like that. I don’t do love,” Teddy called out.

  “Whatever, lover boy,” Dane teased. He stretched out his legs and got comfortable. “How are ya, man?” Dane turned his head and looked over at Jackson.

  “Trying not to think about it,” Jackson answered truthfully. He stared out at the dark street stretched out before them. They were parked on a deserted dirt road a short walk through the trees to the hotel that bordered on the edge of Sugar Hill. A thick green belt stretched far off into the distance. The landscape gave them lots of opportunity to get on the property undetected. They just needed to override the security system and gain access to the power grid of the hotel, the two things that Teddy was currently working on.

  “We’ll get her back, Jacks,” Dane said as he stared off into the landscape. “And we’ll make that fucker pay.”

  Jackson turned his head and looked at Dane. Somehow along the way the three of them had created a bond they depended on, they had become family. Jackson’s phone lit up in the console with Giles’ number. He had been calling all day. They both watched the screen until it went black.

  “How long do you think it took Giles to figure out Teddy made our phones untraceable?”

  “I guarantee that’s the first thing he tried when he found out we weren’t still at the Belhaven Precinct. So not long,” Jackson said, closing his eyes. He was putting everything he had into taking down Stodden. He was leading Dane and Teddy into the storm and he hoped they would all be able to walk away.

  Jackson had always tested the boundaries and bent the rules but this was different. This was going beyond anything he had ever done and he wasn’t sure what would happen when or if he faced Giles.

  “I’m in,” Teddy said triumphantly. They both turned around to see Teddy typing away, his face aglow from the screen in the otherwise darkened interior. “I just have to link this up to my phone and we should be a go.”

  A set of headlights lit up the interior as a car passed, turned around, and pulled up in front of their vehicle.

  “Do you really think we can trust him, Jacks?” Dane asked.

  “I believe so,” Jackson answered. He opened the window when he saw Nate approach.

  Nate grabbed the top of the door as he leaned in the open window. “Floors two through four are blocked off for extensive renovations. I booked a room on the fifth floor and the main elevators don’t even stop on those floors. They must have their own private elevator.”

  “What about security?”

  “As far as I can tell, it’s operating like a normal hotel. Nothing else appears to be out of the ordinary. I didn’t notice any suspicious vehicles in the parking lot, but there appears to be an underground parking garage only for hotel staff. They could be using that. I took a picture of the access panel.”

  Jackson took Nate’s phone and flipped through the pictures he took of the hotel and exterior. “You sure no one saw you?” Jackson looked up to see Nate’s face lit by the light of the phone. He was older now but still the same as Jackson remembered.

  “No, man. All good.”

  “Good.” Jackson passed Nate’s phone back between the seats. “What do you think of this, Ted?”

  Teddy took the phone and flipped through the pictures. “It’s a standard code entry lock, shouldn’t be a problem. That’s probably our best entry point.”

  Jackson opened the door and walked around to the back of the van. He opened the back to retrieve the car jack they had stashed with their supplies. “What do you want me to do?” Nate asked.

  “You can stay with the van.” Jackson placed the jack under the van and secured it under the driver’s side rear. Dane grabbed a socket and unscrewed the hub cap off the wheel and placed a few road cones on the edge of the road to make anyone driving by dismiss it as a vehicle with a flat tire.

  Jackson unzipped the large duffle bag in the back and began arming himself with supplies.

  “You sure you don’t need an extra man?” Nate asked eagerly.

  “You would be more help here, keeping an eye on the outside for us,” Jackson said as he tucked an earbud in his ear and grabbed his M16 assault rifle. Teddy hopped out of the back and swung his backpack over his shoulder.

  “All set,” Teddy said, taking the rifle Dane held out for him.

  “I hope you know what you’re doing,” Nate said, leaning against the side of the van.

  “Still the worrier, I see.” Jackson raised his brow.

  “Some things never change.” Nate nodded toward Jackson. “You’re still doing crazy, dangerous shit. Are you seriously only taking two guys with you to take down a fucking giant?”

  “We have explosives. What more do we need?” Teddy laughed.

  Jackson placed his hand on Nate’s shoulder. “Just stay with the van.”

  Nate nodded and crossed his arms. “Yeah, okay.”

  Jackson shut the doors. “Ready?” Jackson asked Teddy and Dane.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” Dane said, heading toward the trees, his guns strapped over his shoulder.

  “Good luck,” Nate said as Jackson turned to follow.

  “Don’t believe in luck,” Jackson replied. “You know that.”

  “Maybe you should,” Nate added.

  Jackson ducked into the trees and headed through the dark landscape that led to the hotel property. Jackson took the lead as he navigated over the short distance of rough terrain until the trees started to thin and the lights of the property shone through. He signaled them to stop and retrieved his binoculars to scan the perimeter.

  Dane knelt down and found a place to set up his sniper rifle. “Where are the cameras, Teddy?” Jackson whispered.

  Teddy pulled out his laptop. “We have one over the parking garage entrance and over the fire escape.”

  “What about the roof?” Jackson said, looking up.

  “Nothing,” Teddy responded after a moment clicking away on his screen.

  “I’ve have a visual of at least two bodies on the roof, Jacks. I can’t tell if they’re armed or not from this angle,” Dane said, looking through the scope of his gun.

  “Hold off until we have confirmation they’re Stodden’s men,” Jackson said. Something caught his attention in his peripheral view. “We have an incoming vehicle,” Jackson watched the black SUV approach. The vehicle came around the side of the building and pulled up to the parking garage entrance. Jackson trained his binoculars on the driver’s side window as it lowered for the driver to enter the code.

  “And we have a winner,” Jackson said, recognizing the man behind the wheel as one of the men in John’s circle. “Nate was right about the parking garage.”

  “The men on the roof are targets,” Dane announced after he confirmed they were armed.

  “How about a little noise distraction, Teddy?” Jackson asked.

  “Coming right up,” Teddy announced wickedly. “I got just the thing to set the mood.”

  In a matter of minutes, multiple car alarms erupted from the parking lot. “Nice,” Jackson said. “Dane, you’re up next. Clear our path.”

  They all grew quiet as Dane set his sights on his targets. He shot the first round off, then quickly cocked the gun, and followed with the second. Jackson watched both men drop before they had a chance to register what happene
d.

  “Let’s move,” Jackson said, heading toward the side of the hotel. Raising his gun, he shot out the light over the parking garage door to give them more cover before he broke free of the treeline. Jackson took cover against the side of the building, trying to stay out of sight. Teddy and Dane were close on his heels, coming up next to him.

  “You’re up, Teddy,” Jackson said, holding his rifle up to cover him.

  “Yeah, no pressure,” Dane said, pressing his back against the door. “It’s not like we’re sitting ducks here.”

  “Hold on,” Teddy said as he used his knife to pry open a panel on the front of the key pad. He pulled out a cord and plugged his computer in and started typing. “Got it.” Teddy shoved his laptop back in his backpack. The door began to open and they stepped back out of view until they cleared the entrance.

  Jackson stepped forward with this gun raised and entered. It looked like a standard hotel parking garage except for the fact that it was mainly vacant. There was only a cluster of vehicles toward the central elevator and the newcomer had already parked and left his vehicle. Teddy had already informed them that all surveillance cameras on the lower floors were offline, which made it easier for them to move around undetected.

  Jackson led them toward the stairwell in the far corner of the garage. The only advantage they had was the element of surprise and they intended to take full advantage of it. Stodden’s men never hesitated to pull the trigger and Jackson wanted to make sure they kept the upper hand. The weight of this undertaking burned heavy and hot in his stomach.

  Jackson relished in the thrill of finally facing the demon who had brought down his father but what he didn’t expect was the weight of fear that came with Lexie’s captivity. He needed to ensure she was unharmed when the walls came crashing down. Lexie was his taste of light in his dark, twisted world. She was what he would hold in his heart once this battle was over.