A few hours later, they had called Jason and Aiden and they had come over, trying to figure out what they were going to do. Brooke had also come over, and so had Nathan and Haley, as they were all trying to figure out what they were going to do to get the petite blonde back, while trying not to alert the kids. Keirah and Jake had offered to watch some of the little kids, and Chase was at Brooke's house, watching her little ones, because he had already been there when Peyton had called Brooke.
None of them knew what they were going to do. A few of the guys wanted to just go over to Riley's house and beat the answers out of him, but Peyton-as well as Haley, Brooke and Vanessa-had immediately shut down that idea, because they didn't want their men to get taken to jail for assault, and also because they knew it would probably only make things worse for Chilarie. Peyton also knew that Riley was used to beatings, and he probably knew how to keep his mouth shut when getting them.
That left them with pretty much no options, seeing as they had no idea where Chilarie was being held, and they had called the cops, but they had no concrete proof that it was Riley's father that did it, so there was really nothing the cops could do. Riley's father had already made a name for himself in this town. He had connections, and they had probably done his dirty work for him, leaving them with no proof, except Riley's word, which Riley wouldn't even give.
Riley was currently at the Rivercourt, shooting hoops, and trying to get rid of the guilt he felt because his father had taken Hope. He knew it was his father, and he knew where he-well, the men he'd hired-had taken her. He had tried to get her to back off, though. He warned her that someone would get hurt. He had told her ages ago to back off, and she hadn't. There was no hope for him. He was never going to get out, at least not until he turned 18, and he wasn't even sure his father would let him go then. He was stuck, and there was nothing anyone could do to help him.
Just mentioning an idea she had, had got Hope taken, and God knows what they were doing to her. He wished he could have listened, wished that there was even the slightest possibility that things could have worked out, but his dad was too powerful. There was too much at stake to even try getting out. He had nowhere to go. His mom had lost her life, because she had tried to take him away from his father. He couldn't save her, and he had no right to get away from his dad, when his mom hadn't been able to.
Looking over his shoulder, he noticed the approach of the girl that had once been friends with Hope. He was pretty sure her name was Nicci, but he couldn't be sure. He turned and cocked an eyebrow at her. "Are you here to yell at me for something that's not my fault, too?" he asked, but he knew that was a lie. He may not have been the one to take Hope, but he was to blame for her disappearance, that was for sure, and he was to blame for anything that happened to her, because he couldn't open his mouth.
There were tears in Nicci's eyes as she approached the guy she had once thought was such a great guy. She had heard the whole story from here parents, who had been told by Peyton, and she had known he wasn't perfect, but she couldn't understand how he could keep his mouth shut, when someone's life could be hanging in the balance, her best friend's life. "How? That's all I want to know. How could you stay silent, when your fathers men could kill her? I thought you were her friend. How could you do this?" she demanded.
Tucking the ball under his arm, he kept up his façade up. "Who said it was my father's men? You have no proof. Even if it was, I don't know anything. I don't even know she's missing. I mean, I saw her just a couple hours ago, at school. This has nothing to do with me," he studied her, and could tell she was really worried. "Why do you care, anyway? I mean, you guys have been fighting for ages. You never talk to her anymore. You stopped being her friend because she was friends with me. Why do you care what happens to her?" in his life, even if you were family, people didn't care about you like this.
Appalled at his callous attitude, she truly didn't understand how he could even ask that. She suddenly felt sorry for him, because he didn't know the kind of love that every person deserves to get. "We may have stopped talking for a while, but she's been my best friend, for my whole life. We've always been together. I love her like a sister, like more than a sister, and even though we're having some stupid fight, I would never be able to live with myself if something happened to her, and we hadn't made up. I need her," she swallowed back tears, because he didn't deserve to see her cry.
The emotion in her eyes was what broke him. He knew that they had been fighting for months, but she still cared about Hope like they had never been closer. He wanted someone to feel that way about him. He wanted someone to care about him enough that they would care if something happened to him. He realized then, that he did have someone who cared. Hope had cared enough to want to get him out of the situation, and her mom had cared enough to find a way. How could he just let her take the fall for him, when she had cared about him more than anyone else had.
In that moment he realized that he had to help her. He would take anything that his father could give him, any beating, anything, so long as he got Hope to safety. He didn't know where she lived though, and he knew that if he just went in there on his own, his father's goons would never let him have her. He looked at Nicci. "Can you show me where her house is?" he asked, instead of answering her question, and she was mildly surprised, but she nodded and they got in his car and she gave him directions.
While they were in the car, he stayed silent for a moment. "She's the only one who's ever cared about me. I tried to tell her not to get involved. She can't save me. When I was little, my mom tried to get me away from my father. She disappeared, and I have a feeling he had her killed. I don't want that to be Hope next. I warned her to stay away, not because I don't want to find a way out, but because I was trying to protect her," he broke the silence.
Shaking her head, Nicci knew that wasn't the way to go. He had rejected help, because he was scared of his father. She couldn't imagine what that must be like. She loved her father, and she knew Jake loved her. She didn't understand how any father could hurt their child like that. She reached out and touched his arm. "It's not right, living in fear of the one man who you're supposed to idolize, and love, no matter what. I'm sure if you show Peyton and Lucas that you are the guy that Hope saw in you, then they'll probably still help you out of this," she said.
Wanting to hold onto that hope, but unable to really believe in it, Riley didn't say anything for the rest of the drive. She wanted to reach out and help him, like Chilarie had been trying to, but she didn't know how. She just sat next to him in the car, rubbing his arm, trying to let him know that she wanted to be there for him. She didn't know if she got through to him or not though. She only hoped that her words didn't prove to be false, for his sake.
They all heard the front door open, and a set of footsteps, followed by a second, more hesitant set of footsteps, causing everyone to freeze and look at the entry way to the living room. Nicci walked into the room, looking behind her, just as Riley stepped into the doorway. Aiden was the first one to jump into motion, and he crossed the room, stopping just in front of Riley. "Where is my sister?" he asked, and Riley froze, staying silent. Aiden pulled back his fist, as if he was going to hit Riley, and both Peyton and Vanessa called his name, as Jason and Lucas both started crossing the room to pull Aiden away.
No one needed to pull Aiden off, though, because he dropped his fist, and he held up his hands. He stopped not because Riley showed no reaction-which he really didn't show any outward reaction-but because he had seen the flash of fear in the young man's eyes before he had hidden it away behind his walls. He tried to pretend he was immune to pain, but he still wasn't, and Aiden knew he shouldn't have to be. "I can take you to her," Riley spoke when he was sure he wasn't going to be hit.
Murmurs broke out in the room, but Peyton stepped forward, focused on Riley as she walked over to him. "So, you're admitting that your father, or some guys he paid off, took my daughter, and you're going to help us find her?" she asked, and, after a moment of hesitation, in which Peyton saw another flash of fear in his eyes, he nodded. She smiled, and did something that shocked everyone. She pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Riley. It takes a lot to overcome your fears, and when you're scared of something you love, it's even harder. Thank you for doing this for her, and I promise, once we get her back, we'll get you away from your dad," she said.
When Peyton turned around again, she could see the guys were getting ready to leave right now. "No, we have to call the cops first. You guys can't just go barging in there, Lucas, Jason, Aiden. If you just barge in there any number of things could go wrong. It could ruin our case against them. You have to wait until you have the police to lead you in," she said, but none of them were listening to her, and she gave up on trying to change their minds. "Well, where is it we're going?" she looked at Riley.
Immediately, she heard the protests, but she leveled Lucas with her stare. "She is my daughter, damnit. I'm am not going to sit here, wondering if one of you could get hurt, or she could get hurt, while I do nothing. That is not happening, so don't even think it. Riley, tell Brooke the address so she can call the cops, and lets get going," she crossed her arms, and looked at everyone else, who hadn't moved. She had a defiant look on her face and everyone knew she was not to be messed with when she was in this mood. They also knew not to disagree with her, so they all followed her instructions.
When they parked the car in front of the house past the outskirts of town, in the middle of nowhere, Peyton started to get out, and Lucas put a hand on her arm, making one last attempt to get her to stay in the car, but she adamantly shook her head, and he knew it would only waste time trying to convince her to stay out of trouble. She got out of the car, and so did Lucas, Aiden and Jason. Riley hesitated again, but he got out too, because he wanted to make sure that Hope was safe. He followed the rest of them in there.
With a gag in her mouth, Chilarie couldn't do much more than sob and scream, but her screams were muffled, and she knew they wouldn't be heard at the front door. She wished she could stop her parents and her brothers from coming into the house, warn them that they were walking right into a trap, but she couldn't manage to scream loud enough. She heard them, though, as the front door opened, and there was movement. She felt proud, because she could tell they were putting up quite a good fight, but she knew there were about 10 men out there, and they wouldn't last long.
A few minutes later she heard the last of the scuffling die down, and she felt disappointed because she knew that they were going to get dragged in here soon, bound and gagged, and she would be able to do nothing but watch as Riley's father had his men do whatever he wanted with them. Her mom was brought in first and she wished her dad had been able to convince her to stay at home. Peyton had been tough to take down, apparently, and she had taken a lot of blows. Her father and brothers were no better, but somehow it wasn't as bad on them, because they were guys. Her mom was never supposed to get hurt like that.
When they finally brought Riley in, she was shocked, because he wasn't beaten like her family had been, but he did appear to be unconscious. Riley's father was instantly outraged, and he stood up, walking over to the goons holding his son, and pulling out his gun. He waited for an explanation and they began talking over each other. He shot the gun at the ceiling, and then looked to one of them for the story. "It wasn't me, sir, I swear, Mr. Williams, sir, but he wouldn't cooperate, and he started fighting. You didn't want us to beat him, so the only option was to knock him out, sir, at least until we can tie him up. He won't be out long, I swear, sir," he pleaded.
Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, he gestured for his men to start tying up his new prisoners. He looked at the men who were handling his son. "Don't tie him up. I will deal with him when he wakes up. He'll give us no more trouble," he said, and they immediately dropped the rope and went to stand by the wall. Riley's father watched with a smile as the rest of them were tied and gagged. "Nice of you to join us. I was just educating your daughter here about what happens when you try to mess with my family," he smiled evilly.
Walking over to stand behind Chilarie, he gestured to her, and as their heads all turned toward her, he grabbed her by the hair and smacked her across the face. This caused all four of them to begin struggling against their bonds, and Aiden, who hadn't been completely tied yet, brought down one guy by kicking him in the balls before they regained control of him. "Ah, ah, ah, I don't think so, Mr. Scott. That is not how this will work. Now, I will hand over this young lady here, if I get your promise that you will stay away from my son," he offered, moving to his desk and perching on it.
Looking at the goons who were holding Peyton, he gestured for them to bring her forward. He waited until they had moved her right in front of him. "I'm so glad you joined us, Mrs. Scott, because I know you're the one who doesn't seem to want to understand that my son is perfectly happy where he is, and just wishes you would leave him alone. Trust me, it will be in the best interest of your family if you do. Now, what do you say? Will you leave my son alone?" he asked, reaching out to remove her gag.
Staring him straight in the eye, Peyton opened her mouth, and spit right in his face. The goons moved to hit her again, but Riley's father just chuckled and held up his hands before reaching to wipe the spit off of his face. "She's fiery, just like her daughter. Yes, the young blonde hasn't wanted to speak to me either. Just tell me that you'll leave my son alone, and I will let you and yours walk away, and you'll never hear from me again," he offered.
Shaking her head, Peyton glared at the man. "I don't think so. The police will be here soon. My daughter and my family will be safe, and you will be in jail, for kidnapping charges, and assault. Oh, and lets not forget the child abuse. You'll be put away for a long time, and Riley and my family will be safe. So, no, I don't think I will promise to stay away from your son. I made a promise to him that I would save him from you, and making a promise to you, that I will stay away from him, doesn't exactly coincide with the promise I made to him," she said.
After a moment of staring at her, he suddenly reached out and smacked her. Lucas began working against his ropes, trying to get free to get to his wife, but she quickly recovered, looking at him and shaking her head. She didn't want him to get hit for trying to get away. She looked back at the other man as he started talking. "Oh, the police won't be coming, and even if they do, we'll hear them with enough time to get out of here. Then it'll be my word against yours, and I'm sure we all know how that will turn out," he smirked.
In that moment, Chilarie saw where Riley got his cocky self-assuredness. He shared a lot of features with his father, and she could almost see an older version of him in his father's face. She also saw the one big difference. She could tell that when Riley smirked like that, he was covering up a less cocky version of himself. There was no covering anything up with his father. He was hiding nothing, and she wondered if he had started like Riley, with just a façade covering up something deeper, or if he had always been such an asshole. She wasn't sure, and she probably would never know.
Just then, Riley started waking up, and he looked around the room, his eyes immediately landing on Chilarie, and the markings on her face that showed how much she had been beaten. He continued looking around, noticing her family, and his father, and all the people who worked for his father. He got to his feet, bringing everyone's attention to him. "Oh, Riley, you're awake. Tell them that you don't want their help, and you want nothing more to do with them, so they can promise to leave you alone and we can wrap this up," Riley's father spoke.
Standing there, he didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell his dad where to shove it, but he knew that his dad wouldn't give up easily. He knew that Hope would be disappointed if he said what his dad wanted him to say, but he didn't want his father going after the Scott family. He knew his father wouldn't let this go, wouldn't let him go. He didn't want anyone to get any more hurt than they already were. He wanted to have hope, hope that he could get out of this situation, get away from his father, but he didn't know if he could.
There was something that he just couldn't figure out, though. He didn't know why his father had kidnapped Hope. He had barely mentioned her to him, and he knew they hadn't been being watched at the docks all those times. He couldn't figure it out, just like he couldn't figure out how his father had known that they were on their way. He reached up, twisting the watch that his mother had left him around his wrist, and it was then he realized.
Just when he had started wearing the watch all the time, his father had made him take it to the shop, so it would actually work, because although Riley didn't wear it so he could check the time, his father had said there was no point in wearing a watching that didn't work. Riley didn't want his dad to throw it away, like he had been threatening to do, so he had just complied, and he realized that his dad must have bugged the watch. "You bugged my watch. You've been spying on me for years. What the hell?" he looked straight at his father.
Looking not the least bit repentant, his father just shrugged. "You're my son. I have a right to know where you are and who you're with. I was right, wasn't I? I knew someone would try to interfere one day, and I knew I would have to step in. I won't lose you, Riley. You're my son, and I will not let anyone take my son away from me. I didn't let your mother, and I won't let these meddling bitches interfere either," he gestured to Chilarie and Peyton.
Shaking his head in disbelief, he realized that his father had practically confessed to having his mother killed off. "You didn't let mom?" he repeated his fathers words. "You killed her, didn't you? How could you do that? She was your wife. You were supposed to have loved her. I guess you were supposed to love me too, but you certainly have a funny way of showing it. I guess I am lucky in a way, if you loved me as much as you loved her, I'd probably be dead by now," he scoffed.
Surprised that his son had immediately jumped to that conclusion, he just started laughing. "You think I had your mother killed?" he continued laughing, but no one else found it funny. "No, Riley, I just paid her off. I told her to get out of my life, stay away from you, and I paid her a lot of money to get her out of there. She left you all on her own. Maybe she didn't love you as much as you thought she did," he suggested, and Riley was stunned. Riley's father seemed amused at how much he had stunned his son.
Before anyone could say anything else, though, the front door opened, and they heard footsteps through the house, just as they heard sirens getting ever closer. The goons immediately began to scatter, but Riley tripped a couple, as did the Scotts, who's legs hadn't been tied, and Brett appeared in the doorway, holding a gun. "I wouldn't go anywhere. The cops are going to be following me in here any second now," he said, just as his eyes found Chilarie. He wanted to immediately go to her side, but he knew that he had to hold the gun on these goons, or they would flee, so he would have to wait until the cops arrived.
For a moment, Riley's father was confused, but then he saw the way the guy looked at the young woman, and realized this must be her boyfriend. He almost started laughing. "Riley, let's get out of here," he started walking for the door, but Riley didn't move. He paused and looked back at his son. "Let's go, boy," he said, but Riley told him no for the first time in his life. He was so stunned, that the cops flooded into the room before he could get out.
A/N: Surprised Brett showed up? I know, I am too, but I couldn't have Chilarie be in trouble and have him stay safely at school. He realized his girl was in trouble and he had to come save her. This is the longest chapter I've written in a while, possibly ever, and I just thought it would be best to get to this point before cutting it off. Let me know what you think. I thank all my readers, if I have any.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.