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“He's alive. I wouldn't say he's okay, though.”
Six lets out a breath of air like someone has kicked her in the gut. I can imagine she is likely feeling something similar to me—relieved to have confirmation that he's alive, but devastated because he's obviously being hurt.
“Should we call the police?” I ask, but as soon as it comes out of my mouth, I realize it would never work. “Never mind, that was dumb.”
Jackson Adley might not have the same pull in Raleigh that he does in Barnaby Falls, but it's still pretty likely that he has the right people in place to make sure he's secure.
“The chain of corruption goes pretty high up, too, so I don't know if I'd feel safe reporting to anyone in case it puts Bennet in more danger. He's been working on pulling together evidence against his father for years. He might have a safe FBI contact, but he's never shared who it is or how he got in touch with them,” Tony says.
“I've been thinking that there might be something on his computer. We have it here, but of course none of us can get into it,” Lukas tells him.
“I can probably help you get into his computer. But knowing Bennet, he likely has all the important stuff locked down. I taught him well. This could take some time.”
Lukas and Jackson take the phone to our makeshift workspace while Luis runs to throw some clothes on. Six sits next to Lukas, asking Tony questions about what they're doing with Bennet in the warehouse. I'm listening in, but I need something to keep me busy. My nerves are making me restless. I bustle around the kitchen to see what I can do about making everyone breakfast.
“There's a huge lab inside the warehouse. I can't tell exactly what they're trying to accomplish there, but I'm working on finding out. They had Bennet strapped to a chair with all kinds of wires and machines attached to him and…and I'm pretty sure they were torturing him. Adley was poking him with what looked like a cattle prod. Eventually he passed out, and they took him to a room with a metal door, but there's no camera in there. I've been watching the hallway camera to see if or when he leaves again.”
Six gasps, tears filling her eyes. Lukas meets my eyes, a mix of anger and sadness furrowing his brow. I thought my dad was bad, but Adley is really out there torturing his own flesh and blood? And for what?
“Do we have any idea why he's doing this?” I ask.
“Because he wants ‘his Progeny,’ remember? Bennet probably isn't giving him the information he wants so he can track her down.” Jackson answers with a sympathetic look at Six.
She's staring at the table, a finger running over an imperfection in the wood. As she opens her mouth to speak, Luis cuts her off with a sharp word.
“Don't.”
Six shakes her head, the tears now spilling over her cheeks. She curls inward, pulling her knees up on the chair and covering her face with her hands.
“I can't just let him—”
“NO, Six. No. Bennet did not put himself in this position so you can run in and hand yourself over. I won't let you. WE won't let you. And Bennet would be pissed if he knew you were even thinking about it.”
“But—”
“NO!” We all yell at once, making her flinch.
“Even if you did, I'm guessing that the chances of Adley actually letting Bennet go are slim to none.” Jackson says softly, pressing a light kiss to her forehead.
“We need to figure out a way to get Bennet out. And then we're going to have to deal with Adley, one way or another. Maybe we run, but I’m sure Bennet has something up his sleeve. He's always one step ahead, always,” says Luis, and we all murmur our agreement.
Tony's voice interjects from the speaker. “Lukas, try now.”
“We're in,” he confirms, and everyone gathers behind the table.
With more help from Tony, we are able to find a lot of information, but nothing that helps us with our current problem. Unsurprisingly, Bennet has files on each one of us. They each contain our various background checks, including transcripts, police reports, photos, and anything else his PI found interesting. They're very thorough.
There are also files with information on Adley, mostly financial records and notes about which accounts are from legitimate operations. There's plenty of proof here of fraud and embezzlement, and even some notes about bribing public officials. The list of senators and congressmen on his payroll is staggering. It's no wonder the man gets away with everything.
“Even if we tried to take this information and the warehouse footage to the FBI, there's no promise that he wouldn't get tipped off and slither out of it. There's a reason Bennet has been sitting on this information, collecting evidence and biding his time,” Tony says.
“So, how do we get him out?” Six asks in a small voice.
“We'll figure something out, baby girl.” I tell her, my arms wrapped around her shoulders and hugging her.
“I should be close to getting into the BioCere files. Hopefully, those will help. Once I do, I'll call you immediately.”
After the line cuts out, we sit in silence for a few seconds. Once again, we're at a standstill, but at least with Tony on our side there is hope for progress. And we know Bennet is alive, which is the most important thing for us to hold on to right now.
