“Shads stay here.” Brian ordered. He reached across the console and opened the glove compartment. Reagan knew that each glove compartment in all their cars had a gun, including hers.

Kappie grabbed Brian’s arm as he began to leave the car. They didn’t say anything, just looked into each other’s eyes. Reagan huddled against Matt as she watched this exchange, thankful he wasn’t leaving them. He kissed her forehead, but she knew his mind was already in business mode.

Brian passed Matt a gun, then slid out of the car and headed towards the house. Matt pulled Reagan close and placed his hand on Kappie’s shoulder.

“It’s going to be alright.” He told them.

Reagan watched her father walk away from them, Kappie watched the man she was falling in love with. Both of them prayed Matt was right.

Johnny met Brian at the gate.

“What do we got?” He asked, his voice in full boss mode.

Johnny just shrugged.

“Syn, this baffles all of us. They got past the security system, they got into the house, but nothing seems to be missing.”

“So how did you figure out someone got in?”

“Jim got an alert that the door had been opened.”

Brian took a moment to thank God Jimmy had annoyed him to drop almost three thousand dollars on this insane security system.

Walking into the house, he found Jimmy going through his computer.

“Anything taken?”

Jimmy shook his head “either they didn’t even look at my computer, or they have a hacker who is more of a nerd than I am.”

Brian laughed and clapped his associate on the shoulder and headed to his office.

He kicked the solid door open and walked in, his gun out front. The room was still dark and he quickly turned on the lights. The office was still neat, the papers on his desk all in the places he had left them.

Footsteps in the hallway drew his attention to the door.

“Gates,” Zacky said running into the room. “ I think you need to see this.”

Brian pushed the door to his daughter’s room open. Nothing looked out of place here either. The shoes she had worn to go shopping with Jimmy were still next to her bed, her pajamas were still laid out on her bed, awaiting her return.

“When I was checking the rooms I thought it was like the others,” Zacky explained as Brian walked in. “But then I noticed the jewelry box was open and I know she would never do that.”

Brian walked over to Reagan’s vanity. Sure enough the top of her jewelry box was open, where her necklaces were kept. Rummaging through, he saw only one necklace was missing. A small heart locket he had bought for her on the day she was born. Reagan hardly wore it now, but he knew it was one of her most prized possessions.

“Were any other pieces of her jewelry missing?” Brian asked turning around.

Zacky shook his head, “No, but then I saw this.” He gestured to Reagan’s nightstand, where all of her pictures were kept.

Walking over, he saw that three pictures were in the frames. Two were missing. He raised an eyebrow at Zacky, who merely pointed his pointer finger to the floor. Brian looked and saw the two missing pictures, both were ripped in half.

Bending down, Brian saw that the pieces of Reagan were still in tact, but the other halves were missing. He stared at the pictures for a few minutes before he realized who the other people were.

The first picture was of Reagan and Blair, the other was of Reagan and Matt.

“Jim,” he yelled running down the stairs. “I need you to send the Berry twins to keep an eye on Blair.”

“Reagan’s best friend Blair?”

“Yes that one, two pictures were ripped in half in Reagan’s room. Blair was missing and so was Shadows.”

Jimmy threw his headset on, “I’m on it.”

Matt’s phone rang after the three of them had been sitting in the car for 45 minutes.

“Shads, I need you to listen to me very carefully.” Brian’s voice was calm, yet edgy. “Bring the girls in the house. I need them to change and I need them to pack clothes for a week. They aren’t safe until I know what the hell is going on. I’m taking Kappie to her sister’s in Oregon.”

“Will Reagan be with you?” Matt asked.

“No. You’ll be taking her to one of the safe houses, I haven’t decided which one yet. Matt, there’s no one I trust more with her than you.”

“I’m honored Gates, I swear to you I’ll take good care of her.”

“I know you will.”

Hanging up, Matt relayed this information to the girls. Then he climbed into the driver’s seat and drove up to the house.

Reagan stared at the mansion as Matt pulled around the driveway. She couldn’t understand how a place so familiar now seemed so strange. Funny how a person breaking into your home could do that.

Brian rushed out of the house and opened Reagan’s door.

“I need to talk to you Princess.”

Looking at Kappie, he said “I’ve called Laura. Do you think you can be ready in an hour?” She nodded and hurried into the house.

Reagan’s room didn’t feel the same.

It had been hard knowing her home had been broken into, but now her room? Her pictures? Was Blair in danger? Her hands shook as she zippered her suitcase up. Her dad had told her to wear something comfortable, but nothing that would draw attention. Matt would be taking her to one of the safe houses the gang had all across the country. There would be a lot of driving., but she was thankful to be with Matt.

A soft knock on her door caused her to look up.

“Hey babe,” Matt said softly. “I’ll take your suitcase down. You ready.”

She nodded as she put on her jean jacket. Then, she pulled her hair into a low bun and put on a baseball cap to cover her face. Grabbing her purse, she followed Matt downstairs.

Brian met them in the foyer. The others were still in Jimmy’s den trying to figure things out. It was hard to believe not more than two hours ago her life had been perfect. Now it had been rocked catastrophically and she had no idea who had caused it.

She stared up into her father’s brown eyes. They were expressionless, the eyes of a gang leader. But when he stared at his daughter, she saw the love for her.

“Call me on a secure device when you get there.” He demanded to Matt. Matt nodded and headed outside to put the bags in the car.

Reagan ran to her father’s embrace. He hugged her tight and she could feel the tears pricking the backs of her eyes. “It’s all going to be ok.” He swore as he held her.

He released her and kissed her forehead. “I love you Reagan. We’ll figure this all out I promise.” She nodded, the tears beginning to flow. She slowly turned and walked to the door.

Matt was closing the trunk as she stepped out of the house. “Hey hey hey,” he cried seeing her tears.

He ran to her and brushed them away. “I’m here Reagan. We’re going to be ok. You’ll be back before you know it.”

“Matt,” she whispered as she looked in his eyes. “ I love you.”

He stared at her for a few seconds, which seemed like hours.

“I love you too.”

He pulled her in his arms and kissed her fiercely. She kissed back with equal force.

When they both pulled back for air, they smiled at each other. “Come on,” he said gesturing to the car. “We need to head out with as much darkness that we can travel in.”

With that they got in the car and sped off.

Kappie placed the last of her clothes in her suitcase and turned towards her dresser to get a bottle of perfume. She had heard Reagan and Matt speed off about ten minutes ago and knew that soon she and Brian would be heading out.

When she reached her dresser, she noticed that her picture frame had fallen forward. Lifting it up, she saw the picture and gasped, dropping it to the floor.

The picture had been taken two months ago, at a party the group had attended. It was the first picture she and Brian had as a couple. Now, across her face in bright red lipstick, was an X.

“Hey,” Brian said coming in the room. “You ready to go?”

She looked up from the photo. Should she tell him?

“Yeah,” she said placing the picture front first on her bed.

He had too much on his plate right now she decided as they left the house. She would tell him later.

The long drive went by too fast and she was at her sister’s front door before she even realized it.

She and Brian stared at each other for a few moments, then he pulled her to him and kissed her forcefully on the lips.

It all ended too fast and before she knew it her bags were out of the car and Brian was back in it.

“Brian!” she called as he revved the engine. He turned to look at her.

“Be careful, please.”

“You know I will be,” he said. With that, he sped off. Back to California, back to something that none of them knew anything about.

“I love you.” She whispered.

About 4 hours into his trip, Jimmy called Brian.

“Gates. Whoever broke in was an amazing computer hacker. They did take files.”

“Which ones?”

“That’s the part that baffles me.” Jimmy said nervously. “They don’t have anything to do with our bank accounts, our clubs, even our illegal work. They were all the files that had to do with Reagan.”

Reagan

Kappie