Lesson Fifteen - Fear Is A Reaction. Courage Is A Decision.
The aim was to stay away from everything and anything to do with Riker Kennedy and Zane Knight.
So far it was working.
It has been four weeks since either of them had even tried to talk to me. I was pretty sure they got the hint when I told them I wanted nothing to do with their lives.
Even though they should've gotten the hint long before that.
My mothers wedding to Riker's dad was getting closer and I was running out of time on how to make sure it didn't happen. At this point I didn't even know if I cared anymore.
One part of me was telling me that if I just acted like they didn't exist then their lives would never clash with my own. That was the normal teenager in me, telling me that little white lie.
Then I would think about the Kennedy family having shares in our empire and I know that something needs to be done. That was the side that was winning and I knew myself better than anyone to know that this was the side that was going to win.
Growing up quick was something that I had to do a long time ago. I didn't have time to pretend to be a bratty teenager like the rest of my year seemed to be.
"Hey pretty girl."
Snapping out of my thoughts as I walked out of the shop I turned my head towards the rough voice. Everything in my body told me that I was stupid for even looking in that direction but he had caught me off guard when I was in my own world.
When my eyes landed on the person who had called out to me I was quick to see that there was three men. All off them where looking at me with a knowing grin on their faces. I couldn't tell if it was because they recognised me or if it was for another reason but what I didn't know was that I didn't like it one bit.
At one in the morning this whole situation was giving me bad vibes and I knew I was going to get a lecture from my dad when he found out about this.
He had always told me that I shouldn't be going out by myself at this time. It had nothing to with the fact I'm a girl, it was more to do with the fact of who I am and who I was connected too. There was so many people out there who could use me to get to one person or another.
Grabbing my keys out of my back pocket I quickly walked over to my car. Making a point of completely ignoring them hoping that they would get the hint to leave me the hell alone.
For once in my life I wished my mind was wrong about this whole situation and that they were just a couple of guys who were trying their luck with some poor soul.
As I pressed the button to unlock my car the lights flashed but I felt someone grab me from behind. My first reaction was to drop my stuff to try and rip their hand away from my mouth.
Panic set through me when I realised that there was a cloth and the faint smell off chloroform.
Before I could even do anything else the right lost my body before it even begun and the whole world went dark.
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(Riker's POV)
"Riker!"
Rolling my eyes at the sound of my name being shouted I continued what it was that I was doing. It wasn't long before my name was called out again but not once did I react to my brothers voice. In fact I did nothing but flat out ignore it hoping that he would get the hint.
What ever he had to tell me could wait.
Currently I was in our home gym punching the punching bag in front of me, putting way more force into my hits than was necessary. With every yell from my brother I could feel the power from my hits push the bag further and further away.
There was no doubt that I had been in the gym for at least two hours but I had long since lost track of time.
My phone was switched off and I had made it perfectly clear to everyone that I wanted to be left alone.
Clearly it wasn't clear enough for my older brother to understand. Either that or he just didn't care and if I was to guess it was probably more to do with that.
Lyra Anderson, wouldn't get out of my head as much as I hated to admit it.
She was like an itch I couldn't scratch and trust me when I said there wasn't many things in this world I couldn't get.
It had been 4 weeks since I last talked to her. As much as I loved annoying her I knew she was deadly serious when she told me to leave her alone.
For some reason the girl terrified me slightly, and no one had that effect on me. I couldn't understand it, I couldn't understand why she made me second guess everything when I was around her.
She made me second guess who I was and what I stood for every time I crossed paths with her. She made me want to step up my game even though she didn't say one word to me. It was like she pushed me without even knowing it herself.
Frankly I didn't even know what was happening never mind if she even noticed in the first place.
It was like she didn't care about anything. Lyra had her mind set on one thing and one thing alone and that was her father Empire. Anything that got in her way just an obstacle that either could be ignored or walked all over.
At first I thought she seen me as a threat but over time she seemed to realise something else completely. What ever that was it had led her on the path of just completely ignoring me and frankly it was probably the best for the both of us.
Her sole aim was to take over her fathers Empire and mine was to take over my own father's.
Our aims might be the same but we came from two completely different worlds.
"Riker!"
Ignoring my brother as he burst through the door I hit the punching bag once more, pretending for a moment that it was him that I was hitting.
Maybe if I acted like he wasn't there he would fucking leave.
"Did you hear about Lyra Anderson?"
Stopping mid-punch I turned to look at my idiotic older brother carefully. I knew him well enough to know that he might have mentioned her name just to get a rise out of me.
It seemed to be his new favourite game recently and I wasn't in the mood right now to play his games.
Ace might be an idiot at times but he was observant to everything.
"What about her?" I made sure not to sound to interested in what was to be said as I grabbed the black towel sitting not that far away.
My phone has been pretty much switched off all day, anything that has happened in the outside word I wouldn't know about. I had just wanted peace and quite today but even that seemed to be too much to ask for lately.
Since my dad was getting married he had taken a step back from the gang in order to keep as much hidden from his new 'wife' as possible.
This whole thing with Lyra's mom was fucked up and I hated the whole plan if you asked me. Anyone to do with the Anderson family was unpredictable and I didn't like that.
"She's went missing." He seemed to pause for a moment as that piece of information sunk in. He wanted to watch my reaction and it took everything in me to hold my blank expression. "Someone found her car, the BMW I8 outside a shop on the far side of the City but she's nowhere to be seen. Even her own family haven't heard from her."
Not caring about the reaction my brother seen on my face I froze in my movements, the whole situation smelt bad to me.
Lyra was many things, but she wouldn't just disappear without a trace.
More so, she wouldn't leave that car behind. I remember the day I ripped the door off with my own car. At first I thought it was funny but then she actually looked like she was going to fucking murder me.
In my life I had faced shit loads of men in my life but none of them had brought a fear into my life the way Lyra Anderson did that day.
Maybe it was a good thing that bastard Zane Knight had shown up.
As much as I hated to admit it he had probably saved my ass that day even if he didn't know it himself.
Ace must have noticed my silence because he continued. "There was a ransom note handed over to her father in secret. Apparently they want twenty million in cash, by tonight."
Scoffing I rolled my shoulders trying to release the tension in my body but it was no use with the situation at hand.
"There's no way they can get that money in cash by tonight."
"I know." Agreed Ace as he crossed his arms seeming thoughtful. There was something he wasn't telling me. Something that he was trying to plan out before telling me.
"What?" I asked with a warning he my tone. He needed to tell me what else he knew and he needed to tell me now.
If I wasn't in the mood for his shit earlier I definitely wasn't now.
"Rachael doesn't want the police involved but it's only a matter of time before people start to find out. Their family isn't what you would call out of the limelight after all. More so with this stupid wedding coming up."
My fist tighten around the bottle of water in my hand as it took everything in my to keep control of my temper.
Of course the stupid bitch was probably more worried about the spotlight being taken away from her and not her own daughter being kidnapped.
Sometimes I couldn't help but think what type of mother Rachael really was. Lyra and her twin brother Damon clearly hated her. I thought it was just them overreacting at the start but now I knew there was more to it than that.
Their mother really was nothing more than a gold digger and right now she was messing with the wrong person.
"It looks like we are going on a hunt, brother." Grabbing my top I swung it over my shoulder and lifted my phone with the other hand as I did so.
"You sure you want to get the gang involved?" He looked at me carefully I knew what he was thinking.
It was a dangerous game to play bringing the boys out in the open to save Lyra but I had no other choice. It was only a matter of time before Lyra's mouth got her in even bigger trouble and I wouldn't let someone touch that pretty little head of hers, not if I could help it.
These guys were going to pay.
"Yea, get Zoe on it, hopefully if she can hack into the cameras and find out who it is. We might be lucky enough that it's some amateurs and we won't have to wage war."
Ace gave me a knowing smirk and I didn't like that look one bit. It made me narrow my eyes at my older brother. He might be older but I was still the one in charge.
He needed to remember that sometimes.
"What?" There was a slight bite in my tone as I sized up my brother. There was no doubt I was sending a warning and he would better get the hint with what ever he was about to say next.
"You would start a war for this girl?" It didn't sound like a question. It was like he knew an answer that I didn't yet know myself.
For a moment I was silent thinking it was better off not replying at all but I did so anyway knowing that I wasn't fooling either of us with my answer.
"She's about to become our step sister, brother. I don't think we should let her die before it actually happens."
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(Lyra's POV)
It was cold, dark, wet and I was pissed the fuck off.
That was a bad combination when it came to handling the likes of me.
Once I had gotten over my shock of the situation I could feel nothing but pure rage. Now you may be wondering why I'm not freaking the fuck out. I thought that for a moment too but then I remembered who I am.
I'm Lyra Anderson and would I fuck let the likes of these idiotic amateurs in front of me get the better of me.
There was no denying I might be asking for a death wish right now as I sat glaring at the woman in front of me. Her large brown doe like eyes were watching me carefully but never being able to keep eye contract. A gun was in her hand at all times but she didn't look comfortable holding it. In fact if I was guess she didn't even know how to use it.
It was pretty clear she wasn't the mastermind behind this.
Frankly she didn't even look like the type of person that could do this or want this in the first place.
"You know you lot are going to really regret this." A laugh slipped out but there was no humour in my voice as I did so.
Maybe I was going crazy but that wasn't the problem right now. The problem was that my hands were tied behind my back and I could feel blood trailing down my wrist from where the rope had been rubbing against them.
"W-w-why." The woman looked shocked that I had even spoke. I think my confidence was starting to get to her.
Ignoring her question I continued talking as I sat back in the chair giving up on trying to get out of the rope. "So who's the mastermind then? Your boyfriend? His brother? Cousin? Husband?"
She took a step back from me. She was clearly not up for this situation at all. I couldn't touch her or get out of my binds yet she was still stepping away from me.
My legs were also tied to the chair so it's not like I could stand in any shape or form. Frankly I shouldn't be looking like a threat to her at all but you wouldn't think it with how she was acting.
Just as I was about to speak again the door opened in the abandoned warehouse. One of the men who had jumped me in the car park walked in.
A gun was in his hand too and this made me on high alert. The woman might not do anything but I had a feeling this man would and he would do it without thinking twice.
"You should really let me go." So far I had been nice with my words but sooner or later I was going to be my own death.
"Why's that sweetheart." Him calling me sweetheart actually made my skin crawl but I kept my wits about me. If I was going to get out of this I couldn't let them get the better of me.
"You're pissing off some scary people by keeping me here."
The man grinned as he looked at me like we shared a secret. "You're an Anderson, I've looked into your family. I have nothing to fear."
Of course I knew what he was talking about. My family followed the rules.
But it wasn't my family that he should fear.
"My mother is getting married into the Kennedy family and I'm sure you've heard all about that family." I watched with a grin of my own as his own grin faltered slightly. He might have looked into my family when he was picking his target but he clearly didn't think of the connections we had. "My ex boyfriend is also the Heir to the Knight family. Now if I was you, those are two families you should be worried about."
I didn't really believe that either of them would come for me after all. Me and Riker were hardly friends on a good day and I hadn't talked to Zane properly since he got back. All I had to do was make him believe that they would be hunting them down.
It might just be enough to get me out of here.
To be safe though, I spoke again just to make sure I was hitting the nail on the coffin. "And even if they didn't come do you really think my family isn't rich enough to hire out someone that will hunt you down. You kidnapped the only daughter of the family and the Heir to the Anderson Empire." I took a moment to let my statement sink into him before I continued with the final nail on the coffin. "If you asked me, you weren't very wise on picking your target."