Chapter 51

"You're going to tell me everything you know about your sister's kidnapping in detail from beginning to end." Josiah said, his voice promising pain if Roger didn't comply.

Roger looked up at him and swallowed nervously. The office door opened and four men entered distracting him but only adding to his nerves. Josiah didn't even flinch at the sound of more people entering his office. The room seemed full to bursting with barely leashed violence. Roger drug his eyes back to Josiah and gave a long and shakey sigh. Roger took a deep breath then started from the beginning, starting from when he got out of rehab and started his new job. He didn't leave any details out, hoping confession wouldn't get him killed.

Josiah and his men listened to Roger speak, fighting every impulse to interrupt him, beat him, kill him. The depths of decete and betrayal of his sister and his unborn niece left him almost nauseous with rage. He listened to Roger tell him of how he started having second thoughts, but how he knew he'd already divulged too much. Roger told him of Sarah and his kids being taken, which Josiah already knew of, and a level of pleading entered his voice that hadn't been so intense entered.

"I'd never guessed that he'd take her, Josiah I swear. But I can't just let him have my wife and kids!" Roger pleaded for understanding.

"Yeah, you can let him take your sister and unborn niece. My wife and child!" Josiah yelled at him, furious.

"Can't you see I lose either way? He'd have killed Sarah and my son! At least we know he isn't going to kill Rossalyn or the baby. It was the lesser of the two evils. Josiah I was going to tell you what happened as soon as I got Sarah and the kids back. I swear!" Roger said, lying through his teeth.

"Oh really? Why do I not believe that for a minute?" Josiah's voice dripped derision. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "The only reason you're going to walk out of here tonight is because I can't fault you for doing what you had to do to protect your wife and kids. I'm not dense enough to not believe George would have done this with or without you giving him information that made it easier."

"You're going to let me go?" Roger's eyes widened in surprise. He was going to get to leave without Josiah beating him half to death.

"Yes, Sarah and the kids are being brought here right now. You all will be staying here for the time being. The very least I can do for Rossalyn is keep the people she loves safe while I fight to get her back. Having you, Sarah, and the kids here under protection also gives me less to worry about while I'm dealing with George. No trade secrets getting out to him from her big mouth brother." Josiah sneered at him then turned away from him to give orders to James in a low furious tone.

James nodded then stood to the side for Josiah to stalk out of the room before James stepped forward and gestured for Roger to stand up and follow him. He led him from the room and down the stairs and out towards the back door of the house. Roger grew nervous but knew better than to argue at that point. James led him across the property to a building that had no windows and a steel door. James opened the door with a key and flipped on the light inside the building then gestured for Roger to enter.

Roger went in and looked around then gave James a shocked look. There was a twin metal frame that had a thin mattress on it. A toilet, sink, and spout in the wall for a shower. It was like a jail cell meant for one person. He turned to find James stepping out and closing the door behind him. James hadn't even given him a chance to stop him or say anything. Roger knew he could throw a huge fit and wreck the room and piss Josiah off and push his luck. Or he could accept the fact that he was going to be in the room alone for the time being. There wouldn't be any amount of begging or threatening that would make Josiah's men disobey him.

At the same time James was leading Roger out the back, Brad was leading Sarah and the twins into the house. Josiah had texted him to let him know to bring them into the entertainment room for questioning. Josiah was waiting for them inside. He'd had enough time to get his anger under control and he was looking deceptively relaxed when Sarah walked in carrying her daughter who clung to her like a monkey. Her son clung to her hand so hard that he could see Sarah's fingers overlapping themselves.

"How are you? How are the kids?" He asked when the door closed behind her, leaving them alone. He'd known better than trying to separate her from her kids after what they'd just been through.

"Where is my husband?" Sarah demanded, her voice sounding every bit as angry as Josiah had just been.

"He is here. Why?" Josiah asked cocking an eyebrow in inquiry.

Sarah gave him a long look full of meaning, her eyes barely controling a rage so large that he was surprised that the kids weren't vibrating with it. She put her baby girl down on the couch and then gestured for her son to sit down next to her. Her son went from clinging to her hand to clinging to his twin sister. Both of the kids looked like they had been bawling and were seconds away from falling back inter hysterics. Sarah put down a bag that he hadn't previously noticed through the limbs of her children. She reached inside and pulled out two sippy cups and handed them to her children and reluctantly stepped away from them. As if she was out of arm's reach of her children they'd disappear from her once again.

"They're safe here. There will be someone watching them at all times. Tell me why do you want to know where your husband in when it looks like you're barely controling your temper?" Josiah wondered, fascinated against his will observing her as if she was a new species.

"Because I'm going to kill him. I swear I will." She spat, her voice laced with venom her eyes leaving her children to lock on his.

"Well, before I have murder on my hands, why don't you tell me what happened." Josiah suggested, keeping his voice calm in spite of the fact that seeing Sarah so uncharacteristly angry had ramped his anger back up. As if his started to feed off her fury.