The grey Toyota rolled up slowly against the curb, outside an old run down looking house "You sure this is the right place?" John asked and Ryan nodded.
"Yeah, look" he handed John the screwed up piece of scrap paper with an address scribbled on it. John still couldn't believe the lengths Ryan had gone to to get this address. It took a certain amount of threats and a little violence but Ryan was determined he wouldn't leave without an address, John's attention was drawn to Ryan's grazed knuckles as Ryan snatched the paper back off John and stuffed it in his jacket pocket before getting out of the car.
××
"So where did you say Ryan had gone?" Drew asked as he handed Zach a coffee and headed back to his guitar. They were all recording some music in the studio.
"New Jersey I think he said" Zach replied after taking a drink from his cup "He's gone to visit his family, some kind of emergancy"
"Does Ryan even have family in New Jersey?" Eddie interupted and they all glanced at eachother "I mean when have you ever heard him mention New Jersey before now?"
"Eddie's right" Brent said looking at Zach and Drew "I'm pretty sure whatever Ryan's doing doesn't involve a family crisis in New Jersey"
"More like a family crisis in Stenton Women's Prison" Eddie's added and Zach threw him a look "Oh come on dude isn't it obvious, we all know Ryan was never going to let Ally do time for that asshole"
"I just wish he trusted us enough to let us help him" Drew sighed and Zach frowned.
"Yeah I'm sure he trusts us Man, he just cares enough not to involve us in what ever he's doing. Because honestly I can't imagine it to be legal if he's lying to us"
"Since when did Ryan do anything illegal?" Eddie chuckled and then paused "Do you think he knows what he's getting into?"
"Ryan can handle himself just fine" Zach admitted "You don't need to worry about that, it's not the first time he's...well never mind all you need to know is what ever Ryan is up to, he is more than capable of handling it"
××
"Tyler Drogan?" Ryan asks as soon as a tall, dark haired, skinny guy answers the door, wearing a grey hoodie and dark blue jeans.
"Yeah" Tyler looked nervous, he pushed the door in front of him and Ryan put his foot in the way.
"Nah, you're going to talk to us" he threatened before pushing the door open "We're friends of Alexis Wilson"
"I don't know anyone called Alexis" Tyler lied which infuriated Ryan further.
"Bullshit" Ryan forced his way inside the door and John closed it too behind them "Now I know you did some work for James recently, he paid you...We can do this two ways..." Ryan's grip on Tyler shirt tighten and he slammed his body back against the plasterboard wall "You tell us what you know or we make you tell us what you know...either way we aren't leaving here without information"
"Alright, Alright I'll tell you" Tyler quickly went for the less violent option "You're the boyfriend right? The guy Ally was seeing behind James' back?" Ryan didn't reply he just loosened his grip "Charlie told me you'd come looking for me"
Ryan remembered as the guy he had beaten for Tyler's address "Yeah"
"Charlie said you were pretty ruthless" Tyler fixed his collar on his shirt and gestured for Ryan to go through to the kitchen. John walked a few paces behind them, checking out every room as he passed it "And you're her dad, right? The Sargent?"
"How did you...?" John hesitated.
"Because believe it or not our loyalty is with Ally, not James" Tyler opened the refrigerator door and offer the men a drink.
"Then why did you try and close the door?" Ryan wondered and Tyler hung his head.
"Because to be honest I don't want to get involved, I've got a wife and kids...three kids" Tyler sighed "James threatened to hurt then if I didn't co-operate"
"So he didn't pay you?" Ryan was trying to piece it all together.
"Yeah he had to it was too big a job not to pay me, but he made it clear I didn't have a choice" Tyler looked at Ryan and then at John.
"What was the job?" John stepped in and started asking questions.
"He wanted a man finishing" Tyler spoke honestly and openly "He gave us the address and told us what need do be done, to be honest it was a pretty clean cut job. No ties or loose edges, everything had been taken care of, right down to someone disposing of the body, it was what came after that was pretty weird?"
"Weird, How?" John pushed and Tyler seemed unnerved.
"He gave us the keys to Ally's car and told us to move the body in that" Tyler explained "I mean why would you want your wife involved? Then he asked us to trash your studio, it made sense after that"
"So why didn't you go to the police then?" John asked and Tyler snarled a little.
"You've met James right? I mean the real James?"
"Ally met him a few times" Ryan interupted "So you've explained your involvement, but I don't understand why James has such a big hold over these men?"
"Have you ever heard of the Donnavan brothers?" Tyler asked and John nodded.
"Yeah they're gangster" He replied "Yeah, ruthless, dangerous gangsters...Raymond and James"
"James...hang on are you saying?" Ryan quickly clicked "James is Raymonds brother?"
"Yeah that's exactly what I'm saying" Tyler nods "And if you have any sense then you will leave this alone, because believe me Ally is alot better off where she is. Especially when Raymond finds out what has happened to his brother"
"So you think he'll come after her?" John pushed and Ryan threw him a glare.
"Your damn right, they all will and they'll bring hell with them" Tyler warned.
××
Ally walked into the visiting room confidently. It was a smallish room not much bigger than your average size bathroom. With a table and two chairs, one either side, the walls were whitewash and the floor was grey stone. Ally wasn't wearing her usual glamorous attire, she had been kitted out in a grey prison tracksuit and trainers which were her own. She looked over at the table and smiled weakly when she saw a familiar face looking back at her "Hello Princess" the man's voice made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, her stomach twisted and her heart started to race "haven't you been a busy bunny" he added gesturing to the tightness of her shirt around her now swollen stomach...Ally didn't speak she just sat down and rested her hands on the table, she opened her mouth a little and took a deep breath in before saying...
