Colby's POV
I felt better after talking with Sam. I had no idea what was going to happen but knowing he was by my side made me feel better.
The next couple days were hard. I was trying to piece everything that happened together while trying to keep Julia calm.
She's been having some pretty intense panic attacks but they were usually triggered when I was a way for too long.
I understood her anxiety since everything happened so I tried to be as supportive as possible.
It was hard on the kids being down here with nothing to do. They were all trying their best but it was only going to get more difficult when I started doing more dangerous stuff.
Today I was going to try and make my first venture out, but I needed to make sure Julia and the kids were okay.
"Are you sure about this?" Julia asked quietly as she picked her nails.
"I am sure, Julia. I'm going to start off slow and just tag along on a run with Sam." I explained and took her hand, stopping her from picking.
"I don't like it." She said quietly. "I know, darling. Maybe while I'm out I can pick up a ring for you." I said and brought my free hand to the ring of mine that was hung around her neck.
"I'd like that." She said as I leaned in and gave her a kiss. "Try to get some rest." I said then turned towards the kids.
"Be good for your sister. I'll be back in a little while." I said as Carter frowned.
"Are you sure you're gonna come back?" He asked as Juniper burst into tears.
"Woah. Guys, I'm gonna come back. Just going on a couple errands." I said and went over to pull Juniper into my arms.
"Are you going to look for a doctor for Jules? I'm worried about the baby." Jenna said as I chuckled.
"The baby is fine. Right, Jules?" I asked and looked over at her.
"I've been calling my OB like...every day." She said as Jenna nodded with approval.
"I swear that I'll be back." I said as Juniper sniffled and held her pinky out.
"Promise?" She asked as I nodded and linked my pinky through hers. "Promise." I said then kissed her forehead and stood up.
"I'll be back in a little while with some dinner." I explained then looked at Julia.
"Text me what you guys want." I said as she nodded. "I love you." She said and waved as I turned to leave. "I love you, too." I said then blew her a kiss and left.
As soon as I was in the hallway I locked the door then put on my mean face on.
I had gone soft for Julia and the kids but there was no way in hell I was gonna let anyone step out of line around me.
I made my way to Sam's office, then knocked on the door. "Ready?" Sam asked as he opened the door.
"Yeah. We gotta stop at a couple places while I'm out so I'll drive." I said as Sam nodded. "Great. We're bringing Nate along since he worked with Julia to get us out of Pops' place." Sam explained.
"We need to figure out any dangers before it's too late." He said and knocked on Nate's door. I appreciated that he wanted to keep Julia and the kids safe.
It was definitely hard to operate a gang with kids and a pregnant girl but it made it even harder considering who the pregnant girl and kids were.
"Hey, guys." Nate said as he opened his door. "Come on." Sam said and nudged his head as we walked down the hallway.
"Where are we going?" Nate asked as we walked. "On a mission." Sam said as I glared at someone who was walking passed me.
I didn't recognize the guy which made me uncomfortable.
I didn't like that there were people I didn't fully trust and I especially didn't like that he was walking in the direction that Julia and the kids were in.
When we got upstairs we made our way to the car. "What kind of mission are we going on?" Nate asked as I started driving.
"A drug run." Sam said simply. "We need to discuss some stuff with you though." I said blandly.
"What did Pops make Julia do?" I asked as Nate sighed. "I'm not sure. The only thing she let me in on was when she had to steal a necklace from the museum downtown." Nate said as my eyes widened.
"Seriously?" I asked as Sam looked back at Nate. "Yeah. She made me hack into the cameras to help her pull it off." He explained.
"I have a sick feeling she's roped herself into some dangerous shit." I mumbled, fearing the future.
If Julia messed with the wrong people it could put us all in danger. I knew she didn't mean to do that considering how much she loved her siblings but I don't think she's been thinking clearly since Sam and I went missing.
"Do we have any inkling that anyone is after her?" Nate asked as I shook my head. "Not yet." I said as Sam hummed.
"Maybe we're in the clear then." He said as I sighed. "You and I both know that's not the case. They're planning something and we need to be ready for it." I said and pulled up to the address.
"I'll be quick." Sam said then grabbed the drugs and made his way towards the house.
"You know what we have to do, right?" I asked and turned to look at Nate. "Unfortunately." Nate said with a laugh.
I knew we would have to reach out to Max and find out if there's been any talk. Max was considered the mole of the crime world on the west coast.
He always seemed to know everything and anything but he typically required some sort of transaction for you to get the information you wanted.
We would usually just invite him to our parties and that was the way we would "pay" him. Now that we were on strict lockdown that wasn't the case.
"Alright. Where to next?" Sam asked as he got back in the car.
"We have to pay Max a visit." I said as he groaned. "Really?" He asked as I nodded.
"He's the key to be ahead in this." I said and started driving. "We don't have anything to give him though." Sam said as I shrugged.
"We'll have to figure something out." I said and focused on the road.
I knew it wasn't the best idea to go into this without a plan but I wasn't scared of Max.
When we got to his place I looked at Sam and Nate. "Ready to do this?" I asked as they both shrugged.
"Not really, but we have no choice." Sam said as I nodded. "Correct." I said then closed the door and turned towards the house.
I didn't necessarily want to be doing this either but it was just what needed to happen to get the ball rolling.
When we got to the front door I knocked then crossed my arms, keeping a bored look on my face.
"Colby Brock. I heard you were dead." Max said as he opened the door.
"As far as you're concerned, I am." I said as he chuckled. "What can I do for you?" He asked as I sighed.
"I need information." I said as he grinned with amusement. "Ah. What do you have for me?" He asked and crossed his arms.
"What do you want?" I asked and raised my brows.
"Hmmmm. One night with your girlfriend." He said as I clenched my jaw. "It's only fair since you slept with my girl all those years ago. Although Julia has always been way hotter. Those nice full breasts an-" He hummed causing me to push him against the wall, grabbing him by the neck.
"Colby." Sam said as I tightened my grip, choking Max out. I hated that I enjoyed the fear in his eyes, but he deserved to suffer for talking about Julia like that.
"Don't kill him, dude. We need his help." Sam reminded as Max fought against me, his eyes filled with panic.
"Fine." I mumbled and pulled my hand back. "Jesus..you almost killed me!" Max gasped as I nodded.
"Get her name out of your mouth." I said angrily, crossing my arms again.
"I'm not gonna tell you shit if you don't give me anything in return." Max grumbled. "We'll give you money." Sam said as I glared at Max.
I genuinely wanted to kill him for how he was talking about Julia. I knew he was a sleezeball but you'd think he would learn to not fuck with me.
"A hundred thousand." Max said and held his hand out. "Jesus Christ, do you think your information is that important?" I asked with annoyance.
"Isn't the safety of your girlfriend worth more than that amount of money?" He asked and raised his brows.
"Does that mean you know someone is after her?" I asked as he held his hand out further. "I don't speak until I have compensation." He said as I rolled my eyes.
"Fine. We don't have that kind of money on us right now so one of us will have to go get it." I said as Max nodded.
"I can wait." He said as I sighed and looked at Nate. "Go get the cash." I said and put the keys in his hand.
"I'll be back." He said as I turned to Max. "You're gonna get your money. Now tell me if Julia is in danger." I said as he pursed his lips.
"Come inside." He said then opened the door and gestured for us to go in.
I had a sick feeling that he had some serious news for us, but I was hoping he was just being dramatic.
Only time would tell.