I kneeled down next to Bryna. “Are you okay?”

  She coughed and pointed at him. “Fuck, go get him.”

  Well, that was indelicate, but I took after him anyway, hoofing it. I realized the tunnel led to the shed I’d been watching

  If he'd already made it to the tree line at the forest half a mile out, he’d be gone. Finding him would be a major pain in the arse.

  In my comms, I tapped for East. “East, East come in.”

  Fuck. I needed to get out of the tunnel. There were stairs ahead. The hall that we ran into was dark and mud-packed but well-used and warm. As if it had been there for ages. There was a ladder up above. I watched him climb up and pushed my pace. I made it to the shed and burst open the door and heard the motor in the distance. He’d already cleared the tree line on an ATV. I tapped my comms frantically. “East. Give me a location.”

  “He’s in the trees. The canopy is too thick, and I don’t have the heat vision. I can turn on the sat.”

  I gripped my hair with both hands. “Fuck. He could be a considerable distance away by now.”

  East cursed as well.

  I glanced on the floor and saw the files he must’ve dropped on the run. “We have what we need."

  “How the fuck did he know we were there?” East asked.

  “Well, he was obviously hiding in here.” I glanced around the shed. It was outfitted with a bed, small kitchenette, and was steel lined. But if you weren’t deliberately looking, you wouldn’t see anything but a gardening shed from the outside.

  At least we had something to go on. I needed to check in with the rest of my team. We had to stop him. One way or another.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Bridge

  “Last chance to back down mate. You sure you want to do this?”

  I met Ben’s gaze. He looked like an overprotective father on the sidelines of a school competition.

  “Remember, think before you speak. Look them dead in the eye. Don’t be scared. Don’t fidget.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  Ben’s brow furrowed. “Considering how you feel about your father, I’ll try not to be insulted by that.”

  I winced. “Sorry, bad joke. Hell, do any of us actually have a healthy relationship with their father?"

  Ben guffawed. “Uh, hold on, let’s see." He rubbed his jaw. "Sebastian. Sebastian had a good dad."

  I laughed under my breath. “You mean the one who had several children scattered around the world and didn’t acknowledge them until it was almost too late?”

  Ben snorted a laugh. “Yeah, but you know, as dads went, at least he was there for one of his kids. Ugh, fathers are shit. I’ll be your dad any day.”

  I tilted my chin up at him. “Is this when you ask me to call you daddy? Because I’m not Liv.”

  Ben grinned. “You know I wouldn’t mind her making me call her mommy.”

  I shuddered. “Oh God, please, please don’t share.”

  Ben grinned. “Are you sure? Because I could tell you all about it.”

  I shook my head. “Nope, I’m good. Good here.”

  He chuckled. “Ah, you’ll be fine, kid. Keep your chin up, and don’t say anything crazy. Deliver the message and get out. Don’t get caught up.”

  I laughed. “Oh God, there I go getting caught up again.”

  He shook his head. “Your turn to be a dick."

  “You say the dirtiest shit to me, and I love it.”

  He gave me a shove on the shoulder that made me laugh.

  “Yeah, mate I got it.”

  He nodded and sobered. "He will come for us.”

  “I know. We’ve been quietly going after him for the last week or so, thanks to everyone on the team, but this’ll be the thing that pushes him over. And he’ll realize it’s us. Realize we’ve come for him. And then he’ll come out of his hiding hole.”

  “I certainly hope so, because the less gossip I learn about fellow Elite members, the better. I really don’t want to know who’s fucking whose wife.’

  “It’s like every night Liv comes home with a new piece of gossip, and I can’t help myself. It’s like watching Essex Housewives.”

  “You and East have a problem. The sooner you admit your problem, the sooner we can get to healing.”

  He laughed. “Don’t be a twat. Go have fun. Play nice.”

  I gave him a grin that was all teeth. “I don’t ever play nice.”

  He saluted me and then wandered off backstage, probably to watch.

  Margaret Fern was the interviewer. And we did the usual pleasantries as she introduced me to everyone who might not know me. It was a business television show that followed financial news. If you were anyone in business, you'd pay attention.

  Besides, as soon as I said what I’d come to say, this would be all over the wire services. The clip playing over and over and over again as I told the world I did not trust Middleton Communications with our company. When we sat down and she turned to camera one, I gave her a beaming smile. Or at least what I hoped was a beaming smile and not one trying to catch a psychopath. “Well, Mr. Edgerton. It’s good to see you again.”

  “You too, Margaret, you too. Last we spoke you had a new dog, right?”

  Her eyes went wide as she beamed. “Yes, you remembered?”

  I gave her a smile that said of course I remembered because she was important to me.

  Media training was part of the Elite package. They taught us to always appear charming and affable.

  I could do it with the best of them. There were some that were better at it. East was really good at it. He always had a flirtatious edge. Ben was exceptionally good. But Ben believed that he was a god, so that was helpful. I, on the other hand, knew I was lying, so it was more of a slog to get through these interviews. But I always managed because that’s what you did.

  “Well, a lot has changed for you since I last saw you. Congratulations on your new marriage." She returned to the camera. "Sorry, ladies, he is taken now.”

  That one was easy to smile for. “Yeah, my bride, she’s beautiful.”

  Of course they flashed an image of Emma and I holding hands in Notting Hill on the green screen. We looked happy. We were laughing, and that was before we found out we were being followed by Middleton. It was the specific image we’d ask for them to show as another little needle to Middleton.

  “How did this happen? There are many women in London who are heartbroken to hear that you are married. Especially after such a long engagement to Miss Mina Tomlinson.”

  I shrugged. “Emma has been in my life for well over a decade. We’ve been great family friends. But following any breakup, you realize that there are people in your life who will always be there for you. And for me, that's Emma. The moment I finally woke up and realized it, I begged her to have me. Couldn’t let someone else realize that and take her from me.”

  Another Middleton needle. We’d been prepped with the questions beforehand, most of them anyway. She might still throw a curveball, but it was unlikely.

  “Well, she is a close family friend, is she not?”

  That was a curveball. “Yes, yes. I was good friends with her brother.”

  She nodded solemnly. “He died tragically, I understand.”

  I cleared my throat. “Yes, he did. We’ve always been connected.”

  “So glad beautiful love can come out of such a tragic story. But we have exciting news on the horizon for the London Lords. Isn’t that true?”

  “Yes, of course. As you know, we recently made the acquisition of the Zicks Hotel Group, so we’ll be incorporating their properties into the London Lords brand. We are very excited.”

  “Yes, Fredericka Zicks is such an icon. She’s an old battle- ax, but I love her.”

  “I not sure if Frederica is going to like the word battle- ax, but…” I smiled benignly, trying to show that I was well-behaved. “She is certainly a force to be reckoned with. We’re just lucky that she could see our plans for the Zicks brand and was more than happy to join in.”

  “Well, she’s quite the legacy. So how are you even going to be managing such a massive aggregation? The Zicks brand was very different from that of the London Lords."

  “Yes, we’re going to have to really shore off the brand and incrementally bring it more in line. That’s going to take some time, and we’re going to need some brand experts. Really work on what we want the future Zicks to look like.”

  “That brings us to why we’re here today. You have a big announcement about who’s going to be managing the media for the Zicks properties, who’s really going to take charge of that arm.”

  “Yes, we do. Obviously, London Lords has its own communications and branding team. And we’ve talked to several firms all over the city. Zicks is going to need something else. Something different, because the brand has a certain charm to it, but also we want to bring it in line with everything that we’re doing at London Lords and our international branding as well. And communicating that message is going to be tricky and complicated.”

  "Are you going to give us a hint as to what you’re thinking?”

  I smiled at her. “Well, you know I’m going to do you one better.”

  She laughed. "You are?" This was all planned and staged. “Do tell.”

  “Well, you know that we put out our request for proposals. And many companies all across London and internationally have put in their bids. But we are going to go local with Firestorm Communications.”

  Her brows lifted. That was not what she expected me to say. “Firestorm? They’re a small shop, aren’t they?”

  “Yes, small but mighty. We wanted to really deliver the personal touch for something that’s going to be so important.”

  “Wow, that is shocking considering that you had companies like Middleton Communications in the mix.”

  Again she’d been given her script, and she was playing it to the letter. “Of course, you know we’re good friends with the Middletons, and we will continue to have a great relationship with them moving forward, but for this project, we’re going with Firestorm. And when you think about it in terms of positioning and branding projects that they've done before, it all makes sense.”

  “You are correct. It does make sense. Wow, how are we going to even follow that kind of announcement?”

  I laughed. “Well, it’s a hell of an announcement, I know. But we’re really happy with where this is going. We’re excited to see what the brand can do.”

  “Thank you for joining us, Mr. Edgerton. I’m excited to see where this can go too.”

  Then she easily segued to lead us into a commercial, letting them know what was coming after for the next segment, which I’d also stay for because it was talking about development across the world, some of the challenges, up and comers in the market. Basic things. I’d already done what was necessary.

  When I was done, Ben met me on the sidelines again and gave me a nod. “You really stuck it to him, didn’t you?”

  I grinned. “Hell, yes. Teach him to fuck with my wife.”

  He nodded. “Game on.”

  I nodded back. “Game on, indeed.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Bridge

  The following morning, I was trying to avoid the inevitable. I normally loved my birthday, but we had so much going on.

  “We don’t have to do this,” I grumbled.

  My mother tsked. The helicopter had picked her up from the restaurant and brought her out to us. To my chagrin, she and Darcy still wanted to carry on with the tradition.

  Emma came down the stairs in simple black Louboutins, some kind of A-line skirt, and a cropped t-shirt that hung on one shoulder. “What’s the plan?”

  "Oh honey, you need to change." My mother scrutinized Emma. And Emma scrutinized her and Darcy. Mum and Darcy were well aware of how this went. They were dressed in comfortable shoes, jeans, and we're ready for any weather in case it rained.

  I frowned. “Must we keep doing this?”

  My mother rolled her eyes. “Oh yes. It’s a tradition. Get your gear on.”

  I groaned, and Emma frowned at me. “What is happening? I thought we were going to brunch for your birthday.”

  “Oh, we are. You and I just aren’t dressed right.”

  Mum and Darcy laughed, and my sister filled Emma in. “We have a very specific tradition for his birthday."

  Mum said, "You, darling, need to go put on jeans, a pair of shoes that you won’t mind getting a pint spilled on. A jumper or top that you don’t mind getting vinegar on. And be prepared to walk. Grab a warm coat too. It’s May, but you never know when the weather could turn.”

  Emma laughed. “All right, but someone tell me what’s happening?”

  Darcy clapped her hands together. “Every birthday Bridge has had since I was a kid, we head to the old neighborhood. There’s a chip shop still there, and we gorge on fish and chips. And then we go sit at the pub, the Snake and Cock, and they give him free pints. I, of course, am too young to get a pint, but I watch Mum and Bridge sample pints from the most famous breweries in London. And that’s just our morning. Then, we take him over to Tottenham Hotspur football pitch and challenge him to a game. Mum used to go out with one of the greensmen. And he would always let her in through the back so we could play a game of footy. Usually Bridge and I, and mum would referee… supposedly. Although, I think as it was his birthday, she often cheated and let him win.”

  Bridge laughed. “I happen to play footy a lot. And I’m bigger and taller and faster than you are.”

  She shook her head. “Nope. Now you’re thirty. You’re old. Prepare thyself to lose.”

  Bridge laughed. “Well, it’s even odds now. Emma’s quite athletic.”

  I lifted my brows. “Is now a good time to tell you that I’m not very good at footy?”

  He laughed. “I’ll take you on my team. You just let me do all the work.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That sounds like a challenge. For that, I’m on Darcy’s team.”

  He laughed. “I could happily take the three of you on.”

  Belinda laughed. “Love, don’t write checks with your mouth that your arse can’t cash. The three of us will wipe the floor with you.”

  I loved this. The three of them laughing. Things had been so tense lately. What was I so afraid of? Why did I work so hard to keep my lives separate?

  Emma grinned at me. “Hold on. I’ll be right back.”

  She came back dressed in trainers, jeans, jumper. Her hair pulled up into a bouncing ponytail.

  “I’m ready. Prepare to lose."

  I laughed. “Oh, you’re serious. We’re really doing this. Why can’t we just go to the Shard for brunch?”

  Darcy shook her head. “It’s a tradition. Come on.”

  I had to laugh at that. Darcy was serious about my birthday. It had never mattered how little money we had, I’d always made sure hers was good. Whatever the latest kid things were, Disney castles and all that, I made sure she had it. Even if I had to beg, borrow, and on more than one occasion, steal to make sure she had it. Never told Mum. Told her I worked extra hours.

  I got the impression that Darcy knew that something was being sacrificed somewhere for her to have a good birthday. One year, when she was about seven, she told me it was okay if I couldn’t afford to do the petting zoo like her friend at school had a few months earlier.

  Darcy had gone to the nearby neighborhood school with a partial scholarship. And that had already been killing Mum and me. But at least every single cent the old man provided went to school. He didn’t give us much for anything extra.

  And I remember how much it had broken my heart that she would even be aware that a birthday like that might be out of reach for her. I made sure she had it. She’d been so grateful and happy. She even worried that maybe it was too much. I hated that she worried about things like that.

  So I made sure that as far as she was concerned, we were as rich as any of her friends.

  In return, since she couldn’t exactly work, she and Mum had constructed the perfect birthday routine for me, and it always worked. What I loved was Emma’s smiling face as she grinned up at my family. “I’m ready. I warn you now, I’m terrible at footy, but what I lack in skill, I will make up for in enthusiasm!”

  I shook my head. “I am not getting out of this, am I?”

  The three most beautiful women in the world turned to me with broad smiles, dimples on display, shining white teeth, and told me absolutely not.

  Security knew exactly where we would be going, but I’d asked for a very loose tail, so it almost felt like we were normal. And watching Emma eat chips and vinegar straight out of the bag was hilarious. She was not a neat eater. Matter of fact, I was pretty worried she needed a bib.

  As we all sat in the messy chip shop, our feet sticking to the floor, I realized I hadn’t been that happy in a long time. Maybe ever. Not only because I was just able to be myself, but they were a large part of that happiness. Not just Emma, or Darcy, or Mum, but all three of them together.

  The phone calls started coming in as we were settling in to eat.

  Ben and East and the girls screeched and sang “Happy Birthday” to me. Which was horrible enough, but I knew wasn’t the only version. I’d be getting the rest at dinner that night.

  Drew called solo. Even Amelia called. The difference was, she could actually sing.

  By the time we rucked up to the footy pitch, Emma was grinning at me so wide I thought her cheeks might pop. “You look happy.”

  “I am happy. More importantly, you look happy.”

  “It’s a better day than I could’ve ever asked for.

  “Now, my love, are you ready to lose?”

  She grinned up at me, threw her arms around my neck, stood on tiptoe, and planted a kiss on me. I thought it was just going to be a peck, but she deepened it quickly. The heat spiked up my spine so fast I thought that someone had shoved a hot poker up my arse. And then Emma was grinding on me. I knew Mum and Darcy were getting snacks and going to be back soon, but I tried to think of the various different ways I could back Emma up against the wall, shove down her jeans, and fuck her senseless before they got back. The heat and the electricity ran through my dick, and my hands fisted in her hair. A feral growl escaped my mouth before I could stop it. Suddenly Emma pulled back. “Oh, I heard that, love.”