All in all, it was tidied up. As if the death of one of our mates could be made tidy and neat.

  I poured Emma a brandy while we waited for clearance to be able to leave. I planned to take her back home to my house. It wasn’t exactly the safest, but we needed to figure something out. Maybe we’d stay with Ben and Liv.

  We couldn’t stay here now.

  If he’d found one way in, God knew how many others he was aware of.

  And I had been a fool to think she was safe here.

  “Ems, do you want to get cleaned up? The police have already talked to you. Go take a shower. You’ll feel better. Then we’ll head out, okay?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t… I don’t want to.”

  “I know. But you’re covered in blood, love. And we need to get you out of here.”

  “He tried to save my life. I thought he was… I don't know what I thought.”

  “Drew might have made a lot of mistakes, Emma, but he loved you. He never would’ve hurt you.”

  Tears tracked down her cheeks. “I know. I know that now.”

  I leaned my elbows on the counter, careful not to touch her and spook her. “What else happened?”

  She told me everything that she could recall. About Drew and Toby witnessing Middleton killing that teacher. The two of them hadn’t known what to do. Drew had gone to his father for advice, but Wilcox Sr. had been so focused on his plan to unseat the Van Linsteds that he hadn’t protected his son. Instead, he told him he was going to take care of it.

  And then there was Toby. He’d gone to his own father and told him. Winthrop wanted to go to the authorities, but my father had threatened Emma and her mum. So he had to stand down and hold onto the information. And then his son died. He’d suspected that it was foul play, but he had no proof. There was nothing he could do.

  Jesus, this was so fucked up.

  An hour later, back at Liv and Ben’s with Emma barely able to function, Livy helped me get her upstairs to shower and then to bed. When I finally made it back down, East and Ben handed out the bourbon. They’d already poured a finger in four glasses.

  When I grabbed my glass, I downed it.

  East blew out a breath. “This is such bullshit. How the fuck did this even happen?”

  “According to Ems, they had cameras down there. Luckily, we never met down there."

  Ben rubbed at his jaw. “I don't know. I can't fucking think. We should have done something. I’m meeting with the Five tomorrow. Then Drew’s father." He scrubbed his hand down his face. "How did we not see it?"

  I shook my head. "Did he try to tell us and we just weren't listening?"

  East swiped at his eyes. "This shit must have been killing him."

  I didn't bother hiding my tears. "We failed him and Toby. There was so much he hid from us for years."

  Ben lifted shadowed eyes to mine. "No wonder he was drinking."

  "He was all alone." I muttered.

  East shook his head. "No, he wasn't. He knew it too. He sacrificed himself to save Emma. He gave surprisingly poignant advice. He loved us and knew we loved him. Or at least I hope he did."

  He saved Emma. That was all I could see. "He saved Emma when I couldn't." My eyes stung from the unshed tears.

  "In the meantime,” Ben added, “you and Emma stay here. Obviously, you can’t stay at the Elite mansion anymore. And you can’t exactly go home. The hotel’s fine, but there are too many variables to worry about. The house is locked down. No one gets in here.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.”

  East glanced between us. “Well, I’m going to go ahead and move Nyla and me here too, and I figure it’s better if we’re all safe.”

  Ben smirked. “You just want a sleepover.”

  “One of my best mates just died. I found out that he had been keeping a whole fucking lot of secrets. I need to hold my other mates close.”

  I glanced around at my mates. “We have a fuck ton to unravel.”

  Ben nodded. “We will deal with most of this tomorrow morning. Right now, go and hold Emma close. She needs it.”

  He was right. She did need it. “Cheers.” I glanced at the fourth still-full glass of bourbon. “Why didn’t he just tell us?”

  Ben eyed the glass too. “Imagine you’ve been holding on to a massive secret all these years, thinking your own father was going to protect you, but he doesn’t. You don’t know for sure how your best mate died, and then your father tells you you’ll be killed if you say anything. That must’ve fucked him up. No wonder he drank all the time.”

  I nodded. “He could’ve told us.”

  I wanted to believe that. I needed to believe that.

  Upstairs, I stood at the door of the guestroom. All I had to do was go in, but I couldn't. I had to do something first.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Emma

  I woke to a mouth full of cotton. Somewhere on my left there was beeping. And on my right, someone held my hand. I could feel it. The other hand was warm and small. Why was it small? I tried to open my eyes, but they were too heavy. Too stuck together.

  A soft feminine voice whispered, “No, you need to rest. Go back to sleep.”

  The idea of resting made me wrinkle my nose. I tried to lift my head and pain shot through my skull. “Fuck.”

  “I tried to tell you, you need rest. You probably have a mild concussion.”

  Who was speaking?

  “B-Bridge?”

  There was a moment of silence. “He’s on his way, Ems.”

  My brow furrowed.

  Something was wrong. Bridge was always here. When I needed him, he was always here.

  I couldn’t swallow.

  “B-Bridge.”

  The small hand squeezed mine. “I’ll get Liv or Ben or somebody.”

  At the sound of the distress in the voice, I forced my lids open, and the bright light made me wince. “Darcy. Where’s Bridge?”

  She swallowed hard, but she was saved when someone else came in through the door.

  “Now, now, you lie back. We think you have a concussion. The doc came and examined you. You’re mostly fine. The cuts will heal, and the bruises will fade. You’re going to be okay, but things are going to hurt for a bit.”

  I frowned at that. “Cuts? What cuts?” And then my brain awakened, as if it had been protecting itself under that shield and cocoon of darkness and cotton, blocking out the horror of what Francis Middleton tried to do to me.

  I shrank back from it, the bile rising, threatening its way out.

  There was more. “Stop, stop, stop. Oh God. I’m going to be sick.”

  And right when I needed it, there was a bucket. I retched and retched and retched again. But there was nothing in my stomach. Nothing to shield me from the nightmare. No buffer.

  “Bridge, where is he?”

  I forced my eyes open with effort, wincing at the bright lights and the pain coming from behind my eyeballs. “Where is Bridge?”

  Darcy licked her lips as she looked at her mother. “He went after Middleton.”

  I frowned. “What?”

  “He went after Middleton.”

  I glanced around and frowned. I didn’t recognize the room. “Where am I?”

  “You’re at Ben and Liv’s.”

  My brows rose then. “Ben and Liv’s?”

  Darcy nodded. “Yeah. Do you remember what happened?”

  My brain tried to offer up the memories of pain, of Middleton leaning over my face, ripping my clothes, and I blocked it out. I shook my head.

  Darcy nodded and squeezed my hand. “Middleton figured out where you were. He was already in the house. There were tunnels underneath built years ago by the Van Linsteds to be able to get on and off the property, I suppose. Hence, he figured out you were there. You weren’t safe in the house, even with the guards outside. By the time Bridge found you, you’d been beaten.

  I winced. That would explain why my jaw ached, my ribs too.

  “Bridge, where is he?”

  "He’s gone off the rails. He’s going to peel Middleton’s skin off his face. He said as much.”

  A pit fell out of my stomach. “No. No, no, no, no. He carries around too much of that, of who he thinks he is. He couldn’t have known Middleton could get into the house.”

  And then it occurred to me to ask. “Where’s Drew?”

  Another glance. This time before one of them could speak, the door opened with a knock. “Is she awake?”

  Ben’s deep timbre was curious.

  “Yeah, I'm awake.”

  “Oh, hey, Ems. I know this must be a shock, but you’re safe. You’re here, okay?”

  I scowled at him. “You let me just lie here, and you let him go?”

  “You think I could stop him? He went on his own. That’s Bridge.”

  “And you didn’t try to go get him?”

  I tried to push myself into a seated position. God my fucking head bloody hurt.

  “Ems, have you met your husband? Something snapped in him. Do you understand the state I found him in? He was sobbing. I’ve never seen him cry before. He was sobbing, Ems. Middleton broke him. You’re going to be okay. Physically, anyway. But I just don’t think he could take it.”

  I sniffed. “Do we know where he is?”

  Ben shook his head. "I have no idea."

  I started to peel the covers off, and he stopped me. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “Do you really think I’m going to stay here while Bridge is out there doing God knows what?”

  “Ems, you’ve just been through something traumatic. You can barely stand, and you probably have a concussion.”

  I lifted a brow. “What part of that do you think is going to stop me? If he’s in trouble, I’m going.”

  “Jesus fucking Christ, woman. I will have you tied to this bed.”

  Belinda and I, both at the same time, murmured. “Kinky.”

  I cocked my head and grinned at her. “I didn’t know Liv had it in her.”

  Belinda chuckled. “Oh, I knew Liv had it in her. I didn’t know he could keep up.”

  Ben flushed beet red. “Are you two done now?”

  I laughed. “Yeah. Now, back up. I’m getting out of bed. Or you’re going to go and leave me in the care of poor Belinda here, and I will sneak out. These are the choices. You can monitor me on the drive or the helicopter ride, whichever. Or, leave me to my own devices. Which do you think will be better?”

  He cursed under his breath. “Fucking woman.”

  I smiled at Belinda. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring him home.”

  Belinda gave me a nod and then leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. “Why don’t you take some Paracetamol first, and then go be badass?”

  Reluctantly, Ben let me climb out of bed, and I fought to stay vertical.

  He lifted a brow, and I just shrugged. “It’s either take me or I will meet you there. One of those two things is happening. What’s more dangerous?”

  With a grumble, he turned and stormed out. “Yeah, I love you too.”

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Emma

  Maybe trying to go after Middleton was the wrong move. I really did feel like shit.

  The thing was, just like I was his to protect, Bridge was mine to protect. Even if that meant from himself.

  Ben slid a glance at me in the SUV. “You all right, Ems?”

  I nodded slowly. “Yup. Where is he?”

  “Bird’s Eye has him at Middleton Manor.”

  “His father’s house?”

  “Yeah. Looks like it.”

  I shook my head. “Why would he go there?”

  “I have no idea. The better question is, why would Middleton be there? The only conclusion that I can draw is that it’s a trap.”

  In the back of the SUV, East typed away on his laptop. “Okay, Nyla, Liv, and Amelia are in the follow car. Considering we’ve already lost one of us, it’s too risky for anyone else to go solo.”

  Ben handed me comms and a necklace. “What’s this for?”

  East took it and pointed at a button on the bottom. “This right here, you hit it, and it takes out all the electronics in the area. I don’t know what we’ll need. You’ll be armed of course. But I’m bringing gifts galore. You know how to use a handgun.” He reached into the duffel next to him and pulled out a knife. The hilt was smaller. Like it was made to fit in a woman’s hand. He handed it over. “This is also for you. Strap it to your hip in case everything goes sideways.” He eyed me over. “You’re wearing Kevlar, right?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Ben wouldn’t let me out of the room until I put it on.”

  East nodded, his gaze flickering over me then darting away. “I don’t think you should be here right now.”

  “Deal with it, East. I’m not losing Bridge today.”

  He nodded. “Yup. I think we’re all on the same page.”

  The mansion wasn’t as grand as the Elite mansion, but it was from the same playbook pulled out of Richie Rich and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. I remembered Mum used to watch old episodes of that show. Ben threw the car in park, making the gravel crunch. East tapped a few quick things and then grabbed his gun and Kevlar.

  I pushed open the door, trying to get the bile down. If I had a bloody concussion, I was going to be really, really pissed off.

  I moved slowly, but surprisingly, with the fresh air, everything started to ease. I felt better, and my brain felt clearer. Bridge was in there, and he needed me. So I needed to get my shit together.

  Ben checked his weapons. I was so used to seeing him as Ben, just one of the lads, a mate. Yes, he looked very nice in a suit. Very, very nice. East as well. But tonight, they look like killers. Armed to the teeth, dressed in all black tactical gear. I knew they were part of the Elite. Strictly speaking, Toby wasn’t supposed to have told us about the Elite, but he had. My mother had been horrified. She didn’t want him to join the same organization our father had been part of. She was convinced that if he hadn’t had to save face and make alliances, he never would’ve left her. There was some state-of-the-art electronic lock on the door. East glanced up and smirked as he pulled something from the pack hanging low on his hip. He attached it to the lock, and in three seconds, we were in.

  Amelia and Livy slipped as quietly as they could on the gravel, going around the back of the house. As we marched into the house, I stayed flanked to Ben. Nyla came in behind me and stay flanked to East. Two-man teams looking for Bridge. Looking for Middleton.

  As we followed Bridge's location, my heart hammered against my ribs, and I prayed to God that we weren’t too late. I prayed that Francis hadn’t found him before he’d found Francis. I prayed that this wasn’t the trap that I knew that it was. My breath was shallow as we climbed the stairs, and Nyla placed a hand on my back. Her brows lifted, and I nodded, understanding her question. Yes, I was fine. I just needed to get to Bridge.

  At the top of the stairs, we turned left. And as it turned out, my husband wasn’t hiding. He was alive. Fine. But he was in the main corridor with the elder Middleton strapped to one of the chairs in the sitting area by the window. And the older man was bloodied and beaten.

  “Bridge?”

  Bridge’s gaze snapped to me. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  I stepped forward. But East clapped a hand on my chest and kept me back. He shook his head. “Bridge, what are you doing?”

  Ben inched forward. “Mate."

  Ben kept his gun up. Bridge scowled at him. “Are you going to fucking shoot me, mate?”

  “No. But I will tranq your arse. Why are you here? Is Francis here?”

  “No. Turns out he’s not. Daddy here won’t tell me where he is.”

  I fought against East’s hold. “Bridge, what are you doing?”

  East turned to Nyla. “Get her out of here.”

  Nyla went to grab my arm, and I evaded her grasp easily. Then with a quick swing of my arm out, then up and under, I dislodged East’s hold on me, enabling me to run toward Bridge.

  When I reached him, Bridge stopped me with a glare. “Get out, Emma. I don’t want to see you.”

  I lifted a brow. “Oh, is that so? Well, I’m here. You’re stuck with me. What the fuck are you doing?”

  The older Middleton groaned and then lifted his head with a sneer on his face. “I’m never going to tell you where he is.”

  I scowled down at the older man, my urge to slap him strong. “Bridge, look, I know. It’s not worth it. He’s an old man.”

  “He knew his son was coming for you. He fucking knew. He taunted me with it. He knew, and he did nothing. He almost let you die.”

  I slid my hand to his shoulder and down to his elbow. “I know, love, I know. But I’m okay. I’m right here. And at the end of the day, Ben and the Five will handle him, okay? We have to go. He’s not here.”

  Ben shook me off. “You need to go, Ems. I don’t want you to see me doing this.”

  “This isn’t you.”

  “All due respect, Ems, this is me. I have had the capacity for it my whole life. My father told you I was a murderer. I wasn’t then, but I could be now. And I am okay with that.”

  I could see it in his eyes. He was teetering on the edge. I had to pull him back. I had to do whatever I could to pull him back.

  “Bridge, I’m okay. I love you, and I am okay. Look at me. Look at me.”

  His gaze skittered to mine and then back away. And then one more time for a longer look.

  “See, I’m perfectly all right. I’m alive. Drew saved me. And Drew wouldn’t have wanted you to have to live with something like this. You and me, we are a team, and I can’t do any of this without you. So come on. We’re going home.”

  He tried to shake me off, but I held on. He gave a little murmur, and I could hear the fear in his voice. “You were covered in blood. I thought I’d lost you. You were covered in blood, Ems.”

  “I know. And I know how scared you were. But I’m okay. Look at me. I am okay. You don’t have to be scared. Never again. Nothing’s going to happen to me. We are going to take care of Middleton. And then we’re going to take a very long vacation. You, me, Darcy, and your mum.”