"I'm pretty sure you already did."

  "Yeah, that was me being annoyed. But now let me show how much I love you. Let me say thank you."

  And then he dipped his mouth to my sex, and my head fell back as I absolutely let him show his gratitude.

  Chapter Seven

  Emma

  Something vibrated next to me, and at first, I thought maybe Bridge was climbing back into bed. He’d probably gone to check on Darcy.

  When the vibration happened again, I forced my eyes to crack open then tried to lift my head, but the pounding forced me back down. Fucking hell.

  The adrenaline had taken its toll, and I was spent. I had literally nothing left to give in me.

  After several seconds, I finally realized that it was the phone. I grabbed it, intending to shut it off, but I saw who was calling and knew if I didn’t talk to her now, I’d be forced to endure an in-person visit. And with everything going on, I didn’t think it was wise for Mum to come here.

  “Mum, are you alright?”

  “Do you want to explain to me why the news says there was a violent incident in London. A trafficking ring busted up, and they had photos?” Her voice went shrill.

  I knew my name wasn’t mentioned. Bridge and the lads had a whole contingency for that. We would’ve been scrubbed out of the whole incident. “I don’t understand, Mum.”

  “There’s a photo from a distance. You think I don’t know the back of my daughter’s head?”

  I could try and lie, but I knew her. She would keep digging. She would come home. Home was dangerous. “Fine, it’s me. Someone took Darcy. We had to go get her.”

  I left out any details of me personally going alone to get her. If she found out, she wasn't finding out from me.

  “My God, what is London becoming? Someone kidnapped her?”

  “Yes. But thanks to a tracking device from East, we were able to find her.”

  Way to sanitize the events.

  Again, not a lie. I was too exhausted to come up with something good anyway. So as long as I kept to the truth, she wouldn’t panic and come back.

  “Emma, this is too dangerous. What is happening? They kidnapped a billionaire’s sister. Wait until I give Bridge an earful. Where was his security? Now if you’d married a nice Indian boy, none of this would be happening."

  I groaned. “Mum, can we just not? It has been a very long night.”

  “Look, I’ve always liked that boy. He’s always had sex appeal, but can he keep you safe?”

  “Mum, I promise I’m safer here than I would be anywhere else. Darcy wasn’t even gone twenty-four hours before we had her back, okay? Please try not to worry."

  “How do I not worry? You were kidnapped.”

  I knew she was trying to catch me in a lie. “Darcy was kidnapped.” Again, technically the truth. I gave myself up. The only way I was going to get her off this topic was to change it. “How are you, Mum? Everything okay?”

  “Well, right now I’m with your aunties, trying to see if I should book a ticket home.”

  “Stop it. Is there anything you can do about Darcy’s safety?”

  “Well, I can give your husband a piece of my mind. I never would’ve allowed this wedding to go forward if I knew what was going to happen.”

  “Mum, I love you. He’s my husband, and I am safe. Try not to worry, okay?”

  She sighed, and there was a long pause. “I heard from your father. He wants you home with me. Far away from London.”

  I pushed myself slowly to a seated position. “Wait, so now you’re just talking to him again? I wasn’t sure you two were still in touch after, you know, the whole abandonment thing. That flat looks empty.”

  There was a beat of silence from her. “You knew about the flat?”

  “Oh, yeah. I used to watch it sometimes.”

  She gasped. “Emma.”

  “Oh relax. I never saw you two boning. I only ever saw you playing house. It was creepy that there were photos of us in there, Mum.”

  “You don’t understand. There’s a reason you’re father and I, we couldn’t be—“

  “Oh, I know. Reasons, reasons, but now he’s calling you about me, and we’ve never actually had a conversation since he walked out.”

  “Emma, there are things that you don’t understand. If you would just—“

  I interrupted her. "No, there's no 'if I would just.'" I sighed. "I can’t do this. There are too many secrets and too many things unknown, and I am exhausted. I wish I could say I wasn’t, but I truly am. I am tired. And look, I’m not going to be in your business. You’re my mum and I’m going to try and respect you. He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t love us. He abandoned us, and for him to call you now with the idea that he can tell us what to do and tell me where I belong, that’s bullshit.”

  “Emma, you don’t understand. Your dad and I, it’s complicated, okay? Sometimes you make choices you can’t take back, and sometimes you do things you wish you could undo, unmake choices. But it is what it is. When you take responsibility, you take responsibility. You’ll see that one day.”

  “Then I’m taking the responsibility of being with my husband. Don’t come here. I am also not coming back to the States or to Toronto. I don’t want you and the aunties sitting around, gossiping about what very nice Indian boys you can set me up with. I’m sure there are many lovely Indian boys in Toronto and in New York, but I have the man I want. So the next time you talk to your ex-husband, tell him to mind his damn business, to stay the hell away from you, and to stay the fuck out of my life. I love you, Mum. I have to go.”

  And for the first time in my life, I hung up on my mother. Tears threatened to brim over, but I held them back. I wasn’t going to let him do this to me. When this was all over, my father and I were going to have a little talk. And I was going to make him stay the hell away from my mother.

  Chapter Eight

  Bridge

  Coming upstairs from the gym, I could hear my sister’s voice. She was laughing. Giggling, actually. Considering what she had just been through, the fact that she could even muster up a laugh was astounding.

  “Right, and then your brother, he says to the guy, ‘Oy, mate. If you don’t put her down, I will rearrange your internal organs.’”

  I frowned when I realized what story they were telling her. I’d been fifteen. Scrawny but scrappy.

  Darcy guffawed. “Then what happened?”

  And then East gleefully recounted, “Oh, he got his arse kicked. Well and truly. Ben and I had to pick him up from the floor.”

  Drew chimed in with a chuckle. "Broke his nose, and I think a rib. But the positive side was the geezer that had the girl had to put the girl down to beat Bridge up, and we got her out of there. So Bridge was inadvertently a hero."

  Darcy laughed. “That doesn’t sound like Bridge. I can’t imagine anyone kicking his arse.”

  “You haven’t seen Emma take him to town?” That was Ben. Traitorous arse.

  Darcy snickered. “Okay yes, I have seen that. Ugh, it’s entertaining, isn’t it?”

  Drew chimed in. “Yeah. Watching the two of them fight is like watching a boxing match. Except one of them is a heavyweight fighter, and the other one just wants to see her tits.”

  They all busted out into uproarious laughter. My sister loudest of them all. “My brother never talks to me like this. He would always just say ‘don’t say tits.’”

  I could almost see Drew shrug. “Yeah, think of us as your more fun big brothers.”

  Her voice was soft then. “How come I’ve never met you lot?”

  The hot wash of shame hit my spine with a splash.

  Ben cleared his throat. “I think that he was trying to protect you. Things are going to get complicated for you. And if I know your brother, he is kicking himself that you ended up where you were last night.”

  Darcy was quiet a moment and then there was some shuffling around. “I was fine. Emma came and got me.”

  “Yes, and your brother. We were all working on getting you back.”

  “So you knew about me?” Darcy asked.

  East, forever the sensitive one, spoke then. “Oh yeah, we knew. Do you understand that Bridge has bent over backward trying to look after you? Even when he didn’t have any money. Before we were rich and famous, he worked a whole host of jobs. His schooling was covered, but any spare money went to you and your mum.”

  Darcy’s voice was soft then. “I remember when I was a toddler and there was this doll. He had me for the afternoon and a friend of mine had it. I had a playdate with him, and I really wanted one. Bridge dragged me from toy shop to toy shop and finally took me on the tube. I wasn’t even sure we could afford it. But he took me all the way to Hamley's and then bought it. Only reason I even remember is because I remember being in the shop, holding the doll, and looking up at him. He was so enormous to me, like a god. And then he bent down and said, ‘You love it don’t you?’ And I nodded. He put the doll down. And then we went out and down the block. He met some bloke, and Bridge handed him his watch. Then we went back to Hamley's and bought the doll. That was that. I played with that thing for years. I still have it.”

  My gut twisted. I remembered that. I hadn’t had enough money, and I hadn’t known it would be so expensive. A child’s toy. But we weren’t leaving without it. We’d seen a pawnshop on the corner, so I’d gone and traded in my watch. It was well worth it to make her smile. Granted, a week later I’d gone back to the pawnshop, broken in with some mates, and got my watch back. Mum had gotten it for my birthday. This was no gift of the Magi situation. I wasn’t selfless. I wanted my bloody watch. But I wanted Darcy happier more often.

  I slowly climbed up the remainder of the stairs and pushed through the door that led to the butler’s pantry. When I stepped in the kitchen, the lads all gave me a warm smile. Someone had made Darcy pancakes. I frowned at that as I noticed half were already gone. “Ben didn’t cook, did he?”

  Ben scowled. “Now just you wait a minute.”

  East shook his head. “No. Drew did.”

  Drew grinned and looked at me. “I wasn’t going to let Ben poison your sister.”

  Ben tried to punch him, but Drew moved out of the way. “Too slow. Try harder next time.”

  Ben scowled at him. “You don’t want me to try harder next time. And you lot are wrong. Liv has been teaching me. I have seasonings now.”

  East grimaced. “While we are very, very proud of you, we still can’t let you poison Darcy.”

  Darcy laughed, her dark gaze lifting to meet mine as she gave me a tender smile. I gave her a nod and a grin, winking at her as Ben and Drew tried to poke at each other. She grinned at me then. “I like them.”

  I had to laugh. “They’re all right. In a pinch when you need friends, they’ll do.”

  She laughed. “I want to see them more often.”

  I nodded. “That can be arranged.”

  “Where’s Emma?”

  I angled my head toward the door. “She’s down there. Working out.”

  “Oh, okay. I thought maybe she left.”

  I shook my head. “No. Besides, I’m not letting her out of my sight."

  Darcy nodded. “You’re mad at her?”

  I shook my head. “No. How could I be? She saved your life. Faster than we could’ve gotten to you. So it all worked out in the end.”

  And it had. If it hadn’t been for Emma, we might still be trying to find her. On the same course of action, Emma as bait.

  East clapped me on the back. “Do you want some pancakes?”

  “I already had a smoothie. But save some for Ems. You know how she gets.”

  All three of them nodded.

  Darcy glanced around. “What happens to Emma?”

  I laughed. “We’ve known Ems for a long, long time. We have witnessed her hungry. Nobody wants to witness that. It’s terrifying.”

  Darcy lifted her brows. “So all four of you are terrified of a girl?”

  I clasped a hand to my chest. “Not just any girl, baby sister. She can slay you with just a glance.”

  East nodded, adding to my sentiment. “Oh yes. It’s well-known in these parts. If you cross her, she might stab you in your sleep.”

  Ben chuckled. “She’s not so bad. You just have to keep her fed on schedule before the fangs descend.”

  Drew shrugged. “Um, I carry snacks just for this reason. I’m terrified of her.”

  Darcy could obviously tell we were teasing, but then her eyes went wide. “Oh my God. I want to be exactly like her when I grow up.”

  It was good to see that despite what had happened to her, she was still sunny and bright. And watching my mates take care of her like I would’ve done filled me with a sense of peace. She belonged to them now, too. They would protect her with their lives.

  Emma came bouncing up the stairs, and I could hear her footsteps faintly. Then she busted through the butler’s pantry door. “Ugh, I’m starving. Do I smell pancakes?”

  Darcy grinned. “Yeah. Drew made them. All these guys say you’re a terror when you’re hungry.” And then she glanced around at the four of us to see who would respond first.

  Emma just laughed. “Ah, yes. It’s the easiest way to keep them on their toes.” I watched my sister interact with my friends and the woman I loved, and I could have kicked myself. I’d been denying her family for so long, all because I wanted to protect her. I needed to do better. Darcy belonged here. Just like I did. I didn’t have to keep my lives separate anymore. By looping in the others, she’d have many eyes on her.

  Darcy gave me a tight squeeze and then kissed me on the cheek before she headed upstairs to shower and change. All of the lads were looking after my sister with soft smiles. The moment we were aware she was out of earshot, East leaned over and slid me her phone. “When she wasn’t looking, I installed Bird’s Eye. I’ve also tagged her computer. Although it’s unlikely she’ll go anywhere with that. I’ve given her a watch too. There’s a tracker in there.”

  I nodded. “Thank you.”

  I lifted my gaze to meet theirs.

  Ben shook his head. “You don’t have to say anything. We want to protect her too. We know why you didn’t tell us. But now that we know, she gets full protection. No one’s ever going to touch her. We got you.”

  That annoying, stinging sensation was back behind my eyeballs again. I quickly blinked to make it stop, and my nose started to sting and tingle. Goddamn it. I just gave them a brisk nod and headed toward the door with Emma’s hand in mine. She glanced up at me in the arch of the doorway. “You have more family than just me. All you have to do is accept it.”

  And she was right. Even though these were my mates, I’d been holding back for so long from them. For no reason. They’d always had my back and always would.

  Chapter Nine

  Bridge

  It hadn’t even been a question of if Emma was coming with me to the solicitor’s office. The moment I told her where I was going, she threw the covers off and started to pull out something to wear. And then she looked at me as if I would dare to tell her no.

  We had to be a team. Me and her. Making it work. Or we were going to crumble. So I wasn't telling her no. I was going to have to accommodate some of her impetuousness. And she was going to have to let me be a little rigid sometimes. But the point was, I needed her now. I just did. Ever since the call when I’d been told I was to inherit, I hadn’t been able to process. I needed clarification. I needed to look someone in the eye and ask them what the fuck.

  Our appointment was at 9:30, but we arrived nice and early at 9:15. With Emma no longer working for the Middletons, I’d given her a desk with Jessa and Liv, though I was thinking of putting her in Ben’s division, under Kennedy. That was probably a better job for her skill sets. She wasn’t really as well suited for operations. I wanted her happy, and thus far, she'd been going through the motions.

  When we arrived at Burks and Associates, she took my hand in hers, and her touch was cool against my skin.

  “Hey. Thanks for coming with me.”

  She smiled up at me. “You okay?”

  I gave her a nod that was a lie, but she knew. Her expression softened, and she squeezed my hand. “I’m right here, okay? Whatever you hear today, it doesn’t matter. I’m right here, and you know who you are.”

  Her unwavering faith was slightly concerning. At the same time, it was exactly what I needed. When we walked in and were seated, I couldn’t stop all my old anxieties from starting to resurface. The tapping of my nails, the rapid shifting of my leg, up and down and up and down and up and down. It took Emma's hand on my knee to force me to take a deep breath.

  The world is full of things you cannot control. Control the things you can. Assess, reexamine, and find a way around the things that you can’t. It was all I had to do. This was just information gathering.

  The solicitor walked in with a sure, quick stride. No smile. His thin, hawkish features were sharp, and he carried a briefcase. Who the hell carried a briefcase still? But he laid it on the table, opening it up. Settling himself in a high-back, leather seat with the papers in front of him, he looked up and gave us a perfunctory smile. “Mr. Edgerton. I presume this is your wife, Mrs. Edgerton?”

  Emma squeezed my knee at that. And that little possessive squeeze went straight to my dick. Fucking hell, now was not the time to start wondering if there was time to bend my wife over this desk, if there was anything to use for lube. Fuck. I cleared my throat. “Yes. Can we get this show on the road? We don’t have a lot of time.”

  He nodded. “Yes, of course. As my colleague told you, this is in reference to the trust documents from your grandfather.”

  “He’s been dead for years.”

  “Yes, we are aware. But what you are not aware of is that when he passed away, he left his lands, his title, his money, to you to be held in trust until the point that you reached the age of thirty and met certain caveats. Your father was on that trust board, as well as us. We have all the records of how much the trust has earned over the last decade or so.”