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“Not a lot, but there was some sort of altercation. Her messenger bag was in the back seat, and the contents dumped out.”I felt sick. I had watched her walk out the door to danger. My phone had rung, so she kissed me, and hurried outside, anxious to be on her way. I heard her call to Frank to stay in the car; she could open her own door. Except it hadn’t been Frank. By the time I followed, wanting to tell her she would be brilliant today, they were gone, and I had no idea what I had allowed to happen.I had let her walk right into their trap.I shook my head, trying to clear it. “Frank—is he okay?”“He has a bad concussion. They found him in the stairwell—he was knocked out before he ever reached the car. He didn’t see who hit him.”The air in the room became too hot, too close. I tugged on my tie, struggling to drag in oxygen.“Why?” I choked out.“You know why.”“They got the land. They got what they wanted!” I swung around facing Aiden. “We did all of this as a precaution. Only a
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Aiden stood, stiff and furious. “Nothing. Bentley is casting blame, the way he always does.”“Fuck you,” I snarled.He glared. “You usually do.”Maddox flung out his arms. “Knock it off! There is no blame here! Someone did this to get at Bentley—to get at us! Fighting is only going to make it worse.” He turned to me. “You know this isn’t Aiden’s fault. We all agreed on how to handle watching her. None of us could have predicted they’d be so desperate they’d actually take her or how they would take her!”Aiden and I stared at each other, neither of us giving an inch.“The girls are here,” Maddox informed us. “Can we try to be civil and concentrate on what is important? They’re already upset enough.”My anger left me as fast as it had hit. Maddox was right. This wasn’t the time to be fighting. We had to work together.“You’re right.”Aiden pushed off the desk with a huff. “Well, at least you agree with one of us.”“Aiden—”He held up his hand. “You said enough, Bentley. I get it.” Grabb
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The camera zoomed out, and she dropped her head, her posture defeated.Aiden rolled his hand indicating I should talk. “Why is she bruised?” I spat.“She’s a feisty thing. We had to convince her to cooperate.”“Touch her again, and you’ll be sorry.”The snicker I heard made shivers run down my neck.“What do you want?”“You know what we want.”“A fucking piece of land? You’re going to jail over a fucking piece of real estate?”The voice scoffed. “No one is going to jail. You’re going to give up the land, and you’re going to drop the new development plan of yours. Move on and forget any of this ever happened.”“And if I don’t?”“You will. And you won’t try to do anything once the transaction is complete. We got to her once, and we can do it again. We can get to everyone you care about.”His threat made my hands grip tighter, rending the material completely, and caused my anger to burn brighter. I wanted to reach through the screen and rip the head off the person with the disjointed voi
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“Bentley, you need to understand something. Even though she shows a different façade to the world, Emmy, in many ways, is more controlled than you are. People think she is carefree, humorous, and even flighty. She rarely shows her true feelings. She hides them under a smile or a laugh.”“I know. There is much more to her than one sees.”She tilted her head in agreement. “That’s what she lets them see. She is intensely private, and she doesn’t allow people in easily. The only way she survived being abandoned not once, but twice, was to take charge of her life. Be the one to make decisions about it. Where she lived, what she did, how much money she had. She has refused to depend on anyone for anything. Even Cami and myself.” She shrugged ruefully. “She didn’t expect you and the huge dilemma you present to her.”“I’m sorry—I’m a dilemma? I don’t understand.”“You are her greatest desire—the one she would never admit to having—and her biggest fear. The one person she can be herself with,
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. They were going to pay.“We’ll get her a whole whack of it when she comes home. Anything she wants.” He stepped away, moving to the door. “I need some coffee.”I turned back to Greg.“What’s going on?” he asked.“I can’t tell you. I need you to accept the offer, and leave it alone.”His eyes narrowed. “You’re being pressured.”“Leave it alone.”He started to say something, and I stopped him. “Do this, Greg. No questions, just do it. I need it done today. Do you understand?”He stood, buttoning up his jacket. Even at this early hour he was groomed and unflappable. “I’m your lawyer, Bentley. Whatever you tell me would be held in the strictest of confidence. It’s obvious they have some leverage over you.” He indicated the laptop. “They’ve taken something of great value.”I remained silent. I wasn’t risking her, and I didn’t want Greg digging.“If you won’t confide in me, I’ll do as you ask and we can handle it afterward.” He huffed.I stood, pounding my fist on the desk. I couldn’t let
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“How?” I asked. “You haven’t had any luck yet.”Reid answered. “We didn’t know where to look. We’ve been looking for a needle in a haystack. Now we’re focusing all our energy on him. His online presence, accounts, emails. He’s been hiding using fake profiles, remote access terminals, and burner emails. I can hack into his life, and hope he’s slipped up somewhere.” He chuckled. “They always do. I’ll find something. He can’t hide from me anymore.”“Let’s get at it.”Aiden shook his head. “I think somehow he’s watching—or listening. Maddox is going upstairs with you. I need Reid’s hacking skills, and this room is totally secure. Greg’s never had access to it. In fact, he doesn’t even know it exists. So, if he’s watching your computer or listening in, all he is gonna see is the same gerbil wheel we’ve been on since we started, and all he is going to hear is failure.”“You really think you can find her?”Reid and Aiden answered in unison, Reid never looking up from the computer. “Yes.”“Wh
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I wasn’t sure what was worse. Alone with the four-legged rats I could hear scurrying in the walls, or worried about what the masked, two-legged variety might do when the door opened. I pretended to be asleep when they came in, so they didn’t bother me. Usually, unless it was to make me say something on camera or take one of their stupid photos, they left me alone. The only time I had been hurt was when I tried to get away from them and fell in the struggle, landing on my face, and again on my knees when I tripped. Bentley had lost it when he saw the marks. His tirade about a blanket was frightening, and one of the men had knocked over the camera which stopped the recording.Still, it had worked, and shortly after, one of them had tossed an old, dirty blanket at me. I unfolded it and sat on it as protection from the cold, stone floor, and pulled it over my shoulders to try to ward off the never-ending chill. I had buried my head in my hands and tried not to cry. It was a little later w
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She let out a long, shuddering breath, and leaned back, meeting my anxious gaze.“I’m okay,” she murmured, her voice raspy.Clearing my throat, I reached for a bottle of water, lifting it to her chapped lips. “Slow, Emmy. Sip it slowly.”She sipped the liquid, her eyes fluttering shut as she drank. She drained the bottle with a small huff.“More?” My eyes never left her face, hating the sight of the scrapes and dark bruise marring her skin.She shook her head.“What do you need?” I asked. “Tell me what to do.”She lifted her trembling hand, cupping my cheek. “You. I need you.”I covered her hand with mine, pressing it into my skin. Turning my face, I kissed the bruise forming on her wrist. “You have me.” I inhaled. “Emmy, I’m so—”A knock at the door interrupted me, and Maddox stepped into the room, Aiden behind him. Emmy dropped her hand, but kept it cradled inside of mine.“Our guests are aware and anxious.”Emmy tensed in my arms. “Guests?”“It’s okay. Cami and Dee are here.”“Here
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