Bridge of Lies
Nana Malone
Contents
Chapter 1
Bridge
Chapter 2
Emma
Chapter 3
Bridge
Chapter 4
Emma
Chapter 5
Bridge
Chapter 6
Bridge
Chapter 7
Emma
Chapter 8
Emma
Chapter 9
Emma
Chapter 10
Bridge
Chapter 11
Emma
Chapter 12
Emma
Chapter 13
Bridge
Chapter 14
Emma
Chapter 15
Bridge
Chapter 16
Emma
Chapter 17
Bridge
Chapter 18
Bridge
Chapter 19
Emma
Chapter 20
Bridge
Chapter 21
Emma
Chapter 22
Emma
Chapter 23
Bridge
Chapter 24
Bridge
Chapter 25
Bridge
Chapter 26
Bridge
Chapter 27
Bridge
Chapter 28
Emma
Chapter 29
Emma
Chapter 30
Emma
Chapter 31
Bridge
Chapter 32
Bridge
Chapter 33
Emma
Chapter 34
Bridge
Chapter 35
Bridge
Chapter 36
Emma
Chapter 37
Emma
Chapter 38
Bridge
Chapter 39
Emma
Chapter 40
Bridge
Chapter 41
Bridge
Chapter 42
Emma
Chapter 43
Bridge
Chapter 44
Emma
Chapter 45
Emma
Chapter 46
Bridge
Also from Nana Malone
Nana Malone Reading List
One
Bridge
When I was a child, my mother always told me that guilt was a useless emotion. Maybe that contributed to my complete numbness even as I knew what was happening to Emma in that moment while I sat there with the lads.
I should be angry with myself, maybe remorseful even, but that dark cavern that resided where my heart should have been was shuttered and surrounded in concrete now.
And that was her doing. Because of her fucking choices. Not mine. What was happening to her now was merely the consequence of her actions.
Even as I forced my brain to process that, to compute it, to compartmentalize, I knew it was bullshit. Because even knowing she'd betrayed me, it was difficult to cause her harm or pain. It was tearing me apart knowing that she would be scared. Knowing the terror that would be ripping through her body.
Shut it off. She's working with your father.
That was betrayal, not love.
Still, I was fidgety. Jumpy. I couldn't sit still. And the fact that I had to sit through this bloody meeting was not ideal.
Not ideal? Are you kidding? You kidnapped Emma, and you’re pretending everything is fine.
To be fair, I hadn't kidnapped her exactly. It was more like putting her in protective custody.
Uh-huh. She won’t see it like protective custody. It sure feels like kidnapping to her.
Bollocks! Bloody fine. I'd crossed the line. And the problem was, as much as I wanted to muster a feeling of guilt or remorse about kidnapping her, I really couldn't find a fuck to give. At least she was safe, and I intended to punish her for what she'd done to me.
My man, you're going a little off the rails.
East, the more perceptive of my mates, leaned over. "Mate, what the fuck is wrong with you? Are you on something?"
The fuck? "No, I'm not. I'm just eager to get back to Emma."
He smirked at me. "Man, the two of you, in love, I don't want to know about it. But you look happy. In fact, you've been almost smiling for ages now."
I lifted a brow. "Almost smiling?"
He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, slight tilt. Just there." He pointed to the corner of my lip, and I scowled at him.
"If you don't get out of my face…"
With a chuckle, he sat back. "For someone who's so blissfully in love with his new wife, what's going on? Almost smile or not, you’re bloody tense."
"Nothing."
He lifted a brow. "You're going to have to tell us eventually."
"In that case, I guess we'll wait until eventually. We have fucking work to do."
Middleton chose that moment to stroll in the side entrance. We'd gone to a restaurant on the edge of Mayfair. Some random fusion place. It was great food though. It had a waiting list a mile long and a crowd outside always trying to get lucky, hungry to see who was there. We were in the private room at the back. Lots of people used it for meetings.
A few of the younger Elite members had started to frequent the place, and it had become like a clubhouse now. I didn't care for it much. It was trying too hard. Too pretentious. It was elegantly done but almost as if it was completely catering to a very specific niche that had no soul.
"Gentlemen." Middleton strolled over with a plastic smile on his face that I wanted to beat off. Instead, we all stood and shook hands.
"Not all of us.” I gripped his hand a little too hard. “But you wanted to meet, so here we are.”
Ben slid me a glance that said, Shut the fuck up. What is wrong with you?
He knew what was wrong with me. Why was he acting like he didn't?
Francis had a wider grin for Ben. "You know, I'm glad we could do this in an informal manner. Obviously, I know the Zicks merger went through. Congratulations on that."
Ben shrugged. “We worked hard for it. Fredericka is a great business partner. I'm not surprised she handed over the reins and went off to enjoy her later years in life."
He lifted a brow. "Right. Well, anyway, let’s talk. I don't want to waste anyone's time."
"Wouldn't that be a change?" I muttered.
Again, Francis lifted a brow, and Ben looked like he had murder on the brain.
"Right. So Zicks…” Francis continued. “They notoriously have had a difficult time retaining a communications expert. Their branding is disjointed. They’ve had a few customer crises over the years. All in all, they have maintained, but I think they need to be updated and modernized. The brand has partnered with you, and I know you have your own team. But I would be honored if you would let me handle the Zicks account. I know how to bring them and their hotel brand out of the Middle Ages. They stand for luxury, but it feels antiquated, and we have to update that. We have to bring it into the future while keeping the things that we love about the past. Middleton Communications is the firm to do that. We are brothers. It helps us all to keep business within the family, so to speak."