“I'm fine, but you should see the other guy.”
“Not funny, Bridge. Where did you go?”
I licked my lips, knowing she wasn't going to like my answer. But there was no lying to her now. We were in this together. “I wanted to follow Middleton. We’ve had a tail on him for weeks. Every Friday, he makes the same trip. Very deliberately avoids cameras from his office. Leaves his car in the lot and takes a walk. He’s gone for several hours and then comes back. My guy would always lose him as if he's accustomed to dipping into the shadows. After hearing what happened to you, I went after him myself.”
Her eyes went wide. “Are you insane? What is wrong with you?”
She had a solid point. “To be fair, I wasn't exactly thinking straight.”
“He could have seen you. Or hurt you.”
I scoffed. “Hardly. I train hand-to-hand more than he does. It's just a matter of catching him by surprise.”
She stared at me agog. “You realize that you just jumped down my throat for doing something with security and backup. And yet you went on your own because you were pissed off?”
“Well, when you say it like that it doesn't make any sense.”
She lunged for me, and I caught her easily with a laugh. “Sorry, love. You're right. I’m a twat. A stupid one at that. I shouldn't have gone after him. I just—I heard you were hurt and wasn't thinking.”
She nodded. “So did you manage to get anything?”
“I didn't get where he was going, but I did take his phone. Maybe our initial problem was the files we tried to download. Having his actual phone should be easier.”
“Please, God, let it be true. But come on… Do not scare me like that again, do you hear me?”
I smiled down at her as I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her tight, letting her feel the press of my rapidly thickening erection. “You see how much I like you when you call me God?”
Emma pressed her lips together and glowered up at me. “You're incorrigible.”
“I've heard that a time or two. Particularly from my wife.”
“We're a team. We both need to start acting like it. Both of us are too used to doing shit on our own. It doesn't fly anymore. In the interest of working together, I have a lead. Nyla was going to come with me. But if you don't mind…”
My first instinct was to stop her from going down whatever rabbit hole she was hellbent on jumping into. But she was right. We were a team. And we really needed to start acting like it. “Okay, I'll come with you. As long as you come with me to do something.”
“That's very vague. Will I be nude for this something? Will I need lube?”
I barked out a laugh. “No, you won't need lube for this excursion, but you might need it for tonight.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Do I even want to know where we're going?”
“Probably not. But look at it this way; we’ll be doing it together, so it will be far less painful.”
Twenty-Six
Bridge
In the morning, I took Emma to the one place guaranteed to ruffle some feathers. For once though, she didn’t seem eager for trouble. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" She muttered when we arrived.
She was already trying to tug her hand out of mine, as we stood outside of Harmons, one of the Elite’s haunts. As gentlemen’s clubs went, it wasn’t as old as White’s or Boodle’s, but it was just as prestigious with its own bow window and port and stone, complete with French motifs. It was said to have been built by an Elite member who had been denied entry to White’s, so he built his own club that was a near copy.
Emma continued to try and tug her hand out of mine, but I wouldn't let her go.
It may not be allowed, but I didn’t care. “What are they going to do to us if we walk in? Kill us? C’mon. Their power is an illusion.”
“Oh, so Bridge, I-live-by-the-rules-all-the-time, really doesn’t give a fuck.”
I chewed my bottom lip. "I suppose so."
"It's nice having one of the world's most powerful men at my beck and call."
Leaning in, I brushed her lips with mine."Don't you forget it."
She smiled up at me. "You are an insane person."
Her smile was infectious. "Yeah, it's really a nice feeling when you don't give a fuck."
"Brilliant."
With her hand in mine, I felt like a God. I didn't need her to be with me. But I wanted my father to see that we weren't fazed. Whatever the fuck he thought he was doing, whatever the fuck he was trying to cook up, we weren't going to let it affect us. We were a strong unit together. And he couldn't shake our faith in each other.
At the doors, a doorman opened it and nodded. "Mr. Edgerton," and then he turned to Emma and surprisingly said, "Miss Varma."
Emma blinked and sputtered in surprise. "What?"
He just smiled. "It's our job to know who our guests are and who they're bringing with them."
Emma just glanced up at me and I shook my head. "Ah, I have no idea what's going on."
The doorman just smiled. "Miss Varma, your father is inside as well. I can alert him to your presence and he’ll come out to speak to you."
We both hesitated because, what the fuck? She recovered more quickly than I did. "No, I'm here with my husband."
He gave us a tight smile as all previous hints of friendly demeanor leeched out of his skin like there was a dementor around. "I'm sure I don't have to inform you, Mr. Edgerton, that while we are aware Miss Varma is your guest, she is not allowed inside the actual club. But she can sit just here at the guest bar, and I can inform her father she's there and he can come and speak to her."
I lifted a brow and injected just enough authority into my voice. "Actually, she's coming with me. There's not much you can do about it."
The host sputtered behind us then picked up the phone and muttered furiously into it. Presumably, he was calling security. But Ben was Director Prime. I was in the inner sanctum. Untouchable.
I took Emma’s hand, small and delicate in mine. But I knew just how strong her hands were. How strong she was. And then I marched her in. I found my father at the members-only bar. He had a newspaper in front of him, a cigar, and a scotch. If he wasn't the picture of everything that was wrong with the old guard, I didn't know what was.
"Dad."
He glanced up in surprise and then looked confused when he saw me.
Last I checked, I was his only son. "You look surprised to see me."
And then his gaze flickered to Emma. "Oh, Miss Varma, I see, always a rule breaker. Is there something you want, Bridge?"
I laughed. "Actually, not really. I’m just here to tell you one thing. The games you're playing, they won't work on me and Emma."
He smiled at Emma, deliberately ignoring my remarks. "Like I said, Miss Varma, it's good to see you again. I hope you've given some thought to what I told you."
“You mean the part where you tried to convince me that your son was capable of murder?” She laughed. “See, that's the thing. The moment you handed over those files, I knew that you were the problem, not Bridge. I don't know why you have taken such great pains to make me hate him, but I’ll have you know, it’s not having the desired effect. And besides, you’re too late. I was already in love with him when you got to me.”