He pointed at me. "You know nothing. Nothing about what I have given up for that girl. Nothing about how much I care about her.”
"Well, I do know that you abandoned her and her brother. I know you walked away from your family."
He chuckled and shook his head, planting his hands in his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels. "It must be nice to have that level of conviction. It must be amazing. But like I said you don't know anything about what happened."
“Then enlighten me as to why you turned up at my business asking about my wife."
He nodded slowly. “I can't tell Emma this. I couldn't tell Toby. The deal was for my wife's family not to stand in the way of Pamma and her art career. To stop a burn that would have completely destroyed her life, I needed to leave. And part of that deal was that I could never see my children ever again. Never make any direct contact. Nothing. But somehow, I found a way to see Pamma. Over the years we managed it. But things are more precarious now. I need to know that Emma is safe."
"You expect me to believe that?" What the hell did this mean? Who had kept him from his children?
"That’s your choice. Over the years, I've kept away. I tried my hardest to keep them safe, keep them protected from a distance. I know I failed Toby. And at the time, I didn't even know that I was failing him. Deals were made with the wrong people. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing.”
My gaze narrowed on him. "Do you know what happened to Toby?"
"That my son was murdered? Yes, of course, I know. Do you really think they didn’t murder him for a reason?”
My heart squeezed. "What?"
He shook his head. "You know nothing. I respect what you and your lads have done. But you know nothing about my own personal dilemma. Toby was a sacrificial lamb, and there was nothing I could do about it. If I want to keep Emma safe, I must continue to play the game. What is this business about her working for Middleton?"
“You know she works for him? Tell me the game you’re talking about, and I’ll fill you in.”
"You have to get her away from him as quickly as possible."
“She’s determined to get justice for Toby. She won't leave. Do you know how many times I've tried to put her on a plane to get her away from here? She just won't go."
"You're her husband. Find a way. Even if it means you have to give her up. Keep her safe. And keep her away from him."
I narrowed my gaze. "What do you know? What aren't you telling us?"
"You're looking in the wrong places. There's a reason you need to watch her back. And yours. I wish I could say that Emma being married to you meant more protection, but it doesn’t. It only means more danger. So get her the hell away from him, put her on a plane, lock her up somewhere. I don't care what you have to do. She just has to live."
A chill skipped over my skin. "Explain to me. You have to tell me what the fuck is going on."
He sighed and then shook his head. "Me even being here and attempting to give you any kind of warning, is also putting all of us in danger. Ben is the Director Prime. He's your mate. Have him look at the archives. Look for the original files. It's the most I can tell you. There are secrets in the Elite that you lads know nothing about. Even with Ben as the Director Prime. Be watchful at all times.”
Twenty-Eight
Emma
Working with Bridge was easier than I thought it would be. Once we started giving each other a little bit of room to be ourselves, it was almost nice working as a team. We weren't butting heads as often. Instead of smashing into each other's walls, there was this ebb and flow and exchange of energy. It was by far a lot easier to do things that way.
When he wanted to join the excursion into his past, he asked and didn’t demand. It was a good change of pace. Meeting with his father hadn’t told us much of anything. Though the objective had been to provide a united front more than anything else.
Still, I had no answers to offer him. I couldn't even imagine it, having the person who was supposed to love you most in the world loathe you that much. What kind of person tries to frame his son for being the father of their own child, tries to frame them for a murder, tries to ruin their life? I didn't have any answers. I was useless. And frankly, I was letting him come because I was worried about him. Luckily for me, Francis was recording his speech, and most of my work was caught up. What wasn't completed, Alex was covering for me. I wanted to have freedom of movement, at least for the afternoon before anyone came knocking to ask where the hell I'd been all day.
Getting out of the London Lord's office was easier said than done though. The whole team wanted to jump in on our excursion. East looked like he might cry when I said he couldn't come. "Let's head out. Nyla, are you ready?"
East pouted. Nyla just chuckled and then kissed him on the lips. Then we all got an eyeful as he grabbed her arse. Amelia just rolled her eyes. "Can I at least go because, hey, it's my job? Interpol."
I shrugged. "I don't care. But everyone else has to stay. We're going to spook the guy."
Bridge stood and grabbed his umbrella. I glanced out the window. While it was gray and currently not raining, I thought the umbrella was probably a good choice.
I grabbed my jumper that I'd worn, one of those crossover numbers that tapered and flared over my hips. More like a tunic than anything.
Livy looked like she wanted to object and come, but then she nodded. "Fine. But somebody record it. Or get pictures."
I rolled my eyes. "Do we have to do everything together? I swear, we're like one giant family where we often pack into the family lorry just to go to the grocery store."
Ben grinned. "Isn't it great?"
I lifted a brow. It was, in fact, great. Except I wasn't used to this. Only in the last year had I had this kind of family. Oh, sure, in Toronto and New York I had a family like this. Aunties that were constantly around. But it was like being on a sea of people who had no idea who you were. This sea of people knew exactly who I was. This sea of people were all up in my business. My aunties were in my business without the proper information. This gang was locked and loaded, so it was a bit much at times.
Forty minutes later, the foursome, me, Nyla, Bridge, and Amelia, drove up to an all-white brick roadhouse. I frowned up to see a sign that read Family Law Practice of Jacob Milton.
I frowned. "Family law?"
Nyla nodded. "Yeah. I suppose something's different from the last time you saw him, Bridge?"
Bridge just humped and scowled at the building. It had black signage with gold lettering. The garden out front was neat, tidy, with a little wrought iron fence protecting it. But it looked cozy.
Amelia, forever watching our backs, backed up and checked out the surroundings. "Well, I'll wait here. I'll go ask some neighbors about Jacob. You lot hurry up. I think four of us would be a bit too much."
That was a good point. And smart to go ask some neighbors about him. See if anyone had come around asking. "Make sure you ask if they've seen Bridge's father."
She nodded. "Yup. On it."
Bridge shook his head. "It's a waste of time. When the Elite don't want to be seen, they're not."