“And at least one of them might be dead. Echo still hasn’t used his phone, and it’s not pinging. To be clear, to us that means that he ran and wiped himself off the map, or someone else did it for him.”
“I assumed as much.”
“We’re doing what we can do,” he says. “Change of topic. What about Chance’s promise to come after you if Emma isn’t out of here in seventy-two hours?”
“Strike first, as Emma’s father used to say. Stick to my plan.”
“Does Emma know you’re setting her brother up for a fall?”
“No.”
“Because you want to be divorced before you ever ask her to marry you?”
Marry her.
Yes, I think. That’s exactly what I am going to do. I’m going to marry Emma Knight. I’m going to make her my wife, but she was right about our challenges. There are circumstances that must be changed to make us happen and they need to be changed now.
“Tonight,” I say. “I’m talking to her tonight, after I solidify the plan with Grayson Bennett, but bottom line, we need to act now. Randall’s statement about Emma ending up dead doesn’t sit well with me. If that DNA test is true, and Chance killed Hunter knowing he was his half-brother, Emma’s sibling status doesn’t keep her safe.”
“Agreed,” Savage says, his jaw tight. “Kill or be killed. I’m going to go get this new plan set into motion.”
“We started going through Echo’s bookshelves but ran out of time. That’s where he keeps his prizes. Look for the DNA test. Maybe he knew about it.”
“On it,” he says. “And, Grayson and Eric are meeting you in the library in an hour.”
I nod, and he heads down the stairs while I walk to the railing and lean on the wooden surface, staring out at the water, the crashing waves echoing in my mind. The wind taunting me, seeming to laugh at me for being so damn blind that I didn’t know the truth about my family. The irony—I still don’t.
The only thing I know with certainty is what I will do to protect Emma in all of this. And that means that I will do whatever it takes, without limits.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Jax
Emma and I arrive at the castle to a line of cars waiting in front, and we do so in a gust of October wind that screams of winter fast approaching. Emma shivers, and I pull her under my arm. “Makes me think of the holidays,” she says, as we climb the stairs to the castle door.
The holidays. Holy hell. It was bad enough to endure them without dad. Now, Hunter is gone, too. But Emma is here, and I try to focus on that bright spot this season. “What do you do for the holidays?” I ask.
“My mother used to cook a big spread at which time we’d pretend to be a normal happy family. I’m pretty sure that won’t happen this year. I left her a message to see if she knows anything about, well, anything. Three times. Apparently, she’s not taking my calls today.” She glances up at me. “What about you? What are your holidays like?”
Memories cut with this question. “Not the same as they used to be,” I reply solemnly. “But back in the good ol’ days, my father always held a feast for the family, and to him, family was everyone who works at the castle. Hunter maintained that tradition.”
“Will you?”
“Will we?” I correct. “You’re going to move in with me, remember?”
She smiles, and that smile of hers lights me up and motivates me to end this war. But it can’t end without true closure. Not when murder is involved, perhaps now with Echo missing, more than one murder. “Do you put up a tree in the castle?”
We step onto the landing in front of the castle door. “Of course, we put up a tree. One the size of a small house.”
She laughs. “I love it.” She offers me a coy look and adds, “I can’t wait to see it.”
Because she plans on being here. That’s exactly what I want to hear. I lean in and kiss her just in time to catch Ed, today’s doorman, smile, no doubt because I don’t bring women around. Ever. Or it could be simply that Emma’s smile is so damn charming. “Good day,” he greets, opening the door for us.
“Good day,” Emma replies, all perky and sweet.
“Hi, Ed,” I say. “How are things?”
“Splendid. People are loving the brunch fare and looking forward to the tour.”
“It’s a bit cold for an outdoor tour, isn’t it?” Emma asks.
“We have carriage rides through the property setup,” I say, my hand settling on her lower back, as we enter the castle.
We’ve barely stepped into the foyer when Jill comes rushing at us, like she was on a stakeout for us, waiting to attack. Thankfully, she’s traded her red dress for pink. “There you are.” She ignores Emma completely. “Your meeting is set up in the library including food but Grayson and Eric haven’t made their way this direction yet. They are, however, present in the castle already. And I need to speak to you alone before that meeting.”