Stryker

“Are you sure you just want to drag him off the street? Won’t it complicate things?” Patrick surprised the hell out of me with his question. Moments before, he’d seemed to cower when his father spoke.

Declan gave Patrick a glare of promised retribution before he turned to Earl. “I want you and Greg to stay inside until everyone leaves for Chicago.”

“Understood.”

Everyone just kissed the bastard’s ass, but I’d finally had enough of listening to his, “Bullshit.”

Yeah, I called it and had their attention.

“There are so many flaws with that plan.” I stood and breathed through the anger and the inner voice telling me to fight. “I’ll go to Chicago and fight, but there is no way that you’ll get Evie to go ahead with the wedding. Her father didn’t get to be a senator by being walked all over. And I’ve watched Carter at the gym. He’ll have friends outside of the gym. How are you going to explain his sudden disappearance?”

“He’s right about Carter,” Patrick backed me up. “Carter stood beside him when I cornered him in the gym earlier today…we need Carter’s address. The girls might be there with him. I’ve seen how he looks at Millie and she’s just as bad.”

Declan smiled and my heart fucking sank to my toes. “They went to Millie’s family.” I hoped they’d take the bait.

“Hmm. Maybe. Maybe not. Check out Carter’s place, and Patrick you try and get hold of Evie and tell her what we’ve planned.”

“What?”

What the hell were they talking about? Planned? Evie wouldn’t do anything they wanted. The only way she’d go through with it would be if she were forced. Blackmailed. My eyes snapped to his. No fucking way.

“I think Mr. Rivers has just realized how we plan to bring Evie to our way of thinking.” Declan smirked and moved toward the door. “No one leaves or enters until the morning when everyone does.”

Silence followed Declan and Patrick’s departure.

I seethed wanting to go after them. I needed to warn Carter but had no way of doing so, unless he realized once we’d partied ways that they might look at his place. I could only hope.

Not wanting the fuckers who were left behind to know how rattled I was, I went into the kitchen area. Opening the fridge, I grabbed my prepped meal along with some milk, water and fruit before heading into my bedroom where I slammed the door closed.

There was nowhere for me to go, but I knew that I wouldn’t get to go anywhere tonight. I was well and truly fucked.

I didn’t give a shit about me, but I’d give anything to protect Evie.

If Carter came to Chicago with us, then who the hell would be left to look after the girls? I prayed they’d go to Millie’s father who I now knew worried Declan.

I was angry.

Angry that they’d planned on getting to Carter my one and only friend.

Angry that I had no way of protecting Evie.

The only way I actually knew how to protect her was to stay away no matter how much it killed me, but I had a feeling that wasn’t an option now. Nothing I did while I was with them would help her. They’d use blackmail so that the wedding would go ahead, but who would they blackmail? Evie or her senator father?

I’d go with the senator, but I had a really bad feeling.

Evie

I HID MY TEARS from Stryker when we went our separate ways, but they flowed freely as Carter led Millie and me to his car. I also hadn’t missed the way he held onto Millie. My friend seemed hooked, which was a change. I just hoped it lasted because Carter seemed like a really nice guy, and I trusted him to help Stryker and, indirectly, me.

But as we raced through town to an apartment belonging to a friend of Carter’s, my brain worked overtime as to how I could help Stryker. I needed to be doing something instead of sitting on my bottom doing nothing. I also needed to be kept busy so that I wasn’t worrying about how he was being treated now that they knew the truth.

“I can hear you thinking from here, Evie.” Carter glanced into the backseat, briefly meeting my gaze before he turned back to watch the traffic. “You have to promise me that you’ll stay out of trouble and let me help Stryker.”

“I can’t promise you that. Not when I need to be doing something.”

“Why don’t we go to your parents’ place,” Millie suggested. “At least, that way, we won’t have to worry about cooking.”

Surprised, I chuckled. “You don’t fancy burnt pasta?” I replied, my voice full of amusement.