Broken Bridge, page 21
Focus.
Yeah, focus on not dying. That was my sole concern right now. Because somebody was coming, and I had a feeling they weren’t friendly.
Closer and closer and closer. Then suddenly the footsteps got quieter. They’d walked right by the room.
Who the fuck was it? Should I run for the lift or keep hiding? Someone was clearly here. I’d have to leave this for when Bridge was home. He might not want me to do it. But maybe we’d get answers another way. I knew the lads were looking.
Stay hidden. Whoever’s here will go, and you can continue.
Even I knew that was a bad idea.
When I heard no more footsteps, I crept to the door and pressed my ear against it. When I heard nothing else, I slowly eased it open, checking down the hall to the left. It was just a few quick steps to the lift. There was also the other hallway I’d never ventured down. To the right was the initiation chamber. Maybe that’s where they’d gone. That’s where the footsteps sounded like they were going. I might have to make a beeline for the lift, press the button, and then hide myself while I waited for it to come. But it should be right there.
My palms were sweating, and I wiped them on my leggings.
Shit or get off the pot, Emma.
With my characteristic daredevil brashness, I just jumped out and bolted.
As soon as I started running for the lift, someone from behind me on the right, tsked. “Now, now, Emma, you didn’t think I knew you were in there, did you?”
I whirled around, jamming the lift button. “Francis, what are you doing in here?”
“Well, you know, I was confused when I saw the alert go off the other day that somebody was in the oath room. You see, since my father, or fathers, I mean it’s really confusing you know. Either way, when my fathers decided that we should overthrow the Director Prime— And thank you for doing it for me, by the way. It’ll be much easier to take down Ben than to take down the Van Linsteds because they were ruthless. But I digress. We set up perimeter alarms all around down here so that we could hold our own secret meetings about how to remove people from the organization.”
My gut twisted and flipped. “How did you get in? We have security all over the place.”
He grinned. “You think I don’t have a way into the house that was meant to be mine?”
I stared at him. “You’re a psycho.”
Oh way to go, Ems. Antagonize the psychopath. That’s great.
Where the hell was the damn lift?
“Oh no, no. See I’ve already locked it down. I wasn’t able to get here for a little bit, thanks to your husband and his little mates. Always on the lookout. Did you know he tried to kill the man he thought was my father? Funny thing, your husband,”—he used quotation marks when he said husband—“my younger brother by two years. I guess the old man didn’t want me to have it. He left everything to Bridge. Can you imagine that?”
Meanwhile, I was desperate for a way out. There had to be another way. Another staircase. Or maybe a place I could barricade myself inside. I remembered that Bridge said there was a library. Maybe I could lock myself in? I started stepping back as Francis stepped forward, his Oxfords making a clacking sound on the marble.
“You see, I’m an Edgerton as it turns out. Which makes more sense because Lord Middleton never really had much power. But being that I am an Edgerton, Bridge’s father, my other dad as I like to call him, does have power. Always has had power. They’ve been the ones running the Elite for so long, the Five thought that they were in power. But my father and his allies have been making moves to dismantle them for years. And then you and your friends showed up and ruined everything.”
My voice shook. “They didn’t do anything. Just trying to get rid of some arseholes.”
He advanced on me. “Fucking Ben. A bloody unanimous vote. I couldn’t even be nominated. We hadn’t laid the groundwork yet. To hell with this bullshit. It should’ve been Drew. Drew would’ve been easy to maneuver.”
I frowned. “Drew?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? He’s on our side. Well, his father is. We have our own Five. It was brutal having to watch as he tarnished the name of the Elite all these years.”
“Look, I don’t care about who’s fucking who. Your little cabal can do what you like. Just let me go.”
"I've got to say, my little brother is smarter than I would’ve given him credit for. Much smarter hiding you here. The perimeter alarms weren’t on the house. They were down here where the real seat of power lies. And what do you know, your husband, my brother, is going to find you down here after I've strangled you and cut you open. He and I both have a stabbing thing. I like to watch pretty girls bleed. I feel like the blood makes them so pure, you know?”
My eyes went wide as a burst of panicked adrenaline shoved through my veins at rapid speed. “You wouldn’t dare.”
That thing that told me to stop, take slow steps back, and bolt for it, activated. Maybe it was that long, dormant brain of my genetic ancestors. Maybe my brain picked up a micro movement. I don’t know. But either way, I bolted just as he lunged. No reason to scream because no one was going to hear me down there. What I hadn’t realized was that much of the structure beneath the house was in a massive spiral.
I passed several doors. I chose the one that looked the most massive and sturdy and grabbed for the handle, shoved the door open, and then slammed it back.
Oh fuck. It was pitch black.
I reached my hand out to the right, slapping against the wall, looking for a switch. When I didn’t find one, I tried the other side. My lungs burned, and adrenaline made my hands shaky.
I found the switch and turned it on, only to realize I was in the library.
The room was massive with deep stacks in an odd crisscross pattern.
I took off running. There was a massive desk to the left, and I scanned it quickly for a pair of scissors or a knife. Not a real knife, but there was a letter opener. I grabbed it and took off into the stacks. All the while I heard banging against the door.
“Open the fucking door, Emma.”
The hell I was going to do that.
“Open the goddamn door.”
Before I could make a blind turn into one of the stacks, there was another voice. One that shouted, “Enough!”
I strained to hear. Bridge. It had to be Bridge. Was it Bridge?
I prayed to God it was my husband. But the shoving against the door continued, and then there was a splintering sound.
I darted between the darkened stacks, trying to find a cubbyhole, someplace to hide, someplace to stay hidden and quiet.
You’re not going to be able to hide here. They have the advantage, so surprise attack them.
That sounded like terrible advice.
I heard footsteps to my right, as well as Middleton calling to my left.
Oh, Jesus Christ. There were two of them. Drew? Oh, God. Oh God, he came back. How had he gotten in? I didn't have much choice.
I took my chances moving toward Drew. Praying, holding my letter opener at the ready, not pointed out in front of me, but gripped in a way to stake something to the ground. That was the strongest hold. Luckily, my Ugg slippers made no sound, which was helpful. At least I could hear them, and they couldn’t necessarily hear me.
I made another sharp right that would take me toward the exit, and a hand clamped over my mouth. I gave a squeak of alarm and struggled against the hold. In my ear, Drew whispered, “Walk with me right now. There’s a tunnel to the right of the desk. Keycode 1377. Pull the obelisk that’s sitting behind the desk. Imbedded into the base is a key. It’ll open the panel. You hit it and run. Do you understand me?”
I nodded frantically, and he shoved me away from him. “Run.”
I turned, my eyes wild.
He shook his head. “Go. If I can do nothing else, let me do this.”
I did as I was told, knowing it could be another trap, but he could’ve killed me standing right there and he didn’t.
So I booked it.
But just as I ran into the main cavern of the library, somebody tsked. “You know, I’d always wondered how tight Drew was with us. Always playing that line. But no, I guess he’s showing his colors.”
Drew came running out. “Fuck you.”
Middleton laughed. “What, you think we haven’t had our suspicions about you? While your father understood the assignment, you have always flown a little too close to the sun. Pleading the case of the London Lords on why they don’t need to die. Aligning yourself with my brother.”
Drew took his position. “I’m tired of covering for you. I’m tired of fighting for you, lying for you. We’re done. You’re not hurting her.”
Middleton grinned. “Oh, on the contrary, I fully intend to hurt her and to take my time doing it. And you’re going to watch. Then, you’re going to go and tell your mate Bridge that you did everything that you could to save her, of course. And then you’re going to help me kill my brother.”
Drew shook his head. “No, I’m not.”
“In that case, you’re going to die. I never did like you. Too ineffectual. Always weak.”
“This wasn’t a cause I signed up for. I never wanted any part of this,” Drew said.
“Well, you were there when I killed Toby, weren’t you? You still didn’t say anything.”
I gasped and turned to Drew.
His eyes stayed on Middleton, but I watched his body almost sag. “He’s right, Ems. Toby saw something he shouldn’t have. We were together. He said he was going to tell your father. Your father wanted to do something, but my father convinced him it would be handled. Instead, I had to sit back when he killed Toby.”
I shook my head. “No. No, I don’t believe you.”
Middleton laughed then. “I had a teacher. Stupid cunt. She was going to expel me. Can you imagine? She didn’t threaten to expel any of the others, just me. Maybe it was because I tried to stick my hand up her skirt. She told me no, which was shocking, honestly. And then there she was again, threatening me. As if someone like her could threaten someone like me. I was the chosen one, the one meant to lead. Me. So I took care of my problem. The only issue was your do-gooder brother and this one found me. I had to act fast. I didn’t know if Drew was going to cover, but he held up his end of the bargain and said nothing. Because he wanted to live, can you imagine that? He knew I'd taken care of Toby, but he sold your brother out for his life. I've been working against them the whole time.”
“I should have gone straight to the authorities instead of talking to my father. I made a mistake that night. Should’ve gone to your father, Emma, the way Toby did. I will always regret that. I should’ve done more.”
Francis scowled at Drew. “You were always weak. Always! You should’ve made your fucking move as soon as Van Linsted was ousted, but you didn’t. You let Covington take it. You watched as they picked us off. Did you really think they weren't going to come for me?"
Drew lifted his chin. “I hoped they were going to come for you. After all, that was my plan, wasn’t it?”
“You weak piece of—“ Middleton lunged for Drew.
Drew just yelled, "Run, Emma!"
I didn’t have to be told twice. I bolted once again for the lift. If I could make it upstairs and out the front door, Ryan and Jacob were there. They could protect me.
But instead, pain seared my scalp, and my whole body was yanked back, making me scream.
I fought the hold, but the pain in my head and neck as I was choked was too much. Instead of making it to the lift, I was dragged into the initiation chamber. “You are going to die just like your brother.”
“Where’s Drew?”
“You think he’s superior to me? He’s not.”
“You’re a monster.”
“Fine, I'm a monster. I've been called that before. Bet you’re confused. Okay, I’ll tell you. Yes, I stabbed that teacher. And then and there I knew I should probably make it look like Bridge had done it. You know, like that kid he stabbed. It was a great idea too.”
Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t help it.
In the initiation room, I fought his hold, but he kept dragging me. And I knew he was going to break my neck clean off if I kept struggling.
“What do you want from me?”
“I want you to die. I want him to die. By killing you, that kills him. Yeah, he cares about our sister, too, but you… You are the one that will make him break. And I intend to break you just to watch him bleed.”
“You’re a sick fuck.”
"Thank you for the compliment. If it hadn’t been for that stupid fucking teacher, none of these complexities would have mattered. My father was one of them too. Your father didn’t know that I was the one who killed Toby until later.”
Bile started to rise. “You’re sick.”
"I was surviving."
“So this is about money and power?”
“Isn’t it always about money and power?” he sneered.
“What are you going to do to me? You went through all this trouble. Let's get on with it.”
“I think it’s poetic if I kill you in your brother’s coffin. That is two for one.”
I screamed. “No. No, no, no, no, no.”
He dragged me toward it by the hair, and I tried to fight him off using my legs. I almost got him behind the knees too. He wobbled, but he didn’t go down. On the ground would be terrible for me. I might get some good hits in, but I would need a stronger advantage.
“In you go.”
“I’m not doing it.” I tried to elbow him, and I caught his shoulder, giving me enough room. I managed to run another foot before he yanked me back. “My, my, you are feisty.”
“Fuck you.”
“We can do that too. I would like to fuck my brother’s whore. That might be poetic, don’t you think? Do you want me to do it up your arse like you did with him? What, you didn’t know there was a video camera in there? You loved it. I saw that you loved it. I mean, I’m not into using lube like he is, so there’s that.”
I struggled in his hold. “You will die. He’ll kill you.”
“He can try.”
That’s when he turned me around and tried to flip me over the coffin.
I bucked in his hold.
Under no circumstances was he going to put his hands on me. I lurched back with an elbow that got him in the temple. I managed to shake him loose for a minute. I spun on him and got him with a knee before I bolted again for the door. But then there was another yell.
Drew came out of nowhere and lunged for Middleton. The two of them rolled on the floor. There was blood everywhere. Drew was bleeding. Oh God, he was bleeding everywhere. I could hear it gurgling. And Drew just kept screaming at me to run. “Run, goddamn it. Run, Emma, fucking run.”
I knew what he was telling me, but I couldn’t leave him there.
And then there was a crack. Loud and booming, the sound echoed through the walls, and the two of them stopped moving.
“Oh my God, Drew.”
I ran to him, even though I knew I should run away.
Middleton started to move.
I could see there was even more blood, but some of it was Middleton’s, and instead of jumping on me, he shoved back. “Motherfucker.”
And then from down the hall I heard, “Ems?”
Middleton stared at me, and I stared back at him as I gathered Drew into my arms. “You can stay and die, or you can run. Your choice, arsehole. We'll meet again though. I will be the one to kill you.”
His gaze focused on me, and he narrowed his eyes. I could see he wanted to come for me. But Drew had… Oh God, Drew had stabbed him. Multiple times.
He lurched away from us, going to a darkened corner of the room with a keypad. A couple of quick taps, and a door opened and then closed again.
Down the hall I could hear Bridge’s voice. "Emma?”
I held Drew in my arms, and he looked up at me. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I tried to fix it. I tried to fix it, Ems. I’m so sorry.” And then his gaze went blank, his warm hazel eyes suddenly watery and muddy.
Bridge came charging in to the initiation room with East and Ben on his heels.
“Emma, oh my— Drew?”
All I could do was watch the man I loved meet my gaze as I held one of his best mates dead in my arms.
Chapter Forty-Two
Bridge
Emma wouldn’t let him go.
She kept screaming at me that I had to help him.
“We’re trying, okay?” Ben had already run upstairs and gotten Livy to call a doctor. Nyla did her part by talking to the police.
Everything had gone to shit.
I’d just finished the Dubai deal when Liv came into my office telling me she’d gotten a weird call from Emma about Drew. I wish I could explain what I actually felt right then and there, but it just wasn't possible. I was too shell- shocked to even move, but Liv sprang into action. She immediately called Ben and then East, notifying them about the turn of events.
Ben and East met me on the roof, because the moment she’d said that Drew had been at the house, I knew something was wrong. Drew had been at my place hundreds of times over the years. At Ben’s. But the Elite house? He hated that place nearly as much as we did after Toby’s death. Suddenly visiting Emma there without even a nod meant something was off the rails. He knew I was at the office. I'd talked to him.
I'd thought the worst. That he’d intended to hurt her. But Liv had said that after Emma sent him away, he came back to protect her. He’d known what was going to happen. The whole time, he’d been the one sending the notes.
The Elite had dealt with housekeeping. We moved his body upstairs and notified security. It was clean. They made it look like someone had broken in, tried to attack Emma, and Drew had stopped them, which was accurate. But they didn't give out the exact location. It was never made known what was downstairs. And of course, it would be in the news. But our media people would handle that.
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