Big Ben (See No Evil Trilogy #1) - Nana Malone Page 0,15

ten years. We’d all moved on. His friends. Those supposed to keep him safe. We got to move forward with our days. Build, grow, leave legacies. The kind of legacies Toby should have left behind.

Why do you?

I cleared my throat. “Emma, you know we can’t let you walk in there. Those men, they’re dangerous. And ruthless. Many of whom will think nothing of coming after you or your mother and ruining your lives.”

Fire lit her gaze. “My life was ruined ten years ago. I’m a walking shell. I have nothing to lose. Those men in there, those titans of industry, masters of politics, they were supposed to keep my brother safe in the fold. Instead, they stood by and did nothing as he fought for his life. And you lot watched as he died. So I give zero fucks about my life.”

The set of her jaw told me she was serious. She was going to implode her life. And I couldn’t let her do that. “I’m sorry Ems, we can’t let you go in there.”

“You certainly can’t stop me.” She lifted her chin.

“Emma, we all loved Tobes. I know he would want us to protect you. If you think we’re letting you walk in there, you’re sorely mistaken. Now come with us, we’ll get you out of here safely.”

“The hell I—”

She didn’t get to finish because Bridge scooped her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

“Well that’s one way of handling it,” I muttered under my breath.

Emma wasn’t inclined to go quietly, though, and she kicked up a hell of a storm. He smacked a hand on her arse and growled something to her that made her shut up.

Running a hand through my hair, I tried to think. “Bridge, take East’s car and get her the fuck out of here. Drew, see if you can get her car and drive it home for her. East, let’s do a check and make sure she’s not on any security cameras. We’ll reconvene back at East’s.”

Just like that, everyone took their marching orders. After all, I’d been giving them for a damn long time. It was my fault we were all here. And Emma was right. We were all responsible.

When Bridge turned, Emma lifted her head and glowered at me. “You have Toby’s blood on your hands, just like they do.”

I knew, deep down in my bones, she wasn’t wrong.

Ben

Two hours later we arrived at East’s. One look at my mates and I knew they were feeling what I was feeling. Raw. Exhausted. Maybe a little ill.

East and I had arrived first, and East had worked his magic wiping her from the feeds at the estate. Turns out someone had taught Emma how to work in the shadows. Only two cameras had caught her, and my guess was they only caught her because they didn’t run on the main feed.

Where the fuck had she learned to do that?

It was after East rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, “I cleaned all the feeds,” that Bridge and Drew walked through the doors.

My gaze flickered to Bridge, who sported a tight jaw and a scratch down his cheek. When I lifted a brow, he only shrugged.

Drew caught my gaze. “He wouldn’t tell me how he got that either. My guess is Emma put up a hell of a fight.”

I drained my glass of Lagavulin 16, the amber liquid burning all the way down. “Any of you seen her since?”

East answered first. “I used to go ‘round the house regularly. But then Pamma Auntie moved them to America. What was that, five years ago? I haven’t seen her since.”

Drew shook his head. “No.” He cleared his throat. “It was, uh, too painful.”

I was going to be sick. The vomit threatened, and I had to ease down onto one of the leather chairs, dragging in long deep breaths.

Bridge’s voice was low. “I check on them regularly. But since Emma told me to fuck right off, I haven’t seen either of them.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. We’d all failed her and her mother. Emma’s words rattled around in my skull. Why do you?

“She was right. We’d all walked away. Toby had died, and we’d all abandoned her.” My gut knotted and bile threatened. “He was the best of us. He should have been by our sides. Instead, we all moved on.”

Drew decided to forgo the glass and drank the scotch straight from the bottle as he threw himself, still suited and booted, across East’s couch.