Broken Trust(Devastation Duet #2) - Winter Paige Page 0,24

sorry.’ Holy shit, Andrew.” Costin flops against the back of the couch. “We’re too close? What is that supposed to mean?”

“That is what we are going to find out. I want Jaxx back here. Don’t say a word to Poppet. Joshua was right to keep this from her. Seems they may have come from the same group that had her.” I puff out. I fucking hate pedophiles. Always did, but finding my Poppet in that basement really ignited a blazing hatred in me for them. It’s not something I tolerate, and it will need to be corrected. Just not until my daughter is safe and settled into her new life.

“You think he had something to do with what happened with E?” Abel asks, still clutching the photo in his hand.

“No, at least, not directly. He lost his son and his chance to attach himself to our family… our money. No, he didn’t do that, but Joshua’s knowledge? That could have.” I lean forward, pulling in another three lines from the table. “There is only one way to find out…”

“A party?” Costin asks.

“Set it up. Mixer…” I laugh. “Every VIP has to bring a minimum of two guests. Show and tell night. No exceptions. Watch for them, boys.”

Chapter Ten

Costin

It’s been fifteen days since Jaxx decided it would be best for them to hide out in the penthouse while we figure this out. Fourteen days since Andrew went on a bender and demanded Jaxx leave her here and come home. Thirteen days since I’ve seen her, nine since she has answered one of my calls. Seven days since Jonah made his final public statement on their relationship, pulling back the last of the media harassing her. And Five days since any of us have been able to make it back up to stay with her. Five days, she has been completely isolated other than our general cleared security detail. Five days without much of an explanation because nothing can be said over the phone, and her father’s tendency to fuck and hurt women isn’t something she needs to worry about. Jaxx is with Andrew now that he is sober enough to function again, and now he wants his daughter home. Abel is supervising the cleanup, and that left me to retrieve the princess from the tower. We still have nothing… Douglass never graced us with his presence, and we can’t push him. It would set off too many alarms, and the couple would inevitably disappear. All we can do is wait him out. The photos tell part of the story; we need to get them away from him so we can get the rest.

I open the door to the penthouse, taking in the disarray. Boxes and shopping bags litter the floor. New purses, shoes, dresses, and jewelry cover every piece of furniture, and a lone white wedding dress hangs in the corner, shrouded in shadows. Walking through the room, I dash for the balcony when I hear the haunting music drift through the open doors as the curtains blow into the dark room. I freeze when I see her standing halfway up the railing and swaying slightly to the song. She’s low enough she can hold on but high enough to easily topple over the side.

“Princess?” I walk to her hesitantly, noticing the bottle dangling loosely from her fingers at her side.

“My knight has returned,” she replies without looking back. “Jonah’s new song… pretty, huh?”

“Sure is. Let’s get you down from there, okay?”

“You know, Costin, I really thought this would work. I thought we could make it out the other side together. Look around us-” She spins, her foot sliding, and I grab her seconds before she can topple over the railing.

“My God, Princess. You could have died.” I pull her to my lap on the ground, holding her tightly and shaking all over from the scare of nearly losing her.

“Yeah, suppose I could have.” She looks into my eyes, unaffected. She doesn’t even care. Have we broken her so completely? “Funny thing is I fought my way out of one prison less than a month ago, only to willingly lock myself into another. This place, this life… what is there to care about?”

I knew it. I saw the lie in her eyes back on that gravel road. However, I let her pretend, knowing she needed us to believe in her for her to believe in herself. I knew she would crack and that she was barely holding it together, but I