limits. They all headed toward the back door, except for Gavin, who hovered like he wasn’t sure which would get him in more trouble—staying or going.
Thea threw her arms out to block them from leaving. “No one’s going anywhere. You’re all to blame for this.”
Gavin inched forward cautiously, taking one for the team. “To blame for what?”
Thea pursed her lips. “My sister is about to go after Royce.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Mack heard a buzzing sound in his ears. “I—what did you say?”
Thea made another frustrated noise. “Hello? The cookbook release? She’s going after him.”
Today was the day of the cookbook release. Holy shit. He’d been drunk and depressed for so long that he hadn’t even added up the days. His mouth went dry. “She’s going after him alone?”
“No. Jessica and Alexis are helping. And Hop and that weird Geoff guy.”
“What the hell is their plan?” Mack couldn’t help the tone of his voice. He was worried and feeling super protective about the woman he loved. So sue him.
“Same plan as before, I guess. Except instead of leaking the audio tape, she and Alexis managed to get seven women from the list to agree to come forward. Each woman wrote an essay or something about what happened to them, and Liv had this crazy idea about getting Riya and Geoff to switch out the press kits for all the reporters at the last minute to include those essays.” Thea threw her hands in the air again. “I don’t know all the details! I just know it’s nuts, and I blame you guys!”
Warring emotions made his hands shake. Pride, because holy shit, she’d done it. She’d gotten women to come forward. But panic, because holy shit, she couldn’t go in there without him. Without the backup of the guys and, fuck, Noah.
Noah. Mack spun around and grabbed his phone, willing it to life. Noah answered on the second ring. “Wow. You’re alive.”
“Where’s the audio? Is it in any shape or form to be leaked?”
Noah paused. “The audio of Royce? Why? What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking we need to get our asses over there and do what we said we were going to do.”
Mack heard a rustling noise, as if Noah were standing and searching for something. “How much time do we have?” Noah asked.
Mack put Noah on speakerphone and looked at Thea. “How much time do we have?”
She shook her head. “Not much. The event starts in an hour. I couldn’t get away until now.”
“I can do it,” Noah said. “I can get it ready in the van, but we need to move now if we’re going to do this.”
One by one, the guys shared a look, a smile, and then a nod.
Del walked over and clapped Mack on the back. “Is it grand gesture time?”
His heart pounded with hope and fear. “It’s grand gesture time.”
It was time to get back the woman he loved.
Liv wasn’t going to have any fingernails left after today. The plan was simple, but the risks were high. By the end of the day, either Royce Preston would have been exposed for the predator he was, or . . .
Or all the women who’d agreed to come forward were going to face his wrath all over again, and Riya would be out of a job, and—
Liv stopped pacing in the driveway outside the garage and dragged her hands down her face.
“Stop worrying,” Alexis said, jogging down the stairs from Liv’s apartment.
“So much could go wrong.”
“And so much could go right.”
“What if Riya can’t get us in? What if Geoff can’t make the switch? What if—”
Alexis palmed Liv’s cheeks. “What if two hours from now the entire world knows what Royce did to us? Think about that and only that. I know I am.”
Jessica came down the stairs next, her arms heavy with the folders that would be handed out to reporters. Riya had managed to steal one for them so they could match it exactly. Just before the doors opened, Geoff would make the switch.
That was the plan, at least.
Liv grabbed half of the folders, and they carried the load to Hop’s car. He was driving, but he’d yet to appear from the house. Every second that ticked by sent her anxiety into another level of hell.
Liv bit another nail. “What is taking him so long?”
“That,” Jessica said, pointing.
Liv turned around. There, standing just outside the back door, Hop and Rosie were wrapped in a passionate embrace and a swoony kiss for the ages. Joy for them managed to