Chapter 35

“What do you mean they have a tendency to kidnap loved ones?” I slammed my fist on the wooden table, staring at Luc.

Eddie and I had spent most of the day together, in bed working, while I mentally prepared my arguments to convince her to move in. I was sure she was preparing hers on why she shouldn’t.

I had been looking forward to our little debate, where I would stop at absolutely nothing to win. I was going to consider it her first foray into battling a real lawyer.

Then Luc called and insisted I get out of bed and meet him at the club. So here I was, dressed in a suit, sitting across from Luc as he explained that my sister, mother, and quite possibly my girlfriend were in danger.

“I’m sure that nothing will?—”

“No, I’m going to need you to walk me through this again,” I demanded, interrupting Luc.

He nodded and then picked up the crystal tumbler in front of him and downed the contents in a single swig.

“Apparently, the O’Murphys have been more direct with the handling of disagreements than I had originally anticipated.”

“Luc, I am one of the top lawyers in the city. I am the fucking district attorney, and I couldn’t follow that line of bullshit you just spouted. Tell me everything, now.” I grabbed my own short, crystal glass of whiskey and shot it back, letting the burn refocus some of my energy.

“Initially, I was worried that Amelia was going to be in danger since I cut ties with the mob. I feared for her safety and for that of Olivia, so you know I had extra guards put on both of them.”

“I am aware. What’s your point? Has something happened to Amelia?”

“No, apparently they don’t consider the loss of business from the Manwarring Corporation to be the biggest threat to them at the moment. They’ve caught wind of an investigation happening in your office. Apparently one of their cousins is a cop, and he was picked up on charges of conspiracy and evidence tampering.”

I bit back a curse. I knew arresting the detective was going to show my hand. I just didn’t realize how quickly it was going to happen and how reckless I had been.

“So you’re saying they’re going to start targeting people in my office?”

“No, Harrison, I’m saying they’re going to target you. They seem to think that the only person in your office who would have the balls to go after them is you. Please tell me they’re not right.”

“They are absolutely right,” I said, sitting back in my chair and crossing my arms over my chest.

Luc bit out a curse and then ran his fingers through his hair.

“Okay, the good news is that Catherine has already taken to social media and has let the entire world know that the engagement is off. Something about moving too quickly, I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention when Amelia was talking about it.”

I cleared my throat. “Do you often ignore my sister when she speaks?”

“I do when she’s wearing lace,” he said with a shit-eating grin. I rolled my eyes, not needing to hear that.

“Okay, so they’re not going to come after Catherine. That’s good, I guess,” I said, shrugging. “Who are they going to come after then, my mother? They can have her.”

“God, if only,” Luc said.

He had been having just as many issues and run-ins with my mother and how she thought her children’s lives should go as I had. Apparently, she was still not happy that Luc had interrupted the wedding she had intended for Amelia. But it all worked out. Amelia was happy with a man who was technically still a very beneficial match. Luc just wasn’t as easy to control as Marksen would have been.

“Are there any other women in your life that you spend a lot of time with? I still have security on Amelia, and I’ve already spoken to your father, making sure that your mother and Rose are both protected as well.”

“I’ve got a girlfriend, but I don’t think they would know about her. It’s pretty new.”

“When’s the last time you spoke to her?” he asked.

“I was with her when you called. She’s safe in my apartment.” I relaxed back in my seat, ignoring the creeping feeling something was off.

“If they don’t have a target, then they’re probably watching your apartment. Is there any chance that she would leave while you’re gone?” Luc asked.

My first instinct was to say no. There was no reason for her to leave. Then my blood ran cold. There must have been some tell or some sign that I was internally panicking because Luc put down his glass and leaned forward, his brows drawn low over his eyes.

“What’s wrong? Does she have an errand to run or something?” Luc asked.

“No,” I said, “but I had just asked her to move in with me earlier today. I’m a little worried she’s going to panic and run.”

“Why would she panic? How long have you two been together?”

“Well, it’s a little hard to say. I mean, I could make the argument that I made my intentions clear when I had her arrested last night, but?—”

“You had her arrested last night?” Luc leaned back in his chair, giving me a look that was confused and a little shocked.

“Yeah, she was on a date with that detective, and so I issued the warrant for his arrest because I thought maybe he was using her to try to get information about the mob and the case. Actually, no, that’s a lie.” I rested my head in my hands. “I chose that time to go after him because she went on a date with him, and I was afraid that she was going to be more interested in that dirty fucking cop than she was in me,” I finished, the truth burning its way from my lips.

“I’m sorry, what? You like the girl, so you had her arrested?” Luc asked. “That makes no sense. Why would a woman want you after you had her arrested?”

I eyed Luc through my fingers, sat up, and sent an inquiring look in his direction. “You interrupted my sister’s wedding and had the entire world thinking that she had an affair with you when you two hadn’t even said two words to each other. Markson actually kidnapped Olivia and took blackmail photos of her that made it look like she was just another party girl and not the strong businesswoman she actually is. If you two can come back from those things, then why can’t I come back from a little arresting? It’s not like I actually had her processed or charged.”

“Well, when you put it like that.” The sarcasm in his voice was thick. Then he looked at me with something I had never seen on his face before. If it were anyone else, I would have said it was concern. “You might want to call her and make sure she’s okay and tell her not to leave your apartment.”

I grabbed my phone and dialed her number, pressing it to my ear, ignoring the slew of no cell phone signs posted around the club. No one really paid attention to those signs anyway. Besides, on a Saturday afternoon, it was just Luc and me in this area and a few retired guys on the other side of the room.

After the third ring, my heart started thundering in my ears. After the fifth ring, it became harder to breathe. And when the call went to voicemail, a cold sweat broke out over my back.

I hung up the phone and called again.

This time, it went straight to voicemail.

No, no, this cannot be happening, my voice screamed inside of my own head.

Hand shaking, I hit the “end call” button and called my driver, telling him to pull around and pick me up immediately.

“Did she not answer?” Luc asked, stating the obvious.

“No, she didn’t. I’m going to head home and make sure nothing’s wrong. If they took her, if they managed to get to her, where would they have taken her?” I asked Luc, trying to stamp down the overwhelming sensation of dread that was rising in my chest.

“I don’t know, but I can start making calls. Get home and make sure she’s okay. Call me once you know she’s safe,” Luc said, clapping me on the shoulder.

I nodded and returned the gesture before practically running outside to meet my driver.

The brisk air of the New York winter did nothing to cool my skin or stop my sweating as I dove into the back of my car and slammed the door behind me.

“The apartment, immediately,” I barked at the driver.

“Yes, sir.” The driver pulled into traffic and tried to maneuver around the yellow cabs and other cars on the road.

We got maybe three blocks before I had the privilege to watch a car run a red-light, T-boning another car.

“Fuck,” I swore, knowing that this was going to take forever to clear. They were blocking the entire intersection, and we were three cars back, so even if I wanted to have the driver maneuver around the wreck and keep going, there was no way to do it.

I sat there for five minutes trying Eddie’s phone over and over. Still no answer, each time going straight to voicemail, telling me that she either got spooked and ran and blocked my number because she didn’t want to move in with me, didn’t want me. Or she was taken by the goddamned Irish mafia, and it was all my fault.

Either scenario was unacceptable.

Fifteen minutes later, the traffic cops finally cleared enough of the intersection that traffic kept going, but of course, it went at a fucking crawl until we moved past the wreck because people had to stop and stare. It was like they didn’t watch the accident that just happened in front of their faces.

It was another ten minutes before we pulled up in front of my building. I didn’t even wait for the car to come to a full stop or the driver to open the door before I flew out of the back of the car, ran past the doorman to the elevators, and started hitting the buttons.

It was probably only three or four minutes, but it felt like hours before I was finally on my floor, in front of my apartment door. I took a few deep breaths, trying to brace myself for whatever I was going to find.

I opened the door, feeling like my stomach was in my throat. Everything looked normal.

Nothing seemed out of place. Nothing had been moved. But it was also empty. Eddie wasn’t here.

I went back to the bedroom where we had spent most of our day, and there was a note sitting on the table on top of the tablet.

Harrison, in case you get back before I do, I went back to my old shithole apartment to grab some clothes. I’m still not sure about living with you full-time, but I will admit I do need to find a safer apartment, and I’m okay (if you are) staying here until I can arrange a better place.

Love Eddie

The sigh of relief that I felt was absolutely incredible.

I crumpled to the floor just to catch my breath and let the fear flow out of my body.

My phone rang, and I looked at the screen. Eddie’s name was lit up. And I answered, ready to give her hell for leaving without telling me first.

“Eddie, when are you coming back?” I asked into the phone.

“Well,” a deep masculine voice said. “I don’t think Eddie will be coming back, at least not until you do what you’re told.”

“What do you want,” I bit out, my stomach clenching and my heart racing.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Astrid, we’ll be contacting you with our demands real soon.” The deep voice laughed and then disconnected the line.

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