33. Gwen
Gwen
Nash barely cracks the door before Dad barrels in and slams him against the wall. Nash doesn’t fight back, just stares at him and says, “It’s my fault, isn’t it?”
Gray shuts the door behind us as Dad’s hand closes around Nash’s throat.
Bloody hell.
I’m back in that room on the island. Eyes shut, my palms pressed to my face, my knees buckle as Bodhi’s hand flashes through my memory.
Strong arms catch me, pulling me into a familiar and comforting scent. “Stop choking him.” Easton snaps out the order, his voice is tight.
Dad swears, and from the sounds of a deep inhale and cough—Nash, I assume—releases him.
“I’ve got her,” Easton murmurs, resting his chin on top of my head, keeping me steady in his arms. “Just question him. No hands on his throat. Not up against a wall.”
Dad exhales, shaken up by the fact he shook me up. He has no idea what actually went down in that room. Not his fault at all. I had no idea seeing that would trigger me.
“Thank you,” Dad says, before asking Nash, “why would you do this?”
“I was starting to worry this is my fault.” Nash’s voice is hoarse. “I was going to tell you it might be, but since you’re here and ready to kill me, it looks like it is.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Dad lashes out.
I don’t hear any scuffling sounds, so he must be holding back from physically putting hands on him again. I have Easton to thank for that.
“I thought the phone was safe,” Nash says. “Disposable. Untraceable. I didn’t know it was being monitored.”
My chest tightens.
“I only used it when telling my wife anything Sapphire-related. I thought I was protecting everyone.”
“We know the truth. Don’t—”
“I know you do,” Nash cuts in on Dad.
What in the world? I pull free from Easton’s arms, but he cups my face, grounding me here in front of him. He’s not ready to let me go and face the truth—that Nash betrayed us.
“I told Allie about the trip.” Nash goes on, “I thought I was going with you, which is why I told her about Dubai. We may be separated, but I still give her a heads-up when I travel.” I can feel his eyes on me, but I can’t steal mine away from Easton to check.
“Someone must’ve hacked the phone, and that’s how they found out where you were.
That’s why it’s my fault, and I’m so fucking sorry, I swear. ”
“Stop lying,” Dad barks out, and Easton and I unlock from our current position to face everyone. “We know everything. We know they took your wife as leverage for intel. And that they returned her once you did what they asked.”
“What?” Nash freezes. “My wife wasn’t taken.”
“We have footage,” Gray says quietly.
The way Nash looks . . . his confusion is, well, real.
“That’s not possible. If someone took my wife, I’d have come to you.” He slams a hand over his heart, eyes on me. “I’d never trade your life like that. I’d take out the bastards who so much as set a finger on Allie before I’d put you in danger.”
I want to believe he’s innocent. It’ll hurt too much if he’s not. And what he’s saying and how he’s saying it comes across as genuine.
Nash removes his mobile from his pocket and shoves it at Dad.
“Check my phone. Go through all my stuff. Tear apart my room. But I’m telling you the truth.
I had no damn idea telling Allie about the trip to Dubai would endanger Gwen.
” His eyes cut sharp to mine. “But yeah, it’s still my fault.
I unintentionally leaked the information, and I’ll do whatever I can to make that up to you all. ”
I’m ready to forgive him. To tell him it’s not his fault. That he couldn’t have known someone hacked his messages. But then Gray speaks, and my mind becomes white noise again.
“You mentioned the charm tracker over the text,” Grays says. “Why?”
Nash mumbles a swear or two under his breath, hanging his head.
Easton steps alongside me, resting his hand at the small of my back, and I know it’s taking everything in him not to join in on the line of questioning. But he’s where I need him to be.
“I know how that sounds,” Nash finally begins, “but did you actually read the rest of the texts?” He glances at Dad.
“Allie’s aware of how overprotective you are, and she was surprised you’d be okay with a girls’ trip.
I mentioned the bracelet, and that you always know where Gwen is, so she would be fine.
” He turns to Easton next. “Why isn’t Carter here crucifying me, too? ”
“Because he can’t believe you’d betray us, so he wanted to look over the evidence again,” he answers him in a low voice. “Like maybe I should’ve done.”
Nash’s eyes narrow, and he walks a step forward. “So . . .” He swallows as if the fate of his world depends on what’s to come. And in a sense, it just might. “Does that mean you believe me?”
Easton drops his hand from my back and faces me. “Find out if that video footage Natasha found of Allie being taken was fake, just like that hotel bombing you thought happened was.” He glances back at Nash. “And then we’ll talk.”