Chapter 25
NASH
After she’d returned from the kitchen, Georgie had been quiet. I kept an eye on her, worried she’d overdone it today.
The guys were all having a bourbon. I swirled mine around my glass, glancing at her.
Maybe it was just fatigue, but she looked like she was thinking about something.
Someone’s phone beeped, and it was Bastian who pulled his cellphone out. He frowned, then caught my gaze.
I stiffened. “What?”
“The security team I have watching Snyder’s club sent some photos.”
Beside me, Georgie straightened. “I want to see.”
Bastian was still and silent for a moment, then he nodded. He rose and strode into the living area. It was dominated by a curved, black couch and the huge TV on the wall. He tapped on his phone and the TV flared to life.
I wondered if Bastian ever just sat and watched television.
The others walked over, too, and I stood behind Georgie.
Photos appeared on the screen, taken with a telephoto lens. Snyder, Bruno, and a few of his other goons were entering the club. They were laughing.
Tension wafted off Georgie. She stared at the screen.
The next photo showed a sleek BMW sedan pulling up. A woman exited the vehicle.
Georgie sucked in a breath. “She went back.” She squeezed her eyes closed. “That idiot. She’s Viv’s replacement. A singer. Her name’s Shandy.”
“Snyder is good at manipulation,” Bastian said quietly. “He’s holding her dreams in his hand. That’s a powerful temptation.”
Georgie leaned back against me. Her hand reached back and gripped my thigh, her fingers digging in. I wrapped my arm around her.
“The next photos are after the club closed,” Bastian said carefully.
Hell. I knew that tone. It wasn’t going to be good.
I saw Snyder hauling the woman outside. I stiffened. Fuck.
Georgie stiffened too, her body turning to steel.
Shandy’s lipstick and mascara were smudged. Her lips were swollen, her dress askew. There were bruises on her arms.
She’d been crying.
I didn’t need three guesses to know what had happened to her.
“It’s happening again.”
The dull pitch to Georgie’s voice made my attention snap to her. I saw the pain and grief on her face. She wasn’t seeing Shandy, she was seeing Viv.
“I can’t save her. I can’t do anything.” Her hands balled into fists.
I spun her to face me. “We will stop him.”
Bastian and the others nodded.
“Together,” Bastian said.
But Georgie couldn’t hear them. She was staring, distraught, at the woman on the screen.
“Georgie?” I pressed my hand to her shoulder.
“It doesn’t matter how I fight, how hard I try, people get hurt. I lose the people I love.” She tried to pull away. “Mom died, Elliot died, Dad died, Viv died. I’ve tried so hard to be strong.” She shook her head. “I haven’t cried since Elliot’s funeral. I just…I can’t…”
I grabbed her shoulders. “You don’t have to be strong every second of the day, Georgie. You aren’t alone anymore.”
She stared up at me with the saddest eyes.
“I’ve got you. Let it go.”
A sob escaped her.
She broke.
Losing her sister, being hurt, everything she’d been through…she’d been strong for so long. Her legs gave way, and I caught her and hauled her close.
“Nash,” she sobbed. “You should tell me to go.” Tears ran down her cheeks. “You don’t need my troubles.”
“Shh.” I nodded at the guys and they dispersed.
Lifting her, I carried her to Bastian’s couch. I sat and settled her on my lap.
“I’m never letting you go,” I told her.
She buried her face in my neck and cried. Gut-wrenching, painful sobs, like her heart was broken.
I’d give anything to stop those tears.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s going to be okay.” I’d make it okay. Snyder was a dead man walking. “Cry. Let it all out. I’m here.”
Her body shook as she wept, and I felt every bit of her grief and pain.
Finally, the tears slowed down. I rubbed my hand up and down her back. The crying stopped. I stroked her hair, and eventually, ever so slowly, she relaxed.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“You never have to be sorry for feeling, Georgie.”
She pressed her face to my neck again.
“You’ve been holding a lot in.” I felt damn glad she felt safe enough with me to let it all go. I rose, holding her securely in my arms.
Bastian appeared. “Get her to bed. She needs some sleep.”
I nodded. “We’ll meet tomorrow.” I glanced at the now empty TV. “And plan exactly how and where we’re going to take Snyder down. We can’t wait any longer.”
Bastian nodded. “We’ll all be there.”
I’d prefer Georgie not be involved, but I knew that she needed this. She needed to avenge her sister, and help stop any more women from getting hurt.
I carried her to the elevator.
She stirred. “I can walk.”
“I don’t care. I’m carrying you.”
Soon, I was letting us into my villa. Darkness and shadows filled the space, and I didn’t turn any lights on.
I set her down in my bedroom, just the dappled silver light coming through the window. I found one of my T-shirts, and like a robot, she shed her clothes. I pulled my shirt over her head.
“Go brush your teeth.”
She didn’t take long. She came back with her face clean and smelling minty fresh. She crawled into the bed. I leaned over and stroked her hair, then straightened to leave.
Her hand grabbed mine. “Nash… Please. Stay.”
Damn. I couldn’t say no to her.
I stripped my shirt and jeans off, leaving my boxer briefs on. I slid into the bed beside her, and pulled the covers over us.
She turned into me, curling into my body. I kept her close and slid an arm snugly around her. “I’ve got you.”
She let out a sigh. It was only minutes before she fell asleep.
I closed my eyes and breathed in the smell of her, absorbed the feel of her. My cock was half hard. Sleeping beside her, having her pressed against me, would be torture.
A torture I’d endure for her, to make sure she slept, and the nightmares stayed away.