Chapter Forty-Two
JAX
As soon as the door clicks closed behind River, I turn to face Mason and tilt my head to the chairs by the window.
“So, you going to tell me what’s going on?”
I know there’s more to this than Louis and Gabriel just being friends of his.
“Louis and Gabe work for Interpol, but we go way back. I sent them the images of that guy scoping out the yacht. Louis’s team got a hit and identified him as a member of an organised crime syndicate, one they’ve been after for years. I literally only received the intel while you were en route. Hence them getting involved.”
I hold up my hand. “Wait, are you telling me they used Richard as bait?”
He nods. “Yeah, pretty much.”
“And you didn’t think to fucking tell me,” I seethe, my eyes roaming to Mia and then back to Mason.
His face hardens. “I couldn’t. And no, I would never have put her at risk,” he says. “It was for recon purposes only, and after you got what you needed, they wanted a chance to interrogate Richard. What we weren’t expecting was company. I knew they would eventually try to use him to lure them out, but it turns out they didn’t need to. They were already coming.”
Knowing he didn’t intentionally put Mia at risk allows my anger to deflate somewhat, but not by much.
“How did my boy get shot?” I ask, still needing to know what happened other than the obvious.
“The moment they boarded, they were already wired, trigger-happy, and fired some warning shots.” He sighs, running his hand through his damp hair. “That weasel Richard tried to bullshit his way out, said he was working for you, that he was the middle-man.”
I nod because I heard that part.
“Then he tried to buy them off.” Of course, he fucking did. “That offended them even more, seeing how he already owes them a substantial amount of money, and their boss has a reputation to uphold. They signalled for one of their guys to go below deck, and when he didn’t check back in fast enough, they got restless. Richard tried to make a run for it, not sure where the fuck he thought he was going. River tried to stop someone when they made a break to go below deck. Shots were fired. You saw the state of the place, things escalated very fucking quickly. Talk about trigger-happy. Two of their guys were injured. The other two managed to knock Richard out, it was hardly a feat, and then they dragged himout of there.”
They probably knew with that amount of gunfire, it was only a matter of time before law enforcement arrived.
Mason looks over towards Mia.
“Is she okay?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t think we’ll know until she wakes up. She has some visible bruising, and that arsehole drugged her, so I guess it all depends on your definition of okay.”
Mason grinds his jaw. “I’m sorry, man. If I’d realised she was down there, I would have done everything to get her out. ”
I know he would have.
River comes out of the bathroom, almost breathless, his hair slicked back. “Any news?” he asks, eyeing me and Mason.
“No, not yet. Let me go find Gabe,” Mason replies, pushing to his feet and leaving us alone.
He sinks into the seat beside me and drops his head.
“Elliot’s going to be fine, Riv. He’s been through so much worse.” I cringe internally. Could my words sound any more cliche or insensitive? “Shit, I mean?—”
“No, I know what you mean, and you’re right. He’s one of the strongest people I know. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I thought the worst?”
I reach out and squeeze his shoulder.
“So, what’s the deal with Gabriel and Louis?” River asks.
While we wait for Mason to return, I tell him everything I know, and he lets out a low whistle. “Well, damn.”
“You can say that again.”
The door opens, and Mason returns with a tray of coffee to-go cups and a takeaway bag.
“Elliot is one lucky fucker. Missed his clavicle and subclavian artery. He’s stable. They’re giving him a transfusion for the blood loss and have him on an IV for fluids and antibiotics. But he’s going to be okay. Likely needs some PT.”
River lets out a gush of air.
“Thank fuck.”
“Here,” he says, passing the tray over. “Thought you might need these. There’s milk and sugar in the bag. All they had at this hour was muffins and some fruit, but it should tide you over for a bit.”
“Thanks, man.”
He nods, grabbing one of the cups for himself.
“When can I see him?” River asks, already on his feet again.
Mason holds up his hand. “Easy, tiger, just as soon as they move him to the room next door. ”
“Eat,” I tell River. I reach into the bag for one of the muffins and pass a coffee over to him. “You could do with the sugar.”
“Oh, and I spoke to Caleb,” Mason says, glancing over to Mia, who hasn’t stirred. “He already has his plane on standby.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I thought you’d want to get your girl here for her sister.”
River speaks around a mouthful of muffin. “Mase, are you growing soft in your old age?”
He flips him the bird. “Ha, fucking, ha. I’m barely thirty. I know what it’s like to find out your sister needed you and not be there. I’d never want someone else to go through that,” he replies honestly, reminding us of everything his sister went through not so long ago. If anyone isn’t about to judge our relationship with Lily, it’s Mason.
“Thanks, man, we appreciate it.”
He nods. “Of course. I’m going to leave you with the keys for the SUV, but something tells me you won’t be going anywhere unless it’s to the airport to get your girl. The house is yours for as long as you need it. I have to go and speak to Louis to ensure everything is okay and that we’ve covered all our tracks. But I’ll be back to check in.”
I push to my feet and pull him in for a hug. “Thanks again, man, for everything.”
He pulls back and nods before bumping his fist with River and tossing his cup into the bin as he exits the room.
“Are you okay to stay with Mia? I need to call Tommy and Lily, and I really don’t want to risk her waking up alone.”
River downs the rest of his coffee and nods. “Of course.” His gaze moves to Mia. “The sooner Lily and Tommy are here with us, the better.”
He’s right, of course. I know we had a purpose for coming here. Our main goal was to get Mia safe and out from under the manipulative influence of Richard. But being away from Lily while she was in Torquay with Tommy has been damn right exhausting. I know it was a necessary evil, but we miss her.
I don’t know what the future holds, but if I have my way, it will be us together as a family, and the sooner we’re back together, the better.