“Tryst is Rogue’s latest competition, and Vaughn, as Rogue’s owner, naturally thinks it a steaming pile of horseshit.”
As both men laugh, I grin along with them, finally drawing the connections and endearing Vaughn to me even further, knowing he’d given Ford a job and a home when he’d been compelled to leave me. The knowledge that he wasn’t alone eases the sting in my heart as Hayley leans closer to whisper in my ear.
“The remaining guests are in the lobby. There’ll be a toast and a celebratory cake in about five minutes.” She pulls backenough to nod to a side door. “If you guys need a minute, I’ll keep Beck at bay.”
I cup my sister’s smiling cheek, so grateful for our friendship, and I nod enthusiastically. Her eyes gleam with devilish intent before she moves off through the crowd, and I tug Ford, and by proxy Vaughn, toward the door that leads out onto a large, canopied balcony.
Thom and Kyle stay inside, standing sentry by the doors as Vaughn whistles between his teeth. “Shiiiiiit! I need to invest in some balconies.”
Pivoting around, he checks every little detail with appreciation in his dark orbs before he looks back at me and Ford. “I can see the appeal in these. Kudos for that. But the rest…” He shudders exaggeratedly as he shakes his head. “No. Just no.”
I look up at Ford’s face, absorbing his much-loved features, as the need to know what unfolded today rises to the forefront. “Okay, I’ve waited long enough, and I’ll wait no more. What the hell happened with that would-be assassin you mentioned?”
Both men look at me and then glance back at one another before Vaughn answers. “Zane had him neutralized before anyone else even got there.”
Ford chuckles. “You sound sad that you missed out on the action.” Then he sobers as he regards his friend. “Seriously, though, you shouldn’t have come to Teterboro. Wren and Sia are your priority?—"
“You’ve always been the first person to step up and help others out in their time of need. You never question. You justact.” Vaughn’s smile is broad, encompassing us both. “I’m just glad I could repay one of…oh, only about amillionfavors.”
Ford’s chest rumbles a deep laugh at my back, and I glance up to see a delighted grin on his handsome face.
“He does do that, doesn’t he?” At Ford’s quizzical look, I shoot a glance at Vaughn, stage whispering, “He acts without question. Always stepping up to do the right thing.”
Vaughn chuckles as I raise my gaze to Ford’s once more. “And it’s time I finally realized what the right thing is forme.” His arms around me tighten as his forehead puckers in a frown. “I’m leaving the business. The industry, everything. I don’t want any of it. I only want you, Cowboy, and the life we can build together?—”
The balcony door swings open, and I look around to find Beck hurrying closer. His feet grind to a stop when his eyes shift upward to Ford standing at my back.
“You!” A deep frown lines his face as he blinks owlishly. “You shouldn’t be here.”
FORD
Beck’s eyes widen as he realizes the words that just slipped out of his mouth, and Vaughn side-eyes me as he steps closer. Emmy’s shoulders stiffen as her sharp intake of breath tells me she’s noticed, too, before she speaks.
“I knew your reaction was off.” Beck holds up a stalling palm, but Emmy keeps going, gaining momentum with each word. “When I said I wanted out of this business tonight, you were far too calm. Too unfazed by my revelation, almost as though you knew it would never come to fruition because without Ford in the picture, you have me right where you want me?—”
“Itriedto warn him off, but he didn’t listen, Emerson.” Beck’s eyes take on a frenzied gleam, and I glance around the space to surreptitiously note the positioning of all the furnitureshould things suddenly go even further south. “He almost ruined you once before?—”
“Oh my God.”
I grip Emmy’s shoulders as her whisper resounds through the space, and I glance toward Vaughn, noting that he’s surreptitiously placed his cell on one of the nearby tables, clearly recording the evidence of Beck’s crimes.
“I can’t believe you’d do something like this, Beckham. You tried tokillthe man I love. Judging from the neck wound, I’d say you almost succeeded…an inch to the right and you would have?—”
Emmy sucks in a shaky breath as the force of everything overwhelms her, and I enfold her against my chest, regarding the man before me with cold eyes. His gaze hardens as he stares back, and I can see the moment he snaps as clear as day.
“You weren’t supposed to be on this fucking job. Alex DeMarco neglected to tell me it was your goddamn company he was engaging, and then when I’d intended for Emerson to be ill from the strychnine in the sandwich?—”
“Youwhat?” My words are a growl rumbling from my chest. “You could havekilledher?—”
“The dosage was only enough to make her ill on set—enough to draw empathy from the media—free publicity, if you will.” His wild eyes spear Emerson as his voice takes on a dangerous edge. “You wouldn’t be where you are today without me—without the things I’ve done to ensure your success, to ensure your constant exposure to the media that has catapulted your career into the stratosphere.”
He puffs his chest out ridiculously, arching a single eyebrow as he haughtily states. “You should bethankingme!”
Emerson’s voice is firm and without inflection when she stands taller in my arms and stares him down. “And what else have you done in my name, Beck? What other madness?—”
She gasps suddenly, her voice dropping to a whisper. “You gave him the key. Dave, right? You fed his obsession. You drove him to do what he did. It was allyou.”
Beck rakes his hand through his hair, glancing around the balcony with wild eyes, and I nod for Vaughn to edge his way toward the door to alert my men to the ongoings out here.
