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“They what?” I growl.
“When Angelo was trying to get to Emerson, he said that if he couldn’t get to her, he was going after Wynter and Snow. It’s why we went into lockdown.”
“And you’re only telling me this now?” I shout. I should have known he wouldn’t put the whole family into lockdown unless more than one of us was in danger, but fuck, he should have told me.
“At the time, we thought it might be an empty threat because of where it came from.”
“Those passports…”
He nods. “Yeah. I took a lot of what he said with a grain of salt, however, I’m never willing to gamble with my family’s lives, and I knew if he took one of them in place of Emerson that she would be beside herself and hand herself over.”
“Which would turn Rayne into a complete psycho.”
Storm nods. “Exactly. And we get threats every fucking day. I can’t count the number of death threats I get, so it wasn’t worth worrying you over. I was hoping the day you pulled your head out of your ass and came back wouldn’t be under such dire circumstances, but not even I could have planned for the accident.” He sinks into the chair behind the desk and sighs. “Dad would know what to do if he were here. He’d be able to give us a rock to look under, but I feel like we’re just going around and around in circles.”
“Have you been sleeping?” I ask.
“No. Not since the accident.” He sighs and looks back into the box at the dead dove. The symbol of my love for Wynter lays mutilated in the bottom, and neither of us can keep our eyes off it for long. “How would they know you call her dove? You’ve always called her that, but I don’t feel like it’s common knowledge. The two of you never even went public, so there’s no way anyone could know.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I’ve only ever called her that in this house, and even when I’ve spoken to my uncles, I never speak about her with them. I never wanted them to know how much she meant to me.” That was the worst part of having to leave her, because I had no idea how my family even knew I loved her.
“Do you think we have a rat?” Storm asks.
“I don’t think we should rule it out.” I shrug. We’ve always bred loyalty. The Saint James family treats their men with respect. They are paid in accordance with what they do, and traditionally we’ve never had an issue.
“Have a look into everyone that comes and goes in this house that isn’t a member of this family. I want to know every person they’ve spoken to in the last six months right down to their mailman.”
I nod. “I’ll get on it now.”
“And Everett?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t leave her again. She won’t survive it.”
Those words ring through my head as I leave the room in search of my laptop, because the reality is, neither will I.
15
Wynter
The moment I’m out the front gates, I know this is a bad idea. Trying to convince security to let me leave at all was a task, but after agreeing to personal security they relented. I made up some bullshit about a friend of mine needing help, and when they called Storm to get his approval, I almost gave myself away with the sigh of relief I let out when he didn’t pick up the phone.
But luckily Carl missed it and now I’m on my way into the city in the back of a bulletproof SUV. I have no idea what I’m going to do when I get there, or how long it will be before my brothers or Everett realize I’m gone and start blowing up my phone, but I also don’t care. Being locked in that house without the right to leave, without the ability to walk to the goddamn front gate on my own is stifling, and any amount of time I can breathe is good enough for me.
Once we arrive at my apartment building I tell the driver I’m just running upstairs to get something for my friend. Another lie but why not add it to the rest?
“I should come with you, Miss Saint James. Your brother wants someone on you at all times,” he tells me.
I nod. “I know, and I totally get it, but you’re in a tow-away zone, if you get out of the car you might be towed.” Another lie. The cops wouldn’t dare take one of Storm’s cars away, especially seeing as half of them work for us, but I’m taking advantage of the fact no one knows that. “I’ll be really quick, and everyone thinks I’m still at the estate anyway.” I flash him my most sincere smile.
He gives a short nod. “Okay, but if you’re not back in five minutes, I’m coming in after you even if it means the car is towed.”
“Of course.” I smile before pushing the door open and walking as quickly and calmly as I can manage without alerting anyone to what I’m doing.
The moment I’m in the lobby I chance a look over my shoulder and breathe another sigh of relief when he’s fiddling with the radio station rather than watching me. It’s not until I reach the elevators that I look back again and when I find him still looking for a radio, I hit the down button. I’ll have to go out through the garage, but at least I’ll be able to get out without him noticing.
The moment I step into the elevator, I slouch against the wall. I’m being an idiot. What I’m doing is incredibly dangerous, especially seeing as I received what was very likely a threat to the house this morning, and every man in Russo’s organization is looking for their next Saint James target.
