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He starts from one again. Wren brings his hand to her lips, kissing his knuckles gently. My hope is that having us all close like this will help Elliot feel supported, but it might overwhelm him, so I keep a watchful eye on him.
Thankfully, having Wren near seems to calm him down more. Within a couple minutes, Elliot’s breathing steadies out, and he doesn’t look so disoriented. When I think he’s ready, I hand him the glass of water. He takes a couple slow sips before his head dips forward.
“Fuck, I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I’ve never . . .”
“It’s okay,” Wren says. She’s on her knees, his hand still clasped in both of hers. “We understand.”
Blowing out a breath, Elliot’s eyes land on Aubrey. “How long do you have before you have to leave?”
“I’ve got all day,” she says gently. “Don’t push yourself.”
“Ell,” I say cautiously, already knowing he’s going to hate what I’m about to say. “I think you should give it a rest. We can come up with a plan while you let yourself relax.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Please, Elliot?” Wren asks as she looks up at him. “I’m worried about you.”
He laughs tiredly, and tears begin to well in his eyes again. “I’m worried aboutyou.”
“But you can take a break,” I urge. “We can update you on everything we learn.”
“I can’t.”
Rhett’s fists clench at his sides. “Ell—”
“I can’t,”he repeats, and his tone holds no room for argument. “If I stop, I’ll just go right back to where I was. It’s either move forward or drown in all this anxiety, so I’m moving forward, dammit.”
There’s a beat of silence before Rhett nods. “Fine.”
“Can you tell us what you were thinking of that set you off?” I ask.
With a grimace, Elliot pulls his gaze back to Wren. “I was thinking that it makes the most sense for Wren to break into the safe during the wedding reception.”
She gulps but does her best to put on a brave face. “Because no one will think of me as a threat?”
Elliot’s hand slides from Rhett’s chest to cup Wren’s cheek. “And you’ll have a plethora of believable excuses for being in that part of the house. Since it’s so close to the bedrooms and you’re in the bridal party, you can easily claim that you’re grabbing something for Aubrey.”
“Except Wren’s a horrible liar,” I interject.
“I can learn,” she says.
“We have what, two weeks until the wedding?” I ask. “That’s not much time, princess.”
“I can do it,” Wren insists. “I want to help.”
“It’s dangerous.” Elliot’s thumb skates across her cheek. “I can’t let anything happen to you, love. We wouldn’t be able to come with you. If something went wrong, how would we know? We wouldn’t be able to protect you.”
“It’s more dangerous for you than it is for me,” she counters. “And asyoualready pointed out, I’ll have justifiable reasons to be in that part of the mansion.”
“I can try to get more details on what security will look like during the wedding,” Aubrey says. “I can play it off as wanting to inform my family about what to expect, which I’d prefer to do anyway.”
“That’d be helpful,” I say, watching Wren’s eyes flare with hope.
“If we know how many men will be watching that part of the house and where exactly they’ll be, we can probably figure out a way to get you in and out without being seen,” Rhett tells Wren.
Elliot shakes his head. “But if Wren can do it without getting caught, why can’t it be one of us? On the off chance that something goes wrong, we’re more likely to be able to defend ourselves in a fight.”
“Because Ludo might not tell me everything,” Aubrey cuts in. “He doesn’t trust anyone fully, and considering he’s trying to find a rat, he’s being extra selective about who he shares information with. I can ask for him to give me security details, but that doesn’t mean he will.”
