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I flick my shirt in a huff to get the wrinkles out of it. “For your information, Joshua is like a brother to me—and you will not say one bad thing about him. They had nothing to do with this.”
“Bull-fucking-shit. They had everything to do with this. Ben would have knocked her off to protect his precious boss.”
“You’ve got a fucking hide. How dare you?”
“Oh, I dare.”
I fling my shirt on around my shoulders.
“Where are you going?” he growls.
“Home!” I yell.
“I forbid you to go anywhere near Joshua Stanton or his house.”
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t want you anywhere near Ben. He’s a fucking criminal. I don’t trust any of them.”
“He is not a criminal,” I cry out. “And they’re my family. So, what are you saying? I’m not allowed to go to my sister’s house now?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Don’t even think about going there.”
“Screw you.” I shake my head. “That’s it. I’m leaving. If you think you can tell me where I’m allowed to go, you’ve got another think coming. My sister and her husband are not up for discussion.”
“I’m bringing them in for questioning. What does your brother know about this?”
“Leave Brock out of this.” I shake my head in disbelief. “I think this cold case promotion you’ve got has gone to your stupid head. Why don’t you spend some time on a case that actually has some truth to it?” I snap.
“I went through all the evidence last night. He was fucking there, at her house, and I can prove it.”
I grab my bag as my heart begins to race. “Get some sleep. You’re delusional.”
“I’m going back to work. Don’t you dare go near your sister’s house today.”
I shake my head and storm toward the door. “Don’t tell me what to do, Eric. You don’t get to tell me where I’m allowed to go.”
“The hell I don’t,” he calls after me.
I slam the door and take the stairs two at a time. Oh my God, oh my God.
I’ve got to tell Joshua.
I pull up outside the front of Natasha and Joshua’s house. The street is wide, with big old trees lining the road, and a huge, rendered white concrete security fence surrounds the property. In the middle of a fence is a sandstone gate. I open the door with my key and am greeted by a security guard.
“Hello, Bridget.” Marcus smiles happily.
“Hi, Marcus.” Marcus is one of Natasha’s security guards. I know him well. I glance at my watch—it’s 8:30 a.m.—and I know they will all be awake because the kids get up before it’s even light.
“You’re up and about early.” He smiles.
“Yes.” I smile as I make a beeline for the house. That’s because I’m dealing with a fucking disaster here.
“They are around the back,” he tells me.
“Thank you.” I walk through the house and am greeted by breathtaking floor-to-ceiling views of Sydney Harbour. Everything is white and grey timber, and the furnishings have a distinct Hamptons feel to them. They bought this place about three years ago because Natasha wanted a base in Sydney. It’s so nice to have them close. I can hear children’s laughter coming from the back yard, and I walk out onto the deck to find Jordana and Blake squealing and jumping on the trampoline. Joshua is holding Ellie and they are watching on.
Jordan is four and a little hellcat. She’s a handful just like her dad. Ellie is three and sweet as pie, and happens to have her father wrapped around her little finger. And me, actually. I could eat her up. Brock is just about to turn two, and he is as wild as wild can be.
“Hi, guys,” I call as I walk down the steps to them.
“Look how high I can jump, Didge,” Jordana calls as she begins to show off her jumping skills. She starts to do exaggerated star jumps.
“Wow.” I smile as she jumps higher and higher.
Joshua is holding Blake as he tries to jump, too.
“Where’s Tash?” I ask as I look around.
“She’s in the shower,” Josh replies, concentrating on Blake. “You’re up early.” He smirks.
“Yeah, I know,” I mutter, distracted. “Wow,” I call out to Blake as he starts to jump higher, not to be outdone by his sister. “That’s so high.”
“I can jump higher,” Jordana says, annoyed that Blake has my attention.
Joshua rolls his eyes. These two are so competitive with each other. “Jordana, let Blake jump high for a moment. It’s not all about you,” he reminds her.
Jordana gets annoyed and pushes Blake mid-jump, forcing him to lose his balance. He falls and then jumps up, swinging punches at his sister. “Don’t!” he yells.
“Hey,” Joshua calls. “Cut it out.”
I giggle. God, they’ve got their hands full with these kids. Maniacs is an understatement.
“I’m going to find Tash.”
“Yeah, okay,” Joshua mutters, distracted as he pulls his son and daughter apart.
