Grateful for his support, I squeezed his arm, the warmth of his presence anchoring me. Sometimes, having someone who didn’t push too hard made quite the difference.
We shifted through the documents in silence for a while, both of us lost in thought.
As I reached for another folder, something caught my eye—a date. I paused, squinting at the paper.
“Sean, look at this.” I handed him the document. “It’s a record of Dale’s abduction in Antwerp, three years ago.”
He scanned the page, his brows furrowing. “That’s the same day James told you about? When he saved Dale?”
“Yeah,” I whispered, unsettled. “But look at this.” I pointed to a second document, hidden beneath the first. “It says both James and Jackson had clearance to be there that day.”
Sean stilled, his eyes narrowing. “Jackson? He was there too?”
I nodded, my heart racing. “James never mentioned it. He told me he saved Dale from some dark shit, but he never said Jackson was involved.”
Sean frowned, leaning closer. “Why would it be a secret?”
I cracked my knuckles, feeling more confused than ever. “Hell if I know.”
Sean fell silent as he processed the information. After a long pause, he looked up at me. “Do we tell them we found this?”
I hesitated, the truth of the discovery settling over me like a shadow creeping in. Whatever it was, it meant James had definitely kept some stuff from me. “No,” I said slowly. “Not yet. We don’t know enough, and I don’t want to bring this up without more intel.”
Sean nodded, closing the folder carefully, his demeanor shifting to match my cautiousness. “All right. We’ll keep this between us for now. But we’ll need to dig deeper.”
Right as Sean carefully slid the old folder back onto the table, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The temperature dropped, and before either of us could react, I heard the unmistakable sound of the portal crackling to life.
I froze. My heart pounded in my chest as the portal shimmered open, and within seconds, James stepped through.
ELEVEN
EMMA
James stopped dead in his tracks, his attention snapping to us instantly. His expression darkened, as he glanced between Sean and me, then to the scattered files and papers on the table. For a moment, no one moved.
“What the hell is going on here?” James’s voice was dangerously low, a mix of agitation and shock coloring his words.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My throat tightened, as raw panic started creeping in. Sean, for once, was silent, the usual lightness in his demeanor gone as he slowly stood up from the table, raising his hands in mock surrender.
“James—” I started, but he cut me off, his volume spiking like a slap to the face.
“You went through my things? You broke into my loft?” His words cut through the room, razor-edged and laced with disbelief. His looked straight at me, the hurt and betrayal etched across his face making my stomach drop. I could almost feel the heat of his anger building, ready to explode.
“Hold on, mate,” Sean said, holding his hands up, his posture tense but composed. “We didn’t mean any harm. We were only lookin’ for some answers.”
James turned on him, energy bristling off him like a live wire. “Answers?” he spat, stepping closer. “You think this is how you find them? By going behind my back? By breaking into my home?”
My utter shame made me want to cut and run, but I forced myself to stand. “James, we didn’t know how else to find out what’s going on. I needed to know the truth.”
James glared at me, his face twisted almost in disgust. “The truth? You didn’t trust me enough to come to me directly? You thought this was the way to find it?”
“I didn’t know what to do!” I burst out, my breath catching, emotion cracking through every word. “You’ve been shutting me out, not telling me anything. I had to take matters into my own hands!”
“That’s not how this works, Emma!” James thundered, his frustration bubbling over into pure fury. “I would have told you in my own time. But you—both of you—crossed a massive fucking line here.”
His eyes locked onto mine, blazing with pure darkness and agony. “After everything we’ve been through, getting answers was what mattered? It mattered more thanme? More thanus?”
I shook my head, the sting of his accusation igniting my own anger. “After everything we’ve been through, did keepingsecretsmatter more than me? More thanus?” I shot back, my hands shaking with emotion.
