I close my eyes, rest my chin on her head. I already knew. Maddox's background check mentioned the accident, but reading a file isn't the same as hearing her voice break.
“You're not alone anymore,” I murmur, stroking her hair. “I'm here. I'm not going anywhere.”
She pulls back. Face flushed, tear-streaked. Exhausted.
“Will you stay? Just tonight?” She swallows. “I don't want to be alone here.”
“I'm staying,” I say. It's the easiest decision I've ever made. “I'm not leaving until you tell me to.”
I walk her to her bedroom door, wait until she's inside. Then I settle onto the small sofa. I don't sleep. I sit in the dark, eyes on the door, listening to her breathing settle into a steady rhythm.
I think about all the ways I'm going to make James pay for what he did to her.
CHAPTER 25
THE GLUE
EMMA
A coffee cuplands on my desk. Caramel macchiato. My favorite.
“Thought you could use this.” Logan drops into the chair across from me, stretches his legs out like he owns the place. His smile is easy, but the eyes are sharp, scanning my face.
“How did you know my order?”
“Kai.” He shrugs like it's nothing. Like his best friend didn't memorize my coffee preferences and pass them along.
“Is it that obvious I need caffeine reinforcements?” I pull the cup toward me, trying to keep it light. My hands betray me, trembling against the cardboard sleeve. Every time the elevator dings, my heart jumps. I can still feel James's fingers on my arm.
Logan's eyes catch the tremor. “Kai wanted to make sure you're settled.” He says it casually, but I understand. The coffee order, Logan showing up, Kai is building a wall around me.
The hug he gave me this morning when he dropped me off, the promise to pick me up later. He's not leaving anything to chance.
I should feel smothered. Instead, I feel grateful.
I take a sip. The caramel is warm and sweet. For a moment, the knot in my chest loosens.
“Your ex sounds like a real piece of work,” Logan says. “He's not getting near you again.”
I look up, surprised by the edge in his voice. “What's your story with guys like him?”
Logan glances toward the glass walls of the office. “Scholarship kid at a preppy boarding school. I was the charity case in a sea of trust-fund legacies.” He shrugs, but there's old weight behind it. “Spent four years learning how to handle people who think they're better than everyone else. They're all the same once you stop being scared of them.”
“Is that how you and Kai became close? Because he was one of those legacies?”
He laughs, genuine this time. “Kai didn't care about my bank account. He was too busy fighting his own battles. His family, the expectations, all of it.” He shakes his head. “We became a team of two against the world. Still are.”
“You don't get enough credit,” I say. “Everyone associates ELK with Kai. He's the face. But I can see your fingerprints on the acquisitions, the strategy.”
Something flickers across Logan's face, jaw tightening almost imperceptibly. When he looks back, the smile is in place, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.
“That's because Kai thrives on closing deals. He loves the mental high of winning. Me? I'd rather keep things running behind the scenes.” He tilts his head. “Don't let him fool you, though. He's not just a pretty face.”
“I'll give you that.” I take another sip of coffee. “What about Ethan?”
“Ethan's the wild card. Brilliant with analytics, but he doesn't believe in staying inside the lines. Kai and I keep things grounded. Ethan's always thinking five moves ahead, which is either genius or chaos depending on the day.”
“So you're the glue, Kai's the face, and Ethan's the rebel genius?”
