Everything, that is, except for me.
As she’s walking out of the bathroom, suitcase packed for the imaginary trip she’s going to have, I snag her wrist and spin her around, pulling her to me.
“Just say the word, Wren,” I whisper against her lips. “Say it, and I’ll take you away from all this right now.”
Her eyes bounce back and forth between mine, and I see her figuring it out. She’s realizing what I have figured out too.
How much I fucking love her.
She puts a hand to my face then steps up to give me a kiss.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“For what?”
“Loving me, Brooks,” she says. I pull away from her slowly, then I take her face in my hands. I stroke her jaw with my thumbs as I look into her eyes.
“Oh, baby,” I whisper, “I do. So much.”
Her eyes fill with tears, and she holds onto my wrists. She nods.
“I know,” she whispers. “And I hope you know how much I love you. You have so much to offer the world, Brooks Everett. And I hope you’ll let me come with you while you do.”
I pull her into me.
I don’t have a lot of confidence in myself yet. I haven't figure out quite who I am without being the Everett “bad boy.” But knowing that she loves every version of me? That’s the boost I need to keep digging. To keep figuring out who I am.
“I have to go,” she says. “I’ll see you there.”
I nod, kissing her hands.
“Remember, baby, you just need to get him saying something. Then you’re free.”
“Thenwe’refree,” she says. She gives me one more kiss before she disappears onto the elevator.
An hour later,I’m in a hotel suite with my brothers and X. X has this place set up like a damn airport. Screens, speakers, a keyboard. He’s typing away and testing things out. Julian is helping him, and Keaton is unpacking food and drinks. It looks like we’re going to be here for a month.
But me, I’m frozen, sitting on the bed, watching them fly by me, paralyzed by all the what-ifs. How fast can I get to her? How long will it take before he crosses the line? Will I kill my own father?
I look down at my watch.
First on their agenda was to meet up at the office. A car would be picking up Cato, Wren, and Larry and bring them to the hotel. They had dinner reservations downstairs, and then they were to attend the meeting in the suite.
Dinner should be over any minute, and the waiting is killing me.
It should be soon.
Any minute.
And then, I hear the voices, and I spring up from the bed. X, Keaton, and Julian are already standing in front of the screens. Cato enters the suite first, followed by Larry, then Wren. I swear, seeing her with them makes my heart pause in my chest. On her flanks is a short, overweight, middle-aged man whose toupee is badly placed. And I squint as I look at him.
“Is that…” Keaton starts.
“Holy fuck,” Julian says. “That’s Edwin Merkle.”
“Edwin Merkle?” I ask, my eyes staying trained on the screen.
“He’s the—" Julian starts, but I cut him off.
