I grabbed Edward by the arm and dragged him out of the room. Once we were alone, I spoke quickly, leaving no room for argument.
“Ridgeway is mine. I’m going. Your team get Wynn out of there. But Ridgeway is mine.”
“I can deliver him to you, sir.”
“I won’t go inside, I’ll be parked in an SUV. You bring him to me. Your job is to get him there and make sure Wynn is okay.”
“Wynn will want to see you the moment he’s free.”
“And he will. This needs to be over before I can look in Wynn’s eyes again. It’s my job to keep him safe and unharmed, and I’ve failed. Now, we’re wasting time talking about this. Get your teams and bring him home. Now.”
“Yes, sir.”
My father was not happy when I’d explained I was going. I’d promised the same thing I had to Edward. I only wanted Ridgeway. He was mine to destroy.
“What if you’re seen?”
“I won’t be. You need to start enacting Plan B. Make it so it appears like Ridgeway fled after it was leading to it looking like he killed his cousin. Trying to pin it on a tourist works well.”
“Even if that tourist is your partner?” He lifted a brow.
“Semantics.”
“Sir, we’re ready.” I turned to Edward and nodded.
“Once Wynn gets here, make sure he’s cared for.”
My father dipped his chin. “Of course we will, but it’s you he’ll want to see.”
“And he will.”
I followed Edward and the three teams put together to bring Wynn home. Edward would be with me since I would be driving that SUV, carrying Ridgeway’s body.
My heart and mind were at war as we drove to the house. I wanted to go in there, scoop Wynn up, and get him out of there. But a louder part was screaming at me to make sure Wynn was safe, and the only way to do that was to kill Ridgeway. I had to.
I was sure Wynn would understand. As we drove, I pulled the syringe from my pocket. Edward would bring Ridgeway to the vehicle, and I’d stick him with it and take him to my crematorium. His days were done…and he’d feel every second of his death.
There weren’t any visuals, but I had an earpiece that allowed me to listen in on the operation. Francis was leading the extraction team to get Wynn out. The two other teams were working on securing the house and retrieving Ridgeway.
The moment Francis was with Wynn, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Wynn, it’s me, Francis.”
“Thank God.”
“We’re getting you out of here.”
“Where’s Ridgeway?”
Oh, Ridgeway was about to have a miserable day. Soon he’d have my undivided attention. That was when I heard Wynn had been drugged with midazolam. He was no doubt feeling horrid. Francis was handling it, calling in for flumazenil—which would counteract the drug.
I hated how awful Wynn sounded and I was about to say fuck it and go to him, but the car door opened and a very angry looking Ridgeway was thrown against the seat.
“So glad you could join us.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but I stuck him in the neck. His body slumped, and Edward shut the door.
I slid over to the driver’s side and got out of there. While I was sure no one had seen me up until now, my luck wouldn’t last forever.
