Ten

They’ll be everywhere by now,” Henry Garrison said, allowing his driver to shut the door to the limo. “I’ll take you out back so we don’t get mobbed. Niles doesn’t like to be mobbed.”

The grim-looking, had-to-be-ex-military driver nodded shortly and spoke in a crisp British accent. “Not at all, sir. I rather hate the buggers. I could handle them for you, of course.”

“Let’s keep you out of jail,” Garrison said with the closest thing she’d seen to a smile, as though his driver’s penchant for violence amused him. “But if they find us and you happen to run over a couple of feet, I’ve got an emergency fund for those kinds of payouts.”

“You’re the best, sir.” The window rolled up and she and Garrison were alone as the limo pulled out of the courthouse where she’d been let out on a bond of one million dollars of Riley Lang’s money.

That was two million he’d spent on her in the last two days. How the hell had her lawyer gotten his hands on that much money in such a short period of time?

“Is he talking about reporters?” The night before had been one of the longest she’d ever endured. She’d sat there in the FBI detention cell and thought about how many pictures they’d gotten of her being moved from city to federal facilities. They’d been waiting, and though kept at a distance, she was sure that particular humiliation had been captured by long-range lenses.

“Of course.” Garrison the Grim, as she’d decided to call him, stared down at his phone for a moment and cursed. “As a matter of fact, they’re waiting at your condo. We need to talk about the fact that the press is going to play a big role in your trial.”

Her trial. The words still made her head spin. When was she going to wake from this nightmare?

She needed a shower. She needed to sleep. It looked like she would also need a hotel.

“Where should I go?” Security in her building wasn’t the best. She’d downgraded so she could afford the buyout.

“I have a suggestion but you’re not going to like it.”

“I don’t like anything that’s happened to me in the last twenty-four hours.”

“I don’t think you should go home,” Garrison explained. “The press is annihilating you. This is a juicy story. Hot lawyer has affair with upcoming CEO and they try to defraud an old man.”

“Steven Castalano is a shark. He is not an old man. He’s the one who defrauded me.”

“That’s not what the story is right now. Right now the story is Ellie Stratton is a woman who got to the top through nepotism and sleeping with the right people. You look like everything people hate about the upper classes, and if you do an interview, they’ll tear you up.”

“I don’t think I should do an interview. I should keep my head down.” The last thing she wanted to do was talk to the press.

“That’s the worst thing you could do. That makes you look weak. I’m simply saying we need to change the story. We need to dig up every tiny granule of dirt we can on Castalano and turn this around. I want ‘powerful man seeks to steal from nice young couple in love.’”

Now he was talking. She could get into taking down Steven. “I’ve got some dirt on the man. I can’t prove it, but I might be able to . . . young couple?”

Garrison sat back. “Yes. If you want to flip the story, you need Riley Lang.”

There was that rage she felt at the sound of his name. She might want to forget the man, to deny he meant anything, but she was angry. Hurt. That was what she was really denying. She could cloak it in anger because that felt better, but deep inside she had a ragged hole because of his betrayal. A hole she wasn’t sure she would be able to close again. “I’m never seeing that man again.”

Garrison sighed, a deeply disappointed sound. “I doubt that. You’re being stubborn and you don’t know the whole story. I can promise you the man wasn’t working for Steven Castalano.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I do know the whole story.”

“All right, I’m listening.”

“Attorney-client privilege, my dear.” He gave her a half grin. “If you don’t want me talking about your case, I certainly can’t talk about his. I can and will give you advice. Talk to the man who is the only reason your sweet ass isn’t still sitting in prison next to a prostitute named Sweetie Pie who may or may not have shivved her last john.”

“I want nothing to do with the man.” She would never speak to him again.

“Well, he certainly wants you. I’ve found that men that powerful tend to get what they want. You’re in a position to use his attraction against him.”

“I don’t like the way you talk about using people.”

Garrison’s head shook. “He told me you were naive. I expected Phillip the Horrible’s daughter to have a modicum of common sense. This is the way the world works, sweetheart. You had money and privilege. Someone bigger and badder than you came along and took it all away. You can cry or you can fight back. If you choose to do the former, tell me so I can find you some pissant, do-gooder lawyer to hold your hand while you walk into a federal pen and discover that orange is the new black. In that scenario, I really suggest you find your sexuality fluid because someone is going to snap you up as her bitch very quickly.”

She kind of hated him. “I told you. I’m going to fight back.”

“Then use every tool in your arsenal. Riley Lang is a major weapon. He’s got money and clout and he can get things done. Announce your engagement. Be seen holding hands. Hell, actually marry the guy. That would be my advice. Marry him as soon as possible and then get in front of the press and tell your side of the story.”

The whole idea horrified her. “I’m not speaking to the man again, much less marrying him.”

“Think about it,” Garrison insisted. “It flips the story around. But, of course, you’re the client. I’m merely the ridiculously expensive lawyer who knows how to get a criminal out of jail and back in power.”

“I’m not a criminal.”

“Yes, you would be so much more reasonable if you were.”

“Does that mean you believe me?”

Cool blue eyes rolled. “Like I said to you yesterday, your guilt or innocence is meaningless to my defense. As it happens, I’ve come to the conclusion that I do believe you. You’re exactly the kind of wide-eyed innocent who could find herself in the middle of this shit storm. You don’t even really know what’s happening and yet you’re plowing on like everything will work out in the end because you’re innocent. The prosecutor doesn’t care. All he cares about is keeping his job and moving up the ranks. You’re a big story. He’ll take you down any way he possibly can. He’s Castalano’s big gun.”

She didn’t want to listen to a word this man was saying. “Riley Lang isn’t a big gun. He’s an asshole who apparently feels guilty.”

“Use it. He’s an asshole who can bring some firepower to this fight.”

It wasn’t fair. It should matter that she was innocent. It should mean something. The court system shouldn’t be about money and power and big guns. It should be about justice.

Maybe she really was naive. She looked out at the street and wondered how long it would be before she was there. She couldn’t go home. Couldn’t afford a hotel. Wasn’t allowed to leave the city.

She only had one other play she could make. She’d thought about it all night long. It was time to finally meet with the man her father had sinned against. “I’d like to make an appointment with someone who might be able to help me.”

Garrison’s eyebrow rose. “All right. I can manage that.”

“I hope you can. I need to meet with Riley’s other client. I need to meet with Drew Lawless.”

He might hear her name and kick her out.

Or he might listen to her. He might have no idea that her father and very likely Steven Castalano had killed his father and mother, had stolen from him.

Garrison looked at her, a surprised expression on his face. “Oh, I’m sure I can arrange something, but first I need to get you settled somewhere.” He pushed a button on the side of his door. “Niles, we’ll be heading uptown.”

Uptown. Where she would find an ally or a brand-new enemy.

She stared out the window and tried not to think about Riley.

—

An hour later, Ellie wished she’d changed clothes. She was back in the same clothes she’d worn the day she’d been arrested.

It was too risky for Lily to bring her something. She would have been seen and then likely walked out of StratCast. She still might, but it seemed like Lily had kept her job thanks to a long talk with Kyle Castalano.

She prayed Lily didn’t take things too far. She didn’t trust the son any more than she did the father.

Henry Garrison had dropped her off at a gorgeous apartment building right across from Central Park. He’d explained that he’d made arrangements for her to stay here with a friend of his, and her things were upstairs.

Apparently his friend was incredibly wealthy.

She looked at the doorman and frowned. Maybe she should leave, go back to her place and damn the reporters.

She wasn’t even wearing undies. She’d let Riley take them off her the day she’d been arrested. After they’d gone at it on his desk, she’d left them off.

It struck her that she’d shed a lot more than simply clothes for that man. She’d shed her inhibitions and given him a piece of her soul she could never get back.

“Ellie Stratton?”

She looked at the entrance and a massive hunk of pure American male was standing there in jeans and a T-shirt that couldn’t hide the fact that this boy worked out. A lot. Holy hotness. He had to be six foot five with a body to die for.

And he knew her name.

“I’m Ellie.”

He strode forward, and she noticed he was wearing cowboy boots. “Hi, I’m Case Taggart.”

The name sparked a memory. “Of McKay-Taggart? That’s the security firm Riley hired to check into our accounting problem.”

He nodded and gave her a grin that would likely make most women melt. “Yes, and if we’d been about two hours faster, we would have saved you a lot of trouble. Well, maybe not a ton of trouble, but at least we would have gotten you out of there before the cops and press got there. Please, come with me. I want to get you off the street before someone recognizes you.”

She reluctantly allowed herself to be led inside. Garrison was going to call her back after he’d arranged the meeting with Drew Lawless. She thought seriously about simply heading to the 4L Software offices, but she wasn’t sure where they were. They were somewhere in Upper Manhattan, but without her phone, she couldn’t access the address. Without money she couldn’t get a cab.

Would her credit cards still work?

She was in a horrible position. She couldn’t work, couldn’t access her money. If the case took very long, she would lose her condo and everything she had because she couldn’t pay her bills.

Bankruptcy was calling her name, and even then she would have bills to pay. Garrison would be gone the minute his million ran out. At his rate, that might not take long. She’d be left with a public defender.

Or she could cut a deal, which was exactly what Castalano was planning on.

He wanted her in the worst situation so she couldn’t fight. She would need what little cash she could get from the buyout.

“We have a room ready for you.” Case Taggart led her to an elevator.

She hesitated. “I don’t know you.”

He held the door open. “No. But I know you. I know you didn’t ask for this and you didn’t deserve it. I know that my firm and I will do anything we can to help you, and that includes getting you out of any situation you find uncomfortable. Even if it runs counter to my brother-in-law’s wishes.”

“You’re married to Riley’s sister.”

He smiled and nearly lit up the entire building. Oh, that man loved someone. “Mia. She’s a ball of trouble. I think you’ll like her.”

“Is Riley upstairs?”

Case nodded. “Yes. If you don’t want to go up there, I’ll take you somewhere else. I’ll arrange for a hotel room. You can’t leave the city, but I assure you I can put you somewhere no one’s going to find you.”

“Why would you do that?” His kindness was getting to her. She’d had so little of it in the last two days.

“Because you deserve some control, Ellie. If you don’t want to talk to him, I won’t force you. This is all about you now, but there are things you should know. Things only he can tell you.”

She stared at the elevator that would take her to her ex-lover. “So you think I should go upstairs and face him.”

“I think you should go upstairs and give him hell. He deserves it.” The big guy’s Southern accent deepened and he winked her way.

Mia Taggart was a lucky woman.

The gorgeous cowboy was right. Why should she hide? She hadn’t done anything wrong. Riley Lang should be quaking in his overpriced loafers at the thought of seeing her again. It was obvious he wasn’t. He was trying to force this confrontation, likely because he thought he would say a few words and she would melt like she always did for him.

She was trying to pretend like he didn’t matter, but he did. He’d betrayed her horribly. Should he get away with it? Or should she look for closure? For some final encounter that might bring her some measure of peace?

She could see him again, let him know how she felt. Hurt him a tiny bit.

See if there was any way to save the relationship?

She jumped away from that thought like it was a fireball about to exterminate her. She didn’t want a relationship with that dickhead. Whether or not he was in bed with Castalano, she wasn’t going to try to salvage their relationship.

He’d betrayed her. That was forever.

She stepped inside the elevator. “I don’t know what he expects from me.”

She could see him. One last time. She could stand in front of him and let him know he hadn’t broken her. He mattered not at all.

He’d reached for her in that final moment. He’d tangled their fingers together and squeezed her like he couldn’t let go. Shouldn’t he have gloated? Have let her know he’d beaten her?

He shouldn’t have held her hand like she was precious. That was the cruelest bit of all.

“I think he expects to get his ass kicked.” Case pressed the button for the top floor.

“Does he actually think I’m going to stay here with him?” She couldn’t. No matter how comfy he tried to make her because his conscience was aching, she had to say her piece and walk away.

“In this case, he really is trying to protect you.”

“He’s trying to protect himself. I’m sure I’ll be forced to sign some kind of document saying I won’t report him to the bar.” It made sense. He needed her to stay quiet. Castalano likely didn’t have solid proof that Riley had done things under her orders. Since he hadn’t. Of course, she also hadn’t stolen ten million dollars and that didn’t seem to matter at all.

Taggart chuckled. “I’m sure he would love it if you didn’t get him disbarred. He will likely make a hearty argument against that. But you should think before you tell him to screw himself. He’s spent all night and most of today getting a room ready for you. You’ve got all your books and a computer and all your toiletries. He had shoes and jewelry and clothes delivered. Everything you need to be comfortable is right here. You can accept it and not accept Riley back in your bed. I would make him work for that.”

“He can’t work enough to ever get back there.” She couldn’t let him back in. She could never trust him again.

“See, this is where I wish I wasn’t alone up here. Mia won’t go high-dollar with me. I need Adam. Adam is always willing to take a thousand-dollar bet and he inevitably loses.”

Before she could ask him what he was talking about, the elevator door slid open, and she walked into the foyer of what Riley Lang apparently called “his little place.” Yeah, that had been a lie, too.

He’d told her there wasn’t enough room at his place and that was why he always came to hers. This place was huge. Apparently, he hadn’t wanted her to know the scope of his wealth.

What else had he been hiding from her?

She walked down the marbled hall and into what looked like the living room. To her right was a spectacular view of Central Park. She was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and leather furniture that likely cost a fortune.

This place in this part of town was worth twenty million easy. Why the hell had he needed a job as her lawyer?

Maybe she really did need to start asking the right questions. He hadn’t been at StratCast for money. He obviously didn’t need her as a client. Why had he needed her?

Why would he work for Castalano if he had this kind of wealth at his fingertips? Garrison had told her she didn’t know the real story. This was the first time she believed him.

“I think everyone’s in the conference room,” Taggart said, walking in beside her. “It’s kind of like a war room right now. And yes, some families have game rooms. My family tends to have playrooms—and those are not for the children. But this family has a flipping war room. I wish I’d known that before I agreed to marry into it.”

“It wouldn’t have changed a thing.” A petite blonde stepped into the room.

A familiar-looking blonde. “Do I know you?”

The blonde smiled. “Ellie! I’m so glad you’re here. We met a few weeks ago.”

Now she remembered. “At the coffee shop on Fifth. Riley sent you? That was before he started working for me. I take it he sent you there.”

Mia shook her head, a wealth of thick hair curling around her shoulders. “Oh, no. He was really pissed about it. I wanted to get to know you. You were important to all the planning and stuff.”

“The planning? Planning what?”

Mia started to open her mouth, but her husband’s massive hand closed over it before she could speak.

“I think you should talk to Riley about that,” Case said. “And my wife should stay out of it. She makes a habit of inserting herself into situations she really shouldn’t be in. It’s her hobby. Princess, you put that tongue all over my hand. I don’t mind at all, but you should know the minute you bite me, I’m going to bite back.”

Mia harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest.

But it no longer mattered because Riley had walked into the room. He was dressed as casually as she’d ever seen him in slacks and a button-down, his sleeves rolled up.

Not as casually as she’d ever seen him. She’d seen him with nothing on at all. She’d seen him as he worked over her, his face a mask of pure pleasure.

“Ellie.” He barely breathed her name and then he was crossing the space between them, his arms out as though it was his right to catch her up and hold her close.

She knew what her right was. She hauled her fist back and punched the bastard.

Hard.

Riley reeled back, his hand going to his jaw as Case bit back a laugh and Mia gasped.

“Oh, I take back everything I said about her,” a new voice said. “She’s welcome in our family.”

She looked up and the man who had come to her office with Riley the first day was standing there. He was a good two inches taller than Riley and broader, though she preferred Riley’s lean frame. Andy, as Riley had called him, intimidated her with his massive size. He was closer to Case Taggart than Riley.

Riley shook his head as though shaking off the pain. “Don’t tease her, Drew. Ellie, I deserved that. Will you come in and let me explain everything to you?”

Drew? “I thought his name was Andy.”

The other man loomed over Riley, his eyes suddenly finding hers. “It’s Andrew, though with friends and family I go by Drew.”

Tears filled her eyes because she really was a fool. Now she knew why Riley was so surrounded by wealth. “Drew Lawless. Of course. The last card I had in my hand. He’s your brother, isn’t he?”

Riley nodded. “I can explain.”

She looked at three of the Lawless siblings. They were orphans because of what her father had done.

This was why Henry Garrison had practically been laughing as he’d dropped her off. Everyone had been in on the joke except her.

The last card in her hand turned out to be a dud. She’d never had a chance. Not one.

She turned, tears pouring down her face, and walked toward the elevator.

“Ellie,” Riley said.

She’d almost made it when she felt a hand on her arm. She was pulled around.

“Ellie, baby, talk to me.”

The horror of the last few days welled up inside her. She had nothing left. Nothing. There was no Andrew Lawless waiting out there for her story and offer of an alliance to bring down the man who had likely hurt them both.

Maybe it was really her fault for not going to him when she’d first found out. She’d been greedy, worried that he’d take the company from her and ruin all the plans she had for the employees. She hadn’t wanted them caught up in a powerful man’s revenge.

It had happened anyway.

“Ellie?”

She heard him, but she didn’t really care now. When she thought about it, she’d always been alone. From the moment her mother died. Her father wanted a son and got two daughters he’d never really cared about.

Her husband had changed. It was what people did. They changed, with the exception of her.

She would change now because there wasn’t a way out of the trap.

She felt his arms go around her, hugging her tight. When he picked her up and hauled her close, she didn’t care. Her misery was all that mattered now.

In the distance she heard someone crying, wailing. Someone screamed out in pain, but Ellie no longer cared.

—

Riley felt years older when he walked out of Ellie’s bedroom. It was hers because she was staying here. With him.

God, what had he done to her?

He might never forget the sound of her crying out in pain, the sound so broken it had almost made him drop to his knees and join her. She’d been so heartbroken. How was he ever going to fix this mess he’d gotten her in?

He had to find a way, and it started with talking to Drew. He needed Drew firmly on his side because he had a plan that might get them all into trouble.

“Is she all right?” Hatch stood in the hallway, his face weary.

“No. She’s asleep. She cried herself to sleep.” She’d been in his arms, but vacant. He’d felt the horrible distance between them. She’d allowed him to touch her, to stroke her hair and rock with her, but she’d been like a doll in his arms.

Ellie had pulled into herself, and he wasn’t sure he could make her come back out.

Hatch looked over at the door Riley had closed. “Your brother is having a hard time with this. You know he never meant to hurt her.”

“That’s not true, Hatch. He didn’t care and I know that because in the beginning, I felt the same way he did. I thought she’d be vile and privileged, and I was ready to take her down a peg or two because she’s Phillip Stratton’s daughter and we can’t get to him. He died and she was a convenient target.” His gut was in knots. “We all went into this knowing we would hurt her. We told ourselves it didn’t matter. She would get back on her feet.”

“No one thought Castalano was planning this. This is really his damn fault.”

“No. We put her in this position. We gave him all the ammo he needed to fuck her over for years. And guess what? She’s nothing like her father. She’s an optimist. Do you know what she wanted to do with StratCast? She wanted to make the corporation accountable to the employees, to the public. It’s so stupid. It wouldn’t work, but she was going to do it.”

Hatch sighed. “She’s not like Stratton. Damn it, Riley, she’s like your father.”

Because his father had been a dreamer. His father had wanted to change the world and it had cost him his life. The way it could cost Ellie hers.

He’d watched her for a long time after she’d fallen asleep. He’d dragged her skirt and blouse off and dressed her in one of the nightgowns the personal shopper he’d hired had brought in earlier in the day. She hadn’t been wearing panties because he’d taken them from her.

He’d left her without the shield of a pair of damn underwear. How had she felt sitting there knowing if they made her change into prison overalls, that she would have to ask for underwear. It was silly but he felt so fucking guilty about that.

She’d been alone. He hadn’t been able to be there to defend her, to protect her. He’d left her in that place.

“I can’t let her go.” She would try to leave. There was no question in his mind that she would be on her feet as soon as she woke up.

Hatch shook his head. “I think she’s already broken, son.”

He disagreed. Nothing could really break Ellie. Maybe she could be down for a moment, but he knew her. She would rise again. “No. She hadn’t really let herself cry. I don’t know why seeing Drew did that to her, but she needed this. She needed to let it all out, but you should know when she wakes up, she’s going to try to kick my balls up into my body cavity and then she’ll shoot me the finger and try to walk out. I can’t let that happen. She’ll be alone out there, and that would be the worst thing in the world for her.”

“She’s got a sister.”

“Who is useless. She needs me. She needs someone who is willing to put her first.” He started down the hall. He suspected her sister would be thrilled with the turn of events. “Unfortunately, I suspect I’m going to have to fight like hell to get her to stay here.”

He’d called Lily after Ellie had fallen asleep to let her know Ellie was safe. Even Lily thought she’d leave him. She’d offered a place for Ellie to stay, but that might not be for the best.

Lily had already been working the younger Castalano. She’d been assured she had some time before they decided what to do with her. She might be able to stay on and be Riley’s eyes and ears.

There was no way she could do that if Ellie was staying at her place. The press would find out and Lily’s loyalties would be unquestionable.

Ellie needed to stay here. Ellie needed his protection and his family’s money. She needed to be a Lawless.

Hatch followed him. “Or you could give her a reason to stay.”

How far would he go to protect her? It was a question he’d been asking himself since the moment they dragged her away. He was already the villain. How much further would he have to go to ensure her safety? “I already have. She knows I’m paying for Garrison.”

He’d hoped that would be enough, but that punch she’d greeted him with had told him otherwise. She’d turned and started walking for the door.

He couldn’t allow her to walk through it.

“Yeah, she also knows you’ll keep paying for him,” Hatch said as they turned down the hallway.

Drew would be in the conference room. Why couldn’t they have a damn game room or family room? No. They all gathered in the conference room like being a family was a business.

It was for them. And their real business was revenge. It had been since the day their parents had died and they’d been splintered and broken.

What if they could be more?

“I’m not going to hold that over her head,” he replied as they entered the conference room. “If she insists on walking out, I’m still going to help her. I won’t leave her with no resources.”

Drew looked up from his computer. “Henry Garrison thinks that would be a mistake.”

Riley stared at his older brother. “You talked to Ellie’s attorney? He talked to you about her case? He told me he wouldn’t do that unless she agreed.”

It had been a thirty-minute argument that he’d only given in on when Garrison had explained time was running out. She’d been arrested on a Thursday. If she wasn’t moved to the federal facility by Friday morning, she would likely remain in custody all weekend long. He’d conceded because he couldn’t stand the thought.

He rather thought Garrison liked that he’d conceded. The man was an asshole, but he was the best in the business and nothing else would do for Ellie’s defense.

“Money talks, brother,” Drew said. “When I explained to him that 4L would retain him for Ellie, he was more than happy to give me some advice.”

Thank God. Offering Garrison his bank account was one thing. Offering up 4L’s was like opening the gates of heaven and asking the defense attorney to come in and take what he liked. Drew had ensured that Ellie was the defense attorney’s absolute top priority. “You’re serious?”

Drew sat back. “I didn’t expect her to hurt like that. The way she cried out . . . well, it turns out I’m more human than I thought I was.”

Riley put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Thank you. You won’t regret it. She’s a good person, Drew. You’ll like her if you get to know her.”

She was utterly lovable. She was competent when it came to work, silly when it came to play. Ellie was real. She changed with the moment, with her emotions, but there was a core set of values to her that didn’t change. She was always kind. Always loyal. Always seeking to do what was right.

He couldn’t be the person who broke her. He loved her. Somehow she’d made him whole, and now he had to do the same for her.

“She has a good right hook. I already like that,” Drew replied, but sobered quickly. “She had a reaction to finding out who I was. Garrison told me she’d asked for a meeting with me. Not the Andy she thought was your fellow lawyer. She wanted a meeting with Drew Lawless. She put it all together when I walked out. Why would she do that?”

“I don’t know,” Hatch said. “It was obvious to me she had no idea Riley was a Lawless.”

“I’ll ask her about it when she wakes up, but I would like for her to sleep through the night. She’s been through a lot.” He glanced at the clock. It was already after seven. She could easily sleep until morning.

He wouldn’t, though. He would watch over her.

He’d already ensured that when she woke up she would have her purse and all her favorite toiletries to use. He’d made sure her bathroom was stocked. She wouldn’t have to ask for a toothbrush or soap or makeup. He’d filled her closet with clothes. If she didn’t like them, he would toss them all out and let her buy more.

Anything she wanted was hers, with the singular exception of a door that would take her away from him.

It was wrong, but he couldn’t let her walk away. Not when he was the only person in the world who could make certain she didn’t go to jail.

After her trial was over, if she wanted to leave, he would still get on his knees and beg for a second chance.

“So how do we keep her here?” Hatch asked. “Because I think that girl is going to want to leave. It’s obvious to me she didn’t really expect that you would be here.”

“I’ll lock the stairs,” Bran said with a smile. He walked in carrying a couple of pizza boxes. “She won’t be able to use the elevator because she doesn’t know the code. Unless you think Case gave her the code.”

“He didn’t,” Drew replied. “But you should know that our heroic brother-in-law has offered to take her wherever she would like to go. He’s apparently not into kidnapping.”

“Mia married him, why?” Bran asked, opening the first box and pulling out a slice of pepperoni.

Drew shuddered. “Don’t ask her that question. Seriously, she will tell you all about her husband’s apparently really big schlong.”

Hatch frowned. “I blame her adoptive parents. I would really think a lesbian couple would be more averse to teaching Mia to talk about her hetero sex life. She was telling me about Case and how good he is with a crop. I pray to God she was talking about his farming skills.”

Riley was pretty sure she wasn’t. Mia had a very interesting relationship with her husband.

Somehow, Mia had come out of their wretched nightmare whole and loved, and he worshipped the ground her mothers walked on for it. Those women had been supportive of all of them. They’d patiently allowed Drew and Riley to visit and taken Bran any time they could.

He wanted what Mia had. He wanted that one person in the world he could count on, he could find himself with. He wouldn’t say be himself. He was fairly certain he didn’t know who the hell he was. Ellie was his chance to find out. Loving Ellie would define him, enhance him. Make him better.

“We should listen to Mia more.”

“I always thought she was weak because she hadn’t gone through what we had. Maybe you’re right,” Drew admitted. “But we have to deal with the fact that Castalano has us all by the balls now. He’s laughing somewhere and we can’t let it stand.”

No, they couldn’t. He had StratCast, and that belonged to Ellie. Maybe at one point it should have been theirs, but now Riley knew where that company belonged. God, his father would have loved Ellie. They would have been partners in crime. “So what’s the plan? Ellie didn’t steal that money.”

Drew held up a hand. “I understand that. I’m ceding this argument to you. If you say she’s clean, we’ll go with it. So we have to figure out a way to prove he’s behind all of this, but we also have to keep Ellie close. We need to figure out a way to control the optics on this one because she’s not coming out well right now.”

Because they’d paid a reporter to work her over in print. Still, she wasn’t a Kardashian. She was a tech executive. “It will blow over by tomorrow.”

“Have you watched the news? I don’t think it’s blowing over,” Hatch said. “She’s all over the news, and not only on the business channels. The press is treating it as a rich-girl-gone-wrong story. Castalano comes off as a sick, sad old man. He’s playing this to the hilt. There’s no doubt they’re tainting the potential jury pool against her. For now our names are out of it, but the minute she starts talking, we’re all screwed.”

“Why would she talk?” Ellie didn’t love media. She wasn’t one of those executives who lived to aggrandize themselves. She was shy about the press.

“Garrison will put her out there,” Drew said. “Whether I want him to or not. He’s going to fight this in the press. He needs to make her look innocent, and one way of doing that is to throw your ass under a bus. It won’t take long before your connections to me come up, and then 4L, and all of us will be out there.”

He hadn’t thought about that. He’d changed his name long ago so he could blend in. For all the good it had done him. “Castalano already knows. Why wouldn’t he talk?”

Hatch took that one. “Do you really think he wants to bring those rumors up? He might have handled the cops back then, but there was always the theory out there that they stole your father’s code. If he brings the Lawless name up, it brings back bad memories for him. It’s very likely why he went hands off with you. Otherwise, you would have found yourself in a cell beside Ellie’s.”

Drew’s eyes hooded, staring up at Riley. “Is there any way Ellie knows? Maybe her father told her at some point. Could she possibly have access to the source code? They built their entire business on Dad’s work.”

No way. If Ellie had any idea her whole company was based on a lie, she would have come forward. “She thinks it all came from this elderly scientist who was nice to her as a kid. She has no idea, though now I wonder why she knew who you were. I mean as anything but a competitor. She was really proud she managed to snag Darvisch away from you.”

Drew growled a little. “Yeah, I want to know how she managed that. I offered him way above what I should have.”

“Ellie knows how to soothe the angriest geek.” His girl was good at making a man believe in himself. He was sure it was her own sweet soul and not money that made Darvisch choose her. “He’ll likely be looking to leave without her.”

“I’ll scoop him up if I can. We do have a few things in our favor. I’ve managed to keep quiet about some of my moves. What neither she nor Castalano knows is I’m the new board member. We’re not out of this yet,” Drew said.

Because not only did they have the stock they’d bought, they still had Ellie’s, if they could bring her around to their way of thinking. “Until Castalano forces a sale, we’ve got a chance.”

“Unless Ellie hates you more than she wants revenge,” Bran mused. “Is there any way we can convince her to stay here? I think if she gets to know us, hears the truth about this thing, she’ll probably be on our side.”

Riley looked at Bran. “I thought you were all about female empowerment.”

“Only when it’s good for her. She’s being stubborn. You love her. You’ll take care of her. That kind of trumps her anger.” Bran gave him a bright smile. “I’m a happily-ever-after kind of guy. I blame Mia. She made me watch a bunch of chick flicks when I got to stay with her. I associate them with happiness. So I say a little kidnapping is nothing in the face of what she’ll get out of it.”

Drew’s eyes finally lit. “She’ll get a shitload of family issues. But we’ll also stand behind her. I don’t know. It’s a hard sell on our end.”

“Not if I’m ruthless. Not if I make it so there’s really only one choice.” Him. It was a dick move, but it was the only one he could make if he wanted to have half a shot with her. “I have a plan, but it’s risky.”

“Nothing that’s worth anything is safe,” Drew said.

No, it wasn’t. Riley leaned in and told his brothers his plan.