Brighton

 

I smoothed my fingers over the necklace Ryland bought me for our wedding, remembering his words.

Keep it close to your heart, and we’ll always be in sync.

I had to hold back a sob as I wondered if his heart still beat. I couldn’t feel it. I couldn’t feel him. Where was he?

Edith had been working nonstop, pouring over everything on Ryland’s computer, looking for clues as to what could have happened. She told me she suspected that Alex Burton was blackmailing him somehow. That it didn’t make any sense for Ryland to partner with him when his company was doing so well otherwise. But we needed proof, and that was going to take time.

I left it in her hands and did what little I could. It wasn’t much. It wasn’t enough. But it was all I could do to focus on each task as though they were the most important thing in the world. As though they would each bring me one step closer to having Ryland home.

The house was still filled with people, but I’d never felt more alone.

Mick texted me updates, but so far there hadn’t been anything of use. He’d gone to Chicago, but now that I knew Ryland never made it to Chicago, it seemed pointless for him to be there. I told him to come back this morning, and we would figure out where to go from here.

Then my phone chimed, and my chest tightened when I saw the name.

Brayden.

He’d been ignoring me for weeks, and it was odd for him to be contacting me now. I glanced around the room and realized I didn’t want to read this in a room full of people, so I stepped out onto the back porch while they planned out more search efforts.

I swiped the screen and scrolled through my messages.

 

I need you to meet me.

It’s about Ryland.

 

My heart skipped as I pressed send on Brayden’s name. But it just rang out. I tried him twice more before I gave up and started tapping out a text. Before I could even send it, another one came through. With an address and a time, and nothing more.

I stared at the phone in confusion. This meant Brayden was in San Francisco, but why? The horrifying realization that he might have had something to do with Ryland’s disappearance haunted me. I tried to call him again, but he didn’t answer.

Another text came through a moment later.

 

Don’t bring anyone with you or tell them where you’re going.

He’s in danger.

 

Frustration and relief both warred inside of me. If he was in danger, it meant that he was still alive. That there was still time. But I didn’t understand why Brayden would be helping him if that’s even what this was. Or why he wasn’t answering his phone.

I glanced over my shoulder and looked through the window at all of our friends gathered around the sofa, working hard to try to find Ryland. It was stupid for me to go alone to this address. I texted Brayden back.

 

I can’t come alone.

 

A reply came through almost immediately.

 

You have to. Or else he’s dead.

Just trust me.

 

Panic engulfed me. I didn’t want to believe those words. And could I even trust Brayden at this point? I had no idea. But this was my only ray of hope. Every other lead we had was dead. And I couldn’t just ignore it.

The time on my phone told me I had an hour to get to the address on my screen. It wasn’t a lot of time, considering I was on Belvedere Island, but I would have to make it work. The only problem was sneaking out of the house without anyone noticing. There was no way they would let me go anywhere with the shape I’d been in over the last few days.

I walked back in and gave Nicole a smile when she looked up at me with a worried expression.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” My voice was shaky and totally unconvincing. “I’m just going to go upstairs and lie down for a nap.”

Nicole stood up to help me. She was like a mother hen, hovering over me and trying to do everything for me. It was incredibly sweet, but right now, I needed her attention elsewhere.

“I’m fine, Nicole,” I told her. “I can manage on my own. It makes me feel better knowing that you’re all down here looking through everything.”

She nodded and bit her lip in clear frustration. We hadn’t found anything in Ryland’s records, which didn’t really surprise me. He had a lot of files on a variety of different people, including Alex Burton, but none of them gave away the really shady details. He always seemed to keep those to himself somehow.

“Well, just let me know if you need anything,” Nicole said. “I’ll be right down here.”

“Thanks.” I nodded and scurried from the room as quickly as I could go. I was seven months pregnant, and everything about me was slowing down.

I walked up the stairs so I didn’t arouse any suspicion and went straight to Ryland’s office. The keys to his jaguar were in his key box, complete with a label and all. It fractured what little was left of my strength. Only my husband would put a label on keys to a Jaguar.

I hoped that I could help him. I hoped that Brayden wasn’t deceiving me.

I walked out onto the balcony and took the stairs that led down to the back yard. Luckily the garage was far enough away from the sitting room that I didn’t think they would hear me.

I felt ridiculous slipping into his Jaguar. Ryland didn’t like me driving anywhere, so I didn’t. I was fine with that. I felt safe riding with Ted, and I’d grown used to it.

The interior smelled of leather and cinnamon, and I closed my eyes to inhale. I needed him to be safe. I needed him to be okay. I didn’t know what I would do if he wasn’t.

The car started with a quiet purr, and I slipped out of the gate without anyone noticing, at least as far as I could tell. The drive was long and tense. Every mile that passed felt like ten. Traffic was thick in the city this time of day, and it took me forever to get to the address.

I frowned when I realized it was a warehouse. There wasn’t much around us, and I’d be highly surprised if the Jag was even still sitting on the street when I came back out. But none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that my husband might be in there. Or at least, Brayden might know where he was.

Still, I hesitated. I didn’t have a good feeling about this.

What the hell was Brayden doing in a warehouse in this part of the city? Everything about this screamed trouble. I tried to think of what was logical. What was best for me to do. I could call the detective and tell him I was here. But what if Brayden was right? What if someone was holding Ryland and they hurt him when they saw I’d called the cops?

I didn’t know what else to do. So I sent Brayden another text.

 

I’m here. Is it safe to come in?

 

My phone chimed almost immediately with an affirmative answer. It didn’t reassure me in the slightest. I wasn’t a complete idiot though. I knew there was no way I could go in there without some kind of backup plan, just in case.

So I texted Mick. He was due to land right about this time if I remembered correctly. I didn’t know what to tell him, so I forwarded Brayden’s texts to him and told him I was going to check it out. And then I decided to leave my phone in the car and turned on so he could track it if he needed to.

I stepped out of the car with clenched hands. It was broad daylight, and still, the thought of going into this warehouse scared the crap out of me. I wanted to demand that Brayden come out. I decided that I wouldn’t actually go inside until I saw his face. So I started for the front doors.

They wouldn’t open, and there was no response to my knock.

I sighed in frustration as I walked around the building, looking for another way in. I found another door, just as a chilling voice spoke from behind me.

“Hello, Brighton.”

I spun around to be met with cold, black eyes. Eyes that were familiar, and it took me a moment to realize why. They were from the photographs in Brayden’s file. Alfredo Zucco.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

He smiled, revealing a gold tooth.

“We haven’t met yet, you and I,” the man answered. “But I’m sure you might have heard of me. My name is Alfredo.”

I felt like I was going to throw up. I wanted to run, but somehow I knew I wouldn’t get very far. So I tried to stall while I came up with another plan.

“I know who you are,” I said coolly. “Where is Brayden?”

“You’ve created a bit of a media spectacle here,” he said with an amused laugh. “So it’s been a little difficult to get in touch with you until now. Brayden’s just inside.”

“I want to see him,” I demanded. “Tell him to come out here.”

Alfredo took a menacing step forward and grabbed me by the arm with a painful grip. “You’re just like your father,” he sneered. “Don’t know your fucking place. But you will before the day is through you Irish cunt.”

He raised his hand and backhanded me, completely shocking the hell out of me. I didn’t have time to fight before he started dragging me towards the door. I tried to scream, but he put his greasy hand over my mouth and grabbed me by the hair.

I clawed at his face with my free hand and raised my knee, aiming for his groin. I missed, and his eyes flared with hatred so fierce I couldn’t help but cower.

“I will punch you right in your fat fucking stomach,” he threatened. “Just try me, bitch.”

I shook my head and pleaded from behind his hand, dragging in what little air he allowed me. I realized that it was already too late. I’d fucked up coming here, and now I needed to be smart. Or he was going to hurt my baby.

The door opened, and he shoved me inside where I met the eyes of another man I recognized. The same one that had been on the street the day Nicole and I went shopping. I’d thought Ryland had sent him, but I was obviously dead wrong. They each grabbed one of my arms and walked me through the dark warehouse, leading me to a stairwell.

As we descended into the bowels of the brick building, I feared that this was it for me. That I was going to die here. But I still held out hope that Brayden was nearby, and that he would put a stop to all of this. It was a ridiculous notion, but it was the only one I had.

Once we were on solid ground, the men walked me down another long corridor, and I shivered when I saw some of the rusty old equipment lying around. It looked like it was an old meat packing plant, and I was officially scared out of my mind.

They opened another metal door where there was a third man standing guard. I spotted Brayden across the room right away, sitting in a chair. His eyes widened in fear the moment he saw me, but it was the voice below me that had my heart leaping out of my chest.

“Baby girl. God, no. Please…”

I looked down to see Ryland sitting on the cement below me, his eye swollen shut and his face badly beaten. I shook the men’s hands off my body and immediately lowered myself beside him, clasping his face in my hands.

“You’re okay,” I breathed. “Oh my God, you’re okay.”

I was filled with relief, and so fucking happy. But Ryland wasn’t. For the first time since I’d known him, there was real fear in his eyes. He pushed me behind him and shielded me with his body as he glanced up at Alfredo.

“What the fuck else do you want?” he pleaded.

“That depends.” Alfredo smiled. “How much is the little Irish bitch worth to you?”

“Everything,” he said without hesitation. “I’ve already told you. The rest of the shares? I don’t care. Name it, and it’s yours.”

Alfredo released a hearty laugh and pointed a finger at Ryland in amusement. “You see, Jacob. That’s why I like you. That loyalty. You would have made a great addition to my crew.”

Ryland didn’t look at all flattered by the compliment, and he tightened his grip on my hand as I clung to his body.

“But the thing is,” Alfredo continued. “I’m already loyal to someone else. I’m sure you can understand.” He shrugged. “It’s a long-term business arrangement. Can’t really back out on it now.”

“Whatever Robert’s offered you, it can’t be more than what I’ll give you,” Ryland said. “Anything you want.”

Alfredo looked insulted as he muttered something in Italian. “That wasn’t the deal we made six years ago, amico.”

The conversation I had with Ryland drifted back to my mind. He told me he’d paid Alfredo to spare our lives for seven years. The clock had slowly been ticking away, and we were supposed to have another year.

I glanced at Brayden across the room and snarled.

“How did you get mixed up in this?” I demanded. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Ryland squeezed my hand in warning, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t take my eyes off Brayden. Off the cause of all of this. It was his fault we were in this room. His fault that all of this was happening. I didn’t care if it was logical, I hated him for it.

“I’m so sorry, Brighton,” he whispered. “I thought… I thought I could change things. I didn’t know…”

“It’s just business,” Alfredo remarked flippantly. “I’m a man of my word. You two were dead that night Frankie fucked up. You should just be thankful for the six extra years this one bought you.”

I closed my eyes and pressed my face against Ryland’s back. I didn’t want to accept that this was it. But his words sounded so final.

Neither Ryland or Brayden was bound, and I wondered why. But when I glanced up at Alfredo and his companions again, I saw the guns strapped to their hips. There was no way out of here. Frankie had carved this path for us, and it couldn’t be changed. I pressed a hand to my belly as a sob escaped from me. And then I thought about Mick and hope bloomed inside of me like a ray of sunshine. I’d only been here ten minutes, so maybe if I could figure out a way to stall, then we’d have a chance.

“Where are your keys and phone?” Alfredo asked.

It took me a minute and Ryland squeezing my hand to realize he was talking to me.

I dug the keys out of my pocket and held them out while clinging to Ryland’s body. “The phone’s in the car.”

He turned to one of his men and gave him instructions in Italian. When he walked out the door, Alfredo and his friend stepped forward.

“Alright.” Alfredo pulled his gun from the holster and waved it around casually. “Enough of the chit chat. How do you want to do this? You can all go together… real quick, bang bang bang… or one by one. Your choice.”

Oh, God. I was going to be sick.

“Please,” I sobbed. “Please don’t…”

Ryland stood and pulled me up with him. And then he gave Brayden some kind of silent signal before he pulled me into his arms, stroking my face in his palms.

“When Brayden tells you to run,” he whispered in my ear. “You fucking run, Brighton. I mean it. Don’t look back.”

I shook my head and clung to his body in disbelief. He made it sound like he didn’t plan on leaving with me. I had no idea what was happening, what they had planned, but I wasn’t leaving without either of them.

“I love you, baby girl.” His voice was hoarse, and there was finality in his words. “So fucking much.”

It took me a moment to realize what he was doing. He was shielding my body with his. I clung to his shirt and shook my head frantically. “No! It doesn’t end like this. It can’t end like this.”

I tried to look across the room, to see what Brayden was doing, but Ryland pulled my gaze back to him. “Just look at me,” he whispered. “Stay with me, just a moment longer. Never forget how much I love you.”

I didn’t understand his words. I didn’t understand what was happening.

“Now,” he barked.

I heard a pop, and then Ryland slumped against me before we both collapsed to the ground. There was something warm and sticky coming from his back, and I knew it was blood. I screamed, and I heard more popping, and then scuffling. Angry grunts and curses filled the room. Alfredo sounded surprised and pissed off, but I couldn’t see what was happening.

Brayden said something, but I couldn’t hear it. Alfredo started talking in Italian. Blood rushed through my ears as I clutched Ryland, trying desperately to feel his heartbeat. I couldn’t move him, he was so heavy against me. His body was protecting me from whatever was happening around us, but I was too hysterical to understand.

I finally managed to get my head out from beneath him, just enough to see Alfredo’s companion lying dead in a pool of blood on the floor. Alfredo was wrestling with Brayden, and he was bleeding all over the place.

“Brighton, run!” Brayden yelled. “Run now and don’t look back.”

I was frozen in horror. I couldn’t have run if I wanted to. But then Alfredo reached for his gun, pressing it directly to Brayden’s head. I screamed and pleaded, but he didn’t listen. Brayden’s eyes found mine from across the room, and he whispered something so softly, I could barely make it out.

“I’m so sorry. I was supposed to get you out of here. I failed. I’m so sorry, Brighton.”

And that was when I saw it. The gun laying on the floor next to the other man’s body. I didn’t know how to handle a gun- I’d never handled one in my life. But I lunged for it and pointed it at Alfredo, desperately hoping it would go off when I pulled the trigger.

The door burst open behind me, and I was so certain it was the third man coming to finish us off. I didn’t look. I just closed my eyes and squeezed the trigger. And I kept squeezing until every bullet had emptied from the chamber and there was nothing but the sound of empty clicking.

“Brighton.”

I felt a hand on my shoulder and a voice that was calm and familiar. Everything was blurry when I opened my eyes, but it was Mick’s face that I saw.

“Shhh…” He gently pulled the gun from my hands. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

I looked across the room and saw Brayden struggling to sit up as he kicked Alfredo’s body away. And then my gaze swung to Ryland. I squeezed my eyes shut and begged for it to end. Begged to wake up from this nightmare.

I crawled towards him with heaving sobs and cradled his head in my lap. 

“Help him,” I pleaded. “Help Ryland. You have to help him!”

I held onto Ryland and stroked his hair in my fingers, telling him how much I loved him. Telling him that everything was okay because we were together, and it was the only thing I could do.

Mick rattled off an address to someone on the phone and then kneeled down and rolled Ryland so he was completely flat. His eyes were closed, and there was blood seeping into his shirt. I let out a sob and held my hand against the wound as I felt for a pulse.

“You have to hold on, baby,” I sobbed. “You have to hold on.”

“The ambulance is on its way,” Mick said, moving my hand so he could apply pressure to Ryland’s wound. I let him, only so I could hold him.

I stroked his hair and pleaded with him to be okay.

He didn’t move. And I couldn’t look away from his face. I knew that Brayden was okay. I heard him trying to talk to me, but I couldn’t look at him. I could only look at Ryland. I couldn’t lose him. It wasn’t fair. We’d finally just gotten things right. We were finally okay.

“Please, Ryland,” I sobbed. “Please come back to me. You have to come back to me. I just can’t do this without you.”

I heard footsteps, and then the room filled with people I didn’t know. Police and medics rushed in, trying to pry me away from him.

“Please,” I begged. “He’s my husband. You have to save him!”

Mick came and pulled me against him, trying to calm me as they lifted Ryland’s body onto a board and carried him away.

“We have to go with him,” I cried. “We have to go now!”

A policeman ushered us towards the door, and then I paused one last time. I knew I shouldn’t look. But I had to see him. I had to see for myself.

I glanced back at the ground where Alfredo lay with hollow cheeks and lifeless eyes. There was blood everywhere, and his body was riddled with bullets. I had done that. I had killed him. And I was glad.