Ryder clicks the button on his phone. “The phone line goes dead after that.”
“I don’t know how I can be proud of her bravery and furious at her all at the same time.” I run my hands ov
er my face, trying to understand her position. “Why would she put herself in this situation?”
Ryder gives me a level look. “I imagine she was thinking of you, thinking of all of us, and wanting to protect us from what her brother has done.”
The second he says the words, I know he’s likely right. Through all of this, McKenna felt guilty, like somehow she was at fault for what her brother had done. Apparently, my telling her she wasn’t at fault hadn’t gotten through to her. But right now, I don’t want to her to be brave and try to fix all this on her own. I want her safe, nothing else matters above that. “So, to further protect me,” I say, trying to get it into my head to understand, “she’s put herself into the hands of a serial criminal?”
“He won’t hurt her,” Ryder says. “Believe me, Marcus Draken is a smart man. From what Alex and I have learned of him, he’s evaded the police for years. He knows how to run an underground business and not get caught. I have no doubt at all that he knows I’ve been watching him now, after you gave me his name.”
I cross my arms. “How do you know that?”
Ryder gives an unamused smile, lifts his brows. “Alex had a couple conversations with the hacker employed by Draken while she attempted to get into his security.”
That could only mean one thing. “He has good people working for him, I take it?”
Ryder nods, smiles. “Apparently so. Alex was very annoyed by him.” His smile faded. “But since Draken knows that we know about him, he won’t do anything to her. It’s too risky.”
“So, he wants something from her?”
Ryder inclines his head. “Now we simply need to find out what that is.”
“It can’t be money,” I say. “She doesn’t have any.”
“But he is a loan shark,” Ryder retorts. “I’m not sure what else he’d want from her.”
I absorb that and let the little bit of hope that he’s too smart to hurt her ease the tension in the center of my chest. Before I order us to move ahead, I reach into my pocket and grab my phone, and turn the volume back on. “Fuck, I shouldn’t have turned off my phone. I’ve got a couple texts here. The first is from McKenna.”
“You were the best man in your closest friend’s wedding,” Ryder says with a measured look. “You had no choice. Keep focused. What does the text say?”
While I know that’s true, tension floods me. “The text reads, ‘Don’t be mad. Draken asked for a private meeting. I’m on my way there now. I’ll call soon.’”
Ryder frowns. “What’s the second text?”
My muscles surge with fury and helplessness at the same time. “It’s a text from Draken. It says, I have something of yours.” I breathe deep, ensuring I don’t throw my phone against the stone wall. I can’t think. I can’t move as I take in the photo that Draken sent, because it’s the blood on her mouth, the way the masculine fingers grip her hair, the way she’s hanging limp in the photograph. “I thought you said he wouldn’t hurt her,” I barely manage.
Ryder sighs, pressing his hand on my shoulder. “What I meant was, he won’t kill her.”
“Is everything all right?”
I jerk my head up, find Darius and Micah entering the room, eyes intense. “Micah,” I say, but then I stop. How do I explain? How do I leave the wedding of my closest friend to go after the woman whose brother sold us out?
My loyalty to the men around me holds strong. I’ve never wanted to choose between them and a woman before. But . . . “I can’t stay,” I finish. “McKenna’s in trouble . . .” From meeting Marcus Draken until now, I retell the story about what’s unfolded thus far to Darius and Micah.
By the time I’m finished, Micah’s eyes are wide. “Jesus Christ, Gabe.” He steps forward, cups my shoulder, his new platinum wedding band on his finger. “You should have told me all this earlier, regardless that I got married today. And yes, this takes priority. I can explain to Allie later why you’ve left. She’ll understand.”
I glance at Darius, and he nods, shoving his hands into the pockets of his slacks. “Go get her.”
When I turn to Ryder, finding his expression firm and ready, he gives a dangerous grin. “Let me tell Hadley, and then we’ll go together and get this done.”
Surrounded by friends, men that know me better than anyone else in the world, men whose secrets have been exposed and lives have been affected as much as mine from day one of this shitshow, I promise, “Tonight this will end, one way or another.”
Chapter 13
Gabe
Twenty minutes into the drive across town, I sit in the passenger seat of Ryder’s truck and fire off a text to the lawyer my father told me about, Ross Sterling at Sterling LLC. There’s a lot on my mind right now, and McKenna is number one on that list, but I can’t forget the promise I made.