Page 53 of Ours to Keep

“No, it wasn’t, but you make things a little lighter. You give me an inner sense of peace,” I reply gently. “I want to be that for you too.Even when I struggle to show it or give you everything you need, I need you to know I’m trying.”

I cup her cheek and wipe away a straytear, not one from pity but frommutual understanding.

Chapter Twenty-Five

ELLIOT

The ride down in the lift is almost suffocating. The weight of the dark web discovery has shifted everything, and that newfound knowledge and what this could mean sits heavily on our shoulders. River’s knuckles are white as he grips the handrail, and Jax’s jaw is set in a tight line.

As the doors slide open, we all file out and return the way we came. The dimly lit car park greets us, the echo of our footsteps urgent as we approach the car.

“We need to get to France,” Jax mutters, his voice cutting through the tension as he reaches for the driver’s door. “We need to be smart. We can’t afford a single mistake, especially now.”

River nods, his eyes dark and focused. “Agreed.”

I climb into the front passenger seat and pull out my laptop before dumping the bag in the footwell. The screen lights up, casting a faint glow. “I’m already running a trace on this client list, and we’ll make sure we’re one step ahead of the ones after Richard.”

“Good,”Jax says, reversing out of the parking bay. “We also need to make sure that George doesn’t try to warn Richard. He’s a weasel and a liability.”

River speaks up from the back seat. “I could have taken care of him.”

“Not necessary, Riv. I already have atrace on George, if he tries to, I can easilyintercept it.”

River cracks his knuckles. I get it, he’s out for blood and he’ll take it wherever he can find it.

The rest of the car ride is thick with unsaid words and unresolved anger. My fingers furiously fly over the keyboard. Jax pulls into our underground car park as I glance back at River who is still fuming, his fists clenching and unclenching. I reach over the console and grip his knee, making a small attempt at keeping him grounded and letting him know I’m here and we’re in this together.

Without a word, we all head back to mine where I have my home office and my computers set up. But once inside, the atmosphere is no less tense. Jax paces the room, his hand running through his hair in frustration. River sits on the sofa, his leg bouncing with pent-up energy as I connect the hard drive to my computer.

“There’s nothing either of you can do while I run all these traces. Why don’t you two go and spar or something?”

Thankfully, they concede, giving me the alone time I need as I begin running the decryption process.

When they return, the progress bar is slowly creeping towards completion. I glance up. River and Jax have showered, but their faces have seen better days, littered with fresh bruises and a cut or two. I’m sure it was worth it as long as ithelped take the edge off and they’ve relievedsome tension.

“Feel better?”I ask, my attention going to River. He doesn’tanswer, just rounds on me, his handreaching out for my throat, leaning in for a deep, searing kiss. It’s something he’s more inclined to do now that we’re out in the open, but it’s also more than that. Without Lily around, he needs the physicalconnection now more than ever. Lily became so much to us in such a short amount of time.

He releases me, his eyes no longer as haunted as before.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

From somewhere behind me, Jax grunts in response, “If you’re expecting a kiss from me, too, you can fuck off.”

The comment makes River laugh, a sound I’ve missed, and it has us all smiling. But analert from my computer shifts my focus, letting us know the decryption is complete.

“About fucking time.”I open the first folder, and my eyes scan the list of files. I feel Jax and River at my back as I open them. There are names, dates and transaction summaries, as well as detailed ledgers of Richard’s shadyas fuck operations. But it’s the video files that catch my eye. I click on one, my stomach turning as the screen fills with vividclarity—a room, not just any room. Lily’s room, a second later she appears wrapped in a towel.

“Fucking wanker,” Jax curses.

I close the video, unable to watch anymore. Knowing she’s been violated like that and for fuck knows how long is hard enough, but seeing it makes my blood boil.

“George was right,”River says. “Richard was selling these feeds and live streaming them but failed to deliver the last one. He wasn’t just skipping the country because of what he did to Lily—he’s running from them, too.”

Jax’s eyes narrow. “So we use it to our advantage. When we find Richard, we use it againsthim to get Mia back, then take him down.”

River nods, his jaw set in determination. “No matter what it takes, we get Mia safe.”

She’s Lily’s family, which means she’s our family—this is personal.

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