Page 83 of Wilde and Deadly

He studied her face, searching for any sign of doubt. But all he saw was fierce determination. He knew that look well—it was the same one she’d worn every time she’d slipped away from him these last few weeks. If he didn’t tread carefully here, she was going to run again.

“All right,” he said, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “We’ll operate under that assumption for now. But we need to be prepared for any possibility. If she’s involved?—”

Rowan’s eyes flashed with anger. “She’s not.”

Sabin cleared his throat. “We were talking aboutmysister. How do you plan to protecther?”

Davey rubbed at the tension in his temples. “I’ll assign her protection until this is over. Or,” he added when Sabin just scowled at the suggestion, “have her visit your parents. Frost isn’t going all the way to Louisiana for someone who knows nothing about our operations. Plus, your dad is one of the deadliest guys I’ve ever met.”

“He’s retired.”

“What, so he won’t keep his daughter safe?”

Sabin’s scowl deepened, but after a stubborn moment, he nodded. “Mais, yeah. I’ll talk to her about going to New Orleans for a few days.”

“Good,” Davey said, turning his attention to the rest of the team. “Now, we need to focus on our next move. Without Elliot?—”

“How is Elliot?”

The question landed like a punch and rocked him back on his heels. He glanced around, taking in the tight expressions, the worry etched into every face. But it was Brody’s that he settled on since he asked the question.

“He’s okay. He’s awake and breathing on his own.”

“And surly as hell,” Dom added.

“If anyone has a right to be grumpy tonight, it’s him,” Sullivan muttered.

Brody exhaled a shaky breath and dropped his head into his hands. His shoulders curled inward, hands clasped together like he was bracing for impact. “I’m just so fucking glad he’s alive. I don’t know what I would’ve done—” His voice cracked.

Sullivan, ever the steady one, put a comforting hand on his twin’s shoulder. “We tried to get in to see him, but the hospital wouldn’t let us.”

Brody and Elliot had been through the shit together in the military. They’d always had each other’s six, no matter how bad things got. And judging by the slump of Brody’s shoulders, he was drowning in the same guilt Davey felt.

Davey rubbed a hand over his jaw, suddenly exhausted. “Shit, man, I’m sorry about that. I told the hospital nobody but family until we can figure out where the threat’s coming from.”

Brody’s head snapped up, and just like that, the raw grief was gone. In its place was cold fury. “And what if the threat’s coming from the family?”

Davey’s denial was instant. “No.”

But even as it left his tongue, he knew it might not be true. He shot a look at Liam. His cousin stared back, his stern face even more grim than usual. Of Uncle Greer’s two sons, Liam looked the most like his father, and the similarities had a knot of dread tightening in Davey’s gut. He respected Greer more than any other man alive, and Greer had trusted him with this company, this family. They all had—his uncles, his dad. They believed in him.

“Something’s happened to our family over the last few years. We’re splintering, and that’s a problem because we Wildes work better as a team.”

That was what Dad had said to him after they signed the company over at Christmas.

“Greer has faith in you, but I know you. You’re worried you’re not good enough and will let everyone down. You’re terrified of failing, which is how I know you won’t fail. I know you’re the only man for this job, and you will not rest until you’ve solved all of the family’s problems.”

But he’d only been in charge for a little over a week, and look what happened. Maybe their belief in him had been misplaced.

“No,” he finally said with more certainty. “It’s not someone in the family.”

“We have to consider all possibilities,” Liam said quietly. “We know Cade wanted the company, and he was pissed when they gave it to you.”

But, still, it didn’t fit the Cade he used to know, the one he’d once seen as not only a cousin but his best friend. Was Cade really so different now? And would he risk going to prison, leaving his baby daughter an orphan, just to get his hands on the company?

Davey shook his head. “Cade’s ambitions don’t make him a murderer. We’ve had our differences, sure, but killing for power? And with poison? That’s not his style.”

Dom winced. “Normally, I’d agree, but I keep thinking about what Elliot said at Christmas. Cade doesn’tget overthings. He gets revenge.”

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