Page 76 of Little Did You Know

My throat closed at the thought of saying goodbye. What was there to say to a corpse wearing my best friend's face? The Emmett I knew would have died before letting anyone touch his sister. But that Emmett had disappeared years ago, buried under casino chips and IOUs.

I was furious with Emmett, even on his deathbed.

He'd sold her to pay off his gambling debts.

He'd risked her life for his.

He was a selfish asshole.

The Emmett I knew, the one I was best friends with, was gone. He left a long time ago and was replaced with this monster.

If I hadn't made the choice I did, it would have been Olivia lying in that bed, and I would never have forgiven him for that.

Olivia wouldn't speak to me now. She refused to be in the same room as me, and I didn't blame her. I lied to her, just like Emmett did. I hid the truth, and it didn't matter that it was to protect her. She wasn't a child. She needed, no she deserved to know the truth. She deserved to know, and now it was too late. She wasn't going to listen to anything I had to say.

I owed her an apology for not telling her the truth, but I would never apologize for protecting her and deciding not to continue to risk her life for his, even if that's what she would have wanted.

So, when Anthony said it was my turn. I'd declined, but he insisted that I should say what I needed to, even if it wasn't what Emmett would want to hear.

So, I did. I told him exactly how I felt about what he did to Olivia, and the only decent thing he'd done for her was send her to me. I told him I would ensure she was taken care of now, even if she never spoke to me again.

"Nick," Anthony whispered, and my head snapped up. I sucked in a breath and held it waiting for him to say the words. "Emmett is gone." The air left my lungs in a rush, taking the last threads of hope with it.

I should have felt sad, and maybe a small part of me would mourn the friend I'd lost, but all I felt was relief that Olivia wouldn't have to live in fear for the rest of her life.

"Olivia?"

"She left." Anthony's fingers twisted around his wedding ring. "She wouldn't tell me where she was going and asked that you not look for her."

"Fuck that." I snatched my coat off the chair, the metal feet scraping against the linoleum. "Emmett may be gone, but I can't guarantee she's safe here yet. Especially with that girl showing up here."

Holding out a hand, he stopped me. "Walker has a team on her," he forced a smile. "She's okay."

I blew out another breath, sinking into the seat behind me, propping my elbows on my thighs, and letting my head fall into my hands.

"What do I do now?" My voice cracked. I dragged my hands down my face. "Do I go back to Florida and leave her here?" There was no way I could go back without her. It took all of this to realize I didn't want a life without her in it.

Anthony's hand settled on my shoulder. "We don't need to figure that out tonight. Tonight, you'll stay at my place, and I will worry about Olivia. She's angry with me, too, but she's at least speaking to me."

I nodded. "What about arrangements for Emmett?"

"She didn't stay long enough to discuss it with me."

"I'll handle them." I pushed out of the chair. "I'll see if I can get a plot next to her parents, and we'll have a small funeral if she wants it."

"Let her process that she lost him tonight," Anthony said. "We'll figure all of that out tomorrow. Walker sent a car to take you back to my place, and my wife is expecting you. I'm sure she prepared an entire feast for you. Eat and try to get some sleep. I promise Olivia will be okay."

I nodded and followed him out of the hospital.

I gripped the SUV's door handle, knuckles white. "If you talk to Olivia..." The words stuck in my throat. "Please tell her that I'm sorry." Anthony's silhouette blurred against the hospital lights.

"Hopefully, you can tell her yourself tomorrow."

Chapter Thirty-Six

The empty shot glass blurred in and out of focus as I traced its rim with my fingertip. The liquor should have scorched my throat, should have made my eyes water, but I might as well have been drinking water. Even the ache in my chest—the one that had been there since I'd heard about Emmett—had faded to a distant static.

Emmett was gone, and I didn't just lose him today; I also lost Nick. I was completely alone.

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