48. Emmett

Chapter 48

Emmett

“I wish I’d been there to see that jerk go over the side!” Jayce swatted my knee as the driver opened the limo door for us. We’d made the short ride from Monaco to Nice via helicopter, then taken a transfer to the airport and our company jet.

I couldn’t help but smile. In the moment, I hadn’t been thinking. But now? “It was supremely satisfying.”

Drew slid out first, and Jayce shimmied after him, practically bouncing out of the vehicle.

As Will exited, Rav’s glower caught my attention. “I can’t believe you and Scarlett hid the truth about Evelyn.”

I’d wanted to share with the team when we found out two months ago, but Scarlett had insisted. “I’m sorry. We?—”

“Told Drew, but not me?” Rav cut me off.

“We needed confirmation first.” Such a hollow excuse. I stepped out of the limo. A figure appeared at the jet’s door before I could turn to offer Jenn a hand. “Shit.”

“What?” Jenn asked, climbing out to stand next to me.

Jayce called out, “Hey, boss lady! What brings you to Nice?”

“We have a lot to talk about,” Scarlett called out before disappearing into the jet.

Jayce and Drew grabbed their bags, with Rav and Will following them. The group of four made their way to the jet while Jenn and I hung back.

I leaned closer to Jenn, trying not to focus on her bruised cheek and black eye, keeping my voice down. “You ready for this?”

“You think she knows?” Jenn asked, her eyes searching mine. “About us?”

This was my sister we were talking about. I retrieved our bags and took Jenn’s hand as we headed for the jet. A few of my brain cells suggested getting back into the limo and leaving. “Of course she does.”

Hell, I’d called Jenn ‘my woman’ on open comms last night, and Scarlett had heard it.

The rest of the team climbed the stairs, and Jenn followed, her shoulders tense. Once she was inside the entry, Scarlett met her with arms wide. Jenn stepped into the embrace, both of the women stiff and awkward.

I positioned myself next to them, not prepared to leave Jenn’s side. The space was cramped, although everyone else was taking their seats.

“There’s a private cabin at the back,” Scarlett whispered. “I was so worried about you, I—We need to talk, and I didn’t want to wait until you got home.”

Jenn pulled back from the hug but kept her hands on Scarlett’s arms. “Emmett explained a lot already.”

Scarlett’s gaze drifted to me. “He did, did he?”

I wasn’t interested in the argument, but said, “Jenn’s a smart woman. After everything she witnessed last night, I wasn’t about to tell her more lies. She’s in the loop now, and you’ll have to deal with it.”

Scarlett’s expression softened when she faced Jenn—a look my sister rarely revealed unless she was with her closest friends. “I was trying to protect you.”

“I understand.” Jenn’s smile was tense. “After last night, I really understand.”

The entry grew tighter as Malcolm wedged himself into our crowded space. “C’mon, sugar muffin. We need to brief the team. Jenn can wait in the VIP cabin until we’re done.”

“Yeah, about that…” I clasped the back of my neck. “I’ve explained a lot already.”

Scarlett and Malcolm’s gazes landed on me. Information about what our core team did was on a need-to-know basis. Even some of the Reynolds staff were in the dark.

“She’s loyal,” I said. “She won’t share anything with people she shouldn’t.”

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You slept with her, didn’t you?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Scarlett smacked my chest.

“I told you hands off!” she hissed.

Jenn put up a hand. “I’m a grown woman.”

“With a boyfriend!” Scarlett shot back.

“I broke up with Simon weeks ago,” Jenn countered.

The anger drained from Scarlett’s face, replaced by hurt. “You didn’t tell me?”

“He cheated on me,” Jenn admitted quietly.

“Why didn’t you…?”

Jenn sighed, her whole body deflating for a moment. “You knew he’d do something like that, and I didn’t want to hear it.”

“I wouldn’t have said anything like that,” Scarlett protested.

Few people stood up to Scarlett, but here was my woman, holding her ground. She was so strong—as if the events at the Casino and on the yacht hadn’t already proven that.

“You’ve kept so many secrets from me, Scar, but you never hid how you felt about the men I’ve dated. Maybe I should have listened, but…” Jenn turned to me, a gentle smile on her lips. “Maybe I had to kiss a lot of frogs on my way.”

Everything about Scarlett’s posture told me a lecture was forming.

Instead of letting her start, words tumbled out of my mouth, “And I’m in love with her.”

Stunned silence blanketed the jet.

Did I just say that?

“You’re what?” Jenn asked, a mix of surprise and something else—hopefulness?—tinging her words.

Wait. That strange feeling in my chest for the last few days? It was love. Real, deep, terrifying love. How long had I felt this way?

“You’re brilliant, talented, and caring,” I said, voicing all the things I’d never dared to admit. “Beautiful. You’ve always stood up for what you believe in.” I glanced at Scarlett before returning my focus to Jenn. “When we were kids, people teased us about our dad, but your friendship—your love—never wavered. How could anyone not love you?”

She raked her teeth across her bottom lip, conflict obvious in her eyes. She still had a long way to go in learning to trust me again, but I’d give her all the time she needed.

Scarlett’s attitude shifted again. It was a rare sight—my sister letting her emotions show. Normally, she was guarded, clenching her toes inside her shoes to help hide every emotion. But today? Her eyes darted between Jenn and me. “If you hurt her?—”

“I’ll break his knees for you.” Malcolm cleared his throat and took Scarlett’s hand. “But we need to sit if we’re ever going to leave.”

Scarlett blinked, no more words coming, and let Malcolm tow her into the forward cabin.

“Did you mean all that?” Jenn whispered.

I took her hand, placing it over my heart. “I promised to be honest, right?”

She nodded. “I love?—”

I pressed a finger against her lips. As wonderful as hearing the words back would have been, they didn’t matter. “I don’t need to hear it just because I said it.”

She moved my finger away, her touch gentle but firm. “But I do .”

For a moment, I considered whisking her into the VIP cabin. Having her all to myself behind a locked door was tempting. Instead, I leaned in and kissed her, soft and slow, savoring the moment. But more importantly, not hiding anything from Scarlett or the rest of my friends.

Jenn loved me.

And I loved her.

Malcolm’s voice, louder than necessary, broke our bubble. “Remember how I said we need to sit if we’re ever going to leave?”

I pulled back from Jenn, unable to keep the smile off my face. This strange feeling in my chest, this love, was overwhelming in the best way possible.

And Jenn? She was radiant again.

I led her to the leather divan in the mid-cabin, across from the television. Rav, Will, Jayce, and Drew had taken seats in the aft cabin. Our flight attendant, Patricia, bustled through, checking on everyone before ducking into the cockpit.

Scarlett let out a long breath as she and Malcolm swiveled their chairs to face the rest of us. “All right, here’s the latest I’m sure everyone’s curious about. First, we’re not heading to Cairo.”

“What?” whined Jayce from the back.

“I’m dispatching a courier with the scarab when we land in London. So we’re dropping Will off, then flying home. We’ve got more important things going on than a courtesy delivery, like a team that doesn’t listen. I said to leave the disc alone, and next time, I expect you to make better choices.”

“I was point on this job.” I straightened in my seat as the plane taxied. “That means?—”

“Honestly, Em, you can save the martyr shit. It was reckless. You, Jayce, and Drew could have stopped it before things spiraled out of control, but none of you did. The team’s safety always comes first.” Scarlett’s eyebrow quirked in the way that meant I wasn’t to cross her.

But I was an adult, not a child—not the spontaneous guy who got by on his charm and good looks. And not even the guy who froze when he heard Enzo’s voice anymore. When I’d sped out onto the dock last night, seeing the boat leave, seeing Enzo, my knees had gone weak.

But when I’d seen Jenn on the yacht, everything changed.

You didn’t even think about your poker chip. Just thought about getting her to safety.

“Scarlett,” I drawled. “I’m not trying to be a martyr here. It was my op—my call—not yours. Jayce and Drew did exactly what I told them, so I’m the only one who failed last night. It was the wrong decision, and I’ll admit it.”

Jenn placed a hand on my thigh and squeezed.

Honesty. That’s what Jenn had asked from me, and that’s what I’d give her. “We can discuss it further at our debrief, but rehashing things right now won’t accomplish anything.”

Scarlett frowned at me, a cover for how much she was seething inside.

“It gained us an ally, though,” said Rav, changing the subject before Scarlett or I could start an all-out fight. “I spoke with Dante at length last night, after everyone else left the waterfront. He’s contacting his brother with the Carabinieri in preparation for the yacht’s arrival in Naples. He’ll hand over information about fraud, tax evasion, and several other crimes. If no one else, Massimo will go to prison.”

I hummed aloud. “And Noah gets what he wants.”

“Yet again,” muttered Rav.

What Noah actually wanted was Scarlett. That, and to teach his team a lesson.

The bastard had played us one more time.

“And finally…” Scarlett took a long look at Malcolm, who smiled at her as though giving her the strength to continue. “Mum was monitoring the op from her office yesterday. After Jenn shared Enzo’s bombshell, I went to talk to her. She was already gone.”

I stretched an arm along the back of the divan. “And let me guess, you haven’t been able to get in touch?”

Scarlett nodded, her expression grim. “I expected her to deny the MI6 part, but I wouldn’t have accepted that, given the intel Drew has. And no, she hasn’t answered my calls or texts. Brie checked Mum’s place after I left, and she wasn’t there, either. I don’t know where that leaves us.”

“Is Brie tracking her?” Rav asked.

Scarlett shook her head. “Evelyn’s not a target. My guess is she’s either regrouping, dealing with the emotional fallout of her secrets coming to light…” She paused, scanning the team. “Or she’s planning.”

The thought of our mother ‘planning’ in secret made me uneasy. It couldn’t be good.

Jenn voiced the question I suspected everyone had. “What do you mean by planning?”

Scarlett’s gaze shifted to Jenn, my sister’s calm exterior masking the turmoil beneath. “Fenix has gotten the better of us several times this year. Nothing we couldn’t recover from, but I suspect she’s done turning the other cheek.”

I was surprised it had taken this long. “And Dad…?”

How many questions could that lead to? Was our mother aware he’d been framed? Did she fight it? Had she covered it up? Had the Russians gone after her?

Hell, had the Canadian and British governments gone after her?

“I don’t know if she knew or not.” Scarlett’s expression tightened. “Until we talk to her, I’ve asked Brie to—respectfully—not dig any further.”

So where was our mother?