Breaker's Point Bad Boy Billionaires Boxset (15 page)

S
tuart lay
in the dark and waited until Ellie’s breathing had settled down.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered to him, making him shift against her.

“You have nothing to be sorry about, Ellie. What happened between us…” He paused. “I’m the one who should be apologising.”

Ellie pushed herself up on her elbow and stared down at him. Stuart couldn’t resist reaching up to her and brushing her hair back from her face. She looked stunning and Stuart fought the urge to kiss her.

“What happened between us was amazing… Well, it was amazing for me. What you’ve given me is something to hold onto, a little piece of happiness in all the grief.”

Reaching out, Stuart couldn’t resist brushing his fingers down across her cheek. Ellie moved into his touch, her eyes closing as he cupped her face.

“I just don’t want you to wake up and decide it was a mistake, that I took advantage of you.”

“You didn’t. I wanted this, Stuart. I want you…”

He leaned into her, covering her lips with his, finally giving in to the urge to kiss her. Ellie gave herself over to his touch, to the comfort he offered in his arms.

L
eaving
her in the morning was one of the hardest things Stuart ever found himself having to do. It didn’t feel right and yet he knew it was important, particularly if he was going to catch Ricky before Grey did.

Stuart climbed from the car outside Riley’s house and bounced up the steps to the front door. If he was really lucky then Ricky had returned to the house the moment he left the hospital but Stuart had a sinking feeling that that wouldn’t be the case.

“Where did you disappear to last night?”

Riley poked his head out of the office, his gaze raking down over the crumpled suit Stuart wore, a smile spread across his face.

“I had some business to attend to.”

Riley nodded and smiled again.

“Ashcroft called looking for you, said he tried your cell but there was no answer.”

Stuart’s mouth instantly went dry.

“Did he say what he was calling about?”

Riley shrugged. “Do I look like your P.A.? Something about having a job for you…”

Pulling his cell from his pocket, Stuart stared down at the missed calls on the screen. It had to be important for David to ring Riley.

“Don’t get dragged back in, Stu. She’s married…”

Riley’s words instantly had Stuart bristling.

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

“It means whatever you’ve found here stands a much better chance of meaning something. I know you care for this Carrie, but she doesn’t want you.”

“You have no idea what anyone thinks, Riley. You should stop talking now…”

Stuart’s voice lowered dangerously as he stared down his brother.

He watched as Riley simply shook his head and disappeared back into his office. Stuart stared down at his phone and pressed the call button. An image of Carrie filled his mind, her smiling face… What if she was in trouble?

Carrie’s face was suddenly replaced with Ellie’s face. The look on her face as he had buried himself inside her, the smiles she had shared with him… The intimacy they had created.

Ellie pushed Carrie from his mind. She was everything he wanted. For so long he’d been under the impression that Carrie was the woman he loved but all he’d done was use her as an excuse. Caring for Carrie and knowing she was happily married meant he didn’t have to really put his heart on the line.

However, caring for Ellie was something else altogether. Stuart practically dropped the phone as David’s voice came over the line.

“Stuart, I’ve been trying to catch you.”

“I know, Riley told me. Is there something wrong?”

“Look, I know you and I didn’t always see eye to eye on everything and I know you cared for Carrie but I’m willing to put all that aside. With the announcement of the pregnancy the media has worked themselves up into a frenzy…”

“I’d heard,” Stuart said, knowing where the conversation was going.

“I know you’ll protect her no matter what. The way you care about her is an asset in a situation like this.”

“David, I can’t, I’ve got too much going on here…”

“How can you? You’re not even that long gone. Stuart, think about this—what could be more important than Carrie’s safety?”

Stuart paused. Of course he wanted Carrie to be safe but that didn’t mean he would be the man to protect her. There was something more important now, something worth holding onto, something worth putting his heart on the line for.

“Look, David, you’ve got some great guys there, they’ll protect her. The only person she really needs is you. You can give her all the safety and protection she’ll ever need.”

“So I take it that’s a ‘no’ then?”

David’s voice was heavy with bitter sarcasm and for the first time Stuart could understand what it felt like to care for someone so deeply you would risk it all.

“It’s a no.”

There was a moment of silence and Stuart could imagine the look of rage on David’s face. The line went dead and Stuart took the phone from his ear and stared at the screen. The fact that David had hung up on him suddenly didn’t matter anymore. None of it did. The only thing that mattered was ensuring Ellie and those she cared about were safe.

Stuart shoved the cell phone back into his pocket and started for the stairs. If Ricky wasn’t here then Stuart didn’t know where to begin looking for him. But he was sure he could find out.

T
he room Ricky
had been staying in had been empty as Stuart had suspected it might be. There was only one place he could go now that might lead him to Ricky. One place where he might figure out what Grey was really up to and if he had Ricky then Stuart knew he was going to need leverage.

Stuart parked the car outside Grey’s town office and killed the engine.

He took the steps two at a time up to the glass front door and tried the handle but it was locked.

Stuart moved back down the steps and headed around the back of the building in the hopes of finding a door or a window still unlocked.

His cell phone buzzed in his pocket and Stuart scooped it out, staring down at the unfamiliar number before he answered the call.

Pressing the phone to his ear, he used the sleeve of his jumper down over his hand to try the back door.

“Stuart?”

Ricky’s voice was high and filled with tension.

“Ricky, where the hell are you?”

“I’ve just been wandering around all night. Can you come meet me in town?”

There was something about Ricky’s tone of voice that told him something wasn’t quite right but Stuart quickly dismissed it as paranoia. All that mattered was getting Ricky somewhere safe, and at least then he could go back to Ellie, who needed him.

“I’m already in town, come meet me around the back of Grey’s offices. You can help me.”

“Are you sure that’s wise, Stuart? What if someone sees me there?”

“There’s no one here, Ricky. You’ll be fine and I’ll get you back to Riley’s place before you know it.”

“OK, I’ll be right over.”

The phone line went dead and Stuart pushed the cell back into his pocket before trying the windows. The last window he tried slid open noiselessly, and glancing around at the windowless buildings that surrounded the office, Stuart climbed in over the ledge and dropped into the supply room.

He crept forward and pulled the door open. His eyes scanned across the desks covered with papers. He knew there had to be something worth finding that would help put the pieces of the Grey puzzle together.

Moving through the office, Stuart headed for what he assumed was the main office, the large desk and plush chair suggesting it might be an office away from home for Grey. The filing cabinets were stacked with papers and documents and Stuart began rifling through them.

The sound of a door swinging open instantly had him alert. He crept forward and peered out through the gap in the door, his gaze sweeping the main floor area.

Shit.

Stuart muttered beneath his breath as he spotted the cops moving through the room, guns drawn. He switched his gaze to the room he stood in; there were no windows, no doors except for the one he had entered through, and seemingly no way out.

Stuart sighed and closed the filing cabinet before moving towards the door.

“Don’t shoot, I’m not armed.”

It certainly wasn’t the first time he’d been caught somewhere he shouldn’t have been and because of Riley, the cops had a tendency to brush things off. In this instance all he could hope was that they were feeling merciful.

He stepped out through the door, his eyes instantly meeting the gaze of the cop standing in front of him.

“Hey, where’s the other guy?”

A sound directly behind him had Stuart turning as the second cop moved up behind him and brought the butt of his gun down on the back of Stuart’s neck.

He had a second to realise before he was swallowed into darkness that whatever else the cops had planned, mercy wasn’t on the agenda.

E
llie sat
in a corner booth near the back of the diner. Without Stuart in the house with her the place had seemed utterly empty and she couldn’t bring herself to spend any time there.

Staring down at the blank page in front of her, Ellie wondered how she was supposed to decide on anything. Tony, the diner owner, had come through for her and promised that he would arrange all of the food they might need for after the service. And as soon as she had called the funeral director he had promised everything for the service would be arranged.

And yet, it still felt like there was so much to do, so much to plan. Or at least in Ellie’s mind, it felt as though there should have been more. How could her mother’s life be boiled down to so little?

She jumped as her phone sitting on the table beside her began to ring, Ricky’s number flashing across the screen. Part of her wasn’t sure if she should answer the call—the things he had accused her of had been unfair and cruel.

Ellie sighed and lifted the cell phone to her ear.

“What is it, Ricky?”

The sound of loud music and raucous laughter had Ellie holding the phone away from her face. Ricky’s voice slowly filtered down the line, his words slurring together.

“Ellie, I’ve done something terrible…”

Ellie felt her blood turn to ice and her stomach seemed to drop into her shoes.

“What do you mean, you’ve done something terrible? Where are you?”

“I’m in that little bar just outside of town. Grey left me here.”

The blood started to pound in Ellie’s ears and her heart hammered in her chest making it difficult to understand what Ricky was saying.

“What? How did Grey get to you? Are you alright?”

“Ellie, I’ve done a terrible thing and now I don’t know how to stop him.”

Ricky’s voice trailed off into a garbled mess, making him impossible to understand.

“Ricky, what did you do? Tell me!”

“I set Stuart up…”

Ricky’s words sent Ellie’s world careening into a tail-spin.

“You wouldn’t, Ricky, that doesn’t make any sense… Why?”

“He said I could have Melanie back if I just told him where Stuart was.”

“Ricky, tell me you didn’t say anything. Tell me you told Grey to go to hell and he left you out at that bar to teach you a lesson?”

Ricky didn’t answer and Ellie felt the panic rising within her. What the hell would Grey want with Stuart? And if he had been set up how would Grey have gotten the jump on him?

“Ricky, I need you to tell me exactly what happened. Is Stuart alright?”

“I don’t think so… Grey left me here when he got the phone call telling him they had picked Stuart up. He left me out here when he showed me where he’d dumped Melanie’s body…”

Ricky’s statement shocked Ellie to the core. She’d known Grey was a dangerous man, she’d suspected him of killing her father. Ricky had suspected and told them that he thought Melanie might be dead at Grey’s hand. And yet still he had the ability to shock her to her very core.

“She’s really dead, Ellie. She’s really gone.”

“So you thought it was a good idea to give Stuart to Grey? What kind of a man are you, Ricky? When did you stop caring about what happened to other people? Stuart was looking out for you.”

Sobbing met Ellie’s ears through the sound of loud music. She could practically imagine her brother leaning against the bar, a stack of empty glasses surrounding him as he slurred down the phone to her.

“It was a mistake, Ellie, a stupid mistake that’s all.”

“If anything happens to him, Ricky, I’ll never forgive you for this.”

She ended the call and slammed the phone down on the table. Some of the other evening customers shot her curious looks as she buried her face in her hands. What was she supposed to do? There had to be some way she could help Stuart, some way to halt Grey in his tracks.

Ellie pushed up and away from the table. There was one person she knew would care what happened to Stuart and Ellie had to tell him. Perhaps between them there would be a way to get Stuart back before Grey did something drastic.

“
M
iss Blair
, what can I help you with?”

Riley’s voice drew her out of her thoughts. She stared around the house in wonderment, her eyes desperately trying to take everything in.

Stuart’s older brother smiled kindly at her and Ellie could see that he shared his brother’s same deep brown eyes.

“It’s Stuart.”

Riley smiled knowingly.

“What’s he done now? Was there something he owed you perhaps?”

Ellie shook her head in frustration.

“No, God, no, it’s nothing like that. Stuart is in trouble.”

Riley’s expression suddenly changed and turned serious. He gestured for her to move with him into the office off the hall and Ellie followed him. A woman sat on the couch, her blonde hair swept back and away from her face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you had company and normally I’d say I could come back but today it’s really important.”

“It’s quite all right, Ellie. I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Miss Holly McCombe.”

The woman sitting on the couch smiled up at Ellie and stood, her dress nipping her in at the waist and giving her already-impressive curves the balance that only designer clothing could. Ellie couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. If she could afford expensive tailoring then maybe she, too, would look halfway presentable.

“Nice to meet you, Holly. I’m Eleanor Blair.”

Holly’s face turned a little pale beneath the golden tan she had and before Ellie knew it, Holly had pulled her into a hug.

“I’m so sorry for the things Grey has done to you and your family.”

Ellie pulled away, a stunned look on her face.

“How do you know about Grey and what he’s done to my family?”

Holly’s face twisted and a look of sadness filled her eyes.

“Let’s just say yours was not the first life that Grey Mattheson has tried to destroy. He needs to be stopped and the people who support him…”

Holly shuddered and looked away but not before Ellie had seen the look of horror that passed behind her pale grey eyes.

“I’ve been filling Holly in on what has been happening, with Stuart and Grey.”

Ellie turned her attention back to Riley.

“Grey has taken him. He has Stuart and I think he’s in real danger.”

“What do you mean he’s taken him? A man like Grey wouldn’t get the upper hand with Stuart.”

Ellie dropped her gaze to the floor and swallowed hard.

“He didn’t need to get the upper hand with him. Stuart was set up.”

“By who?”

Riley’s voice had dropped low and when Ellie looked up at him the look of anger that filled his eyes made her take a step back.

She knew that if she told him who had endangered Stuart that Riley would find a way to take revenge—Ellie could see the look in his eyes. And if she was honest she really couldn’t blame him. Whatever punishment he cooked up for Ricky would be everything he deserved and yet Ellie still found herself hesitating. In the end Ricky was still her brother and no matter what happened between them she still loved and cared for him.

“I just need to know where Grey might have taken him. I know you and Stuart shared secrets and if anyone was going to know where Grey might be hiding then I figure that’s going to be you.”

“Tell me who set Stuart up first.”

Ellie shook her head.

“If I tell you then you’re going to concentrate on taking your revenge and right now we need to be looking for Stuart. Tell me where Grey might have him.”

Riley stared at her, a long calculating hard look but Ellie stood firm. As far as she was concerned when all of this was over and done with if Riley still wanted her brother’s name she would give it to him. But not before Stuart was safe; he was the priority.

“You really care for him, don’t you?”

Riley’s question caught her completely off guard and without thinking about the answer Ellie nodded. It occurred to her then that she really did care for Stuart. She had feelings for him, real strong feelings, and it scared her more than she dared admit.

If she could have feelings for him so quickly then what did that say about her? What would Stuart say to her if she told him? Would he admit to feeling the same or would he simply look at her as one desperate and grieving idiot who fell for him too quickly?

“Tell me where he is.”

Riley nodded and pulled a map from a drawer in the desk.

“Grey bought an abandoned airfield up near Breaker’s Point.”

Ellie shot him a confused look.

“An airfield in town? There isn’t one.”

Riley shook his head and pointed to a spot on the map.

“It’s the original Breaker’s Point. It’s the spot the town is officially named after.”

“You mean Lacey’s Head. The place they decided my father must have jumped from… The place where Grey murdered him.”

Riley dropped his attention back to the map as though suddenly uncertain of how to make eye contact.

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

Ellie turned and started from the room, Riley’s voice halting her as she pulled open the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going up there to get Stuart. I won’t let Grey hurt him.”

Riley shook his head and reached for the phone.

“Ellie, we need to call the police and have them send a team in there.”

But Ellie wasn’t listening anymore. She ran from the room, almost skidding into the front door in her haste to get out. There was no way she was waiting for the police. If she did that it might be too late and she couldn’t take that risk. She’d lost far too much already and she wasn’t prepared to lose Stuart as well. Not when he meant so much to her.