Breaker's Point Bad Boy Billionaires Boxset (8 page)

“I’ve always cared. Every time something happened I was always the one there to help you, to bail you out.”

“So what changed last night then, Ellie? Because you made yourself perfectly clear that I shouldn’t bother to rely on you.”

“How can you say that? You tell me you’re caught up with Grey, after everything he’s done to this family and I’m not allowed to have a moment to be upset? You knew what Grey was like, you knew how dangerous he was…”

“I thought he had done the same thing to Melanie that he’d done to you…”

Ellie stumbled back from her brother, an icy feeling filling her chest, choking the air from her lungs.

“Why would you think that?”

The words left her in a rush of breath as her heart raced in her chest.

“She told me about what he’d done to her, the way he’d tried to…”

Ellie cut Ricky off, clamping her hands over her ears. She had her own nightmares to contend with, the last thing she wanted to hear about was the things Grey had done to some other naive fool.

“Ellie, she’s gone. She stole something important from Grey and now she’s gone, disappeared…”

Ellie slowly let her hands drop from her face but she couldn’t form the words to ask Ricky what he meant by disappeared.

“When you say disappeared, what exactly do you mean?”

Stuart, who had remained silent during the entire conversation, finally interjected, his voice making Ellie’s heart skitter in her chest in a way that had nothing to do with her fear of Grey.

“She’s gone. I tried to find her after I saw Ellie last night. I was going to confront her about landing me in it with Grey… There was a place we’d agreed to meet but when I got there…”

Ricky broke off and dropped his face into his hands.

“I’ve been such a fool, Ellie. I thought she was playing me but now I know she wasn’t.”

“How do you know, Ricky?” Stuart pressed, his voice low and filled with authority. It was the type of tone that if he were asking her the questions she’d have gladly given up every secret she’d ever had.

“When Grey’s men picked me up, they knocked me out while they were transporting me but I came round right before we got there. I was looking for something to help get me out, you know like maybe I could find a weapon or something but instead I found…”

He choked off and Ellie could see the horror reflected in his eyes. She wanted to say enough was enough, she wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to say it aloud, that they’d heard enough.

But Stuart wasn’t done.

“What did you find, Ricky?”

“I found her earring! There was all this sticky stuff and hair, except I didn’t know it was hair at the time until they opened the trunk and I could see. When they did I could see it all, it was all over my hands because I’d been scrambling around looking for a weapon. As they pulled me out something bit into my hand and when I looked down there was a tooth…”

He raised his hand, the small puncture on his palm giving credence to his story.

“She’s dead. I know she is and now they want to kill me too…”

“We need to get you out of here. Everyone in the diner watched you come in and it won’t take long for word to get back to Grey.”

“But how? I mean where can he go? There’s no money…”

The helplessness of the situation closed in around Ellie and she struggled to breathe.

“It’s fine, I know somewhere. Can you walk?” Stuart leaned down, holding his hand out to Ricky.

“I appreciate it and everything, man, but I don’t even know who you are. How do I know you’re not just going to send me back there?”

Stuart shrugged. “You don’t know but what other choice do you have? If you stay here, Grey will come for you.”

“Ricky, go with him, he’ll keep you safe.”

“How do you know? Who is he?”

Ellie shook her head and stared up into Stuart’s dark eyes.

“If you hurt him I will hunt you down and make you pay.”

She levelled her gaze at Stuart putting every ounce of authority behind her voice. Despite who he worked for, despite what should have been common sense telling her she was mad, she trusted him.

She couldn’t explain it but there was something about Stuart that told her he could be trusted. Of course it didn’t make any sense, and if she had to explain it to anyone they would tell her she was mad.

And maybe they’d be right but it didn’t change the fact that Ellie felt she could trust him, more than anyone else in her life.

“I’ll keep him safe, I promise.”

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Ricky piped up.

“No, you don’t. This family has been torn apart enough by Grey Mattheson. I’m not going to let him get you too.” Ellie turned on her brother, placing her hands on her hips as she spoke. It was all true. Mattheson had taken enough from them all. It was time it came to a stop.

“I can walk,” Ricky said, addressing Stuart’s earlier question.

Ellie watched as he struggled to push up and off the bench he sat on, beads of sweat breaking out across his forehead.

Stuart held his hand out and Ricky finally, reluctantly, took it, letting Stuart pull him up onto his feet.

“Please keep him safe,” Ellie urged as she followed their staggering progress out to the back of the diner.

“I will,” Stuart said over his shoulder, a smile curling his lips in a way that made a dimple appear in his cheek. Ellie wanted to reach out to him, to brush her fingers against the small indentation. But instead she knotted her hands into her apron and watched them both leave.

S
tuart pulled
the car door open and helped Ricky into the front seat. From the moment he had left the diner the feeling of someone watching him had grown stronger and he couldn’t help but wonder if the drive would be an uneventful one.

Sliding across the bonnet he tugged the driver’s door open and hopped in behind the wheel, his movements fluid as he pushed the key into the ignition and gunned the engine. The old Ford Mustang roared to life and tore out of the parking space, kicking up dirt and gravel as the wheels spun searching for purchase.

The moment the tyres caught, the car surged forward taking them out and away from the town.

“I really appreciate you doing this but if you want to just drop me at the first gas station outside town, I can find my own way. I’ll never tell Ellie.”

Stuart cast a sideways glance at Ricky as he struggled to settle the seatbelt across what he assumed were broken ribs.

“You might not tell her, but I’d know, and anyway, I’m not taking you out of town.”

Stuart spun the wheel, taking the car up onto the Cliff Road and out towards the large mansions that overlooked the sea.

“You work for him, don’t you?”

Ricky’s tone was one of resignation.

“Do I really look like one of those goons?” Stuart said, not sure if he should feel offended or not. After all this was the second time he had been accused of working for Grey. Granted, this time it was true, but there was no way people were guessing based on the way he looked. As far as Stuart was concerned there was no way he was similar to Wilson.

“It’s not so much how you look, more that you have this air about you…”

Stuart kept his gaze trained on the road.

“What does that mean? And no, I’m not taking you to Grey, so you can relax and put the blade back in your pocket.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Ricky pulled the knife all the way out of his pocket and held it gripped tightly in his bruised hand.

Stuart shrugged and kept the car moving in the direction he wanted.

“Turn the car around and take me out of town or I…”

Stuart cut him off with a laugh.

“Or you’ll what, Ricky? You’ll stab me, and I’ll send the car careening over the edge of the cliffs? You’re not that stupid.”

“I won’t go back to him, I won’t give him the satisfaction of finishing the job. I’d rather go on my own terms.”

“I told you, I’m not taking you back to Grey. I am, however, taking you to the one place in this godforsaken town where you’ll be safe.”

“And where is that?”

Ricky’s voice was heavy with sarcasm as he stared out at the high iron gates and tree lined avenues they whipped past.

“My brother lives out here. Riley Reynolds. I’m going to take you to his place. Nobody is getting in there, you’ll be safe and I’ll have kept my promise to your sister.”

The road grew steeper, the twists and turns more pronounced with each house they passed.

“You’re a Reynolds?”

Ricky sounded genuinely surprised.

“Yeah, I’m probably what you’d call the black sheep of the family. I never really fit in with the whole money side of things.”

Silence greeted Stuart’s answer and he concentrated on the road ahead. He checked the rear-view mirror, keeping track of the car that had followed them at a distance since they had left the town.

It hadn’t tried to close the distance between them but that didn’t make Stuart feel any better about it. The moment he pulled into Riley’s drive he felt relief. At least he’d been able to keep his promise thus far.

Pulling the car to a halt, Stuart killed the engine and turned to face Ricky.

“I can’t let you in there with the knife.”

Ricky didn’t answer him straight away. He simply stared out the window and up at the house.

“I don’t understand why you’re doing this?”

Stuart shrugged and stared down at his hands. What could he say? As far as he could tell there didn’t seem to be an answer for that question, or at least not an answer that didn’t sound utterly crazy.

“I’m not sure why I’m doing it either, I just know that I want to help your sister.”

“You like her, don’t you?”

Ricky’s question took Stuart by surprise and for a moment he had no idea what to say. It would be easy to say yes and it certainly wouldn’t be a lie but it was more than that. There was something about Ellie that made him want to be better. He barely knew her and yet he wanted to be around her, spend time with her, make her smile… It was a smile that could melt the heart of the hardest of men.

“Yeah, I like her but there’s more to it than that…”

Ricky shook his head and winced as he lifted his hand to push it back through his hair.

“I know how that feels. It was the same for me with Melanie. There was something about her that made me want to never leave her side. The way she made me feel…”

He trailed off and Stuart could see a pain in his eyes that had nothing to do with his physical injuries.

“I want to kill him for what he’s done.”

Stuart reached out, placing his hand on the other man’s shoulder.

“He’s not worth losing your life over. You know you’d never succeed and he’d win.”

Ricky nodded and cleared his throat.

“I haven’t been a real brother to Ellie in a long time, too long. There was a time when we were really close and I’m not sure what happened… I guess the death of our father and the stroke our mom had kinda sent me running for the hills…”

He paused and Stuart kept silent. He had a feeling it was something Ricky needed to get off his chest, something he needed to do and Stuart wasn’t going to interrupt.

“If you hurt her, I’ll make you pay.”

“I won’t. The last thing I want is to hurt Ellie.”

“Just keep it in mind, she’s been through enough.”

Ricky’s statement made Stuart want to probe him further. He’d heard what had been said back at the diner. There was obviously a lot more between Ellie and Grey than she was willing to admit. Something had happened between them and Stuart had the distinct impression it wasn’t good.

Ricky let the knife drop from his hand and Stuart watched as he pushed the car door open, pain etched into his features.

T
he front door
was flung open before Stuart even had a chance to make it up the front steps.

Riley stood in the open doorway a sour look on his face.

“I thought the idea was to get Grey on your side, make friends with him? Last I checked making friends didn’t mean breaking bones.”

“Last I checked, I didn’t need my older brother checking up on me.”

Stuart’s temper instantly flared. It had been a long time since he’d felt the need to be answerable to any member of his family. When he’d moved away all of that had changed and his business had been his own. It seemed moving back here made Riley think he could have an opinion once again.

“So you are working for Grey?” Ricky chimed in and Stuart turned around to see him hesitating on the bottom step.

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Stuart snapped.

“Not from where I’m standing,” Ricky said, throwing his hands in the air. “I’m outta here. I know Ellie sees something in you but if you’re working for Grey then I’m not willing to take the chance.”

“Who the hell is that?” Riley demanded and Stuart suddenly had the overwhelming urge to jump back in the car and drive away. It’d serve them all right to make them sort out their own messes.

Ellie’s face instantly popped into his mind and Stuart sighed. There was no way he’d do it, no matter how badly he wanted to.

“I’m going to walk back into town, hitch a ride out of here.”

Stuart stormed back down the steps and stood in front of Ricky.

“I told your sister I’d get you somewhere safe and that’s exactly what I’ve done. Now unfortunately if I tell her I brought you up here then you walked back out I’m not sure she’ll believe me, which will lead to all sorts of complications. But if you want to leave by all means do, a car tailed us up here and my guess is it’s one of Grey’s men.”

Stuart folded his arms across his chest and stared Ricky down.

“As for you.” Stuart turned on his brother, a small sliver of pleasure slicing through him as Riley looked at him with surprise.

“You need to butt out of my business. I told you I’d work on Grey, and I meant it, but I don’t need you telling me how to do what I know how to do best.”

Riley’s eyes narrowed and Stuart expected his brother to launch into a tirade.

“Fine, I won’t interfere. But who is that?”

Stuart swallowed his surprise and gestured for Ricky to move up the steps.

“This is Ricky, Ricky Blair. Grey wants him dead so I thought a good place for him to hole-up would be here.”

Riley didn’t say anything, which only surprised Stuart further. He moved in from the door and disappeared down the hall.

“I don’t think your brother is too thrilled I’m here,” Ricky offered as he hobbled up the steps. He stumbled at the top and the only thing that kept him upright was Stuart’s strong hand.

“He’ll survive. This will be good for him. He’s never had to get his hands dirty before. This is a good lesson in how the world actually works.”

Ricky laughed and then cut off, his expression turning pained.

“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll get Riley to get his doctor to come up and see you.”

Ricky shook his head, his gaze trained on something in the living room. Stuart followed his line of sight and knew he had homed in on the extensive drinks cabinet Riley had.

“I’ll be fine, I just need something to numb the pain.”

Stuart shook his head.

“Sorry, no can do. I won’t be explaining to Ellie that her brother died of internal bleeding all because I wasn’t a little more forceful about the doctor paying you a visit.”

Ricky hesitated for a moment and then smiled.

“She’d kill you, even though she’d guess it was my fault.”

Stuart laughed. “Death at the hands of your sister doesn’t sound that terrible.”

Ricky grimaced. “You’d be surprised, she’s resourceful, she’d make it hurt.”

Laughing, Stuart left Ricky to settle in as he followed Riley down the hall and into the spacious kitchen.

Riley stood in front of the coffee machine that had so confounded Stuart that morning and when he turned around he held in his hand a perfectly frothed cup of rich-smelling coffee.

“I don’t suppose you made me one?” Stuart said, knowing full well his brother hadn’t.

Riley shook his head and sipped from the small cup delicately.

“Is there a reason you thought it would be a good idea to bring Ricky here? He looks as though he needs a hospital, not somewhere to lay low.”

“Is that really what’s bugging you?”

Stuart could hear the tension in his brother’s voice, and he knew that by forcing Riley to come out with the truth it would at least clear the air.

“I’m a respected member of the community, Stuart. The last thing I need is for all of that to be destroyed because you brought someone like that into my house. You might not care for the family’s reputation but I do…”

“You can’t really be arguing about the family reputation can you? You and I both know our family reputation went in the toilet a long time ago—our father wasn’t exactly a man of discretion.”

“That’s not the point and you know it, I…”

Stuart cut his brother off.

“I don’t care about your reputation either, Riley. You wanted to know what Grey was up to, you were the one who wanted me snooping around in his business. If Grey really is up to more than just trying to kill young, impressionable teenagers like Ricky, then your reputation is already gone.”

Riley fell silent. Stuart took a step back. He could practically feel the anger radiating from his brother and he had a feeling that when Riley exploded, which he would, Stuart wouldn’t want to be anywhere nearby.

“Why does he want him dead?”

“His girlfriend stole something valuable from Mattheson and now Mattheson believes Ricky was in on it.”

“And was he?”

Stuart shook his head. “Nah, the kid seems to be clean on this one. The girl did it as some sort of revenge, I think maybe Mattheson attacked her, but I can’t swear to it.”

Riley’s face paled and Stuart could see the first flicker of concern in his brother’s eyes. At least it was good to know that his brother hadn’t become completely heartless and corrupt with the money he’d made through his business dealings.

“And where’s the girl now?”

Stuart dropped his gaze and stared down at the highly polished black marble counter.

“From the sounds of what Ricky found, I’d say she’s dead…”

Riley set the coffee cup down on the counter and blew his cheeks out. The look of shock on his face told Stuart he hadn’t expected what he’d just been told.

“Can you be sure?”

Stuart shook his head.

“No, maybe if they found a body but we couldn’t just go to the cops with Ricky’s statement.”

Riley nodded in agreement. Stuart watched as he leaned heavily against the counter and for a moment he felt sorry for his brother.

“I didn’t know it would be this serious, Stuart. If I’d suspected something like this I wouldn’t have asked you to come up here.”

Stuart shrugged and smiled.

“Don’t worry about it. If you hadn’t lured me up here I’m sure I’d have just made a fool of myself.”

“Seriously, Stu, maybe you should let this go… I know I wanted to help Holly but…”

“I knew all of this came back to a woman, I should have guessed it was Holly with the way you spoke about her last night.”

Riley shot his younger brother an irritated look but it only made Stuart laugh.

“Can you be serious for a minute? I’m trying to be concerned for your safety.”

Riley’s words only made Stuart laugh more and it wasn’t long before his brother succumbed to the infectious sound.

It took them several moments to get a grip once more and as soon as they did, Riley’s expression turned more serious.

“You don’t need to be concerned for my safety, Riley, I’m a big boy now, I can look after myself.”