Page 51 of Emmy's Ride

He turned the laptop around, showing a series of financial statements. “Luke got a big deposit a year ago. Looked like a payout at first. But a week later? It was drained. Every cent. Traced it back—his money was funneled into an unregistered medical account.”

My brows pulled together. “Medical?”

Jax nodded. “A hospital in Mexico. Specializes in rare treatments. Someone needed help bad enough that Luke took The Ghost’s deal. And considering he disappeared soon after, I’d say he didn’t get a choice in what came next.”

A lead weight settled in my gut. “So either Luke owed The Ghost, or The Ghost held something—someone—over his head.”

Emmy.

I pushed back from the table. She needed to know. I found her pacing in my room, frustration radiating off her in waves.

The second she saw me, her eyes narrowed. “I need to go back to work, Austin.”

I shut the door behind me, locking it for good measure though it wasn’t necessary. Nobody would dare enter my home without permission. “Not happening.”

Her lips parted in outrage. “I can’t just?—”

“Emmy.” My voice was firm, brooking no argument. “We need to talk about Luke.”

The fight drained from her face. “What about him?”

I hesitated, knowing what I was about to say would wreck her. “Jax found something. There’s a chance he was blackmailed into working for The Ghost.”

Her brows pulled together. “Blackmailed how?”

“Money. A medical account in Mexico. Someone needed treatment—bad enough that he sold his soul to The Ghost for it.”

She stumbled back, sinking onto the edge of the bed. “That doesn’t make sense. Who? Who would he do that for?”

I crouched in front of her, gripping her hands. “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

Emmy shook her head. “I saw someone before the shooting.”

My entire body locked up. “What?”

She licked her lips, nodding. “In the parking lot. Before the shots were fired. I thought I was imagining things, but… there was someone out there.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Watching me. He looked familiar, but I can’t put my finger on why.”

My pulse roared in my ears. I had been so focused on protecting her after the shooting, I hadn’t even thought to ask if she saw something before it.

I cupped her face. “You should’ve told me.”

“Well, when we got home, we were kinda busy, and then this morning, you were gone before I woke up.” Her eyes searched mine. “But now I am.”

I nodded, rage simmering beneath my skin. If The Ghost thought he could get away with taking shots at my woman, he was dead fucking wrong.

But getting Emmy to agree to stay in the compound was an impossible task without actually locking her in my room as I’d threatened. She would hate that—and me. She wanted to go back to work. I ran a hand down my face. I got it. Hell, I respected it. But there was no way in hell I was letting her step foot outside this compound right now.

Then an idea hit me.

“Can you hold sessions with your patients remotely?”

She blinked, caught off-guard. “It’s not ideal, but yes, I can.”

“I’ll have a computer sent up for you,” I said. “That’s the best I can do, Emmy. Please don’t fight me on this. For now, it’s too dangerous for you to be outside these walls.”

She didn’t argue. Instead, she stared at me, something shifting in her gaze. To my surprise, she closed the distance between us, placing her hands on either side of my face. Soft. Warm. Grounding.

Her fingers traced my jawline, her thumbs brushing against the scruff on my cheeks, and I stilled.

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