Page 99 of Cocky Prince
“Thank you, Esther.” Adam steps forward and gives her a hug, and she pats his back. He returns to my side. “Why didn’t he tell us?”
She smiles weakly. “He didn’t want to worry you. Didn’t want his last months to be about the illness. He was trying to bring you together. But I think he realized he’d let things go on too long.”
I sense Adam’s body shaking, and based on the expressions of his brothers, they’re falling apart inside too.
Levi clears his throat. “What do we do? For the services.”
“It was prearranged. Right now, you should go home.” She smiles at me, dabbing her watery eyes with a tissue. “I’ll be in touch.”
Adam hugs each of his brothers silently. Quiet words are spoken that I can’t hear, and then one by one, they drift toward the exit. Alone, except for Adam, who has me. We make our way to the street. The Escalade is idling a few feet from the entrance.
“We should take you somewhere safe,” he says.
Is he crazy? He just lost his father. I’m not going anywhere without him, but I don’t argue. He’ll figure it out when I don’t leave his side.
We enter the car, and I turn to him. “I’m so sorry. What can I do?”
He shakes his head, his expression bleak. “I don’t know anything right now.”
I’ve seen Adam wanting and naked, angry and red-faced at something I’ve done, but never with this desolate look on his face. I haven’t lost a parent, and he’s lost both. I don’t know how to comfort him, but I’m going to try.
Our phones buzz, one right after the other. It takes me a second to figure out what’s going on. And then I remember.
There’s an entire shitstorm of drama happening that I completely forgot about after we arrived at the hospital.
“It’s from Mira.” I check the text. “She says the police are at Lewis’s house. They found information against Blackwell. I’ll tell her they’ll have to talk to the police without us.”
“No. We should go.” He’s staring out the window, his hand limp in mine.
I shake my head. “They’ll understand, Adam.”
He looks over. “We’re going to Lewis’s. There’s more you don’t know, and it’s time you found out.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Two police carssit in the driveway of Lewis’s place as we exit the Escalade. Adam and I walk up the steps to the porch and I see the entire gang through the large picture window: Lewis, Gen, Mira, Tyler, Jaeger, Cali, Nessa, and Zach. The police officers are standing in the room as well, with clipboards in their hands. They appear to be writing down information.
Mira greets us at the door, wearing a black summer dress, and ushers us to the island separating Lewis’s kitchen from the living room—the only place left to sit. She hands me a glass of water and I offer some to Adam, but he shakes his head.
“It worked,” Gen says to Adam after we settle. “Jeb’s friend was able to record the conversation with Blackwell. They’re obtaining a warrant for the house where Blackwell is keeping the escorts.”
Jeb is Gen’s father. “What is she talking about?” I ask Adam.
He’s leaning against the counter, his head in his hands. “I spoke to Lewis a couple of weeks ago. Asked him why Sallee Construction wasn’t involved in the Bliss suite remodel. It seemed suspicious to both of us, and he put me in touch with Gen’s dad, who helped with the Drake Peterson conviction.”
“You organized this…without talking to me?”
“Adam was already a target,” Lewis says, looking over from where he’s sitting on the couch with Gen. “He didn’t want you involved until we knew more and had support from the police.”
Mira reaches across the island and touches my arm. “It all happened so quickly. Tyler and I were out to dinner and just found out too. So did the rest.”
One of the police detectives introduces himself and closes his clipboard. “Joseph Blackwell is under arrest. As your friend mentioned, we’re putting together a search warrant for the apartment building where they’re keeping the women.”
Gen closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I can’t believe Blackwell did this.” Lewis tightens his arm around her shoulders. “What happened to me was bad, butsex trafficking?”
“A federal offense,” the policeman says, and hands each of them a card. “Contact us if you have any concerns. We’ll give you updates as they come in.”
The detectives leave and I rest my head on Adam’s shoulder, wrapping my arm around his waist. “You should have told me,” I say softly.
