A chorus of hums from us men. Gabe hangs his head until Tobias kicks him, gesturing for him to stop slouching. What are we becoming?
“Well. That morning, I told you I was following a story about Gabe’s union boss, Jameson Crouch, right?” We all seem to watch with rapt attention as her throat moves in a swallow. “He’s in a feud with the mayor. You’ve all seen it in the paper, right? On the news…” She tucks some hair behind one ear and my fingers flex in response. “Well, I started to notice that the accusations against the mayor were so specific. I wanted to prove myself to Karina, so I…I pursued my hunch that there was a mole feeding Crouch information. I started with Deputy Mayor Alexander and it turned out to be the right lead. I followed him to a meeting with Crouch that evening on Roosevelt Island.” She looks at me, wetting her lips. “Banks, when you asked me if I’d dropped the story, I should have told you this part. At the Local 401 party, I overheard them making plans about leaking those emails about the governor.” Heavy seconds go by. “And I took a picture of them speaking, exchanging a thumb drive. A picture that is now missing from my apartment, but still on my phone. They might have been looking for my laptop, maybe to see what I knew? But I brought it with me to the rugby game. I have it with me now.”
As her explanation continues, cement is pouring into my chest.
I don’t know a lot about the inner workings of local government, but everyone under the sun knows New York politics is cutthroat as hell. I hate Elise swimming in that swamp more than I hate anything. She’s not even done explaining the whole story and my muscles are as stiff as an ironing board. Tobias and Gabe don’t even appear to be breathing.
“Yesterday, I…” A red stain appears on her cheeks. “I walked into Karina’s office to tell her about the conversation I overheard and she was on the phone with Alexander’s assistant. They heard enough to be aware that I suspect them of teaming up to sabotage the mayor. They heard Karina call me by my name.” She blows out a breath. “Maybe they were just searching for the correct Elise…and the picture in my apartment confirmed I was the one in Karina’s office. Bottom line, I definitely think someone associated with this might have ransacked my apartment.”
“You’ve made yourself a target, love,” Tobias breathes, raking his hands down his face.
“Can’t we just hand the pictures over?” Gabe wants to know. “Or delete them?”
“I don’t know. Would they believe I have the only copy? They won’t communicate with Karina now and they reached out to me by trashing my apartment,” Elise says. “They don’t exactly sound reasonable.”
“You’re staying here until it’s safe,” Gabe states, crossing his arms over his bare chest. “I mean it, Elise.”
“Actually.” She takes her time looking at each of us, as if memorizing our faces and I know, I just fucking know she’s about to say something that none of us will like. “I owed you guys an explanation and I’ve given it. But for now, I think it’s best if I leave. I don’t want any of you getting caught up in this. Maybe getting hurt.” Her nod is resolute. “Yeah, I’m going to bail, at least until this is over. Okay?”
There’s a pregnant pause.
Then the shouting all starts at once.
Chapter Twenty
“Excuse me, madam?” Tobias growls.
Banks holds up his hands, palms out. “Elise, be reasonable.”
“No. Nope.” For once, Gabe is up to speed on proceedings and not the least bit happy. “No way. You’re staying right here.”
“You’re safer with us than without us,” Banks says, casually positioning himself between me and the front door. “There’s no way we’re letting you leave, Elise.”
“Letting me?” I sputter.
“Does anyone have any rope?” Tobias poses the question while lunging to his feet from the couch. “Now seems like a good time to show off my shibari skills.”
I back away, gasping. “You are not going to tie me up.”
Features tight, Tobias follows me step for step while examining my face. “Turns you on a bit, though, doesn’t it?”
“Not when it’s used as a method to detain me,” I respond through my teeth. “Guys, we talked about kidnapping in the escape room.”
I realize I’m backing myself into a literal corner and duck around Tobias, only to come up against Banks’s solid chest. As always, the warm strength of him makes my thighs feel like jelly, my urgent need to leave immediately waning. I’m tempted to lay my cheek on his shoulder and let him comfort me while the sky falls, but that would be too easy. I can’t start relying too much on these men. I’ve learned to have my own back, because it’s selfish to expect others to catch me when I tumble…when I know we’re only in each other’s lives temporarily.