Page 46

She’s created herself a permanent place in my head that can’t be erased, and if it was, there would be a gaping hole where the image of her would’ve been. And if she ever tried to run, not even God himself could save her from me.

“The charity ball is all set and ready to go, Mr Warren. We’re still waiting on a few RSVPs, but they will probably show up without letting us know, as they usually do every year.” Penelope updates me on our event as we make our way to the first-aid room.

I clutch the full bottle of pills in my trouser pocket.

The ball is the last thing on my mind right now, but it’s something we’ve been doing for years. We might do things that are… out of the norm… but we put that money to good causes. It’s a non-negotiable every year.

Maybe Camila can accompany me this year. That’ll solve that problem.

Jac said Max was stable and will make a full recovery, while I spent my night outside of Camila’s flat. Now it’s time to see him and ask him what the fuck happened over that week he was gone. The money from both new areas has been rolling in, so the deal is secured—but Aidan is missing again. They dumped Max on our doorstep and are now MIA.

The door is already open when we get there, so we step into the white room, the smell of chlorine hitting my nose. There are two surgical beds next to each other on the left side of the room—just in case—and a row of cupboards opposite, with a large window spanning most of the back wall, overlooking the infinity pool. Jac, Ezra, and Daniel are surrounding the bed, their faces unreadable. The rain has slowed. They’re all dressed in black like they’re mourning something. Daniel’s white hair sits neatly on top of his head, blue eyes taking in my wet form.

“Boss,” Max smiles, weakly lifting his arm in a greeting. Most of his exposed chest is covered in stitches. The tattoos on his arms have disappeared from view, replaced by fresh bandages, and his black hair lies messily on the top of his head. Hazel eyes, bright as ever, and—luckily for him—only a few scratches on his face. Still swollen but recognisable as Max now.

A small smile starts on my face at the sight of him recovering.

“They got you pretty fucking good, kid,” I say as I sit on the chair on the other side of the bed, opposite Jac.

Max isn’t a kid, but he’s younger than me and Jac. He’s only twenty-two. We were hesitant to let him work for us, but he’s got a knack for maths and bargaining. He insisted. He has a younger sister at home he wanted to take care of, and that pulled on my fucking heartstrings.

Safe to say, he and his sister live a very comfortable life in a penthouse in the centre of London. It’s not unusual that Max goes missing for weeks at a time to keep his sister safe. He prefers to keep her out of the underworld. She most likely had no idea that Max was missing.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Jac grills, looking me up and down.

I roll my eyes. “I got caught in the rain this morning coming back from the Lounge.”

He gives me a sceptical look but doesn’t comment further.

“Have you called your sister?” I ask Max. He nods in response.

“Happy as Larry, like always. She was just glad to hear from me.”

I nod. He’s a lucky kid to have a sister that cares for him deeply. The only person that ever cared for me aside from Jacques was taken from me. The one person that was supposed to care for me never did.

She’s the reason I’m so fucked up now.

“What happened?” Jac asks him.

Loud tapping of nails on a screen interrupts the silence in the room. I slash my gaze to Penelope, who freezes and searches all our faces.

“Out,” I grit. She shoots up from her chair and scurries out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“I—I can’t remember,” he sighs.

Go fucking figure.

“They drugged me. And I—I don’t remember anything apart from getting away when my body finally came to. There was a fire. A lot of drugs were burnt along with it.”

“It’s why hardly any money has been coming in from Chelsea yet. They burnt the fucking drugs,” Jacques curses.

“Do you remember how you got taken?” I ask Max, who shakes his head.

Shit.

“I’m sorry, boss. If I knew, I would tell you.”

“I believe you. Rest up. You can go back home when you’re better.” I smile, straightening from my chair. I turn to Ezra and Daniel as Max picks up a glass of water from the side table. “Any more information on Burns?”