Page 84 of The Marriage Mistake

“You ready to go home?”

“Mm,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.

I nodded my goodbyes at the rest of the gang. Caroline stuck her tongue out at me, then she laughed. “I can’t even hate you,” she complained. “Ember is too good at trivia for me to make an enemy out of you. Still hate your brother though.”

I shook my head. One day, I would figure out what Knox had done to make Caroline hate him so much. He still hadn’t told us.

I snorted, picked Ember up, and took her home. She stumbled into the kitchen and ate a piece of clumsily buttered bread before I guided her up the stairs, standing close so she didn’t trip and break her neck. When she was tucked under the covers, she gave me a drunken, crooked smile and said, “I love you, Jack,” and fell asleep a second later.

I watched her snore until the thumping of my heart subsided. I touched her hair and leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead, wishing I could climb into bed next to her and stay there until morning.

TWENTY-TWO

EMBER

I woke up to the sound of shattering glass, followed by the roar of an engine. Panic shot through me, and I heard footsteps on the landing below mine a moment before I wrenched open my own door.

“Stay in your room!” Jack yelled at Darby as he flew past. He disappeared out of sight, and I rushed to follow.

I found him in the living room, staring at a brick on the floor surrounded by broken glass. The big window in the living room was shattered. Someone had thrown a brick through it.

Jack’s head snapped up when the floor creaked under my foot, and he jerked his head toward the stairs. “Go to Darby’s room and wait there until I tell you it’s safe.”

A vein in his temple pulsed. His shoulders were a tense line, and his movements were sharp and efficient. Now was not the time to argue. I went back upstairs and found Darby creeping down the top steps. She widened her eyes at me, and I nodded at her room. Once we were inside, she wrapped her arms around me. We hugged each other for a long moment.

“What happened?”

No sense lying to her. “It looks like someone threw a brick through the living room window.”

Darby was quiet for a beat. “Did Dad go after them?”

“I think he’s making sure they’re gone and it’s safe for us to come out.”

“Oh.”

I looked at the purple pig hanging on the wall above her bed. “The painting looks good.”

She turned to follow my gaze before nodding. “Yeah. I wish I had the eye too.”

“I’m kind of glad you only got the pig. The eye was creepy.”

She smiled, still staring at the painting.

We both turned toward the door when we heard footsteps on the stairs. Jack knocked a second later and cracked the door. “They’re gone. My brothers are on the way over. We’ll check all the cameras outside and see if we’ve got anything. Darby, you’re going to spend the day with Sadie at Gideon’s apartment above headquarters.”

Apart from the cottage, Gideon had another residence at the top of the Marswood Security building.

Darby bit her lip, and it looked like she was deciding whether or not to argue. After a moment, she nodded. “Okay.”

Jack seemed to relax a little. His gaze swung to me. “Ember, do you mind helping Darby pack?”

“Sure,” I said. “Should we let Oren know that we won’t make it tonight?” The party at the Blanchard mansion was happening this evening. Judging by the look on Jack’s face, he’d forgotten.

He grimaced as he shook his head. “We can’t afford to upset him. He’s asked for extra security during the party, so I’ll have to be there either way—whether it’s as a guest or on security.”

“And I have to go, because I’m the one who got us the invite,” I said. Jack nodded, not looking happy about it.

I nodded and turned to Darby. “Let’s get your things together.”