Broken Bridge Read online

  Broken Bridge

  Nana Malone

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Emma

  Chapter 2

  Bridge

  Chapter 3

  Emma

  Chapter 4

  Bridge

  Chapter 5

  Bridge

  Chapter 6

  Emma

  Chapter 7

  Emma

  Chapter 8

  Bridge

  Chapter 9

  Bridge

  Chapter 10

  Emma

  Chapter 11

  Bridge

  Chapter 12

  Bridge

  Chapter 13

  Bridge

  Chapter 14

  Bridge

  Chapter 15

  Emma

  Chapter 16

  Bridge

  Chapter 17

  Emma

  Chapter 18

  Bridge

  Chapter 19

  Emma

  Chapter 20

  Bridge

  Chapter 21

  Bridge

  Chapter 22

  Emma

  Chapter 23

  Emma

  Chapter 24

  Emma

  Chapter 25

  Emma

  Chapter 26

  Bridge

  Chapter 27

  Bridge

  Chapter 28

  Bridge

  Chapter 29

  Bridge

  Chapter 30

  Emma

  Chapter 31

  Bridge

  Chapter 32

  Bridge

  Chapter 33

  Bridge

  Chapter 34

  Emma

  Chapter 35

  Emma

  Chapter 36

  Bridge

  Chapter 37

  Emma

  Chapter 38

  Emma

  Chapter 39

  Emma

  Chapter 40

  Emma

  Chapter 41

  Emma

  Chapter 42

  Bridge

  Chapter 43

  Emma

  Chapter 44

  Emma

  Chapter 45

  Emma

  Chapter 46

  Bridge

  Chapter 47

  Bridge

  Chapter 48

  Emma

  Chapter 49

  Emma

  Chapter 50

  Emma

  Chapter 51

  Bridge

  Chapter 52

  Emma

  Epilogue

  Emma

  Also from Nana Malone

  Nana Malone Reading List

  Chapter One

  Emma

  Chances were Bridge was pissed.

  Chances were he was thinking of all the ways to divorce me, kill me, then resurrect me and kill me again.

  I knew I was being impetuous, but Darcy's life hung in the balance. His sister. I couldn’t sit back and do nothing. So I was going into the fray, stepping in and doing the thing that I needed to do. The thing he wouldn’t want me to do. But Darcy was just a kid. I was a full-grown adult who had dragged my family into this mess. Darcy didn’t have to pay for my mistakes.

  As the car entered the park, I leaned forward. “We can stop here.”

  The taxi driver glanced around. “Ma’am, it’s dark now. Late. You sure you should be walking through here by yourself?”

  I sighed. “I appreciate the chivalry, but I know what I’m doing.”

  At least I hoped I knew what I was doing. Because I assumed I was being watched. And if I was being watched that probably meant I was being tracked by Middleton’s goons.

  I'd ditched my phone at Belinda’s restaurant because that was the most obvious way for my team to track me, but I didn't want the kidnappers getting ahold of it. What if they could track our activities that way?

  Besides, I knew East and Telly well enough to know there was another way for the team to track me. I just had to be patient before activating it. If my guess was right, it was in my boot. I prayed to God it was.

  I had to see Darcy’s face, know she was safe, and know there was a way out. Until then though, I needed to act the part.

  I shoved open the car door and gave a smile to the driver as I paid him. “Thanks for your concern.”

  He shrugged, and when I slammed the door closed, he idled for a moment as if waiting to see if someone came for me. Which, honestly, was kind of him. Most people probably would have left me to it. But still, I marched into the park, a chill running through me as the shadows closed in.

  God, this was so stupid and risky. Why did the rational thoughts come after I decided to do the thing that I probably shouldn’t be doing? That was the way of it. I made the decision, forged my choice in steel, and as soon as I was holding this award for stupidity, I’d wonder how the hell I ended up there.

  You’re going to have to make better decisions.

  I was going to have to figure that out. I couldn’t go through life like this anymore. I was going to get someone killed. If not myself, then someone I cared about.

  Focus on Darcy.

  I took the gravel path. The silence was eerie. Beyond the blanket of nature sounds, the owls hooting, the flapping of wings, the chirping of crickets, I could hear the bustle of the city. Knowing it was there without feeling the immediate noise of it was jarring. Like I’d been transported to a secret garden but could still feel the reverberations of the real world around me. Once my brain filtered the sounds of the city, I kept walking. Eventually, at a massive tree about 100 meters away from the entrance, I took a deep breath. Everything was going to be fine. I was going to be fine. If no one showed up in an hour, I would just go home. Easy. I would have to face Bridge’s wrath, but that was fair enough.

  Once I made it to the tree, I shivered as I waited. This had to work. Or had I miscalculated horribly? I couldn’t have. I was good at reading people. Middleton had taken Darcy because he wanted Bridge’s attention. And he wanted access to me.

  He’d taken Darcy because she was the easier target. Me, not so much. Therefore, if I made myself an easier target, he should be watching.

  I felt a shadow behind me and told myself not to stiffen. But it was one of those impossible things. A holdover sixth sense from our primordial days, the one that warned us of danger, that took in all the stimuli and processed it as run the fuck away.

  The urge to run was palpable, the fear, the pumping adrenaline. When an arm wrapped around my waist and a black bag was yanked over my head, I worked hard not to fight it this time. After all, I had already been kidnapped once. I knew what to expect, right?

  Except the first time you were kidnapped by your husband who loves you and most certainly wasn’t going to hurt you. It was funny how my own husband kidnapping me had prepared me for the actual danger… like a practice round. I knew what was at the end of this. Darcy.

  I tried to keep track of how long they held me. Tapping my fingers in time to the watch on my wrist. I wasn’t well-trained enough to be able to determine rights and lefts and directions. But that wouldn’t matter, provided they didn’t strip me down naked.

  And if they do, what are you going to do about that?

  I worked the heel of my boot on the floor. The little nub on the bottom was still there. Christ, I prayed I was right about East’s paranoia.

  I was counting on one ace in the hole, and I hadn’t given much thought about what to do if it didn’t work out. But this had to work. Period. It was the only idea I had. And if it didn’t work, at least Darcy wasn’t going to die alone. Honestly, Darcy was unlikely to die anyway. She wasn’t who Middleton wanted. He wanted me.


  And you’re walking right into his trap.

  I was. But if that’s what it took to keep Darcy safe, then I was willing to do that.

  Have you considered what that would do to Bridge?

  Bridge would survive as long as he had his sister. I had to focus on getting her home. If I could at least give him that, then he would heal.

  Finally, the car stopped. I waited for the men who had taken me to collect me. I assumed they were men because they felt like they were taller than I was. One of them had calloused hands, rough, much larger than mine too.

  Breathe, Emma, breathe.

  I tried to force calm into my body. I tried to force my brain not to spin. I knew what to do. All I had to do was execute.

  You’d better execute because yours and Darcy’s lives depend on it.

  The car door opened, and several hands dragged me out roughly. They zip-tied me with my hands in front of me, and I couldn’t see because the black bag was still over my head. They didn’t carry me, but instead frog marched me over uneven gravel. My boots made a scraping, clopping sound with every step. I realized that gravel and not the usual cobblestones meant we weren’t anywhere in Central London. But there were ambient traffic sounds, which meant there was a road nearby. At least we weren’t out in the sticks. Where else would you keep someone you’d kidnapped when you needed silence? A warehouse maybe? If Darcy and I could escape, maybe we could make it to a main road or something.

  My mind kept playing all the scenarios over and over again. There had to be a way out of this. Finally, I heard scraping of something heavy and metal. I assumed a door of some sort. And then one of the men grabbed my arm so tightly he nearly squeezed the life out of it. That would certainly bruise tomorrow. “Oi, easy does it, mate.”

  He leaned in, and through the black bag I could smell the rancidness of his breath. “I’m not your mate.”

  His voice was thick, heavy, and not British. Eastern European maybe? This certainly didn’t feel like my mysterious note sender. Which meant he either worked for Middleton or I’d managed to piss off someone entirely different. Or I was being human trafficked. It was a cornucopia of bad scenarios.

  After a few stumbling steps, someone shoved me forward, and I fell on my side to the ground, my hands planting on smooth concrete. The pain fissured up my arms. “Fuck, that hurt.” I stumbled to my feet. Someone stood behind me, jerking me back and yanking the hood off.

  I blinked furiously, trying to get my bearings. The room was dimly lit, but well enough that I could see. And in the corner, there was a girl in what looked to be pajamas with a hood over her head. “Darcy?”

  Her head snapped to the side as if she was searching for me. “Emma?” Her voice was muffled.

  “Darcy, we’re going to get out of here.”

  The one who’d pulled me back apparently didn’t like that and backhanded me from behind, sending my head to the left. I tasted blood and scowled. “Oh, I see you’ve got a gentle touch.”

  “Shut up. You’re not allowed to talk.”

  Two men with guns stood near Darcy. One stepped forward. “Oh, the boss isn’t going to be happy with this one.”

  I pulled myself to my full height, which wasn’t that impressive considering who I was dealing with. These men were enormous. The lads were tall and lean, elegant fighters, but these men were packed with muscle and built like brick shit houses ready to act as a tank through your life.

  Fuck.

  I hoped to God I knew what I was doing.

  The one who’d stepped forward with the gun inclined his head. “Bring her here. Tie her to the chair. Gag her if you have to. I don’t want to listen to her mouthing off.”

  Darcy laughed. “Oh, you like the way I mouth off better? What else can I say about your mother? I mean, clearly she’s a whore. Not to denigrate sex workers. She’s just a whore because she fucked you, your grandfather, your father, and her brothers and uncles, too, for no money.”

  He went to strike her, and I called out to him. “I’m pretty sure you were told not to damage the merchandise, so hands off the little one. Besides, can’t you handle a little girl?” The one behind me slapped me in the back of the head again. The force of his hand took me so far forward I almost stumbled again. “Same goes for me. I know I’m supposed to remain unharmed. I’m pretty sure that’s how he likes his victims. So hands off, you fucking twat lizard.” He scowled at me, leaning in right against my cheek. "Ugh, mate, your breath. I don't have a mint but maybe ask around."

  He looked like he wanted to pick me up and smash my head into the concrete. For one long moment, I worried that he would do just that and forego whatever fucking amount of money Middleton was paying him. Instead, he shoved me and leaned forward. At least his breath wasn’t nearly as rancid.

  “If you don’t fucking shut your mouth, I’ll just simply forget I wasn’t supposed to harm the young one and let the boys have some fun with her.”

  Fuck them. “I mean if you don’t like money, fair enough.” The one with the gun secured my feet and tossed me down on the concrete next to Darcy, and I leaned toward her and removed the hood from her head. "Are you okay?" She nodded. The three men that had been sent to guard us wandered away toward the card table by the door. “We’re going to get out of here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure.” And as discreetly as possible, I reached for my boot, praying to God that what I’d seen earlier in the car was accurate. It was just a small pin in the side of my heel, but I'd felt it. I wiggled the tiny latch with my nail until it gave way. And when it did, I found what I was looking for, pressed it, and prayed to God that the lads got the beacon.

  Chapter Two

  Bridge

  Something deep inside me broke. Hearing that Emma was gone, and Darcy was gone, and I had nowhere else to turn. No calm in the storm. I just broke.

  Around me, I was vaguely aware of Ben and East and Drew trying to talk to me. Livy stood in front of me and took my hands, but still, all I could do was stand there while parts of me shattered.

  Both of them were gone. The people I had to protect who were in my care, they were gone. And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

  Well, there is one thing. My senses latched onto that. As the thought coalesced in my brain, I knew what I had to do. And I was well aware that nobody could stop me.

  Livy’s voice was calm, soothing as she tried to get me to talk to her. “Bridge. Look at me.”

  But I was too far gone to listen to her.

  Instead I turned and looked at Ben. “I’m going to the armory. Don’t try and stop me.”

  There was a locked door in the back of the kitchen pantry where extra supplies were kept that led into a small armory. Normally we didn’t deal with guns. If we had to, we would, but guns in the UK were problematic. As I turned on the light and surveyed every kind of handgun that I could possibly want, complete with ammo, and some kind of assault rifle-looking things, I ran through my next steps.

  I didn’t want to do this, but I had been left with no choice. That refined man who people saw on a day-to-day basis was gone, and the one who could turn to granite was all I had left. There was no softness in me now. I was death, and Francis Middleton was going to die.

  East came running. “Bridge, mate, calm down. I know what you think you have to do but listen, would you rather have Emma and Darcy back or kill Middleton?”

  I was only half-listening as I strapped on body armor. The security team we used when we were traveling in the States had sent us these extra-thin Kevlar vests. The technology had come miles and miles. They were better than any the UK police force had. I slipped one over my head and grabbed a couple of spares, shoving them into a duffel bag. Darcy would need one and so would Emma if I was able to get to them.

  East knew better than to touch me right now. “Listen, Middleton doesn’t have her, or at least he doesn’t have her directly. She’s activated her tracker.”

  Those four words had me
whipping around. “What?”

  He nodded slowly. “Yeah. Her tracker’s on. We know where she is.”

  A wave of nausea overtook me as the room spun. I planted my hands on the wall as I fought for purchase. “You know where she is?”

  “Smart girl, our Emma. She left her phone behind in the vicinity of the restaurant somewhere. She probably knew they'd take it anyway. But I tagged all the shoes in her wardrobe.”

  I blinked slowly. “What?”

  “Her shoes. Telly helped. After all, we do know Emma. Her shoes are tagged.”

  I shook my head. “You tagged all of her shoes?”

  “Yes, pay attention, mate. And I think she knew the tracker was in there because it’s certainly been activated. Deliberately.”

  “What if someone else has it? What if they stripped her down?”

  He sighed. “Are you going to be excited about the lead or not? We’ve got her pinpointed at a warehouse just outside the city. East London. Your old neck of the woods.”

  I glanced back at the duffel and then nodded. “Fine. My old neck of the woods, which means I know the rules, and there are a few old players I can call.”

  East audibly swallowed. “Mate, obviously we’re coming with you.”

  I sent him a look that was all death and malice. “What I’m about to do, none of us can walk back from. So no, you’re not coming.”

  Drew joined us, grabbed one of the vests, and shoved it over his head. “Oh, is he getting to the part where he’s telling you we’re not going with him?”