Page 48 of Wrecked With You

“Or,” Emma continued, stepping over Thea’s protest, “they don’t trust you. And this is a trap.”

“No, no. They trust me. I know they do. I—” She cut herself off with a groan, then ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t understand.”

“Right now, we don’t have to,” Tony said. “All we need to do is get out of here.”

He gestured for Emma to take the lead as he gripped Thea’s upper arm. He wasn’t certain what had gone sideways, but he intended to keep her close.

Emma exited first, then Tony and Thea. She hurried to the control panel, punched in the code, and the door slid shut. Tony moved the corrugated door back in place, and the three of them stepped out from under the overhang—and the moment they did, a tall, thin figure moved onto the path a few yards in front of them.

He wore a baseball cap that kept the moonlight from hitting his face, keeping his features hidden in the shadows. But he was smiling, white teeth gleaming. Immediately, Emma was at Tony’s side, both of them standing as a barrier between Thea and this stranger.

“Don’t bother with that,” the man said, his voice a low rumble. “I’m not here to hurt Thea. I’m here to thank her. She led me to you, after all. It’s so nice to meet you, Antonio, after so many yearsssssss.” He drew out the s, as if Tony hadn’t already figured out his identity. As if Tony’s blood hadn’t already started to boil from the heat of his fury.

The Serpent. Standing right the fuck in front of him after all these years.

“You killed my mother,” Tony said.

“She begged for her life. Not your uncle. He at least died with dignity, but not before telling me I’d suffer.” He indicated himself. “So far, no suffering.”

Behind him, Thea was murmuring, “No, no,” and he realized the same words were running through his head. No no no no no.

Emma reached for his hand and squeezed it, and he resisted the urge to close his eyes. But he let himself soak in her strength. Her power. And when he lifted his chin and looked The Serpent in the face again, he felt a bit calmer. There was only one of the bastard, and together Tony and Emma were formidable.

It just might be possible…

In front of him, The Serpent extended his hand. “Thea, my girl. You did everything perfectly. Come here.”

“She’s not going anywhere,” Tony said, angling his body so that he could grab Thea’s arm and hold tight. “Not until I have answers.”

“Fine,” The Serpent said, then drew a pistol and aimed it at Emma. “Either you send Thea trotting over here, or Red gets two in the chest.”

“He will,” Thea said. “Please, please, don’t give him a reason to hurt Kari.”

Barely a foot away, Emma stood unmoving. There was no cover, nowhere to go. And they both knew The Serpent was a stellar shot.

She turned her head just enough so Tony could see her face. She didn’t have a plan—that much was obvious.

What was also obvious was that she trusted him to handle this.

But Christ, the thought of putting a civilian into The Serpent’s hands…

“It’s okay,” Thea said, apparently understanding his dilemma. “He won’t hurt me.”

She started to take a step toward The Serpent, but Tony grabbed her arm and held her back. “No,” he said. “Just stay right here.”

The Serpent laughed. “Idiot. She’s right to trust me. After all, I’m the one who sent her here.”

“The hell you did,” Tony countered, even as Thea said, “Only to get the records for you.”

It took him a moment to realize that when Thea said for you, she meant for The Serpent. Not for Tony.

“Thea?” Emma voiced the question first, but it was to Tony that Thea addressed the answer. “I—I was supposed to give him your records so you could find him after all these years. He wanted the two of you to finally have it out.”

A tear trickled down her cheek. “He said he wanted it over.”

She sniffled, then faced The Serpent. “You weren’t supposed to be here,” she snapped. “You said if I came and got the information and gave it to him, that was it. That I could leave and we’d call it even.”

He chuckled, the sound both harsh and amused. “Darling, Thea. You really shouldn’t put so much stock in pillow talk. I’ll say almost anything for a quality fuck.”