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“My business is my business, Crawley. I would advise you to stay out of it.”

Elijah’s tone is deadly. This is not the man I was speaking to earlier.

“Now, now.” Crawley seems to have made a remarkable recovery. “Don’t take it to heart. I’m just concerned for you, dear boy. I’ve been a friend of this family for many years.” The smile he shoots Elijah is more like that of a tiger than a caring family friend. “And as for April here, I was just getting reacquainted with an old friend,” he says, flashing those blinding teeth at Elijah.

His grip on my arm tightens further, telling me not to contradict him.

I sense Elijah come up behind me, his hand landing on Crawley’s. “The lady asked you to remove your hand. From where I’m standing, you’re still touching her.”

I can sense the menace coming off Elijah in waves.

Crawley drops my arm, my other hand coming up to rub it. Elijah steps around me and gets into Sir Leonard’s face. If my heart wasn’t firmly in my mouth and my stomach doing somersaults, I may have found the situation amusing. Elijah towers over him. Sir Leonard is not small, but Elijah is a giant, at least a head and shoulders above the creep.

Elijah leans down, close to Crawley’s ear. “Now I think you need to leave. I’ll let Mother know that something came up and you were called away.”

Crawley’s eyes widen. It’s then I see Elijah has his arm in the same hold Crawley had on mine.

“You’re making a mistake, boy,” Crawley spits, and I watch as Elijah pulls himself up to his full, imposing height.

“I haven’t been a boy for a long time, Sir Leonard.”

Crawley's shoulders sink before he peacocks out his chest.

“I’ll leave, but you need to look more closely at who you let into your lives.”

He shoots me a look that tells me this isn’t over. “I’ll be in touch, April.”

He smirks again before turning and walking away.

“Sir Leonard,” Elijah calls after him. “I’d think twice about that. And if I ever hear you threaten any of my family or the people we care about, I will destroy you.” Elijah lets those words sink in before adding. “That’s not a threat. That’s a promise.”

My eyes flit between the two men.

Sir Leonard Crawley’s face loses a couple of shades of colour. I could almost say he turns a little green around his jowls.

“You’re making a mistake, young Frazer,” he splutters.

“No, Crawley. I don’t think I am. I know where those skeletons are hidden. Threaten what is mine, and I will expose you. This is the only warning you’ll get. Stay away from April and stay away from my family. Do I make myself clear?”

Sir Leonard Crawley doesn’t say another word. Instead, he turns and leaves me alone with Caleb’s big and incredibly scary brother.

He turns around, his face softening when he takes me in. “Are you okay?”

I stare at him, not sure what I should say or do. Instead, I nod vacantly.

“Give me your phone.”

My eyes widen, but I’m too shocked to do anything but comply. The adrenaline of the past few moments is wearing off.

He holds it up to my face to unlock it before typing something in. “If that man ever contacts you again, or any of his cronies, you’re to call me.” His eyes locks with mine. “Nod, April, if you understand me.”

I nod in response.

“If not for you, for my brother,” he adds, having me nodding faster. His hand comes up and squeezes my shoulder before moving it away. “Leonard Crawley.”

“There were always rumours about him, from some of the other girls. It’s why I stayed as far away from him as I could,” I say, before my brain can engage.

I cover my mouth, realising I’ve just admitted our connection.Shit! What was I thinking?