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“Understood.”
I hoped so.
“Greyson, call the heads. We’ll meet downtown as always. Circle back with Dominic and work on security when you’re done. No one in or out without my say-so from now on.” I directed the last to Nate, who nodded. He wasn’t a prisoner, but he was damn close. “Dominic, call Shara. She’s in charge of the clubs until further notice. Add extra security inside too, if we can swing it.”
“Should we move everyone to a safe house?” he asked. The thought that he was considering everyone else was another reminder that he was the right man for the job.
“Yeah.” We had more than a few apartment and condo buildings, plus a couple neighborhoods in the suburbs. It would strap us if things got bad, leaving only one option for retreat for me and the family in our home, but it would have to do. “Renovations on the Zodiac just finished. Fill it up first.”
We would have to pair some individuals together, but it would be worth it to keep everyone safe without asking for favors. I didn’t like the idea of anyone knowing where my most vulnerable were.
Except Nate. He was a captive audience.
“We can move some of the families to the suburbs, but getting them back into the city for work will be a bitch,” Grey said. “Unless you want to shut down?”
“We need to keep up appearances while we prepare. If he knows we’re coming, we’re fucked.”
“Individual cars are obviously out, but we can’t risk anyone getting on public transport either. Too dangerous.” Dominic scrubbed his jaw. “What we need is guards on everyone, but it’ll spread us way too thin. And what about the kids? If we pull them all out of school, it’ll send the city into a tailspin. Everyone will panic.”
Shit. He was right. We couldn’t just board up the school either. It would set off Cash’s spidey senses.
“If you shack up employees by which businesses they work at, you could shuttle them with armed security. It’s not perfect, but it’ll make it harder to pick off your people than if they all came in alone.”
All three of us turned to Nate, whose cheeks grew rosy with the attention. “I’m sure I’m supposed to be keeping my mouth shut, but I’m here. Let me help.”
I didn’t want him involved, but I was curious what he’d say. “Go on.”
Rubbing his hands on his legs, he nodded. “Right. If you can, move the kids out of the city first. You can do it slowly or schedule a ‘field trip’ out of town. I’m sure you’ve got someone who can backdate it so everything looks legit if anyone digs into the absences. Hell, you could close the school for a gas leak or something, even.”
Grey typed furiously on his phone. “A gas leak could work. We’ve got the safety inspectors already.”
Dominic’s smile dropped as he turned to me. “What if the parents have to stay? Not everyone will be able to leave.”
That was the hardest part about being the leader. Separating families wasn’t what I wanted to do, but if it kept them alive, I would. “Then the kids go to another family. A sort of internal foster situation. We’ll make sure families can still get in contact with one another, but their safety is the priority, and the distance is the best contingency plan we’ve got.”
We engaged in more discussion on logistics and how we could bus the kids and parents out together, but it wasn’t anything we could do tonight. We had a few days, maybe a week to get things in place before things started heating up.
Dominic and Grey were still discussing things quietly between them when I noticed Nate slouched in his chair. It’d been a long day for all of us, but especially him. He’d been attacked tonight. He’d killed someone.
“Let’s table this for after the meeting.” I looked up, startled to find Grey closer than I expected. He ran the pad of his thumb under my eye gently. “You look exhausted.”
God, I was. I wanted sleep, a few hours to dream of nothing, but I had a feeling the days of decent rest were behind us.
As if he could hear my thoughts, Grey pulled me into his chest, hand twisted in my hair. It was the same hug we’d always done, but it felt more intimate now. A touch more possessive than usual, but I liked it.
“I’m sure you’ll want friendly faces tomorrow,” he said, resting his chin on my head. “I can call Aislynn?—”
My chest constricted. “No.”
I’d been avoiding thinking about the proposal since I’d decided on the meeting, but I knew Sean would want an answer soon. Especially if I was asking for help. But Greyson still didn’t know, and I couldn’t deal with having him and his would-be bride in the same room. Not yet. Not when we hadn’t had a chance to discuss anything. Not when I wasn’t sure if there was a way out of the trap I saw forming before me.
If I wanted the Irish in my corner, they’d want Greyson in return, and I didn’t know how to decline without losing one of our biggest allies.
Just get through the meeting. You can tell him after. I didn’t relish his reaction.
Anxious all over again, I pulled out of Grey’s arms, unable to meet his eyes. “This doesn’t concern her. I’ll call her myself tomorrow.”
Grey’s body tensed at the very obvious lie, and over his shoulder, I saw Dominic’s eyes narrow, but neither said anything. Instead, they each stepped up to press a kiss to my cheek before walking out, leaving Nate and me alone for the first time tonight. Well, alone, minus the hulking bodyguard in the corner.
