But Galloway never hesitated to let him know he wanted him back in the fold.
“Let’s just say Wesley was the only one celebrating when I decided to leave the PISCOs. The difference between us was that I knew what I was doing was wrong and hated it. Wesley knew it was wrong but loved the power of being judge and executioner.”
“So what do you make of his visit to me last night? Should I be worried?” Lachlan asked.
Ike leaned toward Lachlan. “I’m not surprised Wesley found out Alejandro is looking for you. You’ve been the pilot for the wealthiest families in the Palmchat Islands. You’re the perfect person to smuggle guns for Quattro’s operations,” Ike reminded him. “What worries me is that your location is off the grid.Bobby wiped all cyber details and has a program running to keep critical information about you off the web and the dark web.”
Everett tapped his pen against his notepad. “So, how the hell did Wesley know you were living in a house on the King Family’s land?”
“My point exactly,” Ike said. “If anything, he should’ve checked your old house on Nova Lane since it’s your last address in the public records. Better yet, how did he get past my family’s security?”
“Seb is with the security team trying to get an answer on that right now,” Everett said.
Lachlan stared at the ceiling. “If the PISCOs keep digging into my life, they could find out about Paloma and Britt. Paloma’s connection to a dead cartel leader is irrelevant. But Britt is another story, especially with everything she knew about her father’s operations. If they know Britt is alive and are looking for her, what the hell would they do if they found her?”
Ike could see that Lachlan understood how dangerous and diabolical the PISCOs could be under the guise of operating for the greater good.
“What they failed to do last time,” Ike said. “Force her to go through with the deal she made with them?—”
“None of that matters because Britt doesn’t remember her life,” Lachlan said. “If the PISCOs found her, their team would come to the same conclusion that Fallon did. She can’t give them what she doesn’t remember.”
“So, we’re back to square one,” Ike said. “All of our attention needs to be on Alejandro and giving him a reason to stop hunting Britt?—”
Everett jumped to his feet, staring at a monitor cycling through the outside security feeds. “Sebs here and … he’s not alone.”
Ike glanced at the screen. “Fuck!”
Lachlan rose from his chair. “Come on, you need to hide.”
Pain shot up through Ike’s legs as he stood. He couldn’t be found out. Not yet. He wasn’t ready to face his family. “Help me to the server room.”
Lachlan damn near had to carry him, depositing him inside, then closing the door behind him. Ike pressed against the door, eager, despite himself to be close to his little sister after all these months. His heart clenched at the thought of seeing Gabrielle again. Hugging her. Telling her how much he missed her. How he regretted not being there for her as she fought off the fucking maniac who’d stalked and tried to kill her.
The conversation floated into the tight room.
“Good to see you, Gabrielle,” Everett said. “What brings you to the compound?”
“I’m not staying long,” Gabrielle said, then paused. “I know your priority is helping Lachlan, but I have news about my parents and Ike. Something that might help you find my brother after y’all have stopped whoever is after Britt.”
Ike tensed, wondering what Gabrielle could be talking about.
“Don’t think for one second that we’ve stopped trying to find Ike,” Lachlan said, sounding extremely convincing. Ike was impressed. “We want him back just as much as you do.”
“I know you do,” Gabrielle said. “We all miss him so much. I’d give anything to see him again. Serena would, too. It’s easier for her to be angry with him than sad that he’s missing.”
Her words pierced like a knife, twisting with guilt.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Everett said. “What info do you have?”
“Serena was reviewing the open business deals that our mother was working on before the plane disappeared. Just to make sure that nothing had slipped through the cracks, and she found this,” Gabrielle said. The rustling of papers filled the air.
“A flight manifest for the day they left for Africa,” Lachlan said, a hint of alarm in his tone. “This isn’t the one I submitted to the charter flight company for them.”
“We know,” Gabrielle said. “Mom forced you and Sebastian to go to Miami to check on Ike and insisted that a charter company could fly them to Africa. It was supposed to be just a routine missionary trip that didn’t need Seby’s private security or your expertise.”
Lachlan sighed. “But going to Lesotho wasn’t on the original itinerary. It was never a country they went to in the past.”
Ike's breath caught in his throat. Lesotho. The same country the Brazhensky thug had mentioned. The same country where the bronze key from his father's memorial led. This wasn't coincidence—it was confirmation. His parents' secrets were buried in that small African nation, and somehow, Ava knew it too.
