"Not bait," Jonny clarified. "A distraction. Blackwood still thinks he has a claim on her. If Minnie shows up at the docks, his men will be so focused on securing her, they won't notice the rest of us slipping in."
"I don't like it," Tommy insisted, his arms tightening around Minnie's waist. "It's too dangerous."
Minnie took a deep breath, her mind racing. Jonny's planwasbold and dangerous. But it might be their best chance to take down Blackwood once and for all. She couldn't keep living in fear, jumping at shadows. This needed to end.
She twisted in Tommy's lap to face him, cupping his cheek. "Tommy, I know you're worried. I am too. But Jonny's right. This may be our only opportunity to stop Blackwood for good. I have to do this."
Tommy searched her eyes, his own filled with concern and reluctance. "Min..."
"I'll be all right," she assured him, mustering more confidence than she felt. "You'll be right there, watching out for me like always. I trust you. I trust our friends. Your team. We can do this."
Tommy sighed heavily, leaning into her touch. "I don't like it," he repeated. "But I trust you too. Just...promise me you'll be careful. That you'll stick to the plan."
"I will," she vowed. "I promise. And you’ll be right there the whole time."
Rhys cleared his throat. "Right, then. Let’s knock the details together. Colin, scout out the docks, find us the best points of entry and exit. I’ll come up with a signal system. Tommy, you and Jonny will work out how to cover Minnie."
“There’s just one thing,” Jonny said, and they turned to him expectantly.
“Blackwood can’t know that I’m involved.”
“Why not?” Ada started accusatorily.
“I can’t explain that now. Just know that it will make all of this for naught.”
Ada exchanged a glance with Minnie, and while Minnie could understand her hesitancy, at this point, they had no other choice.
“What about us?” Emmaline insisted. “We’d also like to help.”
“You can’t be there,” Jonny said firmly, shaking his head. “You’ll only be a distraction to the men.”
“But we could help,” Emmaline said, her eyes shooting daggers at him.
“Help Minnie prepare,” he said. “That’s the most you can do without endangering all of this.”
Emmaline ground her teeth together as she glared at him. “I don’t like this. Maybe I’m with Ada.”
“Then be with Ada,” Jonny said with a shrug. “But be with her elsewhere. Not at the docks tomorrow night.”
Emmaline opened her mouth to retort, but Colin held up his hands between them.
“I understand tensions are high,” he said. “But we need to work together, not against one another. I’m sure we will need your help in one way or another. Now, let’s get to it.”
As the group began to disperse to their various tasks, Minnie felt a thrill of both fear and anticipation. There was a lot at risk, and Ada was right. They were trusting someone who could have the wrong motives in place.
But this needed to be finished so that they could move on with their lives. Together.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Tommy didn’t like this.
Not one bit.
He would have preferred a different plan – particularly one that didn’t involve Minnie.
But how else were they possibly going to prove Blackwood’s guilt and move on from this?
Tommy, along with Rhys and Colin, had gone to the Manchester Police and spoken with one high-ranking official who Jonny swore was not in Blackwood’s pocket.
