“What kind of weapon?” Jack asks.
Fuck, I forgot about our guest. I glance over at where the laptop had been. My brow furrows to find it missing.
“We moved it to the kitchen, kitten.” Eli gestures with his head toward the kitchen. “We needed to talk, so we wanted to make sure the space was safe again.”
I nod. It makes sense. “We don’t know who we can trust. But we should make a list of those we think we can. We use them as little as possible, but enough that it’s not just us against them.”
“Weapon, sweetheart?” Jack arches an eyebrow.
“A knife, maybe? Or some way for you guys to find me?” I sit back against Jack’s side, but the guys are all looking at each other. “What?”
Caden blows out a breath. “Don’t get mad.”
My brow furrows. “Why would I get mad?”
“Your ring. It has GPS, so we can track you.” Caden runs a hand through his hair and gives me a smirk. “That’s how I found you in the locker room.”
My mouth falls open and I look down at the ring. Fuck, if that’s what saved me, I’m grateful for it, but then my mind takes what he said in. They’ve been tracking me since my birthday? Not that I generally go anywhere without them.
“I tried to find you earlier today when I got to your house, but it wasn’t sending a signal.” Luke turns toward me and narrows his eyes. “Where were you before you showed up at Starbucks?”
I tip my head. “In the woods with Mom.”
“Really?” Caden asks.
“I should be mad you put a tracker on me like a real pet, but it’s already proven useful.” I smile and twist it on my finger. “My mom and I went to this cabin on a property my family has owned for generations. My dad’s family.”
I lift my gaze to Luke’s eyes. He flinches slightly but holds my gaze. His father had something to do with my father’s disappearance... death. It still sits funny in my brain. All these years I thought he abandoned us, but maybe he didn’t leave by choice.
“I’m sorry, princess.”
“It’s not your fault he’s gone.” I draw in a breath and get control over my thoughts. “There’s a cabin there where he hid the hard drive and Mom put his broken laptop. No one’s touched it in all this time. But that’s probably where I was when you checked the tracker.”
“The woods could have interfered, or maybe there’s a blocker around the cabin.” Caden rubs his neck. His eyes find mine. “Promise you won’t take it off.”
I stop messing with it. “I can’t guarantee I’ll wear it forever, but now seems like a good time to have it.”
Caden nods. “Most of the time you’re with one of us, anyway.”
“Yeah.” I smile as my heart beats a little harder at the love in his eyes.
“If we give you a knife, princess, we’re going to have to train you to use it and find a place where no one will look for it.” Luke caresses the back of my hand and I turn mine over to take his.
“Where would that be?” I arch an eyebrow because if they think I’m putting anything inside my body?—
“Maybe not a knife.” Jack has his laptop open and is searching for concealed, non-lethal weapons. “There’s this thing called a Kubaton. It can be pointed, but it can help you hit harder. We can get you two and put your hair up using them.”
I arch an eyebrow at the keychain things he shows me on the screen. “I don’t think they’ll go with my dress.”
Caden has his phone out and clicks on it. “I got you, little nympho. They’ll be pretty and effective. You and I will train thisweek. I’ll have Ava help. She trained for self-defense, which is why she’s a little boxer now.”
His smile melts my heart. He catches my soft look and winks.
“We need a fool-proof plan.” Luke draws my hand up to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “One where you don’t end up needing to use those. It’s not guaranteed Zach will come after you alone this time.”
My blood chills and my heart pounds. I’ve been surrounded by guys that I’m not sure what their intentions were before. Not that long ago my guys freaked me out. But there’s always been a part of me that was curious about them.
The same can’t be said about Zach and whoever he brings along with him.
