Kit scowled at him, the effect lost as he was smushed against Red’s leather jacket. “We’ve got tinted windows,” he pointed out.
“They can still see shadows,” Red muttered into his ear.
Kit shivered. Maybe he wasn’t as safe as he thought he was, even in Red’s arms.
He swallowed hard as he stared up into Red’s eyes. “This is serious, isn’t it?”
“Hallelujah, he’s just worked it out,” Padraig said.
Red scowled at Padraig which made Kit go all mushy inside. He wasn’t used to anyone standing up for him.
“The mark has turned off the highway,” Padraig said. “I repeat, the mark has turned off the highway.”
“Does that mean we’re not being followed?” Kit asked.
Red focused his gaze on Kit. “We’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, we need to talk. This is serious, Kit. You’re in deep trouble. I was gonna have this talk later, but I may as well have it now.”
Uh-oh. That sounded like a conversation Kit needed to have sitting up. He pulled away from Red, careful not to sit up too high, and to his instant regret, Red let him go.
“Shoot,” Kit said, then winced. An unfortunate choice of words.
Red didn’t seem to notice. “We lost valuable time hunting for you. If you pull another stunt like that, I’ll spank your sorry ass. I mean it. You put us all in danger running off like that.” Red hadn’t lowered his voice so Jace and Padraig had to be listening in.
“I didn’t think of that.” Kit hung his head. Now he felt like the worst kind of idiot.
“We got word that hostiles were on their way before we found you.”
Kit realized he hadn’t even thought about Tony. “Where’s my brother been taken?”
“That’s on a need-to-know basis. And I don’t know, before you ask. It’s above my paygrade. My only concern is getting you to the safe house, then I’ll stay with you.”
“And Jace and Padraig?”
“Not us, kid,” Padraig said. “We’ve got another assignment tomorrow.”
Red shook his head. “We’ve got teams in place and waiting for us to arrive. You’ll be safe.”
Kit sighed and slumped against the seat. “I’m not sure I’ll ever feel safe again.”
“You will.”
“How? Will these people ever stop coming after me? Can I ever go home again?”
Red’s hesitation was all the answer Kit needed. “You may have to start again elsewhere, but you will build your life again.”
“And my brother? What about him? He’s the only family I have. Will I ever see him again.”
Red laced their fingers together. Kit regarded their joined hands, feeling the comforting warmth, the slight rasp of callouses on Red’s fingers. He wondered if Red ever played aguitar. He’d once fucked a band, yeah, that was a night to remember, and the bass player had callouses like these. Kit had to hold back a smile in case Red thought he wasn’t taking it seriously. What were they talking about? Tony. Now he felt guilty for being distracted about his brother.
Red squeezed his hand. “It’s early days, Kit. And things have escalated real quick. I can’t give you answers to any of your questions. All I can do is ask you to trust me to take care of you and when I say duck, you duck.”
“In other words, obey without question,” Kit said, unable to hide his bitter tone.
“If it saves your life, yes.” Red’s voice was resolute.
Kit sucked in a deep breath. “Okay.”
He wanted to live. More to the point, he wanted to obey this man. The thought of disobeying Red made him ache inside.
