Page 124 of Road to Redemption

The others shifted uncomfortably, staring down at their snacks or their hands absently.

I tried again. “We are trying to assassinate one of the most powerful tech execs in the world and take over his fallen empire: how does having two stowaways on board complicate things?”

“I don’t want the kids to know,” Spencer cut in.

“No shit,” Dom grumbled. “I think they’ve got enough of their own daddy baggage without taking mine on board.”

“So we keep the plan quiet around the kids,” I affirmed.

“Probably for the best, given Caleb’s slip tonight,” Leo added.

“Are we taking the kids to school tomorrow?”

Spencer bit her lip, “I want to say no?”

“Long night,” Leo nodded. “I’m happy to write them a doctor’s note if the school needs it.”

“And Bill…” His name was bitter coming out of my mouth. “How likely is he to follow through on his threat? Will he really call the cops?”

“Nah,” Dom cut in. “Assholes like that are all bluster. If he points the cops here, there’s a ton of shit in his house that we could point them back to. He’s not interested in that smoke unless his hand is forced.”

But although she nodded her head in agreement with Dom, I could see that guilt was still eating at Spencer. “What’s wrong?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know. I just feel bad. You guys are taking on a lot. I should be able to handle this on my own.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Dom grumbled before Leo cut her off with an assist.

“You would do the same for any one of us. We love you, and we love those kids. So just let us help, jackass.”

“Yeah, but it’s not just about that,” Spencer sighed. “You can keep pretending like it’s some minor inconvenience, but we took a serious risk tonight. One we’re still not sure of the repercussions for. We can’t afford big risks like this right now. Not until…” She trailed off, shaking her head.

I cleared my throat, “You’re going to hate this, but everything we do is a risk.”

Spencer rolled her eyes, but I raised my hand to silence her. “I’m being serious. Not one step I’ve taken outside of this property has been without risk. Everything about our lives is risky. But there’s no point sitting safely inside a castle while the people we love are getting hurt outside its walls. Sure, it wasn’t our most cautious moment. But it also wasn’t necessarily as dangerous as you think it was. I’d argue that leaving Abi and Caleb in that house tonight was a much bigger risk.”

“Agreed,” Dom murmured, and Leo laughed.

“You know it’s serious when those two are on the same page.”

And as Spencer finally cracked a smile, I felt warmth bloom in my chest. “The hard part is over. The risk was taken. All we can do now is try to keep things calm and normal for the kids. Okay?”

“Okay,” Spencer nodded, circling behind me and placing a sweet kiss on my cheek. “To calm and normal.”

67

KIERA

Calm and normal my fucking ass.

I’d never needed so many cleaning supplies for a single breakfast. Despite already being teenagers, Abi and Caleb had the chaotic capacity of a small kindergarten class. And the circumstances surrounding their stay with us only amplified the anarchy.

The four of us had woken up bright and early to prepare a special breakfast for them with what we had in the house. We’d hoped a nice spread might help ease their transition into staying with us, make it into a fun thing instead of a necessity.

But apparently, they didn’t need any help getting comfortable; with their teenage appetites in full swing, they absolutely demolished the platters of waffles, eggs, fruits, bacon, and croissants. They’d gone through half of our orange juice, and Caleb had managed to down an entire gallon of milk on his own.

“Why do teenage boys drink milk like that?” I whispered to Leo as we ferried a set of dirty serving platters to the kitchen. “I mean like, where the fuck is he putting all of it? The kid’s a rail!”

“At least we don’t need to worry about him breaking an arm again,” Leo smirked. “I think he just had a year’s worth of calcium.”