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Dad’s weapon remained trained on us. No shot.

Ben looked at me.

I nodded. It was tiny. Barely movement.

But he saw it.

Ben opened the driver’s door.

Dad spoke, and his voice was hard to reconcile with the man I knew.

He sounded only like a cold-blooded killer. “You take her, that’s your life. I will find you. I won’t be taking you in. You leave with her right now, you’re a dead man.”

Wade went very still. “You think death scares me?” His quiet, sinister voice sounded almost amused. “Death is a passage. What waits beneath is older than fear.” As he spoke, he backed me toward the rear passenger side.

I had no idea what that meant, but the words frightened me.

Though not as much as the way he said them.

He never faltered. His movements were tight, controlled down to the most minute twitch. Never gave Dad the inch he was waiting for.

Riot moved farther around.

Wade rotated with him.

“Still nothing,” Riot said.

Rook answered through comms. “Same.”

Marion’s voice came next. “No shot.” Her voice got to me. I could hear her fighting to keep it from breaking.

Wade opened the rear door. He pushed me in first.

Then climbed in behind me without letting me go.

The gun stayed against my ribs.

Ben sat behind the wheel. His hands gripped it.

For half a second nothing happened.

Dad stood directly in front of us.

Wade lowered the window enough to speak.

“Move.”

Dad didn’t.

Ben looked at him through the windshield. Something passed between them.

Then Dad stepped aside.

Not far. Just enough.

Ben started the engine. It caught immediately.

The sound was obscenely normal.