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Every time I see Charlie, it gets harder to leave which is exactly why I stayed last night. After everything at the restaurant, I couldn’t bring myself to leave her. And in a way, I was hoping maybe she would ask for me. She would say she wanted me. Instead, all I got was a crick in my neck and all of my exposed skin stuck to the leather couch every time I would get comfortable. Which resulted in almost no sleep. I much rather would have been in bed with her.
I try and snap my mind out of the dark place and focus on the task at hand. All day Carl, Julius, Charlie, and I have done nothing but lounge around the house, trying to work the kinks out of our plan.
“We need to meet with Sloan and give him a rundown. Maybe see if he’s even willing to help,” I remark.
“He’ll help us. There is no question about that,” Charlie answers from the other side of the counter.
“She’s right. He’s always willing to help us with whatever we need. And when we tell him why, it will do nothing but give him more of a reason to say yes. He wants Charlie and Hale safe just as much as us,” Carl adds.
“I still think we need more for Sebastian to even help us, if we can even find him,” Julius chimes in.
“We can figure all of that out later. Right now, let’s just focus on meeting with Sloan and seeing if we can even nail down more information on the guy.” I toss a glance toward everyone.
They all nod in agreement.
I slip my phone from my pocket and dial Sloan’s number. When the call connects, I start talking. “Chief. Can you meet?”
His reply comes out with tones of concern and confusion. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine,” I reassure him. “I just need your help with something.”
I can hear the relief wash over him. “Okay. I’m at the station now but leaving soon. You want to come here or the mansion?”
Maybe because I spent so much time in Teddy’s home, I don’t see it as anything other than that—a home—so his words catch me off guard. “I’ll meet you at the house,” I reply after a second.
“Okay, I’ll be there in thirty.”
I disconnect the call without a goodbye, then turn to Carl. “Let’s roll now. He’s meeting us at the house.” Carl nods and walks away, grabbing his coat.
“I’m coming too,” Charlie pipes up.
I shake my head. “No, you’re not. We still don’t know if anyone is watching it. I’m not risking anything with this shit, so you’re staying.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but she knows this is a battle she won’t win. I made a promise to protect her not only to myself, but to her too, and I intend on keeping it.
She walks away sulking before I can say anything else.
I let out a breath, then turn to Julius. “Stay with her and make sure she doesn’t try to leave once we’re gone.”
He salutes me, then plops onto the couch as Carl and I walk out the door.
Pulling into the drive is different than it has been before. Since shit has been so sketchy lately with Cameron on the loose and Emil possibly on the warpath, Jules and I have even avoided staying here. We still keep a guard posted 24/7 and have Sloan keep an eye on things when he’s free, but something about being here just doesn’t sit right with me. Hopefully, that will change once we handle all of this shit.
Sloan’s patrol car is already parked in the front, right at the bottom of the steps when we kill the car. Stepping out, a thick air surrounds me. Maybe it’s the thought of things ending the same way they did a few months ago, or maybe it’s the relief I feel just from the thought of this shit being over.
Carl and I walk up the steps and push open the door. “Sloan,” I greet him when I see him standing in the foyer.
“Lucas, Carl.” He dips his head. “What’s going on?”
I love how he always cuts straight to the point. “We have a plan to end all of this once and for all. A plan that revolves around our terms and won’t get anyone hurt. Well, only the ones who deserve it.”
He crosses his arms and widens his stance, not bothering to hide the look of skepticism all over his face. “Oh? And what’s that?”
“We need to find Sebastian. A location, contact number, something other than his name.”
He squints his eyes. “And why would you need that?”
I turn to Carl, and he nods, telling me to go ahead and explain. Like I need his permission. It was more of a “Are you sure you want to do this?” but whatever.
