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He looked as mixed up as I felt. “Tell me. I want to hear you say it.”
“I can’t stand the thought of losing you, okay?”
“Why?”
“Dammit, TJ, don’t make me do this.”
“Tell me.”
“I… I care about you. I need you here.”
“I’ll accept that for now, but eventually, you will say the real words to me.”
“I… yeah, probably.”
That admission was almost as good as the declaration I wanted. I loved him, and I was sure he loved me too, but neither of us had any idea how to handle that.
“If this is a trap, it’s stupid to just walk right into it.” Rhys’s anger had returned. I wasn’t sure if he was angrier at me, my father, or Franco.
“I never said I was one to make smart choices.”
“Talk to X first.”
I shook my head. “There’s no time. My father said I need to be there immediately.”
“It’s not like you can get to Chicago from here immediately. A half hour delay is not going to make a life-or-death difference.”
“It could.” He knew that as well as I did, so he changed tactics.
“If you talk to X, he might be able to get you on a private plane, then you could be there much faster.”
“That’s true, but I—”
“You want to do this yourself. You don’t want help. You’re stubborn as fuck. TJ, you’ve got to stop trying to be a hero on your own. Franco is counting on you doing that.”
How the hell did he understand the situation so clearly when he’d known me for such a short time?
“And my father is counting on me to stop him. This is just how my family works.”
“The way I see it, your father gives the orders, and you follow them. He expects you to do so automatically and to tell no one. How well has that worked out? Has the status quo prevented the situation with Franco? Fuck no. He’s already on the inside, and you don’t know who’s compromised. You asked for help, so let us all help you.”
“No one else knows Franco like I do. I should have taken care of this myself from the start. I can track him down. I can end this.”
“You’re being an idiot.”
“Maybe.” I zipped the duffel and slid the strap onto my shoulder.
“How do you plan to get to the airport? Were you planning to steal my truck?”
“I was going to ask Rogue to take me.”
He frowned at me. “Rogue? Why?”
“I thought he was the most likely to accept my reasoning.”
“I hate that you knew that.”
I shrugged. “Would you be able to sit back and let other people take care of this if it were your brother?”
