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I’m still of the opinion that I should run as fast and as far from here as I can, and every time a new plan falls through, I get closer and closer to thinking that’s exactly what I need to do.
The ringing of a phone draws me back to the current argument—whether I should stay here or go to a safe house.
“I don’t want to go to a safe house,” I argue as Hawk pushes back from the table and steps away to answer his phone. “Clearly, whoever this is knows I’m associated with you, so even if I go to a safe house, they’ll probably just track me down again.” Besides, I’m sick of hiding and letting other people stand between me and this asshole. I realize running isn’t much better, but at least it would just be me—no one else taking the fall for my shit and getting hurt in the process. And at least I’d feel like I was actively doing something, instead of just sitting here, hiding out like a wimp.
Kai spears me with a narrowed gaze as though he can read my inner thoughts, and not wanting him to read anything on my face, I quickly distract him by asking, “Did Mel ever get back to us?”
His shoulder’s instantly drop. “No, Em. I’m sorry.”
I just shrug a shoulder. “It was a long shot, anyway,” I mumble dejectedly.
An awkward silence falls between us, until Hawk calls out, “Emilia.”
I practically jump out of my chair, happy to momentarily forget about the fact every turn we take seems to be a dead end.
“Hadley wants to talk to you,” Hawk explains, handing me the phone.
Hawk had called her earlier, but she’d been in class, so he’d just left a voicemail telling her to call him back when she got home. I’m guessing she’s home now, and Hawk has just gotten her up to speed on the drama happening over here.
“Hey.” Despite the tiredness in my voice, my smile is genuine as I answer the phone.
“God, how are you holding up?” Hadley asks, never one to beat around the bush.
“Oh, you know, I’m great.”
Hadley scoffs. “The truth, Em.”
My shoulders drop as I dispel a long exhale. “I’ve been better,” I confess.
“I’m so sorry, Em. I didn’t think he’d be able to track you here. Kai got you out of your place so quickly, and there was no passenger log for you on the plane. I don’t… I don’t understand how they even tracked you here.”
“Same.” I sigh. “I haven’t even left the goddamn house, except for yesterday, and whoever this is already knew I was here.” I chew on my lip before saying, “Kai thinks Wilder maybe got drunk and blabbed at a party.”
“No way,” Hadley quickly interjects. “There’s not a chance in hell Wilder would have done that. He might have his issues, but he’d never want to see you hurt. Not like that.”
Refusing to think too deeply about what Hadley is saying, I shrug. “It’s not like it matters much now anyway.” With another sigh, I say in a quieter voice, “I don’t know what to do. I can’t continue to stay here and put them at risk, and whoever this is knows I’m associated with you now. I—I…”
“So help me God, Em, you better not be thinking what I think you are!”
“I won’t let him hurt them.”
Hadley snorts on the other end of the phone. “Please. Kai can more than look after himself, and Hawk has an entire company to back him up. One word, and there can be dozens of security surrounding all of you.” There’s a moment of silence before she speaks again, her voice more insistent this time. “Emilia, they know what they’re doing, trust me. Trustthem.Don’t do anything foolish.”
The two of us talk for a while longer, and she fills me in on what’s been happening with her. It feels good to lose myself in something mundane and forget about my own personal crisis for a while.
By the time I step back into the kitchen, Hawk, Wilder, and Kai are huddled around the table, talking in low voices. They look up when I enter, and Kai smiles encouragingly. “We think we’ve got a plan.”
My eyes shift to Hawk and Wilder, their expressions not quite as reassuring as Kai’s. “Okayyyy…” Walking over, I take the empty seat beside Kai. “What is it?”
“We lure this fucker out.” My head swivels to gape at Kai.
“What?!”
He just stares at me like it’s the most obvious plan ever. “Hiding isn’t working, and if anything, we’re even further from figuring out who this person is than we were when you first arrived. The only two options we’re left with are running—which we’ve already established you aren’t doing—and luring him out.”
“Uh, okay, but how do we lure him out?”
“We bait him.”
