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“I know,” she said. “We’re going to handle it…together, okay?”
“I’d complain about how stubborn you are,” I muttered. “But I also know that’s how you survived.” In what way could I not be grateful for that? “Now, go be good or torture your brother. He might enjoy that.”
She laughed for real.
“And we’ll keep you in the loop.”
“Look after them?” Worry filtered into her eyes.
“Always. Andyes,”I continued before she could. “I’ll let them look after me.” I’d try anyway. Action. Getting our hands on the piece of shit who abused her would all go a long way toward smoothing over the cracks.
When she pushed upward to hug me, I cradled her close.
“Be safe for me, Little Bit.”
“You too.”
Then I had to let her go. She blew us a kiss then climbed into the car with Milo. There was a security team escorting them, a shadow car that would follow and then deal with any initial tails.
The plan was solid. We needed to keep the attention on us, which was why we’d split the tasks, with the rats sending a half-dozen out in our cars to get the hell out of Braxton Harbor. Leaving at different times, it was going to stretch the resources of anyone watching us. The local kids Kel had hired worked with the rats to load trucks. Another dozen of Jasper’s drivers had already pulled out of here and the truckyard.
More distractions.
They wouldn’t all work, although the point of the shell game was to keep them guessing. Maybe if they looked one way, they wouldn’t see what we were doing with our free hand.
Liam put her in the car, hands braced on the open window as he spoke to both of them. The others drifted over until we stood in a half-circle. Kellan checked his watch, then whistled. The doors opened as five different cars all started.
Milo and Little Bit were just one more in a series of dark SUVs that pulled out. She would also not be visible in the car, ducking down until they were clear.
“I hate this,” Freddie said.
“Me too,” Vaughn and Jasper echoed. Liam said nothing as he made his way toward us. Instead, his gaze was on his phone.
“Adam needs a meet,” he said before pocketing it. “I told him we needed a couple of days.”
Kellan nodded. “I know you want to tell them…”
“We will,” Liam said with a wave of his hand. “Just not yet. The king’s identity won’t mean as much to them. So, I’m not keeping anything life or death from them.”
Which was the crux of it.
"How long?” Rome asked, and Liam cut a look at his brother.
“Forty-five minutes, then we start our rollouts.”
More distractions. More shells. More peas in motion.
I stared at the doors as they rolled closed. There was something just off about the whole thing. I didn’t like having her out of reach. Sending a message to Alphabet, I asked for status updates at least every twenty-four hours.
More would be appreciated.
“Let’s go, guys,” Kellan said, the crisp command pulling me out of the mental rut where I wasn’t here but in that car with them. “The sooner we get Sharpe nailed down, the sooner we bring Sparrow and Milo back home.”
“Do we get to kill that fucker in the fridge yet?” Freddie asked, and I wasn’t the only one eyeing Kellan.
“It’s on the list,” was all Kellan said. Then he checked his watch again. “Fifteen minutes, Liam, then make the call.”
He nodded. “On it.”
