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“Alright, come on,” I say to Willow.
She looks at me, confused. “Where are we going?”
Instead of answering, I scoop her up from the couch, sweeping her into my arms so I can carry her to the bedroom.
“Oh my god.” She squeals, half laughing as she bats at my shoulders. “I’m too heavy for this. And I can walk just fine.”
“No, you’re not. And I know you can,” I tell her. “But I want to carry you. Let me have this.”
Willow blushes a little, but she doesn’t argue, instead leaning against me as we head for the bedroom. It’s not as nice as the one we left behind in the penthouse, and the bed definitely isn’t as big, but that’s not going to stop us all from cramming into it so that we can sleep close to our girl.
I set Willow down, watching as she takes off her shoes and changes into her pajamas. After popping into the small, dingy bathroom, she gets into bed. I tuck her in, leaning down to kiss her forehead as I do.
“Are you guys going to join me soon?” she asks, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.
“Yeah, we will. We’ve just got to start getting shit rolling on this plan to take down Olivia. The sooner we find an opening to make our move, the better.”
Willow starts to push herself up onto her elbows, trying to get up. “Then I should be out there planning with you,” she protests. “I want to help.”
“You’ve done your part for the day. Now you need to rest.”
“I didn’t even do anything.”
“Sure you did. You got Gage to listen to you and give us the information we needed, and you talking to Jonah definitely helped tip the scale on him helping us. We probably wouldn’t have been able to get them on board without you.”
Her mouth twists in a little frown that makes me want to kiss it off her face. “I guess so. It just feels wrong for me to be in bed while you’re doing all the work.”
“I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’d rather you be resting than worrying about this. It’s fine, angel.”
She makes a face but finally lies back down, snuggling up in the bed. With a smile, I turn to leave, but Willow catches my hand before I can.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“I… you know how Malice said before that I wouldn’t have to be the one to kill Olivia? That you guys would do it so I won’t have to?”
“Yeah, I remember. What about it?”
“Is it bad that I kind ofwantto be the one to do it?” she whispers.
I chuckle, shaking my head. “I’m definitely not the right person to ask that question, seeing as I helped my brothers kill our own father. But I don’t think it’s bad. It’s you being human and finding your strength. Olivia has put you through hell over and over again, and it’s not wrong to want to end that yourself. You’ve kept your heart open for so long, and I’m proud of you for that, but it’s okay to close it sometimes. To close off people who will only reach inside and make it bleed.”
Willow nods, smothering another yawn. “Thank you, Ransom.”
“Anytime, pretty girl.” I lean in and kiss her again before leaving her to rest so I can go plan with my brothers.
* * *
Over the next several days,we kick shit into high gear.
We talk to Jonah a few times and basically spend every waking moment planning how to take down Olivia. We’re looking for the perfect opening, which has meant that we had to learn more about her schedule and her routine.
And that shit has not been easy. Vic has managed to use his hacking skills to find out a little, watching her through cameras and finding her name on guests lists at various upcoming events, but it’s not enough. Olivia still has a good amount of resources, and she basically always has some kind of security with her. That’s making it difficult.
But Vic never gives up when it comes to stuff like this. Especially where Willow is involved.
He’s got a few ins, and he’s been chipping away at it piece by piece. Working to find out what she’s got coming up and also working on figuring out the details of her security. How many people she has, who goes with her where, the kind of car she drives, and on and on.
Willow’s still been battling morning sickness, and every time she throws up in the morning, I can tell it brings up a lot of conflicting, weird emotions as she grapples with her pregnancy all over again. But at least one of us is always there to hold her hair back, to rub her shoulders, and to listen as she processes it all, and I think that’s helping.
