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“I understand,” she says, nodding.
“When I get back, we’ll talk about what you want to do from here.”
“Thanks.” Her smile seems more genuine this time around.
“For what?”
She shrugs before saying, “For being you, I guess.”
We laugh in sync.
Once our laughter settles, I repeat, “I’ll be back in one hour.” I raise one finger in the air to emphasize my point.
I kiss Aisling and Niko, who are enthralled by Cocomelon. They barely paid any attention to me when I entered the room. At least they’re untouched by this darkness we’re facing. Someday soon, they will have normal lives. I’ll see to that.
Downstairs, Ray is waiting for me. Just because I can take care of myself doesn’t mean I’ll be reckless, and Viktor demanded I take Ray with me if I left the property.
“Are you ready?” he asks when I reach him.
“Yes. Thanks again for this.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He removes my handbag from my clutches, then nudges his head to the door. “The Target you want to visit is less than ten minutes away.”
“Good. I don’t want to be away from the kids longer than I have to.”
Outside, an SUV is waiting.
I try to focus on the task ahead. The drive is silent, which is not unusual as Ray is a quiet man. It isn’t awkward, but silence is not exactly what I want or need right now. I don’t want my thoughts to wander away from me thinking about whether Viktor, Oliver and the kids are safe.
“How is the family?” I ask when we reach a red light.
Ray drifts his eyes to me. “They’re good. Thanks for asking. We got them out of the city on time. They’re at the cabin with Anita.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Target is just up ahead.”
The light turns green, and he starts driving. Out of nowhere, a car hits the SUV on Ray’s side.
The collision is brutal. It spins us out of control, and in under a second, I’m knocked out.
When I come to, it takes a moment for my eyes to focus. I feel something dripping on my face. I touch the liquid and gasp when I realize it’s blood.
I look at Ray. He isn’t moving.
“Ray? Ray, wake up.”
I reach out to shake him, but everything hurts.
“Someone call nine-one-one,” a voice outside shouts.
I hunt for the burner phone but have no success. The SUV feels warm.
Like it’s cooking.
Oh, shit.
“Unlock the doors,” another voice demands.
