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“Fuck.”
“I needed to recordeverything, Quaide. God forbid my sister got arrested. I needed proof that she was taken advantage of!”
When he reached out and hooked his finger under her jaw, tilting her head up so she met his stare, her insides quivered.
A sharp cry threatened at the back of her throat. Somehow, she managed to bottle it up.
“Honey… Christ, I can’t stand to see that fear in your eyes.”
She couldn’t think straight near him. “I’m sorry you’ve been sucked into this.”
His gaze softened like she’d seen it once when he looked at a stray kitten on the street. “Don’t be sorry. Besides, you’re brave as hell. Not many women would do what you did to keep your sister safe.”
“She’s family. There’s nothing else in the world as important. Only…I know I hurt you when I turned in that resignation and never warned you it was coming.”
His jaw locked. “You should have brought this to me, Dove. I’m trained to deal with cases like Rain’s.”
She stopped mid-rant, a silent gasp on her lips. She slowly shut her mouth. “Even with your training, you don’t know what’s best for my sister.”
They stared at each other for a long heartbeat, at a standoff.
When she moved away from him, he dropped his finger from her jaw, but she still felt the warm ghost of heat from his skin. She wanted that touch all over her body.
“Come inside. You need to know the plan,” he said.
She eyed him. “Do I get to speak in this meeting? Or do I have to be silent and take notes like I always did when we worked for the FBI?”
He sighed. “We’re going to discuss the moves, Dove. So probably more like option two.”
Her brows shot up. “Really? I don’t get a say?”
“Not when it comes to you and Rain’s safety, no. But you need to be there for the discussion.”
He turned and walked inside, leaving her standing in the rain, jaw dropped, with no choice but to follow. When they reached the dining room, she felt that same panic trying to take hold of her again.
This time she steeled her spine instead of running. She was tough. She would get through this, just like everything else in her life so far.
When she glanced at Quaide, her mind warred with her heart. She didn’t want to lose him again. She didn’t want to leave her sister to deal with this mess either.
Clay brought the meeting back to order. “Do you guys need to towel off?”
Quaide’s already dark hair was even blacker from rain. His gaze found her. “I’m fine. Dove?”
“I’m okay.”
Clay continued. “Now that we’re all here, there’s no more pulling punches. We need to talk about the fact that Rain has a hit out on her.”
Dove’s eyes widened in shock. At her side, Rain froze.
A…hit? As in an order of execution?
All that rain that felt so soothing on her face outside now turned to drops of ice. Oh god, this wasfarbigger than she ever imagined. This entire time, she thought she was just hiding her sister from the law until she could find a way to prove she was innocent in a money laundering scheme.
The men started talking at once, formulating a plan and discarding it immediately. A second plan was hatched. Dove reached over and gripped Rain’s hand hard while they both listened in a state of shock.
Quaide set his palm on the table over a water ring from a drink set there long ago. “I suggest we move her to the Wynton Ranch.”
The Abel brothers stopped arguing to listen. Clay sat up straighter.
