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Quaide leaned forward, arms taking up a good portion of the table. “No.”
“It does seem risky.” Clay was looking at Lark.
“I’m game,” Lark said. “Our body types are close enough, and Dove and Rain already could pass for twins.”
Quaide stifled a growl. “I don’t see it working.”
She smoothed her hair over one shoulder. “It worked before. How do you think I helped her disappear?”
He did not like this. At all.
“After Rain called me for help, I grabbed two identical shirts that I had and made her put one on. We both put our hair up in ponytails and had on jeans and black boots. I made her walk out of the apartment she was staying at first while I watched to make sure she was safe. Then I waited a minute or two and went out behind her.”
“How do you know nobody noticed two identically dressed women walking out of the building? Someone noticed—they planted a bomb in your vehicle.”
“That’s true, but it threw off most people. One resident was standing there and he called me Rain.” That defiant little tilt of Dove’s jaw left him throbbing to bend her over the table that his grandma served Sunday supper on.
“So we dress all three of the girls alike, do their hair the same—give Lark a blonde wig—and leave in three vehicles,” Clay said slowly.
Quaide scraped his chair back and shoved to his feet. “We’re not going with that plan. Dove’s not getting involved.”
She jolted to her feet and they glared at each other across the table. “I will do anything in my power to make sure Rain is safe. If that means putting on the same outfit and risking my life for her, I will.”
Their gazes clashed for several heartbeats. “Clay? You’re willing to let Lark take the same risk?”
“It’s going to be low risk with me watching out for her. So, yeah.”
Issuing a low snarl, he thought of all the things that could go wrong. “We could be ambushed. We can put all three in jeopardy.”
“It’s a low risk,” Julius repeated.
Quaide slashed his hand through the air. “No one is seeing this for what it is! A terrible idea. Have any of you ever heard of the Davis-McQuaid case?”
They all shook their heads.
“A similar approach to concealing a target was taken on the case back in the nineties. And the results were not favorable. The FBI trained us on this very thing. New rules were made because of what happened.”
“Again with the rules.” Dove’s comment was quiet but struck him hard. It didn’t matter that he knew what he was talking about. Or that he was scared enough for the both of them. She still wasn’t on the same page as him.
“I think it’s good. A solid plan.” Clay looked between Lark, Rain and Dove. “If you’re all willing to try this route, we’ll pull it together.”
Dove gave her nod of approval.
“I won’t let you go,” he grated out.
Her jaw opened and closed again. A red flush hit her cheeks. “You won’tletme?”
Too many things that couldn’t be unsaid hovered on his lips. They glared at each other.
Then Dove stormed out of the room.
* * * * *
Dove’s level of frustration rose like floodwater inside her, pushing at her throat and cutting off her air.
Running upstairs like a teenaged girl was ticking her off as much as the whole situation. But she had to find a place to be alone without Quaide’s glares and commands.
When she reached the top step, the toe of her shoe caught on something and she pitched forward.
