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“In the basement?”
“Not . . . yeah, I guess. Sort of.”
“We’ll show you sometime,” Oliver says right before pecking Wren on the cheek. “There are lots of things in this place you should be aware of.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”
He grins. “We even have a hidden weapons room, like in the movies.”
With a disbelieving laugh, she says, “Let me guess, you have a box hidden somewhere full of fake IDs and cash, too?”
Oliver blinks. Then he tilts his head to the side. “You actually think we don’t?”
“You do?!”
“Of course we do!” He looks at me, then Rhett. “Should we get Wren a fake ID?”
“Let’s get through the next couple of weeks first,” I say. “Right now, we need to stay focused on Aubrey, Andrew, Benny, and Ludo.”
“And we need to prioritize the kids’ safety,” Rhett says heavily. “I can’t let anything happen to them. Not again.”
“They come first.” Cautiously, Oliver rests a hand on Rhett’s shoulder. “We can figure this out. Promise.”
The rest of their conversation fades out. I’m already a million miles away, locked in my brain while I try to sort everything into a workable plan.
Get the boys to safety. Help Aubrey leave. Destroy Ludo’s life. Hurt him—kill him. Protect Wren.Protect everyone.
Having Aubrey on the inside couldn’t’ve come at a better time. I’m not sure how exactly we’ll use it to our advantage, just that we will.
We were originally planning for a slow and painful dismantling of Ludo’s empire. Forcing his businesses to close, having the authorities coming after him, turning his allies against him, etc. Andthenwe’d swoop in and kill him. But now everything will have to be quick. Catastrophic, even.
If there was ever a time that called for no margins of error, it’s now.
When I finally come back to the present, Oliver and Wren are planning a day with Aubrey so we can talk to her without Ludo or his men overhearing. Rhett is watching me silently.
My chest aches at his expression. He looks like he could fall over from exhaustion at any moment.
“Have you transcribed it yet?” I nod to his laptop.
Rhett shakes his head.
“And how many times have you listened to it?”
Slowly, Rhett closes his eyes. Avoiding my reaction, probably. “I don’t know.”
The thought of Rhett alone in here, listening to that conversation on repeat for hours, is like a knife twisting straight into my heart. Yet I can’t say I would’ve done anything differently.
Wren’s phone starts ringing, and she smiles at her screen. “It’s Aubrey. Perfect timing. I’ll see if she’s free tomorrow.” She places her phone to her ear as she heads out of the library.
I watch her go until she’s out of sight. Having a minute alone with Rhett and Oliver gives me a chance to propose an idea I’ve been tossing around for a couple days. The three of us agreed we need to make sure Wren feels secure in our relationship. Even without what happened in Florida, I’d still want her to know that when we say “us,” she’s included in it. Always.
I’m not sure how we’ll work on it with her in the house, but I’m hoping Aubrey will rope her into some wedding stuff so it can stay a complete surprise.
After double checking to make sure Wren is still out of earshot, I turn to the guys. “Remember how we agreed to make sure Wren knows we’re as committed to her as she is to us? I know we have a lot on our plates right now, but I don’t think we should wait.”
Oliver perks up. “Do you have an idea?”
I nod. “Been thinking it over since the museum.”
