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I laugh softly and shake my head, as I play the mouse to her stalking cat. “I’ll do whatever you want. There’s no need to chase me, baby. I’m a sure thing.”
Her other shoe strikes me in the balls, and I nod, as I keel over with a wave of nausea. “I deserved that. I’ll stop teasing. Of course you can be part of the fun. But if you get yourself and our unborn child killed, I’m going to be way more fucked up than I already am, and I really need to hold it together for our little dude, so I’d appreciate it if you’d exercise caution and keep yourself safe while exacting your revenge.”
“Exercise caution?I’ll exercise you in a second,” she mutters under her breath, before turning to my amused brothers. “Quit admiring this warped relationship and get to work.”
Jules raises his hand, like a kid in school. “Just one question?”
Kira hits him with a sassed hip and an unimpressed gaze. “What?”
“How did you two make a second baby, when you can’t get closer than ten feet?” He frowns slightly, and then wrinkles his nose and shakes his head. “You know what? After saying it out loud, I can imagine, and now I want to bleach my brain, so never mind. Let’s move on to logistics.”
24
KIRA
Iwalk through the mall, as calmly as I can.
It’s hard to say if my nerves are jangling from the risk and fear or the hopeful excitement that my sentence may be coming to an end.
My car is in the lower basement lot, which sounds sinister as hell, but it seemed like a good place for an ambush, and it minimizes the access points for any assassins coming after me, so I’m heading back there with my nearly done latte and very expensive, sexy underwear. If Jack’s been monitoring me and my spending habits, that’s bound to pique his interest, after years of Walmart purchases.
The guys provided me with a list of Jack’s loyal contacts and businesses, and I’ve been using enough of them to provoke his suspicion. I’ve booked a rental house in the mountains for next month, made a convoluted series of travel arrangements, transferred cash, inquired about storage units and furniture removals… I’ve made it look like I’m preparing to run and hide, and he’s clearly taken the bait, because I’ve been under surveillance for two days.
I glance at my phone, to check the time, and take a calming breath as I wait for my cue.
I’m going to die today.
It’s yet to be determined exactly how and whether it will be literal or pretend. We won’t know until we throw our bait in the water and hook ourselves an assassin.
My phone beeps with a message from Daisy, who’s acting as a communication go-between, to free up the others for more specialized activities. Quin’s brothers appear to have mastered a number of very specific talents over the years, that from a distance, seem insignificant, but as the puzzle pieces start slotting together, they make an incredibly efficient and well-oiled war machine, as they head into the Battle Royale against their father.
Daisy:Ladies’ room chat?
I head to the nearest restroom, toss my empty latte cup, and step inside the cubicle to make a call. I clear my throat into the phone instead of speaking.
“One tail. Female. Power-stride in a brown pantsuit… Swamp-brown, like she’s on corporate safari,” Daisy says with a snort. “She’s been on you a while, but there’s also a man who’s heading down toward your car now. We believe it’s a change in the guard. Our boys will make him any second, so just drag this chick around the mall for ten minutes with an impulse purchase or two and wait for your mark.”
She hangs up, saving me from needing to ask if there’s more info.
I stash my phone, flush the toilet, and head out, purposely walking right into the ugly brown pantsuit of Jack’s spy. I feign a most sincere-sounding apology, pause at the window of a kids’ clothing store, and pretend an outfit has caught my attention. I head inside the store and move hangers about on racks, wasting time.
The waiting isn’t ideal for my nerves, but in a way, the retail therapy sort of soothes me, and when I leave the store with another bag on my arm, I feel kind of like a regular, carefree shopper. I head down to the carpark, as cautious as any woman going to her car in the far corner of an underground lot would be, and as I’m unlocking my car, the sliding panel of the bulletproof van parked one space away opens up, to reveal a bound and gagged man with a knife to his throat.
“One down. One to go,” Loosh informs me, drawing a little blood with the tip of his blade.
I nod, and then tilt my head to see Jules around the corner in front of his set up of screens. Dusty gets up from next to him, and he climbs over the restrained guy, muttering something that sounds like Russian. He tips his invisible hat to me and walks away, singing in a language that may also be Russian?
Darius shakes his head in the front seat. “Hundred bucks says he strikes out with her.”
Loosh grunts. “That’s a bad bet. The man understands seduction. He scores every night.”
Darius chuckles. “Yeah, but he’s gay. And we’re in a basement. No woman is falling for that combo.”
“She’s not heading down here. She’s waiting in line for ice cream.” Jules points at one of his screens. “Sounds like a sweet-tooth meet-cute to me. And Dusty hasthe look. He probably pulled more chicks in high school than you did, Dare. I’ll take you up on that bet.”
Their easy banter and confidence reassure me, but I check my phone again.
“What did you get?” Loosh tips his head at my bags when I look up in confusion.
