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“Until he realizes the truth.”
“What if he doesn’t even come to the airport to stop us? What if he just sends his men again?”
At Rush’s question, I glanced at Kody, kissing the top of her head as weight settled deeply into my bones. The truth was terrifying. I couldn’t even let my mind go there again. If I lost her…If something happened and she was hurt again…
“He’ll come because his business is his life. Plus, he’s bound to know the four of us are together. He’ll come because he can’t help himself. If he doesn’t, I won’t stop talking shit until I make him.”
“And if all that fails?”
Tiffany sat forward, grabbing her tea, and tightening the blanket around her shoulders. “At this rate, we’re dead anyway. I’m with Kody and Jase. I want my life back. I want this over. If that means I may die tonight, so be it. I can’t do this again. I…” Her hand began to shake as she held in the tears. “I can’t live like this anymore. I won’t; I’m done.”
Rush’s hand flattened against her back. Tiffany stared ahead in a daze, not quite the same since she’d come out of my gun room.
“Did anyone give a timeframe for how long Rian will have to stay?”
Rush’s expression went from anger to concern at Kody’s question.
“He’s pretty beat up. They…” His hands clasped as he took a moment to hold in his emotions. “They tortured him pretty good before we could get him. Truthfully, it saved his life. Had they not decided to teach him a lesson, he’d be dead now. They had no intention of letting him live. He’s…He’s not good. Despite the extra security I had brought in, the paranoia is worse. It was bad before, but now.” He stopped talking, pushing to his feet as he walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer. “I’d still rather break in. Vitor has to come home at some point to sleep, and when he does.” His hand sliced in front of his throat. “We could be in and out. They’d never even know we were there.”
They would, but I wasn’t going to argue with him about it. Rush wanted time. He wanted personal payback. Neither of us was going to get it this way. Not like we wanted.
“My biggest concern isn’t necessarily the plan.” Kody paused. “We have new security; the FBI is outside watching. How much longer do you think they’re going to be out there? Can we even slip past or go anywhere without them trailing us? They could ruin everything.”
Rush walked back over.
“She has a point,” he said, sitting down. “It’d be so much easier for the two of us to take care of this and let them stay here while we did. At least they could deal with Sullivan and Warez and feed them some bullshit story if for some reason they suspect we were gone.”
“Kody stays with me until I get this place secure. They got in once; they could do it again. I’m not leaving it up to chance. We stay together, unless he’s home and we have to go to the airport.”
“But why the airport?” Tiffany asked.
Jase’s mouth twisted. “He’s too close to surprise. We’ll have to draw him out, away from here, and I have a jet. It’s…outfitted for something like this. Plus, it’s a public place and no one would question us leaving for safety after what happened today. It doubles as a good alibi.”
“What happens then, though? You said we were staying together unless we had to go to the airport. What happens to me and Tiff if that’s the case?”
She scooted out of my arms, completely turning to face me.
“I haven’t decided yet, but there’s plenty of places for you both to hide until this is over.”
“We’re not separating.”
“I think I’ll be the one to dec—”
“Jase.”
Her features were tight as she stared me down.
“We agreed if V was out of his house, you and Tiffany would sit in the car until Rush and I returned. If anything happened, you could easily drive off or be ready to get us out of there if we came running. That’s if he’s already outside of his house. If he’s home, we can’t have them coming here. We can make it to the airport before they can. We can hide you and Tiffany inside while Rush and I take care of this. You’re not going to be on that jet when they get there.”
“Then neither are you.”
“Kody.” I tried to keep my tone level as she inched further away from me. “I’ve been trained for this sort of thing. If you’re there, you’re a distraction.”
“Kody, listen to him.” Tiffany’s voice trembled. “If you’re there, I have to be too. I want this over, but I don’t want to be on that plane. Something might happen. One of us could get hurt. How are Jase or Rush going to react then? It’s not smart to get in their way.”
Silence. Red stained Kody’s cheeks through her anger. She didn’t say a word as she stood and stormed from the room. I was right behind her, blocking the bedroom door as she tried to slam it closed. When I shut the barrier, she was spinning towards me.
“Tiffany’s right, and you know it.”
