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Chelsea sipped her coffee and considered him over the rim of her mug. “I heard what you two were talking about. If anything, the bombing should convince you that Ahmadi’s being truthful. Leila and Omar left the campus unscathed. You’re the one who was nearly blown into pieces. She’s not in danger. You are.”
Ryan swallowed a handful of almonds, then said, “I’d like to keep it that way. Assuming Ahmadi’s right, and I’m the target, if whoever’s targeting me finds out about Leilah, they might go after her to hurt me. Right?”
Jake nodded.
“So, if I agree to skip town, I need to know Potomac will protect her.”
At that, Jake guffawed. “As if her brother isn’t going to see to that. Of course, we’ll keep her safe.”
Ryan swallowed audibly. “Thanks. I’ll call her before I—”
“—No. You can’t talk to her.”
Chelsea and Ryan both blinked at Jake.
She asked the question before Ryan could. “Why not?”
“Because he’s right. She’s a way to get to him. She can’t know anything. It’s for her own safety.”
Ryan frowned. “I have to say goodbye.”
“Can’t,” Jake insisted.
There was no arguing with Jake when he used his captain-giving-orders tone. Ryan knew all too well that the conversation would be fruitless, so he moved on.
“I have my laptop, but I don’t think I should bring it with me.” He swung the bag up onto the island. “Maybe Marielle and the geeks could go over it to make sure nobody’s installed any sniffer software on it.”
If someone had put spyware on his device, Marielle would find it.
“Good call. Do you want to print the documents from the drive Ahmadi gave you? I can fire up the printer in my office.”
Ryan shook his head. “No need. I’ll have computer access where I’m going. Don’t worry. It won’t be traceable.”
“You sure?”
“Positive. I used to sneak away to think there when I needed some peace and quiet.”
Jake studied him as if deciding whether he wanted to know more. After a moment, he must’ve decided he didn’t. He nodded. “Okay. Leave the laptop and the burner phone. I’ll give you a fresh one.”
He handed it over; Jake placed it on top of the laptop bag and turned to Chelsea. “Did you have a chance to put together a go-bag for him?”
By way of answer, she lifted a duffle bag from the floor by her feet and passed it to Ryan. “You’ve got clothes, toiletries, some non-perishable food, and a basic first aid kit. The clothes are Jake’s, so they’re not your style, but they should fit you pretty well.”
“What? No blazers and slacks?” Ryan cracked.
She gave him a faint smile, then cocked her head to the side. “Do you think you’ll need survival gear?”
“Like what?”
“A tent, sleeping roll, fire starters, utility knife, water filtration kit … things like that.”
“Oh, man, I hope not.” He had less than zero interest in roughing it.
“There’s no harm in throwing that stuff in the back of the Subaru,” Jake pointed out.
Ryan shrugged. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Hope for the best, prepare for the worst was, after all, the lawyer’s unofficial creed.
Chelsea nodded. “I’ll pack the car. Most everything you’ll need is already in the garage. It’ll only take me a few minutes.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out a cell phone, and pressed it into Ryan’s hand. “This is fully charged, and I programmed all our numbers into the address book. The charger’s in the duffle bag.”
