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He’s going to flip, but let him stew on it for a while.
When Quinn and I walk into my house a few hours later, Bryce is on the couch with his arms crossed, staring directly at me. His expression is eerily blank. Quinn stands close and puts her hand to my back. “Should I go?”
“No, Quinn, you need to stay. Put down your bags, and both of you come here,” Bryce orders and we move fast.
When we get to the couch, he pats the cushions on either side of him, and we drop down.
“Istanbul, Devon? Really? I almost believed it.”
“It was a joke. I was aggravated at you for interfering with the program. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it’s going to be when I see these people in two weeks?”
“I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re embarrassed. What I care about is you coming back alive and unharmed!”
“What exactly did you do, Bryce? How did you make this happen, changing an entire planned and sanctioned trip? We already know you had help, but you were with me in Florida.”
I look to Quinn for support, but she’s silent.
Bryce blows out a breath and runs his hands down his face. “If you want me to say I’m sorry, I’m not.”
“Bryce—”
“No, Dev, here’s what happened. I forwarded the email on your phone to Nate. There was a spreadsheet attached with all students accepted and their contact information, including their emergency contacts. Most of these were the parents. A few calls and emails were exchanged. Karen, Steve, Michelle, Paul, and Nate all called your professor and expressed concerns. Believe it or not, they were not the first, nor the last. Once the administrators understood the ultimate dangers, they made a different decision. It wasn’t all us.”
“But you should have talked to me! Y’all promised we’d talk about it logically when we got home. All the while, you were plotting behind our backs.” I point to Quinn who nods eagerly. “They wouldn’t send us into a country without protection.”
“Baby, they wouldn’t purposely do it, but threats don’t stand on the street corner warning you they are coming. Don’t you understand? No matter how peaceful a country wants to be, they can’t stop the evil lurking in the shadows. ISIS is building an army. Everyone in law enforcement around the world is trying to get a lock on their movements and motives. A group of young Americans talking to the families torn apart by religious war and political enemies could set off someone. We couldn’t take that chance.”
“I think you all may have overreacted.”
“No, Devon, listen to me! Really listen to me.” He reaches to the folder on the table and starts arranging photographs. “This is what can happen to people ISIS wants to make an example of.”
My gut turns and tears sting as I take in the horrid pictures laid out. Men, women, and children are beaten, bloody, burned, and some dead. Quinn sucks in a shaky breath, and I know she’s holding back her own emotions.
“I wish on my life I didn’t have to show you these. But it’s not fair for you to be mad at me, your parents, Nate…anyone. You have to understand; I’d do anything to protect you, including forwarding these to the President of the University of Virginia. Her mind changed really quickly.
“It’s one thing to send in a team of seasoned journalists with protective details and millions of dollars behind them. But totally another for a group of college kids.”
“This is so terrible.” I reach for one of the pictures and withdraw quickly. I don’t want to even touch them.
“Yeah, babe.” He cups my chin and turns my face to his. “And I already told you, if anything happened to you, I’d die along with you. I’d prefer to delay that for seventy or so years. You owe me a trip down the aisle.”
A sob escapes, and I throw my arms around him. Quinn wraps around from his back, and we both hold him tight. After a minute, we pull away, and he puts the pictures back in the folder. He visibly relaxes and lifts me onto his lap.
“All right, guys, it’s handled. You can come in now. They’re under control,” Bryce yells behind us.
Like Sunday night when we got home, the room fills with all our parents and my brother. My mom, somewhere in the last few hours, has found a shirt with the Olympic Rings and the 2016 logo for Rio.
“How in the world did you know we’re going to Brazil?” I question her.
The room erupts in laughter, and every eye goes to Bryce. When I look at him, he gives me a cocky grin.
“I have Professor Henry Grant on speed dial.”
Of course he does…
Chapter 3
“Babe, we’re here,” Bryce says softly in my ear. I open my heavy eyes slowly and see we are in the parking lot of his apartment complex.
