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“So was this compound River has built up for herself,” Jordy remarks, lifting a brow. “You sure some Podunk house will facilitate River and Lyric, and nothing will happen to them? Are you confident?”
Callum stiffens, crossing his arms over his chest. “Yes. It’s secure. I built it myself with my fame in mind. It’s completely secure. No one knows it’s there.”
“Where is it?” Olivia asks, slapping a hand over Jordy’s mouth. You’d think they were in some ill-fated relationship by the insane chemistry they exude. I told her as much one drunken night, and she laughed. They’re friends—nothing more and nothing less. Besides, Jordy has somehow fallen in with my long-lost sister Zandt’s grasp. But she’s a whole other story. “I need more information before I send my best friend to some ill-equipped house in the middle of nowhere.”
He nods, side-eyeing me. “It’s in Central City, Illinois. Besides, who said River and Lyric were going by themselves?”
Olivia blinks at him, releasing her hand from Jordy’s mouth. “You’re willing to go with them? Keep them safe? That’s a big task for little boys.” Oh, ouch. The boys physically recoil from her remark, tightening their expressions.
“There’s no willing about it,” Rad pipes up, rubbing his hands together.
“We’ll go with them,” Asher says for the first time, still clinging to Lyric’s hand, despite her tiny snores filling the room as she lies on Kieran’s chest.
A satisfied sigh rocks through Asher as his weightless gaze locks on the beauty clinging to his hand. A sparkle flashes in his eyes, relaxing his body on the couch. Asher looks at peace for the first time since our big blowout, where secrets filled the room and choked us. His eyes stare down at her with admiration, filling the holes once left in my soul. How he looks at her is how he looked at me once upon a time when he didn’t know I was looking.
“We’ll never leave them alone again.” His words pierce the room with authority, leaving no room for arguments.
Olivia nods, biting back the grin ofI told you so. “Good! This is good! The six of you will be extracted from here at midnight. I’ll have a local team prepare your house. You say it’s secure? Let’s go over some details.”
And that they do. Thoroughly.
As they make plans, I make my own. Calling the important people in my life about where I’ll be, knowing they won’t tell a soul. My brothers freak the fuck out. But they knew something was up when Carter took off and came here after I got my package.
“Hey, Kat,” I say, pacing around the kitchen as Asher watches me with a close eye.
“Miss West,” she says with a surprised tone. “Is something the matter?”
I swallow hard, rubbing my forehead. “Hey, yeah. I’m going to be out of town for a little while. My stalker paid my house a visit last night, and I need to go into hiding, basically. It’s for my safety and Ly’s.”
“Oh my god! Your stalker? Where are you going?” she asks with concern, breathing heavily into the phone. Soft murmurs come from the other end from a low, deep voice, and my brows raise.
“Uh, Central City. Back to my home. We’ve got a secured house there.” I won’t tell her anything else when someone is obviously sitting close to her.
“Got it! I’ll keep everything running smoothly in the department. Is there a way for me to get ahold of you? Or should I go through the bosses?”
“My brothers, yeah. Just talk to them about anything you need. I’ll be unreachable for however long this takes. Thanks, Kat.”
We say our goodbyes and hang up. Worry slams through me at what we’re about to do.
The day goes by in a blur as they hash out the details of our extraction and new living situation. After hours of research and ground teams inspecting Callum’s house, they clear it for our use.
Under the camouflage of night, Olivia disappears across the street, sneaking around and gathering Lyric and me some essentials for the trip and subsequent never-ending vacation. Only coming back when several bags are filled with our clothes and other items, we may need for weeks to come.
How long would I be away? From my job? From my damn home? Olivia wouldn’t give me a direct answer, simply shrugging and telling me to enjoy the dick I was about to receive.
If I wasn’t so panicked, I might have killed her. Dick is so not happening.
“I know none of this is glamorous. But if they’ve hacked into your camera system, they’re probably tracking your phone somehow. So, we’ll keep that here. We’re going to use it to our advantage if they are. We’ll start by trying to lure them out and grab them when we can.” Her eyes dart to the floor, and she worries her lip.
“I trust you, Liv. You’ve kept me functioning and safe these last three years. You’ll get him. Just…keep me updated or something?” She nods, curling my fingers around the new cell phone, before going to each of the guys and retrieving theirs.
“Sorry, boys, it’s a safety precaution.” Without a fight, the boys turn in their phones. “Also, Riv. I’ll let Rocco know what’s up.”
“Thank you. He’ll worry,” I mumble, chewing on my bottom lip.
Before we know it, we’re loaded into a blacked-out SUV at midnight and escorted to a private airfield on Veritas’ property.
Kieran carries a sleeping Lyric onto the plane, sitting her beside him and buckling her in. He smiles at me, informing me he has her, and urges me to get some rest.
