She smiles in discomfort.
“She also scraped Ace’s phone and gave me his address. I could have stopped this from escalating long ago, but I didn’t prioritize it, and now we’re here.”
“That’s not on you, Finn,” Zane hisses.
Sol stops playing with the lighter. “Yeah, a lot’s been going on.”
“J is neededhere.” I jut my finger down. “I don’t know anyone else with her skills.”
Dutch backs off with a grunt.
I’m not stupid. It’s a risk bringing Jinx into this matter, but right now, I need my enemies closer than my secrets.
And when she betrays us…
Dutch can say “I told you so” then.
Zane raises a hand like we’re in class. “What do you need from us?”
“I have twelve hours to decide what to do with them.”
Zane taps his chin. “How about we find some kind of drug to give them? Something that induces amnesia?”
“Don’t think that exists,” I mutter.
Sol flicks his lighter on, and the orange flame glitters against his face. “We can burn them. Nobody will know.”
J’s mouth slackens.
Dutch growls, “Really, Sol?”
“Hey, Zane had a stupid suggestion. I just offered my own.”
Zane flips everyone off, making sure to skip J to be respectful.
“How about we keep them locked up indefinitely?” Dutch asks, scooting to the edge of his chair. “If we have more time, a better solution might come.”
“That’s just putting off the inevitable,” I say. My attention shifts to J who’s been very quiet. “J?”
She chews on her bottom lip in thought, making my pulse quicken. It feels good having her here, even though Dutch doesn’t approve and I half agree with him.
“Why don’t we turn them over to the police?” she suggests.
Sol groans. “Boo!”
“No police,” I warn her, looking straight into her eyes. “That’s not an option.”
She doesn’t ask me why, and I realize I just gave her another clue about who I am and what I have ties to. But at this point, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.
“Any more ideas?” I ask my brothers and Sol.
Dutch sighs heavily. “No.”
“So the only option is to quiet them permanently?” Zane asks the obvious.
Dutch scratches his scalp back and forth. “Are we going to cross that line?”
“What’s the alternative? He lets them go, they come back with their crew and attack us at home? Even worse, what if they bide their time? We’d have to keep looking over our shoulders, waiting for them to bring the fight to us. What if Grey and Cadence are back when they make their move? What if our babies?—”
