“Didn’t we just nab the big piece of land owned by that gunrunner? The one over by Johnson City? When we reconned the place, it was set back a couple of miles from the road and had some nice amenities. That won’t be on anyone’s radar.”
Odd comes on the screen. “I agree with this. Everett and Omar, I assume you two’ll be staying out there with them?”
“Yep,” my brother-in-law says without hesitation, and it occurs to me that they already view him as part of the team. I’m genuinely glad for him, but…a little jealousy snakes its way up into my heart at the same time.
Everett nods solemnly, sparing me a heated look, one that reads like he’ll be takingrealgood care of me. I flush under his attention and turn back to Parker, biting my knuckle. She blinks and gives me a discreet fist bump under the table.
Thane continues. “With Everett and Omar out there, the rest of us are less than thirty minutes away and can be available if there are any emergencies.”
Hedy comes back on screen, scooching in next to Odd. “That’s true, and you know we don’t mind providing backup whenever you need it.”
DB pops his cane up and down on the floor. “Okay, it’s settled. Frankly, I get antsier with every minute you’re still at the shop, so let’s wrap this up and get a move on. Any questions, concerns?”
Parker speaks up. “Clothes? Toiletries? Food? I don’t know, all of the logistics of removing me from my life?”
DB scratches his hand and nods. “Give me a second. Anders, Odd? Hedy? Anything before I let y’all go?”
Anders pipes up, from somewhere in the back, “Five bucks says Everett and Rafi don’t even make it to the property before they get allbrown chicken brown cow.”
Fucking Anders.
But, like, from his lips to God’s ears.
DB shakes his head and hits a button, ending the call and sliding over to fill the rest of the screen. “He’s an excellent operative, but there are days when I really wonder about that man.”
Omar grunts in agreement.
DB hits a few buttons on his side. “Okay, let me bring up Jake real quick.”
A few minutes later, Jake’s pale, beautiful face is split screened with DB. I’d like to say I’m surprised by Jake’s involvement, but…I’m not.
“Alright, buddy. Talk to me about surveillance—will it be okay to send someone to their apartments to pick up a few things for them? Or are we sending them to Walmart?”
Jake’s smile is serene. “Hey, guys. There hasn’t been any movement or anything suspicious near the four locations—the tattoo shop, Everett’s house, Rafi’s apartment, and Parker’s apartment. So, a handoff has minimal risk. Jean-Pierre is out of town tonight, and I don’t mind grabbing a few things and running over to Dripping Springs. The Dairy Queen there good for everyone?”
Yep. Not surprising at all.
21
Everett
Pinning Rafi with a look, I answer Jake’s question. “The Dairy Queen is fine with me. I think we should split up into separate cars, and I’m taking Rafi.” Alone.
Yeah, I felt the hard-on he tried to hide from me.
I may have told him I don’t want him that way, but now that he knows everything, now that I know my team—even fucking Anders—has my back…I need Rafi like air, and I’m tired of suffocating.
I hope he hasn’t changed his mind.
Nobody rejects my proposal, and Thane tells Parker and Omar. “Y’all can come with me.”Turning to me, he lowers his voice so that only I can hear him. “We can handle Dairy Queen, give you a few extra minutes with your boy there.”
I don’t need a second invitation. Rafi takes my outstretched hand without hesitation, still holding the gun in his other hand. I grab my messenger bag on the way out the door, and we get into my Chevy. We don’t exchange words for the first several minutes, both of us on the lookout for people who could be following us. We make it past the Y in Oak Hill with no obvious targets. His shoulders, which have been tense this entire time, lower on an exhale, and he tucks the gun away in the glove compartment.
We drive farther out of the city, deeper into the Hill Country, and finally I see the turnoff I’ve been visualizing since leaving downtown. I pull in a little faster than I should, tucking in behind a grove of trees before stomping down on the emergency brake as I unbuckle my seat belt. Rafi’s eyes go wide.
“I need to talk to you,” I say, reaching for the door.
“I’m done talking,” he says, sliding across the split bench, filling my lap, fisting my T-shirt as his knees pin my thighs. No more words, just a heaving chest and desperate eyes.
