Jace and Blake exchanged a loaded look. Both turned to stare at Ryker.
“The hell are you talking about?” Blake asked.
Oh, just that my fake engagement might get us both murdered. You know, typical day.
Ryker stopped pacing long enough to explain everything. Again. Victoria Webb. Senator Stephen Webb. The Romano crime family connections. The wholeMafia controlling a presidential hopefulthing that apparently wasn’t covered in any PR handbook.
“Jesus, Axel.” Blake ran a hand through his hair. “I always figured your love life would kill you eventually, but I assumed it’d be from an STD.”
“Super helpful, Blake,” Axel snarled. “Really feeling the support here.”
I snorted despite myself. Probably on account of the stiff drink I’d consumed after Ryker’s bomb. “At least STDs are treatable. Pretty sure there’s no antibiotic for a crime-family bullet to the head.”
Okay. Axel did not like my attempt at humor. Look at him going even broodier. But wait, was that concern flickering across his face? Like the idea of me with a bullet to the head actually bothered him?
I guess, in fairness, we might loathe each other, but being comfortable with a whole death thing was over the line.
“We need a plan,” Ryker said, resuming his pacing.
“Like what?” Jace wondered. “I don’t know jack about organized crime, but my understanding is they’re pretty goddamned dangerous. And vengeful.”
And here I thought, my biggest problem was pretending to be in love with my mortal enemy.
Axel shot me a look, and there was something in his expression. Something that looked almost like fear for me. For a split second, his face softened, and I caught a glimpse of the college guy who used to build bonfires in our backyard when Knox would visit from college that first year.
Then the moment passed, and his walls slammed back up.
“We need to figure out how to keep Axel safe,” Ryker said. “He’s most likely in danger. Dakota might be too.”
Might be? Gee, that’s reassuring.
“What about my private estate in Colorado?” Jace suggested. “You two could disappear for a while. Let things cool down.”
Ryker shook his head. “Crime families specialize in making people disappear when there are no witnesses. Isolation just makes you sitting ducks. No crowds, no cameras, no help. You’d be harder to protect and easier to eliminate quietly.”
“Perfect.” Without thinking, I shifted closer to Axel, and he didn’t move away. In fact, his arm stretched along the back of the couch behind me, not quite touching, but close enough that I could feel his warmth. His … protection? “Let’s just hide in a cabin and wait for the murder montage to begin.”
Either I was going to crack jokes or start crying in the fetal position, and frankly, sarcasm seemed like the better option.
“What if they leave the country?” Blake jumped in. “Find some tiny town on the other side of the world. Lie low.”
“Let me just googleplaces organized crime can’t reach.” Jace pulled out his phone with exaggerated sarcasm.
Blake glowered at him so hard, I swear I could feel the heat of it. “I’m trying to help here.”
“The Romano family has international connections,” Ryker said. “Same problem as Colorado. These aren’t street thugs. They’re a sophisticated operation with political ties.”
Of course they are.Because why would anything in my life be simple?
“How do you know all this?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.
“Criminal lawyer, remember? I’ve tangled with organized crime cases over the years. Unfortunately, I know more about them than your average person.”
So, our legal counsel was basically a walking encyclopedia of organized crime. At least that helped us, right?
“Let’s go to the police,” I said. “That’s literally what they’re there for.”
“No actual crime has been committed yet,” Ryker replied. “This is theoretical danger.”
