“No worries, mate. Slate’s debating a possible timeline with our top guys. If the terrorists make a move, we’ll know.”
But it may be too late.“Keep in touch. I’ll keep my phone nearby. Over.”
“Copy that. Hang tight. We got your six. We’ll reach out soon.”
After the call ends, silence lingers between us, thick with unspoken fears. Kelly stares out the windshield, her fingers tearing at the day pass, stapled to her zipper.
“Are you okay?” One glance over the stick shift makes me wish this was all a nightmare—one I’d pay a small fortune to wake up from.
“Yeah, yeah. Just wondering where they’ve targeted the attack.” Her digits clutch my knee, her breathing shallow.
“Well, fuck them.” After she slams her fist on the dashboard, her eyes flick toward my hotel, coming up fast on our right. “We should eat.”
I nod my agreement. First food, then plan.We’ve burned through a lot of energy. Soon, we sit in my hotel’s restaurant where she slips off her after-ski boots and rubs her ankles. Letting out a sigh, her head snaps to the entrance.
“For the love of God, here comes Bourdin.”
Parading across the room, the coyote parks at our table. “How’s the snow?”
Kelly narrows her gaze and points out the door. “Beautiful. Why don’t you go check it out? Like now?”
His face darkens with rage. When his fingers curl into a fist, I clamp onto his elbow, applying pressure until his eyes water.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Still in my grasp, a diamond sparkling in his front incisor, he smirks at my date. “Your brother can’t watch her twenty-four-seven.”
He’s threatening her kid? As I squeeze his arm tighter, I picture my hands around his throat. When it’s clear who’s weaker, I let him go and shove him toward the door.
Out of my reach, the bully stabs his finger in the air. “I warned you. Now that Dante’s missing, I’m coming for Mack.”
Full of venom, coiled to bite, her green eyes narrow. “He’s not gone. He’ll be back.”
The man chuckles. “Sure, he will.”
Something about his derision raises the hackles on the back of my neck. “Got something you want to share with the whole class, John?”
Facing us, he inches back. “Better be careful, or you’ll end up ice fishing, too.”
“Are you trying to intimidate me, Bourdin?” She instinctively reaches for her sidearm, but she’s not in uniform.
When I slide my hand inside my jacket, the Canadian lifts up his palms. “Calm down, Fish and Game man. Just don’t get in my way -tout va bien se passer. You know how this works. If not…”
The way he pumps his pelvis sends any civility I might have had out the window. Jaw tight, I snatch the guy’s shirt collar and drag his ass outside. “You do not threaten to sexually assault a minor. Ever.”
That damn smirk. Cameras? None.Excellent.
I slam his face into the wall—once, twice—until cartilage gives way with a sickening crunch.
He howls, blood pouring between his fingers. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers.”
Fucking child.
This time, it’s my turn to grin. “You go right ahead. If I see you anywhere near Ms. O’Malley or her family, I’ll shoot you and claim self-defense. We clear?”
“Not if I kill you first.”
“Wrong answer, dude.” I toss him in the backseat, cinch his wrists, and slide behind the wheel.
