“I’ll be sending more guards here then.” I raise my hand when Rocco opens his mouth to argue. “Non-negotiable.” I stand up and squeeze Ryder’s shoulder on the way by. “I need to spread the good news,” I say sarcastically.
I make it back to the sitting room, and Katherine is nursing a bottle of water with color back on her face. I sit on the coffee table in front of her. “There is no easy way to put this, Katherine.” She nods for me to continue. “What we’re involved in is bad. Not just pretty bad, but really bad. You can’t go back home alone now.”
She frowns. “But they didn’t see me; I don’t see any reason why I can’t go home.”
“He has eyes somewhere,” Gage says gently. I know Viktor did his homework because he knows he can’t take me out, but he can hit me where it hurts. “He knows who you are.”
Katherine raises a shaky hand to her mouth. “I’m in danger?”
“We all are, Mom,” Leo says, gently squeezing her to his side. “What’s the plan?” Leo asks me.
“She stays here with you and Rocco,” I say, hoping Leo will automatically agree to be at his mom’s side.
He frowns, and I know that’s wishful thinking. “Not a chance in hell. I’m not hiding while you’re in the crosshairs.”
“Leo…”
“Save it, Baby. I’m going back home with you guys,” Leo says with his jaw setting in that stubborn way that tells me I’m wasting my breath arguing with him.
“How long?” Katherine whispers.
“I don’t know,” I tell her honestly. “Things are starting to heat up, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” I grab her hands. “I need to know you’re safe.”
She nods, and it’s an instant relief for Leo and me.
I hope I made the right choice by not sending her packing back to North Carolina.
Chapter 45
Ryder
After we got Leo’s mom safely tucked away at my dad’s, we had no time since we had to get to this meeting with Spinner. Les promises Katherine she’ll have everything she needs while she’s with my dad ordered and delivered as soon as we got back home. Les doesn't make any promises about when Katherine can return to North Carolina because we don’t know when that would happen.
I don’t like dad being involved, but I know I don’t have a choice now. At least Les gave him babysitting duty.
We all pile back in the same way we got here with Gage, Leo, and Dex in Gage’s smashed-up Range Rover. They’re lucky the damn thing didn’t roll when the other SUV pushed them off the road. I fucking hate seeing Leo’s mom hurt and hate it even more that we didn’t have time to take Holden home.
We pull over a block away, so he doesn’t see us coming. I shove the car into park. “We can’t leave Holden in here unprotected,” I whisper to Les.
“I know,” she says miserably, and I know she’s worried about taking a stitched-up Leo in there too. She pushes her door open without another word, and we all follow her out, meeting the others at the hood of the Denali.
Les turns her eyes on Holden and pulls one of her Glocks from the holster. “I know you don’t like these, but you need it on you anyway,” she says in a way that doesn’t leave any room for argument. This is Boss Les now, not his bright eyes. He takes it reluctantly and tucks it into the back of his jeans, pulling his shirt over it. “Shoot first. Ask questions later,” she says and then turns to Leo. “Are you armed?” He pulls up his shirt, and I see the Glock tucked against his side.
“I didn’t leave home without it,” Leo says with a smile, pulling his shirt back down.
“How are the stitches holding up?” I ask, worried about the asshole too. He took a hit, getting knocked around in that SUV.
“Fine,”
“What’s the play, Boss?” Dex asks, leaning back against Gage’s damaged SUV.
She looks around at all of us gathered around, and I can see her resolve harden with none of the doubts I saw earlier. “We go in like we own the place. I want Ryder, Holden, Leo, and Mateo with me going in the front. Dex, Gage, Evander, and Micah go in through the back. Don’t leave them any room to escape.” She looks between Evander and Mateo. “I’m going to assume you can handle yourselves.”
Mateo grins, and it looks just as crazy as Gage’s does before we do this. “Fuck yeah, we can.”
Evander rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to worry about us.”
Les looks at Holden again. “Stay close.”
