“Cade wasn’t my target,” I admit. I’m not ashamed of my mistake. How can I be when it brought Cade into my life? But fuck if it isn’t still embarrassing as all hell. “He gave me a fake name that happened to be the same as my target.”
Neo exhales slowly. “What are the odds of that happening?”
“Small, I imagine.”
He scratches his chin. “Get me a pen and paper, and I’ll work it out.”
I snort. “No, let’s not get off track. The point is, I kidnapped the wrong guy.”
The ramifications of that seem to hit Neo, making him wince. “What happened when they found out?”
I run back over the memory in my mind. Of the selfie Cade sent. The odd response. “Weirdly…nothing. They said I was an idiot and told me to lose their number.”
“That feels suspicious.”
It did to me at first too, but it’s different now that I know that Cade’s family aren’t just the Buckinghams.
They’re The Firm. It’s a whole different ballgame.
Neo is tapping his fingers on his thighs rhythmically. “And, what? They’ve decided to just leave you alone?”
I shrug. “Seems like it. Said they weren’t being dragged down with me. Haven’t heard from them since.”
“Something here isn’t adding up…” Neo says, getting up to pace again. “There’s something I’m missing. What is it about the Buckinghams that made them back off?”
Fear grips my throat. I can’t let him work it out. I wouldn’t betray Cade’s trust like that. So I do the only thing I can think of. “Sauerkraut.”
Neo cocks his head at me. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Yes.” I square my shoulders. “Sauerkraut, Neo. You have to respect it.”
“I know, I know,” he mutters, dropping back into his chair with a pout. “Feels like a fucking cheat, but whatever.”
Sauerkraut is our code word, one we’ve used for twelve years now. It means,trust me. Just go with it. Don’t ask questions.
And, most importantly, it can’t be ignored. Once sauerkraut has been called, the other person has to respect it.
“You will tell me eventually.” Neo’s fingers are tapping again. “I mean it. I’ll respect it for now, but I expect to know the truth when you can share it.”
“That’s fair.” And honestly, it is. It’s reasonable. Neo’s an important part of my life. If Cade plans on having me stick around, he’ll need to accept Neo too. We can’t hide the existence of The Firm from him forever.
Hopefully, once the others get to know him, they’ll realize there’s no one more loyal than Neo. He might be a mouthy fucker, but moreoften than not, he’s using that mouth to defend those he cares about.
Lines appear on his forehead as he thinks. “This thing you can’t tell me, is it connected to the paranoia levels of security and the weapons they were merrily brandishing earlier?”
I stay silent, but that’s enough of an answer in itself.
“Fine. Next question.” Neo’s gaze meets mine. “Are you safe?”
“Yes.” My answer is immediate this time. “Very. Cade won’t let anyone hurt me.”
“Hmm.” He’s skeptical. That’s to be expected. Neo doesn’t know the Buckinghams any better than they know him. “And are you happy?”
My response is the same but softer. “Yeah, Neo. I am. He makes me so fucking happy.”
Neo doesn’t look convinced. “For how long though, Ansel? Think he’s going to be happy slumming it at our place? Eating off paper plates and lighting candles when the power goes out? Can you really picture him there?”
I flush. “He did fine in the cabin.”
