Grace pressed her hands to her temples and dropped her elbows to her knees.“Oh, God.Alicia.I’m so sorry.”
Alicia scooped the cat into her lap.“You have nothing to be sorry for, Grace.You are always welcome here.Psychopath ex-husband or not.”
They were strong words of support, but Callum could see Alicia’s wariness cracking her bravado.
Grace pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.The color still hadn’t returned to her cheeks.“I thought I’d been so careful.”
“Don’t worry about it.We’re all safe.No one’s hurt my babies.No one’s hurt you or me.We’re fine.”
“We can’t stop Dominic.You know that.”
Her flat tone worried him.“I don’t know that,” he said.“And I don’t agree.”
“He has more resources than you can imagine.”Grace unburied her face from her knees.“He’s never outgunned.Never outplayed.”
“The man went to prison, Grace.He’s not infallible.”
“Look at the situation now.”She stood up.“I should leave.Just go somewhere else and make it clear that I’ve left.”
“Like hell.”Alicia pushed her back down.
Better her than him.He wanted to do the same thing.“I’m looking at the situation with both eyes open.It would have been a hell of a lot easier if I had known what was going on from the beginning—”
“Callum,” Alicia warned with a careful shake of her head.
“We will get you to a safehouse.”He tilted his head to the dogs and met Alicia’s eye.“We can all go.”
Alicia crossed her arms.“Look, this might be new to you, but she’s hidden from Dominic for years.If there aren’t listening devices, we should stay put until you have a plan.We’re comfortable here.You and your big gun are here.My dogs and cat are here.We stay here unless he’s been in my house.If that’s the case, fuck it, I don’t know.Burn the place down.Stash us someplace secret.”
One dog nuzzled Grace until she petted him.
Callum understood the dog’s instincts.Touching her would soothe a part of him he had ignored for years.
Alicia arched her eyebrows.“Well?”
He wanted to drag both women—and maybe the pets—to a location where he had control.Where only he and his teammates could pinpoint.Grace concentrated on the dog at her side as if she were waiting for two bickering parents to work it out or walk away.
He drew a deep breath and didn’t plan to go in circles with Alicia all night long.
“Okay, decision time.”Alicia petted the dog with Grace.“Neither of us will let you run off on your own.”
“Her leaving alone wasn’t even a consideration.Just so we’re all on the same page.”
“If there’s no listening devices,” Alicia continued, “what do you want to do?”
“Stay here.”
Alicia lifted her eyebrows defiantly.“Fine.We’re staying here.”
“All right.”He’d make that work.It would give them more time to orchestrate a plan with the least amount of upheaval.“Do you want to call your parents?”
“No.Absolutely not.I don’t want them involved in anything related to Dominic.They’ll be needlessly worried.”
“That’s not how they’re going to see it.”He glanced between the two women, not wanting to admit that Hayden would eventually be given an update.It wouldn’t be tonight, but soon.Hayden would do whatever he wanted with that information.Callum nodded.“You’re calling the shots tonight.”Those were the last words he should be saying.“No parents.”
“And Hayden?”
“I couldn’t give Hayden an update right now even if I wanted to.This goes no farther than my team for the time being.”
