Reed went over to the armchair and picked up an M4 that’d been sitting there like it now belonged more in my world than a piano. “That’ll be my cue to leave.”
Ryder gave him a quick nod and redirected his focus to me. “Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you.”
“She asked you not to tell me, yes? So she could be the one?”
“She did.” Ryder cleared his throat. “Repeatedly.”
I huffed out a deep breath. “Fine, then I’ll wait for her to explain face-to-face and decide then how angry I am. For now, I have enough to deal with.” Time to shift gears and my energy elsewhere. “How’s Alejandro?”
“Alejandro?” he repeated like a question.
Oh, right. I used his full name. But he told me to.I didn’t need to tell my brother that right now, and no, that wasn’t me being dishonest. I hoped it didn’t count, at least. “Is he okay?” I deflected. “It can’t be easy what he’s about to do.”
“No easier than these last few days have been for you. Dealing with people who’ve hurt you.”
“We have to put an end to this. All of it.” I closed my eyes as I let my past play through my mind in dizzyingly slow motion.
From opening that box on Friday to the inscription in the wedding band to Alejandro comforting me on his knees back at the lodge before I confessed Mitch’s sins, to the hotness that happened by the piano. Everything. All of it. Landing lastly on something Reed had said before he took off. And theahamoment hit me like a bolt of lightning. “I think I may have an idea,” I blurted out.
“Please tell me that your idea doesn’t include you demanding to come to New Zealand with us, come hell or high water, like your best friend has?”
“You’re the ones who told her about New Zealand, I take it. Should’ve left her in the dark like you did me.”
He winced, and so did I at that jab.
“Sorry, still a little upset about the lie,” I whispered.
“As you should be.” His brows pinched as he explained, “But no, it was her brother who found out about New Zealand, we didn’t tell her.”
“Her brother? What do you mean?”
“He’s apparently good with cyber stuff like Gwen. He was able to unfuck the destroyed footage tying Mitch to that vault in New Zealand before Gwen could.” He held out his hand. “Gwen’s a little upset that someone beat her to that, so maybe don’t bring it up to her. Sensitive subject.” He gave me an innocent smile.
“I’m still reeling over the fact Hollis has a brother she never mentioned.” I took a moment to recalibrate before moving forward. “But if they haven’t found Mitch on any other CCTV footage aside from that one time, he must really be holed up somewhere and waiting until the auction, right?”
He nodded.
“But, um.” Shit, what idea did I have I never presented? When it slammed back to mind, I shared, “I think we should use Mitch’s obsession with me to our advantage.”
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t just want to buy his freedom and safety. He wants me in his own sick and twisted way. Forever, right?”
“And you’re saying that we give himyou?”
“Yes.” I shook my head. “No.” I closed the space between us, my mind racing. “We give him the illusion of something he can’t handle.”Here goes.“Gwen suggested Hollis be Reed’s plus-one. What if I go not only as Alejandro’s plus-one, but as his wife?”
Ryder took an immediate step back, a hand shooting over his mouth.
That was a deep-in-thought, considering-it look, right?
“No aliases. But the cover story is the ring on my finger,” I continued while he processed. “And Alejandro wearsMitch’s band. We don’t hide from him. We remain in plain sight. And we make him come right for us, because what choice will he have?”
“And he’ll snap seeing you, the woman he desperately wants, with Alex and his ring on Alex’s finger.” He slowly looked up at me, hand returning to his side. “We turn his sick jealousy and obsession into our advantage for the op.”
“Your team can grab Mitch at the auction, and you guys keep him alive so we can get to the vault and open it. Then Secretary Chandler can ensure the evidence never gets in the wrong hands. After, track down the rest of Stratos 2.0 and shut it down for good.”
Ryder’s brows tightened. “And what about Mitch?”
