“Sweetheart, no,” he rushes to reassure me as he kneels in front of me and grabs my free hand. His brown eyes bore into mine as he tells me, “I knew what I was doing every step of the way, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I don’t care if they label me a traitor. I know the truth, and so do you. That’s all that matters to me. They were never going to act on the intel they had. They were waiting for evidence that wasn’t going to come, at least not with the legal channels they needed to take to access it.”
“Fuck the feds, and fuck the law,” Pete says with a nod.
“When we’re done with Robert, we’ll leave the country, find somewhere to live where we aren't at risk of them knocking down our door,” Sly says with a squeeze of my hand.
The thought of another country perks me up a bit. “Like Canada?”
Elias grins. “Yeah, like Canada.”
“We could live in a remote cabin in the woods, where itsnows, and we can build snowmen and make snow angels and have snowball fights!” I say excitedly.
“I didn’t know you were so interested in winter,” Sly says, and I nod excitedly.
“Autumn, too. We had a bit of an autumn in Arizona, but I want to see the leaves turn red and orange like in the movies.”
“You know, since we’re in Montana now, the leaves will start changing very soon,” Elias tells me.
“Really?” I ask, my eyes growing wide with excitement.
He nods, and just like that, the tension fades. They might be wantedhere, but in Canada, with new names, we’d be safe from the feds, as long as the guys didn’t draw attention to themselves, which might be difficult if they actually want to make a living as mercenaries.
“If we live in Canada, won’t it be hard to take contracts as guns for hire?” I ask the group.
Elias frowns from where he’s still kneeling in front of me. “I’m still not sure I like this plan.”
“Nobody asked for your opinion,” Sly says dryly.
Suddenly, I worry Elias won’t be coming with us when this is all over. His place in our group hadn’t been cemented. He could do anything after this is over. Before I can worry about it anymore, Pete breaks the tension. “I still thinkThe Caped Crusadersis a good name.”
“No capes,”Jagger signs with a scowl.
“How aboutThe Problem Solvers?” Dex asks.
“Nope,” Pete says, shaking his head in thought. “Oh! I know!The Hazardous Heartthrobs!”
That one has me laughing, and even Elias’s lip twitches in amusement.
“How aboutThe Midnight Meatheads?” Elias suggests.The others scowl at him, but I giggle in response, which seems to break the tension.
“Team Justice?” Pete asks, but the others shake their heads.
“Let’s table this and make a formal plan to stake out the place where Robert is,” Sly says, getting us back on task. After we’ve figured out the plan, Pete suggests we do it in two days' time.
“Why wouldn’t we do it tomorrow?” Elias asks in confusion.
“We’ve had a lot of stress lately. I vote tomorrow is group date day,” Pete says, turning to me with a wink.
“Group date?” Elias asks carefully, his eyes bouncing between me and Pete.
“Yup, you can come too, of course. We need someone to drive us.”
“You want me to be your chauffeur while you take Wren on a date?” Elias deadpans, looking decidedly unpleased.
“Exactly! I knew you’d understand.”
“We still need to be careful. Where were you thinking of going?” Sly asks him.
“Somewhere she’s never been.”
