He clenched his hand into a fist, pressing it against his thigh. He didn’t owe Liam his concern—Oliver knew that—but the worry refused to dissipate.
Liam was talking to Samaira when he caught sight of Oliver, and the way his shoulders seemed to slump in relief was unexpected. Samaira half turned to get eyes on him, but Oliver couldn’t read her expression through the tactical goggles and mask she wore.
“I was about to get on a bus with my parents,” Oliver said in lieu of a greeting.
“Are they all right?” Liam asked, sounding concerned.
“They’re fine. A bit banged up from the initial crowd panic, but nothing rest and some quick-heal patches won’t fix.”
“That’s good. Headquarters wants us to return for a debrief. I thought it would be easier if you went with us.”
“Not the best way for me to go unnoticed.”
“The only ones in this area work for the government. If anyone is stupid enough to question us, I’ll tell them it’s none of their business.”
Oliver frowned. “Your headquarters or mine?”
“Does it matter? They all want a chat with us.”
“Speaking of reporting in, if we’re all here now, let’s be off,” Samaira said.
Abigail stretched her arms over her head and hopped up and down a few times. “I’ll see you guys in London.”
Oliver blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, she was gone, with only a breeze to mark her exit.
“She’ll beat us,” Tariq said.
“Even if you’re driving?” Kyle asked.
“We aren’t driving, and yes. Girl isfast.”
Glenn snorted as he headed in the direction of the only transport jet on the premises. Oliver didn’t recognize the model, but he knew it was military grade. “Understatement, mate.”
“I’m not leaving my car here,” Liam said. “Oliver and I will drive back to London.”
Oliver stared at him. “Excuse me? We’llwhat?”
Samaira looked over her shoulder at them but kept walking. “Have an agent drive it back for you.”
“Sod that. I’m not letting anyone from the UMG touch my car. They’ll embed the bloody thing with trackers again,” Liam retorted.
Jamie raised an eyebrow. “Did they really do that?”
Liam made a face. “Yes. Some years back when a solid threat was levied at my family. The people were taken out, but I had to get rid of the trackers myself.”
“Sounds like something the Secret Service would do. I’ll ask Katie and Donovan to check our vehicles when we get home,” Kyle muttered.
Jamie draped his arm over Kyle’s shoulders and nodded. “Come on, let’s get on the jet. Have fun in traffic, Liam.”
Liam raised two fingers in a rude gesture at Jamie, but the tired smile on his face told Oliver he probably didn’t mean anything negative by it. Jamie just laughed as he guided his husband toward their ride home.
“I’d rather fly,” Oliver said, glaring at Liam.
“That’s nice,” Liam said, already turning away. “But we need to have a chat, and I’m not doing it in front of my team.”
Oliver didn’t want to have the chat at all, but it looked like Liam wouldn’t be dissuaded. He half thought about making a run for the jet, but the sound of the engines starting up told him he’d already missed that escape route. His only other option was getting put on a bus, and that sounded incredibly unappealing at this juncture.
Oliver grimaced and started after Liam.Car it is.
