"Then, as I mentioned before, he'll want you to submit a DNA test—we already have our guy lined up for that, so you'll agree. Ambrose hasn't met any of the women claiming to be his daughter in a long time. These days, he waits for the DNA test results, all of which have been negative to this point, so I don't think we need to worry about a face to face for a while. Which gives us time to prepare and assess.
"Afterward, though, it's hard to say what will happen or how quickly things will move once the test comes back positive."
"Was this really the best option?" I interject.
Atticus nods. "She already told her adopted father?—"
"Chris," Aurora corrects him.
Atticus's throat bobs. "She already toldChristhat's where she was headed, and she needs to establish roots there.Aroutine in case Ambrose's people look into it."
"I don't like it."
"Of course you don't."
"I still think one of us should stay with her," Sev says again, his tone harder this time.
Atticus pinches the bridge of his nose with a frustrated sigh. "We'll bring her back in as often as we can," he offers.
"But in the meantime, we doneed to be able to meet, which is why I've leased a laundromat in town with one of our shell companies. Her building doesn't have laundry facilities by design, so at least once a week, she'll need to bring her shit there to wash it. There's a back room, and no camera coverage in the lot out back. That'll be our new base of operations, the new 'Switzerland'."
He looks pointedly at Aurora, then away. "At least one of us will be there at all times, so we're close in case anything happens."
I unclench my fists, wincing at the ache as the overstrained tendons in my right one relax.
"What about Ellie?" Aurora asks, casting her gaze around as if looking for her pup. "WhereisEllie?"
"I let her out this morning."
She smiles her thanks at me as Atticus explains, "She'll be staying with you. Your apartment is pet-friendly. That's why it had to be off campus. Your course load isn't too crazy, but you'll need to rush back between the morning and afternoon classes to walk her."
"How am I supposed to?—"
Atticus lifts a set of car keys from his pocket and tosses them to her.
She catches them, her brow furrowing.
"Your car's fixed," Atticus explains. "I'd have preferred to get you a new one built this century, but using the old one keeps things looking legit. It's a good thing Eli called our mechanicback and asked him to fix it instead of scrap it. It's already parked at your apartment in Boone."
Aurora presses her lips into a thin line, and her throat bobs. "When do I leave?"
"Today."
Fuck.
I'm starting to hate everything about this.
"This is a long game," he continues, repeating himself as he leans over the table to fix his hard stare on each of us. "I have no idea how long it'll be from the time Aurora is confirmed as Ambrose's blood to him actually bringing her in. We need to be prepared to have some patience."
"What if he doesn't bring her in?" Sev asks. "What if we do all this, put her right under his nose, and he?—"
"He will," Atticus snaps, punctuating the words with a hard thud of his palm on the table. "It'll work. I know it'll work. He hasn't been searching all this time for his family to keep them at arm's length when he finds them."
Imagining Aurora being within 'arm's length' of Ambrose makes the scars on my back ache and my stomach sour.
How long will she have to endure him with a smile?
Can she even do it?
