At her words, an idea formed in my head. I didn’t trust that Jamie Jordan—Jeremy King—didn’t have access to our list of safehouses. My thoughts went back to the FBI agent who’d sold Tibby’s information to him. There was no telling what other information that King had bought from that agent, who was now sitting in a federal detention center in Quantico.
“Eloise, your grandmother is Cecelia Worthington, right?” I asked, and there was a pause on the other end of the line before the omega answered.
“Yes, why?”
“Do you think she’d be willing to loan one of her properties to us for a couple of weeks?”
CHAPTER 36
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Aria and Matteo saton either side of me in the backseat of a darkly tinted SUV. It was one of seven SUVs that were leaving the garage of Pack Simmons apartment building at the same time, a distraction just in case we were being watched. It was just after ten in the morning, but you wouldn’t know it with how foggy today was. Six hours had passed since we were awoken by the scream of the alarm. We had packed quickly for a few weeks and hurried out of the apartment building, surrounded by FBI agents. It felt more like I was the criminal, rather than the person who was being protected.
Cobb and Theo talked quietly in the front seat as we pulled fully out of the parking garage and onto the busy street. Theo, who was driving, followed the SUV that was directly in front of us. At the end of the street the eight SUVs split separately from each other, going in different directions. We took a left and turned onto a street that was already bustling with commuters and tourists on the sidewalk. To me, they looked like they didn’t have a care in the world as they chatted to each other or listened to music while greeting the foggy San Francisco morning with a gusto.
Jealousy filled my gut as I watched them go about their mornings, and guilt quickly followed. “I’m really sorry,” I murmured quietly, not thinking that anyone would hear me.
“Sorry for what, Little Bit?” Theo’s voice made me jump, and when I looked up, I saw his blue eyes in the rear view mirror.
Playing with the zipper of the backpack on my lap, I hesitated for a minute before replying. “I just feel like I’m wrecking your lives. It’s not fair that you now have to leave your home because of me.” The burning trash can, graffiti and pictures hadn’t scared me so much as the fact that the bubble of safety that we had created had finally popped. Just like I knew that it would.
A sigh came from the front seat, “Aria, do you want to handle this or should I?” Theo asked.
“I got it.” Aria turned her body so that she was fully facing me, “Tibby, look at me.” I continued to glare at my backpack until soft, cool fingers forced my face to look over at her.
Her amber eyes were intense when I finally looked up to meet them. “We are leaving our house because some asshole is trying to hurt you. I’m not sure if you are being purposefully obtuse or if you really don’t get it. It’sourhouse. You, me, Matteo, Theo and Cobb’s house. Tibby, you are stuck with us whether you like it or not.”
She let me go after that and the car was silent as Theo pulled onto the freeway that headed north.
I had been pussyfooting around the permanence of the situation, afraid that if I asked, that somehow they would tell me that all of this was only temporary. After the trial I’d go back to the academy and they would go back to their lives.
I was so afraid to ask to stay that I’d simply decided to ignore the problem, keeping myself busy with trying to figure out how I was going to move on after the inevitable end of our relationship. Maybe it’s a bit stupid of me to assume that, but I’d grown so used to happiness being fleeting and temporary, that my damn brain told me that it would always be like that.
My voice was thick with emotion when I finally answered. I wanted to say one-hundred different things, to tell each of them how they made me feel and how they had changed my life for the better, but the only thing I could say was: “I love you guys.” My voice wobbled as I quickly wiped at the tears on my face.
Matteo and Aria slid their hands into mine, and Cobb turned around in his seat to grin at me. “We were wondering when you’d finally come to that conclusion, Tibby.” He held out his hand and Aria gave him a high five.
