Adria rested her head on Kaydon’s shoulder. Bryson, still not fully recovered, pressed his face into the passenger window. Seth, being quiet as usual, was curled into a ball, head resting on Adria’s lap.
Elena didn’t know Seth as well as she knew Bryson and Kaydon. Kaydon was supposed to be Luca’s Right Hand. Butafter he and her mother died, Bryson received the honors. It was probably for the best. Of all the siblings, Luca was the most like their father. At least with Bryson as the heir, the Winters had a chance.
Eric turned onto a side road, his hands moving purposefully on the steering wheel. Elena looked back. His rear passengers barely swayed.
She hated seeing Bryson looking so weak. Growing up, he was always her hero. He didn’t wear a cape and fight crime. But he foughtherbad guys. Bryson always protected her from their father, and he was always there when she needed him.
Her brother never went with the crowd. He went his own way, and in their world that made him an outsider. But to her, that made him Superman.
The princess, if she was acting, was doing one hell of a job, and Elena wasn’t ready to trust her yet. Bryson must care about her, if he was willing to kill Jonathan Balin for her. As the mouthpiece of the Triune, an unsanctioned kill was a death sentence.
Elena: Heading to the airport, wheels up in 30.
Sota: Be safe, I love you.
Elena: You too.
If she was capable of love, she supposed she loved Sota. He was the one man who treated her like a person. He valued her opinion and encouraged her to make her own decisions.
It was Sota who had gotten her out of her shell after she left her father. Sota who recognized the violence in her waiting to come out.
He saw the beast within, and instead of trying to break it or hide it, he taught her how to set it free.
It was bitterly ironic that her father’s plan to turn her into agood girlhad actually created a monster that rivaled his family.
In fact, Bryson was the only reason Callen was still alive. Elena couldn’t risk the families pinning the death on her brother.
“We’re here,” Eric said.
They pulled into a mostly empty hangar.
“Wait here,” Eric said, and before Elena could snap that she didn’t work for him, he was gone.
Once robo-cop was satisfied the coast was clear, he came back to the vehicle. Elena had to freeze her expression when he opened her door for her and held his hand aloft to help her outside.
The salt-and-pepper beard, the southern manners, the military-grade physique. He had no business looking this good. And yet there was not a hint of flirtation from him. He just genuinely treated women well.
Elena wanted to hate it, but her body clearly enjoyed it.
Once she was safely out of the car, Eric opened the door for the boys and Adria.
Elena leaned against the vehicle, watching the group exit.
Bryson moved slowly, arms slung over Kaydon and Adria, who helped him along. Seth walked to the left of Adria, who reached out and took his hand.
The four of them moved like that towards the plane, it was so wholesome Elena had to look away.
She caught the eye of Eric, who was also looking at them with a pained expression.
“She has got herself quite the crew, huh?” Elena said.
Eric erased whatever expression was on his face, saying, “If she’s happy, I’m happy.”
Bullshit.
In Elena’s experience, it was near impossible to be happy for someone else. Especially if that happiness meant your value went down.
Once the team clambered aboard, Elena performed one final check with her pilots. Flight plans were cleared, and the passenger manifest was given to customs. If Adria’s man came through, they would have a new set of identities by the time they landed. Engines thrummed, vibrating through the aluminum floor. The pilots received the green light from the tower and Elena gave them the nod.
