“Ma’am, are you okay? Where are you going, the police are on their way!” I cranked the car, saying absolutely nothing as the poor bystander stood dumbfounded and looking at me like I was nuts. If he only knew how absolutely accurate he is. I slammed the door and stomped on the gas while several people jumped out of the way, and then peeled out of the parking lot, immediately dialing Simon.
“You mad. I know.”
“I’m not mad, I was busy…and somebody just tried to blow my head off for this safety deposit bag. Tell me you’re home.”
“What?”
“You heard me, Simon. You’ve gotta take this, or help me find a place to hide it. It just cost me my sense of security and sixreallygood fucking cupcakes!”
He sighed and took a minute too long to answer me.
“Meet at office. Not house.”
“I’m on my way.”
Adrenaline had every inch of my limbs shaking and my gas pedal catching all the intensity while I set Simon’s accounting office up on my GPS. I checked my rear-view every two seconds. If this makes the news, or if there’s security footage…there’s no fucking way I’ll be able to explain any of this away. Declan will have it all figured out by dinner, Malek will lose his unholy shit and Seven—oh, God—what if he tried to go after her too?
I felt it coming before I had a clear shot to get over, and barely made it to the shoulder of the highway without hitting five cars before I threw my door open and puked.
CHAPTER 8
The Pawn
I’m not surprised that she left without saying a word this morning. I left a mark. I also left something else that she’ll be real confused about when she sees it in the back floorboard. The best way to hunt is to get them confused and distracted…and then take the shot when they’re least expecting it. The only thing that truly surprises me…is that she hasn’t let any of this show on her since I started playing her game. I got up and cracked open a bag of pretzels as I stepped into the bat cave, booting up all my gadgets and Bridget’s tracker.
The French restaurant I’ve been dying to take her to. Go figure.
Funny thing about all of this is that I missed a text from Malek this morning, asking me to find Seven too. I rang him.
“Glad I don’t pay your sorry arse anymore.”
I scoffed. “Glad I’m not the only one missing my lassie. Makes me feel less like a git.”
“You didn’t take my advice, did you…”
Not a question. He knows I didn’t read her fucking poetry.
“I don’t think I have to tell you that your sister is more complicated than that, Malek. Did Sev make you sleep outside like a mutt last night for all that poetry you read her?”
“Bugger off. She sings like a little canary when I spread her like one of her favorite books.”
“I can see your fuckin’ eye winking from here, brother.” I clicked on this and that, typed in a few things and rolled my eyes, listening to him snicker on the other end. “Been a while since you had me trackin’ her though. What’s wrong?”
“…It’s nothin’. Just tryin’ to keep her feet warm about some shite. Tryin’ even harder not to screw up Average Joe life. I’m starting to wonder if I’m cut out for it, Dec. Sometimes it itches, ya know?”
“Last time it itched, you needed antibiotics.”
“Get fucked, asal capaill.”
I cackled, confirming Sev and Bridget were in the same place and started closing everything down. “They’re atLa Terrasse Rouge. If I know your sister, she’ll end up at her favorite nail spot within the hour.”
“Thanks.”
“You got it,” I huffed, shrugging my coat on. “They’re not the only ones that can go disappear into a vat of hot gossip, Mal. Just puttin’ that out there. I’m here if you need me for anything other than my genius.”
“Might take you up on that. Later, cunt.”
Sometimes the hunt can drag. Keeping eyes on her isn’t always a walk in a game store. Parts of it are boring. But the hard truth is…I’ve nothing better to do, and this isn’t some attempt to win her affection. This might help keep heralive. It might help keep usallalive, if I’m right about what I wish I waswrongabout. I parked just far enough away to see Malek with the girls outside the eatery, and it’s painfully obvious that something is going on with him and Sev. I’m almost pissed at myself for not tagging Bridget with a mic today, but at the same time…he’ll tell me when he’s ready,ifhe’s ever ready. It’s not my place. He didn’t linger, either. That tells me he honestly just wanted to know she was safe. I’ve seen this behavior in him before. For a few months after we found out about Shavonn. After that little spell wore off, he was a completely different breed.
