After a few moments, I realized I needed to call Zombie to see if he could get anything off the envelope. I prayed I hadn’t just ruined the only evidence we had.
Zombie and his assistant showed up quickly. I sat on the stoop of the door with my head in my hands. Lily was alive, of that I was certain, but for how long? Who knew what was happening to her if she had a black eye. I felt overwhelmed by helplessness.
We had to take down Anthony Ricci. It was clear he was behind this. We needed to come up with a second plan. A plan to save my sister and make sure she didn’t get hurt in the crossfire.
Lily wasn’t his to have.
NINETEEN
BADGER
“No fucking way! I am not staying with him,” I told Chief for the seventh time. We had been going back and forth for the last ten minutes in a spare office at RSS.
Kade and Machine stood in the corner, Machine’s arms crossed over his chest. His face was expressionless. I could tell that he wasn’t happy about this situation either, and why would he be? We hadn’t seen each other since our kiss. I couldn’t stay with the man who had made me lose control.
“Damnit, Jessica!” Chief roared, slamming his fist on the desk.
I jumped. Chief never lost his patience, especially not with me.
He closed his eyes and took a breath. “Gentlemen, can Badger and I have the room please?”
Both men gave small sounds of approval before silently leaving the office.
“I’m not going to stay with Machine. This is absolutely ridiculous! I can take care of myself!”
Chief raised a hand to silence me before I could go on. “I have no doubt you can take care of yourself, Jess. But we justlost Arrow, and I almost lost you in the process. I can’t…” Tears began to fill his eyes.
Hearing Arrow’s name on his lips made the pit in my stomach grow. We had all taken Arrow’s death hard. Especially Zombie and Chief. Their grief had been palpable.
Chief cleared his throat. “I can’t lose you too, Jess. Please, just do this for me. I know it’s not ideal. But we don’t know which members of our team's home locations, besides Badger’s, have been compromised.”
“Why can’t I just stay with one of you guys?”
“Because right now it would seem you are the target. And the safest place for you is with that man out there.” He pointed to the door. “He not only is the second to one of the most powerful men in the city, but he also has resources that we do not have.”
I picked at my fingernail. I hated this. I hated that he was right and hated even more that I would be stuck with a man that I couldn’t stand. And one I couldn’t resist.
“What about Nellie and the other women? I can’t just let them be defenseless.”
“They won’t be,” Kade said from behind me as he walked back into the office. “I will have some of my men surveilling the area, and protecting the other team members.”
I huffed. I was still angry at Kade, or “Ghost” or whatever he was called for the stunt he’d pulled on Phantom. She was currently under his protection, and I could only imagine how that was going.
Arrow’s death was still fresh in all of our minds, and I knew that Kade and Chief were constructing a plan to take down Ricci. How was I supposed to help if I was forced to stay with Machine?
“How long?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Until we take down Ricci. Then you will be free to go back home,” Chief responded.
“Fine,” I conceded.
Great. Here goes nothing.
TWENTY
BADGER
I walked into the vast space of the penthouse with Machine in tow, carrying some of my bags. He had insisted on helping me because my lungs were still recovering. The penthouse was huge, with floor-to-ceiling windows and an open-concept layout. All the furnishings were black, with cement accent walls and a large fireplace below a massive TV. It had a moody atmosphere and screamed luxury.
