Tabitha pointed at her face. “What do you not get about this situation? We’re trying to keep you alive long enough to make another film. If you don’t like how we do our job, then stay here, and the three of us will go home, you ungrateful shit.” She grabbed the black box and put it in her duffel, hugged Cailín, then headed outside to the SUV.
“I’m going to use the bathroom before we leave,” Craig said, but Tabitha didn’t wait for him. She continued to where Mason was waiting with the assassin.
Mason eyed her face, but she waved him off. “I’m fine, but if you get a complaint from Craig’s management about me smacking him, don’t be surprised.”
Mason pulled her into a hug. He was a cousin on her dad’s side of the family, so she didn’t give a second thought to letting him embrace her. Hell, he and Willow had babysat for her and Anthony when they were younger. When Major joined them, he didn’t growl or show jealousy. He knew Mason wasn’t a threat. He just smiled at her before tossing all their bags into the back of the SUV.
When Craig finally joined them, Major clasped hands with Mason while Tabitha and Cailín hugged and said their goodbyes. Major held the keyring out to Tabitha, his eyes asking silently if she was okay to drive. She appreciated the fact that he wasn’t coddling her. She winked, taking the key fob, and once Craig was safely inthe back row, she took the driver’s seat. She input the address for the hangar where they kept their aircraft, and once it populated the best route, she set out down the driveway.
Major tuned the satellite radio to a rock station, and the two of them sang along to the songs they knew, which were most of them. Tabitha kept an eye on Craig as well as their surroundings, but having Major riding shotgun allowed her to focus more on driving than on whether someone was following.
When they were about twenty minutes away from the small airport, Tabitha turned the volume down and instructed the Bluetooth to call Gabe. The Gargoyle had migrated to the US from Italy when he needed to change locations. Not aging meant they couldn’t remain in one place their whole lives. It was why her parents, along with their aunts and uncles, had moved from Atlanta. The call went to voicemail, so Tabitha left a message, stating they were close to the private airport.
“Eagle eyes peeled. It’s not like Gabe to go radio silent.” Tabitha slowed the vehicle to a crawl and opened her shifter senses. Major removed his pistol from the holster at his side, checking the gun, and chambering a round. Tabitha’s had been taken back at the crime scene, but if she needed another, she had her bracelets. Craig unbuckled his seatbelt and lay across the bench seat without being told to do so. The phone rang with a call from Nikita, and Tabitha pushed the answer button on the steering wheel.
“Nik, I need to call you back. We’re at the airport, but I can’t get a hold of Gabe.”
“He was on the phone with me. Mom called me after Major had her look into the contract. It’s gone wide.Every Tom, Dick, and Harry with a gun is going to be coming after your client.”
The phone beeped with a call from Gabe. “Yeah, but we found the tracker. It’s back at the safehouse.”
“Then you missed one. There’s chatter all over the place. Someone, and we’re assuming it’s Cabretti, is sending updates with Craig’s location. We’ve already called Everett and given him Cabretti’s location, but until someone gets to him, this shit is going to get worse.”
Gabe stepped out of the hangar, waving his arms. “Gotta go. Gabe’s signaling to us.”
“Watch your backs.”
Gabe waved them forward, and Tabitha drove to where he indicated. As soon as she was parked, Tabitha popped the hatch. When she exited the car, Gabe said, “I was on the phone with Nikita. She told me about the contract. We need to get in the air.”
The three of them grabbed their bags and rushed to the jet. “What about the tracker?” Major asked as they jogged up the steps into the plane.
“I’ll do another sweep once we’re in the air.” Tabitha handed her bag to Major so she could retract the steps and lock the door. “We’re in, Gabe.” She took the seat closest to her and buckled in. She might be a Gargoyle, but she wasn’t indestructible like her male counterparts. At least Major could shift into his Gryphon and fly if needed.
The plane taxied out onto the runway, and Tabitha searched out the window for anyone headed their way. Gabe got them in the air just as a dark SUV raced towardthem. A man jumped out and shot at the jet with a rifle. A couple of bullets hit the plane. “Gabe?”
“Hang tight. No alarms are going off.” They flew for about fifteen minutes, and then Gabe cursed. “Fuck. He hit the wing.”
“How long do we have?” If the bullets punctured the wing, they would lose fuel.
“Long enough for me to find a place to land. I’m radioing the closest tower. I need you to call Mason.”
Major pulled out his phone. “I’ll call. You deal with him.” He waved a hand in Craig’s direction.
“What? What’s going on?” Craig asked.
“The bullets hit the wing, which means we’re losing fuel.” Tabitha unbuckled and went to her bag and retrieved the scanner. Her mind tingled as Anthony reached out.
“Are you okay?”
“Just a little trouble with my client. Nothing to worry about.”Yes, she lied to her twin, but there was nothing he could do to help. She’d have hell to pay when he found out the truth, but that was a tomorrow Tabitha’s problem.
“Stand up,” she instructed a wide-eyed Craig.
“What?”
“Stand up. I need to see if you have a tracker on you somewhere.”
“Don’t you think I would know if—”
