I shot a look at my brother. “You’re not using something like that as bait. I won’t let you put the community at risk.”
“We’ll secure it heavily,” Fox added. “Cameras. License plate readers. Controlled entry points. Uniformed officers and plainclothes. We screen bags. Everything.”
I shook my head, not feeling good about it. “If there’s a chance that anyone at that event could be in danger—”
“They won’t be,” August assured me.
“I’ve already reached out to the guys at the police station,” Reid chimed in. He was a former detective with the Ember Hollow Police Department. “With their help, plus the extra security we can provide, that event will be almost impossible to breach.”
I gave my brothers a doubtful look. I still didn’t like it.
August let out a sigh. “You have so little trust in me, huh?”
“It’s the serial killer I don’t trust.”
August grimaced. “Yeah, well, the point isn’t to use the event as bait, exactly.” He rolled his tight shoulders with a wince. “The charity event is supposed to be a distraction.”
Palmer was very still, listening to all of it.
Fox leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “If Anderson is in town, he’ll know about the event. He’ll know that every spare cop and law enforcement within the county limits will be there.”
“It’ll be the best time for him to strike,” Graham said. “We build the perfect circumstances for him to be able to attack, and then we dangle the real bait.”
My hand clutched my mug of coffee. “And the bait is?”
August grinned. “Me.”
I scowled. “You?”
He lifted his chin. “What? You don’t think I look like bait?”
“I think you look like a six-foot-four, highly skilled, strong as fuck former marine.” I tried not to roll my eyes. “You’re all predator, brother.”
August beamed, though I don’t think he realized that was the opposite of what he wanted.
Fox sighed. “That’s…the weakest part of the plan,” he admitted.
“Hey, I offered to take the position, but August wouldn’t let me,” Reid groused.
I glared at my youngest brother, still the baby no matter how old he got. “Good.”
“I still think it’s our best bet,” Graham said. “Anderson loathes August. Not only did August effectively take Emersyn away from him, but he also has been ruthlessly hunting him. We may not have found a way to catch him within the last couple of months, but August has definitely made his life hard. Taking Lark and Emersyn away to the safe house was probably the last straw. If we manage to put August in a vulnerable position the night of the charity event, he might not be able to resist taking him out.”
“And how are we supposed to keep August safe if he does?” This was all too risky for me. I hated all of it.
August looked at me with total confidence. “I’ll be fine. I’m all predator, right?” He winked, and I cursed under my breath for saying something so stupid to him, of all people. “But the security team of specialists I’ve been assembling for this exact reason will help.”
I raised my brows.
“The charity event isn’t for another week,” Graham added. “We have enough time to prepare.”
I glanced around the table at my brothers. They were tired, but they were also angry and focused.
We needed to be united in this if we had any chance. I didn’t love using anyone as bait, but Graham was right; we had some time. We could work out the details later.
“All right,” I relented. “I’ll do the press conference.”
August gave a firm nod. “Good. Let’s do it as soon as possible. Get things rolling.”
