Frustration surged through me so fast it almost made me dizzy. Every protective instinct roared to life, and for half asecond, I seriously considered picking her up, throwing her over my shoulder, and hauling her straight back to safety myself.
“Palmer,” I growled her name, like a warning.
She didn’t shrink from me. She threw her shoulders back and met my glare head-on.
The flash of defiance on her face caught me off guard.
“I’m not leaving you,” Palmer said.
I studied her, searching for any sense of fear or uncertainty, but there was none. A breath left me, and I deflated with it.
“It’s actually more helpful if she stays,” August said.
I narrowed my eyes on my brother. “Why would you say that?”
August went very still, his expression settling into something unreadable. “Honestly, Roman…our best bet might be using her. If Anderson is putting a target on her back, she might be better bait than any of us.”
Fury exploded through me.
I stood and lunged toward him, ready to make my brother regret suggesting such a thing.
A hand clamped around my forearm.
Fox had stepped in beside me, his grip firm and steady. “Hear him out,” Fox said calmly.
Everything in me wanted to ignore him and his calmness. I didn’t want to hurt my brother, but I did want to knock some sense into him.
“Roman,” August said evenly, “I’m going to keep her safe. You have to trust me on this one. The best way to draw him out is to use Palmer. If he thinks he has a way to get her, he’s going to take it.” His gaze sharpened. “He always did like to attack the weak to bring down the strong, like a fucking coward.”
My vision went red.
Fox’s hand tightened on my arm as if he felt the tension vibrating through me. I closed my eyes, clamping my teeth together so hard I was half afraid they might crack.
I forced myself to breathe and remember that they were my brothers. I trusted them more than anyone else on this planet, but I wasn’t sure they understood what Palmer meant to me. Fox cautiously released my arm.
Hell, until recently, I hadn’t even realized how close to my heart she was.
When I opened my eyes, I pinned August with a hard stare. “Explain.”
August nodded once, slipping into a businesslike tone. “I’ve been going over plans,” he said. “And this note, combined with the break-in last night, changes things.”
He gestured toward the boarded window on the back door. “If he’s after Palmer, we can use that to our advantage. The plan fundamentally stays the same. Anderson is going to assume all the attention and manpower will be at the fundraiser.”
He paused briefly before continuing.
“All of us will make a public appearance there. But if you leave early, with Palmer, and he thinks the two of you come back here alone…he’s going to see that as the perfect opportunity.”
I shook my head. “I’m not putting Palmer in danger, August.”
August lifted a hand, cutting me off. “You won’t be alone here…we’ll just make it appear like you are. I’ll have my full team stationed nearby. One of my best guys can quietly move Palmer to a safe location before anything happens.”
The kitchen fell quiet.
I stared blankly, my mind racing with too many thoughts at once. Not many of them were pleasant ones.
Finally, my gaze slid to Palmer. She was watching me.
“You can guarantee her safety?” I asked my brother.
