Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
FORD
Griffen was pacing outside the door of the security room where Hawk’s team monitored the cameras around the estate.
“Did they get him?” Hawk asked.
Eli leaned out of the room, his eyes dancing with adrenaline. “We’re closing in on him,” he said. “No one can track like Wren.”
“If he took a shot from a sniper position,” I asked, “what was there to track?”
“We’ve been studying the terrain,” Eli said. “There are only so many places that shot could have come from, even with a really skilled sniper. With the mountains, you can only go so far before something gets in your way.”
“If there are only a few places they could have shot from, why didn’t you have them staked out?” Paige asked.
Eli looked at her and flinched, as if suddenly registering the blood on her face.
“Lack of manpower,” he said. “And, more relevant, there are only a handful of snipers who could have taken a shot from that position. We put sensors around the few spots we thought would work for a sniper. One of them went off twenty minutes ago. Ryder and Wren headed out to check, though we thought it was probably a bear. Last I heard from Ryder, the sniper had left his position in the tree, and Wren was right behind him. It won’t be long.
” He looked back to Paige. “We should get you cleaned up. Make sure you don’t need stitches. ”
“I don’t need stitches,” she grumbled, sounding more annoyed than anything else.
“Let’s go in the kitchen,” Griffen said, leading the way and flicking on the lights. “One of you grab the med kit.”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been down here so late at night.
The room was quiet and still, and dishes lay on the center island ready for breakfast. It was odd seeing how neatly Finn had the kitchen organized and prepped for the next day—such a contrast to the wild and angry teenager he’d been.
But this was the real Finn. He could still be wild.
I was sure Savannah would have plenty to say about that.
But this organized professionalism and his genius with food—that was the real man.
I’d missed so much because I’d been a selfish jackass. I’d wanted power and respect, and I’d sold my soul for them. Finn was only here because of his own resourcefulness. My selfishness had almost gotten him killed. And now there was Paige, the drying blood on her skin dark in the bright light.
Eli handed Griffen a red and black duffel bag. Griffen unzipped the top and pulled out a pack of baby wipes. I took them and went to work cleaning her face.
“I can do it,” she said, trying to reach for the wipe, but I pulled it out of the way.
“No. Let’s get your arm out of the robe so Griffen can take a look at that cut. I’m not sure it’s stopped bleeding.”
She ground her teeth, I could tell. It was clear she wanted to argue, but was too sensible not to do as I suggested. Her hands went to the belt of the robe, and she loosened it enough to pull out one arm.
“Shit, Paige. I’m so sorry this happened,” Griffen said.
He glanced at me, and I felt the accusation. I hadn’t taken care of her. I hadn’t protected her.
I’d done this. I might not have taken that shot, but I was the reason—the reason she was there, the reason the glass broke, the reason she was bleeding.
“Paige needs to go to a safe house,” I said.
“No!” she shot back. “Griffen, he’s upset and being crazy.”
“I am upset,” I agreed, “and I’m not being crazy.”
“I’m not going to a safe house,” she said. “You want me to stay away from you? Fine. I’ll stay away from you.”
“It’s not what I want,” I ground out. “It’s the only way to keep you safe.”
“What about everyone else in the house?” she asked. “Is everyone supposed to avoid you? Why don’t we all leave, and you can live here by yourself waiting for someone to come in and murder you?”
“Now you’re being ridiculous,” I said. “I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
Griffen’s lips pressed together as he worked on cleaning her arm, and I couldn’t tell if he wanted to laugh or disagree.
This wasn’t funny. Not by a long shot.
“Why don’t you worry about keeping yourself safe,” she said. “You’re the one they were trying to shoot.”
“And they almost hit you,” I reminded her.
“They didn’t hit either of us,” she shouted.
“Because we got lucky,” I said, refusing to match her tone. I was the reasonable one here, dammit. “We got lucky, Paige. I’m not betting your life on luck.”
“It’s my life. I get to say.” She lifted her chin, glaring at the wall across the room, refusing to look at me.
“Not when you’re being an idiot about it—”
“You might want to shut that mouth, son,” Eli said under his breath. “You are digging a hole you’re not going to be able to get yourself out of.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I said, snapping. Why couldn’t they all see that this was the only way?
Eli smirked and lifted his hands in a gesture of innocence.
“Just offering some friendly advice. And though I’m not sure either of you wants to hear it, considering it’s my job, I’ll tell you.
Paige is right. There’s no point in putting her in a safe house unless you’re going to put everyone in a safe house. ”
I opened my mouth to tell him how fucking ridiculous that was, but Griffen shot me a look that clearly told me to keep it shut.
“What about putting Ford in a safe house?” Paige asked.
“I’ll get to that in a second. And also—” Eli looked at Paige, who glared back at him. “Ford’s right. I don’t want to interfere in the process of young love, but you’re better off keeping your distance until we shut this situation down.”
Paige set her jaw mutinously but didn’t say anything.
“For the record,” Griffen said, “I agree with Eli.” He looked to Paige, saying, “Brace yourself,” and swabbed the long cut down her arm with rubbing alcohol.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she squeezed them shut, sucking in a sharp breath. “It’s fine. I’m good,” she said through her teeth.
“I know you are,” Griffen said, calmly reassuring. He glanced at Eli. “I don’t think Haywood’s tracked that there’s any reason to make Paige a target specifically. I think she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Agreed,” Eli said.
“Do we think she’s a danger to the kids?” Griffen asked.
“Not at this point, no,” Eli said.
“Then yeah, I don’t think a safe house is the right idea for either of you,” Griffen said as he fastened a butterfly bandage in the center of the cut on Paige’s arm and picked up another, preparing to place it a few inches down.
“Why not?” Paige asked, her eyes looking up to my face in alarm. “He’s the one they’re after. You said the sniper was unusually skilled. If there was one like that, there’ll be more.”
“If we put him in a safe house,” Eli said, “it’s just going to drag this whole thing out longer.”
Fear squirmed, deep in my stomach. That wasn’t an option. “No way,” I said. “I want this over.”
“We know,” Griffen said. “Which is why we’ve been working on a different plan.”
I forced myself to take a breath, then two, to calm down.
“What’s the new plan?” I asked.
“From what we’ve been able to find out,” Eli said, “it’s pretty solid that Haywood’s going to get out of prison tomorrow morning. The judge is in his pocket. It’s not exactly kosher, and it might get challenged by the prosecution, but not in time to stop him from getting out, you understand?”
Meaning Cole could come after me directly.
I wasn’t sure how worried I should be about that.
Cole was a lawyer, not a commando, but he knew his way around a gun, and he’d proven that he was resourceful.
I’d seen the crime scene photos from the jewelry designer he’d beaten to death.
If I’d had a doubt that Cole was dangerous, that alone was enough to chill my blood.
I didn’t love the idea of him out of prison and headed for me.
But I wanted this over. And for that to happen, I was going to have to face Cole Haywood one more time.
“I understand,” I said. “You’re saying that, one way or another, he’ll be free tomorrow.”
“Exactly,” Eli said. “Even if the prosecution gets it overturned, they’d have to find him before they could drag him back to prison. My guess is the second he’s free, he’ll be in the wind.”
“Once he’s out, what happens next?” I asked.
Eli looked to Griffen, then back to me. “This is outside the scope of the kind of thing Sinclair Security usually does, but they knew what they were getting when they bought our team from Silas.” He rolled his eyes.
“We’re freezing Haywood’s accounts. All of them.
He’s going to need money—even if he has some set aside somewhere, he’s going to need a big stack of cash to pay that bounty.
We found all of his cards, all of his accounts, even the ones he thinks he’s hidden.
He’s not going to be able to access a penny.
We’ll start putting out the word that he can’t make good on the bounty. ”
“And then what?” Paige asked. “He’s out and he doesn’t have any money—”
“He’ll know why,” Griffen said. “And he’ll come for Ford.”
I got it now. I was bait. It was diabolical, but I found I didn’t hate it. If it would make all this stop, I’d do anything.
“I changed my mind,” Paige said, her face sheet-white. “I’ll go to a safe house—if Ford comes with me.” She looked to me, her pale blue eyes wide and desperate.
I shook my head. “And then what? We stay there forever? This only works if I play bait, right?” I looked at Eli and Griffen, who nodded. “Then I’m in.”
The faster this was over and Haywood was out of the way, the faster I could focus on getting Paige to forgive me.
“We knew you would be,” Griffen said.
“And I don’t get a say?” Paige demanded.
“No,” all three of us answered.
She trembled for a moment as if fighting the urge to yank her arm out of Griffen’s hands and storm from the room.
I thought I could feel the force of will it took for her to hold herself still and let him finish bandaging her.
Through gritted teeth, she said to me, “Don’t think that when this is over, we’re just going to pick back up the way we were. ”
“Paige.” I raised a hand to reach for her.
“No. You’re treating me like a chess piece, like I don’t have an opinion or any say in what happens. That’s not love. Love is a two-way street. It’s communicating and valuing the other person’s opinion, not just deciding how things are.”
“Well, maybe I love you enough to let you go—if it means you stay alive.”