“Darius is on his way back for our interviews,” Malik added. “You can’t blow him off. Not right now.”
Ethan kept his gaze on me. “Luc will join you.”
I shook my head. “Luc needs to stay here in case this is a ploy so the Tates can get to the House.”
“I’m not going to let you go out there on your own.”
“I have backup.”
His expression flattened. “Who?”
This is business, I reminded myself, nothing else. “Jonah. He can meet me there. He’s skilled and strong. He’s not as good with a katana as you are, but he also doesn’t have a history with Tate.”
Jonah did, of course, have a history with me…or he’d wanted to. That might make things more than a little awkward between us, but he was still my best option.
My only option.
Ethan looked at me for a moment, the tension in the room building as the interlude of silence grew longer.
“Gentlemen, give us the room.”
Malik moved to Ethan and whispered in his ear, but my senses were so tautly strung it was easy enough to discern the words.
“What she says makes sense,” he whispered.
Ethan nodded, and Malik followed Luc to the door.
“There will be no heroics,” Ethan said when the room was empty again. “Do what you can to protect the officers and keep the public clear of Tate’s shenanigans. No heroics,” he repeated. “That is an order.”
“I have no plans to the contrary.” That was half a lie. I didn’t want to be a hero, but I wanted to keep our people safe.
“I don’t approve of this plan.”
“Your disapproval is noted. But you know there’s no better way.”
His lip curled in distaste, but finally he nodded. “And you’re sure Jonah is trustworthy?”
I found him trustworthy, but by Ethan’s estimation? Probably not, especially since he was a member of the RG.
“He is. He was a great help when Mallory was trying to destroy the city. Malik and Catcher can testify to that.”
Ethan tilted his head and watched me for a moment. “Is he in love with you?”
My cheeks turned flame hot. I wouldn’t call it love, but Jonah had definitely professed interest. He’d gotten as far as a kiss before backing off. But perhaps, given our current situation, that wasn’t information Ethan needed to know…
“I’m not sure,” I said. “And as long as our relationship is on halt, I’m not sure it’s any of your business, Liege.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened, but he still wouldn’t abandon his position, even if the ship was sinking around him. “I see,” he said.
I nodded. “As long as we’re clear. I’ll update you as soon as I have news.”
This time, when I left his office, I was smiling a little.
Jonah, as I suspected, was up for the meet. He also called out a handful of other RG members to take spots in the crowd in case things got completely out of hand, which I fully expected them to.
Tate and his clone were maybe, possibly, planning to kill four Chicago police officers in a public space populated with attorneys, judges, protestors, and reporters. How could this not get fully out of hand?
It did make me feel a little better that Ethan was locked safely away in Cadogan House under Luc’s and Malik’s watchful eyes. He’d worry about me from there, but Luc had plenty of Ops Room toys—satellite surveillance, feed from traffic and CCTV cameras, and scanners covering a full range of frequencies. Ethan could keep eyes and ears on us from Hyde Park.
Jonah met me half a block away from the CPD building, standing on the sidewalk in jeans and an open long wool coat. Easier to hide the sword beneath, I assumed.
Jonah was tall and lean, with broad shoulders and shoulder-length auburn hair that waved around his face. His mouth was wide, his nose long and straight, his jaw square. He was wearing a little stubble tonight, along with a Midnight High School T-shirt that marked him as a member of the Red Guard…at least to other members of the Red Guard.
His gaze was on the CPD lockup building.
I looked back at the building—a typical government shop built in white stone to look Greek or Roman, with the spill of steps in front of it. A portico covered the top half of the steps, that half roof held up by the two columns.
There was a podium about halfway up the steps—the perfect post for a few enterprising criminal defense attorneys to claim a little credit.