Blake’s. “Do you trust me, brother?”
Blake fell silent, his lips twitching angrily then he nodded stiffly.
“Then contain your rage, keep that fire for when it is time to aim it at my father,” Saint said. “But it will not be tonight.”
“When then?” Blake hissed.
“I’ll explain that indoors,” Saint replied, stepping away from him. “I will not have this conversation while Tatum is out here in the cold.”
“I can handle a little frost, devil boy,” I said, folding my arms and he walked straight past me to the car.
“I’m well aware of that, siren. But for my own peace of mind, I still insist that we move inside.”
Saint really did have a mini Voldemort living in his heart, but there was definitely a cute little Weasley nestled in there too.
The boys grabbed everything from the car, not letting me take a single thing as we headed into the farmhouse and the heat of a fire washed over me.
We walked into a large lounge and me, Blake, Kyan and Nash piled onto the couch together as we warmed ourselves in front of the fire.
Saint moved to stand in front of it, clasping his hands behind his back like he was some royal prince about to make a speech. “This house is a three day trek from where my father is hiding.” We all fell still as the weight of the task we had ahead of us hung in the air. “So Tatum, we need your mountaineering expertise. Please make a list of all the equipment we’ll need to cross a mountain pass in sub-freezing temperatures. I have a man who will be able to get the supplies to us by morning.”
“That’s your plan?” I asked in surprise as the guys shared looks.
“Yes. I have studied satellite images and the only way in to the property that will likely be left unguarded is the area that backs onto the mountain. My father would never expect an attack from that direction, especially from someone like me.”
“You’re telling me you’re not a mountain man who likes rolling in the mud and wearing flannel shirts?” Nash taunted and we all laughed while Saint rolled his eyes.
“The day I wear flannel will be a cold day in hell,” Saint said and I swear he actually shuddered.
I’d read a book about a mountain man once though. He was a mafia prince who’d gone into hiding because of the things he’d found out about himself and he’d sure made being a mountain man sound hot. He’d found a girl up there on that mountain and had torn down heaven and earth to get revenge against the people who had hurt her. The sex had been pretty damn hot too. So maybe Saint could pull off the mountain man thing with the right bit of encouragement. If Nicoli could do it in Beautiful Savage, then why not my OCD criminal mastermind too?
Saint took out a notepad and pen from his jacket pocket and handed it to me. I started writing down what we’d need, my heart pounding at the prospect of going mountaineering. I hadn’t been since my dad had taken me a week before I was enrolled at Everlake and I’d missed it fiercely. Just the thought of it made me feel closer to him for a moment and my heart squeezed with a tight ache at how much I missed him. There was no way I’d be letting anything happen to Blake’s dad like it had to mine.
“So what happens when we get across the mountains and sneak in your dad’s back door?” Kyan asked. “Are we going in guns a-blazin’ or what?”
“No,” Saint tsked. “It will be covert. We will locate Mr Bowman and extract him safely before we go after my father. Assuring he is alive and well is our priority.”
Blake shifted in his seat. “If he’s laid a hand on my dad, I’ll make him fucking suffer. I’ll peel him apart piece by piece,” he snarled and I rested my hand on his thigh, squeezing reassuringly.
“Yes, well even if he is alive and well, we will ensure my father suffers regardless,” Saint said without emotion.
Blake pushed out of his seat suddenly and marched out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him.
“Saint,” Nash hissed. “Don’t you have any fucking tact?”
“What did I say?” Saint asked with a frown and I got up, pouting at him before I followed Blake out of the room, leaving the others to explain it to him. He really was