not to shout at her. We could do this without her. I wasn’t sure how yet, but I knew there was a way, I just had to find it. Unfortunately, the only idea that kept popping into my head was cutting Farrah’s hair short like Cecilia’s and taking her instead—which I knew Cec would never allow in a million years. Maybe if I put the idea to Farrah instead. When it came to a showdown between Cec and her mother, I honestly didn’t know who would come out on top.
Cecilia turned to her dad and Dragon. “If something happens to me—”
“It won’t,” her dad said instantly.
“If something does,” she continued, ignoring his reassurance, “Olive goes to Mark.”
I choked on an inhale, my entire body locking in surprise.
“If something happens to Mark,” she said, her voice less steady. She looked between the men and swallowed hard. “She goes to Lily and Leo.”
“Not gonna happen,” Dragon said quietly. “Nothin’s gonna happen to you, CeeCee.”
“Baby girl, you think I’d okay this if I thought you’d get hurt?” her dad asked, staring at her in wounded surprise.
“Now nothing will happen to Mark, either,” she joked flatly, shrugging her shoulder. “Lily is my first choice if we’re dead, but Mark would never let Olive go to Leo.”
My stomach churned with nausea as she walked away, her back straight and her chin high.
“She’s exactly like her mother,” Dragon mused.
“I’m aware,” Casper said emotionlessly. He finished his cup of coffee and set it hard on the counter. “I’ll round up the boys and let them know what’s happenin’.”
“You don’t lock that down, you’re a fuckin’ moron,” Dragon said to me, gesturing toward Cecilia before turning back to the bar.
I didn’t bother answering. I wasn’t even sure if I could speak. I hadn’t felt this kind of helpless frustration in more years than I could count. I knew, flat out knew, that I could stop Cecilia from going, even if I had to kidnap her ass. I also knew with complete certainty that type of interference would sever any chance of a relationship going forward. Could I live with that if it meant Cecilia was safe? I shook my head. She wouldn’t be safe, not unless we ended the threat—and if I interfered with what they were planning, I wouldn’t be around to protect her anymore. I strode toward the back hallway, my hands fisted at my sides.
* * *
“Forrest filled us in,” Lu said when I found the team in her room. “What’s the plan?”
“We’re going to use Cecilia as bait,” I said, making my decision as I said the words.
Lu nodded as Forrest swore in two languages.
“Don’t like that,” Eli said, crossing his arms over his chest.
“It’s her monster,” Lu replied, going to her stack of things in the corner of the room. “She deserves to be a part in taking him down.”
“I agree with the sentiment,” Forrest said politely as Lu opened a case holding a dismantled sniper rifle. “However, allowin’ her to be present durin’ a confrontation may not be the best way for her to do that.”
“Let her kill him once we have him,” Josiah said flatly.
“That’s fair,” Ephraim added, his voice low.
Forrest looked at me.
“She wants to do it,” I said quietly. “I might be able to stop her this time, but I won’t be able to next time. She’ll make sure I’m nowhere near her the next time.”
“Understood,” Forrest replied. “Fill us in.”
* * *
After I’d filled my team in on strategy and objective, we agreed that they would leave long before me and Cecilia. When it came to a confrontation, as Forrest put it, their strongest asset was stealth. While the Aces relied on brute force in most cases, our team was built differently. They’d take care of the players from a distance, toppling them like the pieces on a chessboard.
“See you later, Alligator,” Eli said as I opened the bedroom door.
“Catch you on the flip side,” I said as I left the room.
“You’re supposed to say, After a while, Crocodile,” he called out behind me.
My lips twitched as I went to find Cecilia. I was strung too tight to laugh, but I was thankful for the familiarity of Eli acting like a dumbass before a mission. He could be staid as a priest when he needed to be, but up until that point, he’d act like a punch-drunk seventeen-year-old boy that had been up all night drinking Mountain Dew and gaming. It had driven me crazy until I’d realized