ago via private jet under a fake name and ID. Brought a small army of guys with him, but by my guess he’s missing around a dozen of them after yesterday."
My lips parted in shock. That explained where some of the additional attackers had come from during the wedding. But what the hell did he hope to achieve by being here personally?
"Do you have a location on him?" Archer asked in tight, clipped tones.
His phone pinged with an incoming message as James replied, "Just sent you the address. He's staying in a private home up the coast a way. Based on satellite imaging, he's got around twenty-odd guards around the house. He's one paranoid motherfucker, that's for sure. I'd need to get a better look from the ground to get a clearer picture, though."
Archer seemed annoyed by that, scrubbing a hand over his long stubble.
"Sampson and his guys all there at the house with you?" Steele asked in the silence.
"Sure are," James replied, all business. "Except for Ryan and Adamson on your detail right now. Want us to meet you at Kruger’s location?"
The three guys exchanged a series of meaningful looks, too fast for me to follow.
"Yes," Kody answered. "We'll give you an ETA when we're on the road."
"Got it," James replied. "And Madison Kate?" There was an edge of hesitancy in his voice as he asked about me. Because he was worried? Or... something else?
"Safe," Archer replied. "We'll be in touch shortly." He ended the call without waiting for a reply, then dropped his hand back to my knee. His fingers bit into my skin, but I didn't protest. I knew he was working through his base instinct to be a dick about this change of events.
Just for something new, I thought I could make it easier on everyone. "I don't need to tag along," I told them. "You can leave me here with Ryan and Adamson."
All three of them looked at me like I'd just grown two heads.
"Babe," Kody said on a laugh, "are you feeling okay? That sounded way too reasonable for this time of the morning."
I flipped him off. "Funny, prick. I'm serious; this job sounds like it's way over my pay grade. If I stamp my feet and insist on coming with you, then, for one thing, you'll all be so preoccupied with my safety, you'll likely get shot... again."
Archer scowled at Steele, who just grinned.
"And for another thing," I continued, "this could well be a trap to get to me. Kruger doesn't strike me as the careless sort, considering how many other deaths he has arranged to get his hands on my family estate. He's not likely to bungle it now when I'm the only person who could take it away from him."
"So, what if the trap is to lure us away from you?" Kody countered, looking thoughtful. "Lay a false trail that he knows we will follow, then snatch you away from us here. I don't trust Ryan and Adamson enough to keep you safe, if that's the plan."
I shrugged. "Okay, so what other options do we have? Ignore the tip and live in fear of Kruger forever?"
"Or we can split up," Steele pondered aloud. "Two of us follow up on the tip, and one of us stays here to protect you along with the detail."
I nodded. "That works. I'm sure we could call Cass for extra backup too."
Archer wrinkled his nose. "I'd rather steer clear of the Reapers as much as we can. I could call Zed and see if any of his guys would help out, though."
"Who's staying with MK, then?" Kody asked, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest.
Steele shrugged. "I will."
Kody snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes. "I fucking bet you will. No way. You're the best sharpshooter, so you're the logical choice to take a shot at Kruger." He looked up at the ceiling, then released a long sigh. "Arch, you're staying."
Archer jolted like he'd been stabbed with a fork. "What? No. This is my mission to run. I'm going to choke the life out of Kruger with my bare hands." His voice was dark and laced with menace that made me shiver.
"You're not doing shit with a fresh bullet wound in your dominant arm, dickhead," Kody snapped back at him. "Bad enough that you're going to fuck up your fight next week; we're not risking you getting killed today for being a damn cowboy."