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 that it was his own way of keeping everyone calm when nerves were a problem. He could pinpoint which person was thrumming with the most tension, and he knew exactly how to get their attention enough to piss them off or make them laugh, easing that tension. It was a skill that came in handy, even if it was irritating as hell.
“Hey,” I said in surprise as I saw Farrah in the hallway carrying Olive. “You know where Cec is?”
“I think she just went in to shower,” she said, her expression taut with worry. “I can’t believe you’re allowing this bullshit.”
“You think I could stop it?” I asked seriously.
Farrah paused. “No,” she griped, shaking her head. “I told Cody it should be me.”
“The thought crossed my mind,” I said, a little guiltily. If Farrah went in Cecilia’s place, she’d be in the exact same danger.
Farrah huffed out a small laugh. “I bet it did,” she said knowingly. “But Cody was right. CeeCee would never allow it. We’d have to literally lock her in here.”
“Yeah.”
Farrah stood there for a moment, her eyes unfocused. “It feels like I just got her back, you know?” she said, shooting me a helpless look. “It took years to get to where we are now. If we forced her to stay here—”
“I get it,” I replied. Farrah and Casper were in the same boat I was, and the knowledge of that pissed me off even more. It was like we were walking on eggshells to keep Cecilia happy, and that didn’t sit well with me at all.
“It is what it is,” she said. “This isn’t the first time I’ve disagreed with a club decision and it won’t be the last.”
“More than a club decision,” I pointed out.
“Haven’t you learned yet,” she said, no trace of bitterness in her voice, “in our family, everything’s a club decision?”
“You’re okay with that?” I asked curiously.
“Cecilia was in trouble and she had somewhere to go,” Farrah said. “A place where she knew the people would protect her, or die trying. That’s worth it, don’t you think?”