Forsaken (The Secret Life of Amy Bensen #3)(82)

I grab her and bury my face in her neck, drawing in the sweet scent of woman, my woman, who I am not letting anyone else hurt. “Yeah, sweetheart. It’s happening. This is going to work.”

She leans back. “Now what?”

I glance at the clock, which reads six in the morning. “We wake Sheridan and set the bait for Rollin.”

She settles back to listen in, staring at me as I listen to the line ring once, twice. Sheridan answers, his voice like sand in a wound, and I don’t waste a good greeting on him. “It’s Chad, you piece of shit. You win. Gia almost died. No one else gets hurt. I’ll give you what you want.”

“You do know how to wake a man to sunshine,” he drawls, and I can almost see the gloat on his face. “When? Where?”

“Full circle. Texas. The same spot where I last met Rollin.”

“When?”

“I’ll be in touch.” I end the call.

He autodials back, and I have not protected the number, on purpose—I want Jared to hack his phone records and show up. I’m looking for a standoff. I let the phone ring and stand up, pulling Gia to her feet. “Let’s go share the news.”

I lace my fingers with Gia’s and we walk into the hallway, and I laugh as Gia shouts, “The Chinese called!”

I hear doors start opening around the house. “I guess that’s a good way to wake them up.” I motion her forward and we make it to the living area before we are faced with Liam and Amy, both in robes, while Tellar arrives in just his boxers.

“They called?” Amy asks. “What happened?”

I relay the entire conversation. “Gia and I will leave for Texas tonight.”

“I’ll go with you,” Tellar says.

I shake my head. “No. You protect my sister. Gia and I will hole up in a safe house I have in Texas until we’re sure this is done.”

“It’s not done until we find a way to truly protect the cylinder and make it available to the world if it’s needed,” Liam points out.

“Then I plan to convince Gia to get the f*ck out of Dodge with me for a few months.”

Amy’s eyes go wide. “You’re leaving? No. You can’t leave. I’ve only just found you again.”

“Just for a little while, sis. We aren’t disappearing. We’ll be in touch.” I wrap my arm around Gia. “I just need some time to convince Gia I’m not the * she’s always calling me. I think I need some time to convince myself, too.”

Gia turns in my arms, her hand on my chest, teasing me. “Don’t totally stop being an *. I might not like you anymore.”

I cup her head and kiss her and she refocuses on Liam, Amy, and Tellar, her laughter fading into a gravelly, emotional confession. “I love you all. I want justice for you. I want happiness for you. I want this to be as over as it ever can be for any of us.”

Her words, drenched with the heartache that had her standing out in the cold, fill the room, expanding and sweeping over all of us. Amy makes a choked sound and wraps her arms around Gia. I step toward Liam, motioning him to walk with me, stopping a few feet away. “If anything happens to me—”

“Don’t let it,” he snaps. “Or I’ll come yank you from the grave.”

“While I appreciate the power of a command given by Liam Stone, I’m the only one who knows where the cylinder is. If I die, it’s gone. If I don’t come back, tell Amy to look for our father and Tombstone. And no, I’m not foolish enough to bury it in my father’s grave.”

“Amy will understand the clue?”

“It’ll take her some time, but she’ll figure it out if she has to.”

My cell phone rings, and I dig it from my jeans pocket, glancing at the unknown number. “If this is Rollin, he’s either listening in on his father, or Sheridan immediately called Jared.” I hit the Answer button and hear “Hello, Chad.”

The sound of Rollin’s voice slithers down my spine, grating my nerves, and not just because I hate the bastard—also because, with this quick response, I’ve proven my theory about Jared and lost the last shred of hope of his innocence. “Dead man walking,” I say. “How’s the zombie apocalypse going for you?”

“Better than it has been for you lately. Sell to my father and I’ll keep coming for you. Sell to me and I’ll kill my father and go away.”

I go along with his silly, worthless ploy. “I hate you, you bastard, but you do know how to make a deal appealing. How much?”

“Five hundred million. Enough for you to disappear for good.”

“You don’t have that much money.”

“My buyers do,” he assures me.

“Half up front, and half when your father’s dead.”

“When and where?”

“You know where. You were obviously listening in on your father’s phone call. Same time. Same day of the week.” I end the call and redial my China connection, relaying to him my plan to trap Rollin. When I disconnect, I inhale and look around the room. “It’s done. Two days from now—Thursday night at sunset—we deliver Rollin to the Chinese. Gia and I will arrange a flight and leave in the next few hours.”

“Don’t you dare get killed,” Amy exclaims, throwing her arms around me. “Don’t you dare.”