The Revenge (The Insiders Trilogy #3)(5)

My men were stationed around the entire room, and at the sharp exchange, I saw Josh separate from the wall. He was coming to me. I looked at him, shaking my head to tell him to stay back, but he kept coming. It was then that I saw he had his finger to his ear and was listening to something being said in his earpiece. A resolved look came over him, making his hard face seem even harder, and he never slowed. He didn’t falter one bit.

Something was happening, and he was coming to tell me.

Making eye contact with Scott, Fitz, and Derek; all three of them were watching Josh’s movements.

Fuck. This was the call I set in motion three months ago when I took Bailey to Burriotle. She was getting a lunch, but I was meeting an old friend, Robbie, preparing for this call.

Josh stopped next to me.

“What is it?”

“They made contact.”

My chest swelled and I clipped my head down. “Fine.”

No. It wasn’t fine. It was good.

I had to go.

“How is she going to sleep at night?” Peter asked.

I gave him a sharp look. “You got cameras in our room?”

He’d been paying more attention than I thought he had been.

“I have cameras in the hallways. She paces at night. You come and get her. She doesn’t leave again after you do that.” He stepped closer, dropping his voice. “I know you help her sleep. How’s she going to sleep now?”

How could I kill my grandfather if I couldn’t leave her side?

“I can’t take her with me.”

He stared at me.

I stared back.

Neither of us said a word.

Then, a break, and Peter nodded. He stepped back. “Fine. I can see if Seraphina will stay with her.”

Seraphina was twelve, and she loved Chrissy, too, but she was more worried about losing her new big sister. Because of that, Bailey would not let that happen. No one would be allowed in her room at night, but he was right. Bailey had to sleep.

And I had to go and kill my grandfather.

I would not take her, so she was in more danger.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” I took a step away, but rounded back. “I will send for her if I can, but only if she’ll be safe.”

Peter gave me a sharp nod. “My daughter won’t come back to us if she can’t rest.”

Yeah. Fuck. Yeah.

I gave Josh the signal, and he separated, going to give out my orders.

Josh had been a part of the first security detail my grandfather had hired. I had infiltrated that team, setting up my men to be his. They acted as spies, but I knew there would be a time when they would have to unveil whose side they were on. I did it earlier in our war because I wanted my grandfather to think when he hired a second team that there was no way I could’ve gotten to any of them.

He thought wrong.

I reached out to a team in Brazil, guessing who my grandfather would approach. They had a reputation he would want. They were known for being committed to the end, being ruthless where it wasn’t necessary.

They were exactly the guys he would want to hire.

Calhoun reached out on the very afternoon I pulled my first team from him. I got to them first. And since then, under my orders, those men had been guarding him.

They were instructed to call when my grandfather was about to strike.

They had not called before Chrissy Hayes was murdered.

They called now.

But first, Bailey .

I went to her, nodding to Matt, who saw my approach. His eyes flashed, a guardedness and hardness flaring before he ducked his head. I didn’t consider Matt’s emotions. If he was angry at me, it made sense. I was angry at me, too.

I touched her elbow, knowing she already knew I was there. She adjusted her footing. She always did, whether it was consciously or unconsciously done, and she moved closer to me.

“I have to go.”

She looked at me. “Hmm?”

I flinched, seeing the glazed and almost glassy look in her eyes.

Bending, brushing my lips over hers, I murmured again, “I have to go.” I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, my hand lingering. Jesus. I loved her. The warmth in me shoved all the shit emotions aside, filled me with the need to take her in my arms, to never let her go, to know she’d be safe there no matter what.

I fought that down.

I applied pressure on her lips, feeling her breath and taking it in. My eyes closed. I trailed my hand down the side of her face, cupping her neck before I pulled back. “I love you. I’ll call later, when I know you’re home.”

Some of the glazed look faded. She was refocusing, seeing me a bit more clearly. “You’re leaving?”

I nodded, knowing she’d been in shut-off mode. It took this long to get through. “I’m going to get some answers and then I’ll be back.”

She stared at me. Her eyes sharpened. I saw her brain turn on. Emotions flitted over her, and then a wildness, a panicked look flared tight, and she sucked in her breath. She shut down again. Little by little, the alertness softened, then disappeared. The glazed expression came back. Her face smoothed out until she was a walking corpse, and her hand fell from my chest. I hadn’t even realized it was there until it was gone .

I wanted that touch back.

I rested my forehead to hers. “I love you. I’ll be back.”