Page 40 of Smoke

I was through being diplomatic. “I don’t think so. I think we can settle this right here and now, and very quickly.”

“How so?” Pierce looked amused.

“Bradley’s dead now. I killed him. If her uncle wants her back—I can’t think of any other reason except principle at this point—he’ll find a way to get her. Bradley did. What if he was checking in with George throughout the day? What if someone’s on their way here right now? And they find her? Read her memories? Find out everything there is to know about us? Including that I killed an important member of their species?”

She shuddered at my description.

I pulled her close to me but never stopped staring at my brother.

“Let’s face it. Sending her back was a matter of self-preservation. That’s exactly what’s at stake now, when we bring her home with us.”

“I promise, I’ll never be any trouble for you,” she whispered.

He sighed and exchanged a long look with Gate, who shrugged. “It makes sense to me,” he admitted.

“You’re the one who wanted to rip my head off when I brought Jasmine to the cave,” Pierce reminded him.

“I know. But now that we’ve already been breached, it doesn’t seem like such a big problem for one more outsider to join us. And Smoke’s right; there’s more danger to her, and us, in the outside world. It seems like this is the best course of action for everybody.”

I wanted to shake his hand for that, but settled for nodding in acknowledgment.

Pierce looked at Jasmine, as though she would be on his side. He should’ve known better.

Her smile was wider than ever. “Yes, please. If you want to make me really happy, you’ll go along with this.”

“What about the others? Miles, Fence, Cash. They all get a say in this, too,” he reminded us.

“They’ll see reason, too,” Gate assured him. “Now, come on. We have to get out of here. I feel like we’re already overstaying our welcome.” Jasmine’s things were already packed, and I took her backpack from the bed while using my other hand to hold one of hers. I wasn’t about to let her go again.

“What about his car?” Gate asked when we stepped outside.

“I guess we leave it here,” I thought after weighing the options. “Even if he left the keys in it, there’s a chance of George knowing Bradley tracked her. We steal the car, we give them even more reason to hunt us down.”

“That’s a shame,” Gate sighed, taking one more look at it before turning away. “I hate to think of something that gorgeous being left out here.”

I held Alina’s hand tighter than ever as we walked to the Jeep.

I had the only gorgeous thing I would ever need. I was just fine.

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