Page 121 of Hushed

Chapter 24

Gage

The air was thick with tension as Gage, Kenzie, and Reggie settled into seats on the private jet they were taking to New York. They were waiting for one more person to join them, and Reggie didn’t have a clue.

Gage expected things to get ugly when their guest arrived.

Kenzie sat beside him, and he absently picked up her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles. She was fighting the urge to get mad at him for not talking to her. The tension in her arms told him as much. When they were alone later, he would show her just how much he appreciated it.

Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long for their final passenger to arrive.

“My wife is pissed at you, Allard. She’s been out of town for three weeks,” Samuel Carter said as he unbuttoned his suit jacket to drop into the seat next to Reggie.

“I’ll send her flowers,” Gage quipped as Reggie leapt from his seat.

Gage was glad Reggie had sat near the window, allowing Samuel to block him from escaping.

“What the fuck is this, Gage?” Reggie’s face turned red, and his eyes were wild. Kenzie’s observations about her brother were accurate. Something wasn’t right with him, and they needed to figure out what was going on before he got everyone killed.

“Sit your ass down, Reggie. We need to talk,” Samuel said, not giving Gage a chance to respond.

Kenzie sat up straighter, offended that someone was speaking to her brother, but Gage squeezed her hand, discouraging her from saying anything.

“Somebody better start talking,” Reggie spit out.

“Don’t get pissed at me. I’m not the one that blew a five-year case.” Samuel adjusted his tie and gave Reggie the kind of look a father might give a rebellious teenager.

“Goddamn it,” Reggie boomed. “I didn’t blow anything. As far as I can tell, my cover is still intact.”

Gage shook his head. “Not entirely. There are some people who weren’t aware you were alive until yesterday, and they want you taken out.”

Kenzie stiffened beside him, and he braced for an outburst. She remained silent. Unfortunately, Reggie did not.

“Why the hell are we going back to New York?” Reggie slammed his fist against the wall of the plane as his face turned cherry red, and Gage worried the vein in his neck was going to explode.

“To clean up your fucking mess,” Samuel bit out.

Kenzie cleared her throat. “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?” Her voice was impressively calm, given the circumstances.

Samuel flashed her a tight smile. “Apologies, Kenzie. It’s good to see you again.”

She looked puzzled. “We’ve met?”

Samuel laughed. “It was a long time ago. And apparently, I’m not as memorable as Gage.”

Recognition flickered across her face and her lips quirked up in a tiny smile. “You came home with Reggie the summer after my parents were killed for my birthday.” Gage’s heart twisted at the memory of her sixteenth birthday. Reggie had harassed everyone on their team at the time to come home with him for her birthday.

Samuel gave her a nod. “At least I’m not completely forgettable.”

“You were wearing a suit back then, too. It’s good to see you haven’t lost your taste for them.”

Gage grinned. “My girl has a thing for men in suits.”

Kenzie elbowed Gage in the stomach, and Samuel winked. “So does my wife.”

“As fun as this is, I’d really like to understand what’s going on,” Kenzie said, getting over her embarrassment at Gage’s teasing.

“I don’t blame you. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you much.”

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