Page 48 of Own

He shrugged.

“Good,” Voodoo said. “I hope those assholes know we’re involved. It means maybe they won’t keep trying to take her.”

“Except I walked right in there tonight because I wanted to help—to be in this fight. I don’t know if what I did made this worse.”

Bones closed his hand around mine and squeezed. The gesture had me glancing up at him again. “It helped. You pulled another ghost out of the closet. That’s one less to ambush us. We have names. With you inside and distracting them, all three of you got more images of their guests. We can’t identify everyone yet, but I meant what I said. We will erase your pursuers and dismantle the rest.”

“Hopefully, some of the people I cut loose tonight kept going. They could be dealing with some legal bullshit,” Lunchbox said and his smile suddenly returned. “Oh yeah, that will be something for them to have to deal with. They had a full house downstairs and their security was spotty.”

“Surveillance was jammed,” Alphabet said with a shrug of his own that made me bounce a little. “I left them a lovely little virus that would have made a mess out of everything. So sad for them.”

“You set fire to the bar,” I reminded Lunchbox and he winked.

“That I did. So yes, Gracie. You helped. Intelligence is never a bad thing. We know more. The more we know, the more we can make our targets hurt.” He nodded once. “Oh yeah. Definitelyplanning some maximum pain there. Now, you need to eat. I’m going to see what supplies we have. Then we can debate where we’re going.”

Bones said nothing, but his expression said he was considering options.

“Two things,” I said before Lunchbox could derail us with food again. Though, admittedly, the longer I leaned into Alphabet the more I relaxed and the hungrier I grew. “One, yes I want to know who they are and what they did to all of you. Not just because it involves me right now, but because they hurt you.”

No one had to draw me a map for that. I could read the room and the reactions. BoneshatedO’Rourke. If he’d been in that room instead of on comms, this whole conversation would probably be moot.

O’Rourke would be dead.

“And two?” Voodoo prompted, though I had all of their attention.

“I’m in this, all of this. With you. I know I’m freaking out and I reserve the right to do that. Tonight scared the shit out of me, but if I helped, then I want to keep helping. Don’t keep me out of this.” I looked at each of them in turns.

“Grace,” Bones said. “You shouldn’t want any part of this.”

Any part of them. That’s what he was saying.

“But I do.” My voice was hoarse and raw. I straightened, stepping away from Alphabet long enough so I could turn in a slow circle and meet their gazes one by one. “And you do, too.”

Not a single one denied it.

“Right now, I’m going to go shower and wash him off. While I do that, you four can decide how you want to handle this and what you’re going to tell me.” I cleared my throat. “Then I’m going to change and come back out here and eat. Be ready to discuss when I am.”

That was my plan.

“Orders, Grace?” Bones asked in the most mild of tones and I couldn’t help it, I grinned.

“Think of them more as guidelines… suggestions really.” It wasn’t the exact quote, but it worked for me. At the bathroom door, I hesitated and glanced back at them to add, “Please.”

After I closed the door, I leaned against it. They didn’t move, at least not that I could hear. They didn’t speak either.

Then, Bones said, “You heard the lady. Get her food started. Then we’ll plan.”

Chapter

Seventeen

GRACE

“Reznik,” Bones said once I sat down on the sofa. The “table” in the kitchen wasn’t much and the guys all skipped using it. The “living room” was more comfortable. Instead, I got the middle seat on the sofa in between Alphabet and Lunchbox. Goblin sprawled on the floor in front of us while Bones and Voodoo took the seats opposite. “Captain Thomas Reznik went through boot with me. He was always competitive, but with me, it was personal.”

Voodoo snorted. “What he’s trying to say is they were the top two, and he always lost out to Bones.”

“Not always,” Bones corrected. Someone else might not have wanted to admit that. Bones, however, detailed the information much as he might a shopping list. These were the facts. “However, I was also competitive. The challenge drove both of us. I climbed the ranks faster, that never sat well with him.”

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