Page 104 of When Love Found Us
Atlas
I fucking hate leaving Blythe.
She’s just upstairs,I remind myself.Safe.But then the words ‘for now’ latch onto it, and I feel uneasy. What-ifs begin to push the sense of security I had. Quickly, I go through all thepotential dangers. If anyone wants to get to her, they’ll have to go through me first.
My fingers twitch at the thought, an instinctive urge to check the safe in the shop. The one with my weapons, my insurance policy. There’s a loaded SIG tucked inside, extra mags are lined up next to it. A shotgun, because sometimes close range is all that matters. And a knife—because my mentor always says a man should never be without one.
I push the thought aside and step into the backroom of the shop. Malerick, Cass, and Sanford are already there. The tension in the air feels like the last few seconds before a storm breaks.
“Is it just the three of us?” I ask, scanning the room. I try not to say we might be fucked, but my tone probably gives it away.
“Not exactly,” Sanford says. “We have the support of our local sheriff.”
Malerick exhales through his nose, arms crossed over his chest. “I don’t have that many people.” His jaw tightens, his expression dark. “This is another bloodbath waiting to happen. I . . .” He rubs a hand over his face. “Fuck, I should’ve stayed with the FBI.”
Cass leans against the table, smirking. “You’d be bored out of your mind.” He nods toward Malerick. “It’s better when you hang out with friends while being apublic servant.”
It takes me a second to register the flirt in his tone. What the fuck? Did he wink at my brother? I should tell him to stay the fuck away from Mal—just like I did the other day when I caught him flirting with Delilah.
Cass is temporary. He’s here for a few months, maybe a couple of years, until they can take down the Hollow Syndicate. But after that? He’s gone. And the last thing I need is a heartbroken brother or Del—who’s practically family—getting caught in something that was never meant to last.
I set my jaw, making a mental note to deal with that later.
Right now, we’ve got bigger problems.
“So, just the sheriff and his people—the same ones who think battling gossip qualifies as law enforcement?” I ask, trying to keep my tone level. Trying not to let the fact that I’m freaking the fuck out show.
Sanford scoffs. “Nah. We’ve already got assets close by—remember, they’re just a few towns away. Crait Quantum Shield is flying people over, and my team’s in the air as we speak.”
“So as long as nothing happens in the next five hours, we’ll be fine?” I ask, trying to piece the plan together.
Sanford nods. “Yeah, but we have a plan.”
I nod back. “Let’s hear it.”
Malerick speaks first. “The Hollow Syndicate and Winston’s men are working together. That makes things messy. But it also makes them predictable.” He glances at Sanford. “Your guys have been tracing their movements?”
Sanford confirms it with a tight nod. “Yeah. Winston is setting up in Larkspur Knoll.”
Silence settles over the room.
Larkspur Knoll isn’t some far-off town. It’s close. An hour away, maybe less if they move fast, if we aren’t careful, they’ll see our people mobilizing before we even get there.
Should I say something?
Cassian runs a hand through his hair, his eyes sharp with focus. “If we hit them fast, we can cut him off before he has a chance to scatter.”
I already know where this is going.
“And Blythe?”
Sanford’s face tightens. “We keep her locked down.”
I exhale slowly, shaking my head. “She’s not going to like that.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Malerick crosses his arms, his expression unreadable. “She’s pregnant. She’s the reason we’re doing this in the first place. You think I’m going to risk my niece’s life because she suddenly wants revenge?”
His words settle in my chest like a slow burn. His niece. Since when does he care about me or . . . well, I’ve never had a significant other or a baby on the way, but I don’t think he’s ever given two fucks about me before.
