Page 51 of Unmasked Rivalry
“Can look at me, you know,” Knox finally growls, his voice low but careful.
“I’m not here to look at you,” I say, and my voice stammers. Dammit. “I am here to finish this. Are you all going to help me, or should I do this on my own? Either way, it will get done.”
Wolfe puts his hands up. “All good, darlin’. We’re goin’ to help you. Never leave one of our own in the cold.”
One of their own.
I fight back my tears.
“I want Ralston gone, and I want my brother out. I don’t give a shit how you do it, but there’s a way and you know it. You finish what he started,” I jerk a finger in Knox’s direction.
Knox’s jaw tics. “We’ll finish it. Said we would, and we fuckin’ will.”
“He’s right,” Wolfe says quietly, “We owe you and we owe Ruger.” There’s finality in his voice, the same tone I’ve heard before every bad idea in history and every impossible plan. He glances at everyone else in the room. They all nod.
“I’ll make a call, get Ruger a deal,” Wolfe says to me. “Got a big-time man who owes me a favor. I have someone he wants more than he wants your brother. Was holdin’ onto my cards, but I will use them because we owe you that. I’ll get your brother out.”
It’s so matter-of-fact, like he’s buying a loaf of bread and not bargaining away my brother’s life. I feel a little sick, but knot my arms tighter and nod. “Thank you.”
“We’ll finish prepping the lab this week,” Talon grunts, his voice always low and gravelly. “Everything will be ready. All we need is to get Ralston and his crew inside. No one leaves.”
“We’re moving the whole operation into the main barn,” Zane adds, glancing at me for approval like we’re partners in crime. “New ventilation, reinforced doors. No one’ll see it or hear jack shit. By the time the smoke clears, there won’t be enough left to sweep up. Basement ain’t big enough and if we want it done right, we need to make sure it’s epic.”
I nod, and then ask Zane. “How will you get it to blow?”
He grins. “That’s my job. We can’t have many men around, and I am the one who handles this stuff. Don’t worry, I got it sorted. If anyone else is down there, I’ll move ‘em out. The rest is remote. Safer that way. Least for us.”
“We’ll clear the house, too,” Wolfe says, “and have eyes on the exits. No slip-ups.” He’s looking at me, but I know he’s referring to everyone.
It’s almost a comfort to have everything reduced to logistics, schedules, the practical mechanics of destruction. I can hold onto that, at least, until this is over. I pick at a stray thread on my jacket, and ask, “And after?”
Wolfe tilts his head. “After, you do whatever you want. Ralston’s gone, your brother’s free, and you can make your own choices. We take care of the rest.”
I nod, fighting back tears.
“Thank you. Let me know how and when, and I’ll make sure he’s there,” I say, and I grab my bag. I don’t want to be in this room one more second, but I barely make it three steps before Knox speaks, finally, voice a rough whisper. “Callie, wait.”
I can’t.
I rush out the door.
He follows, my name on his lips as I hurry out the front door, praying he just stops and turns away. His fingers curl around my arm just as I clear the bottom step and I spin, jerking myself out of his grip. “No. Please. Don’t.”
He steps forward anyway, his face stern. “Just give me two fuckin’ minutes.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he talks before I get the chance.
“You ended up meanin’ something to me,” he says. “I didn’t know that was goin’ to happen and I was goin’ to tell you. I don’t want this to be how it ends.”
I am fighting a war in myself I am scared I won’t win. “You let me fall so hard for you, knowing all along I would find out. You should have told me.”
“I fucked up,” he murmurs, his voice low. “I know I did. It wasn’t about you, at first. But it is, now. Everything’s about you. I never wanted to hurt you.”
A stupid, bitter laugh leaves my mouth. “Well, you did.”
His mouth tightens.
He steps forward.
