Page 32 of The Fortunate Ones
“I’m here, D. Not letting you go until you make me.”
I choked on a sound halfway between a snort and a sob. “N-not making you. Feels good.”
“Fuck, D.” He kissed my head again. It was so weird. I couldn’t remember Brooks ever doing that before, but it felt nice, so I didn’t complain.
After a beat, Brooks called out, “He’s okay, Wes.”
Wes’s sigh of relief was audible, which only made me feel fucking guilty that he had to worry about me when he was the one who had been in danger, could still be since we had no fucking clue who’d killed Ramirez and where they were.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” he told Brooks.
Skye shot me a small smile of encouragement before turning his focus to the phone Maverick was holding. “Where are you?” he asked.
Right. Before either man could answer, I gently pushed Brooks out of the way and pulled up their trackers, something I should’ve done immediately. They were moving fast, headed west, likely in a car.
“We brought Ramirez inside and left with Everett. Someone’s gonna have to go clean up. Fuck.” Luca’s tone was harsh. The whole situation was getting to him. “And we didn’t even get the asshole. I don’t see a tail, but he likely knows what we’re driving.”
“Maybe he got spooked when he saw that it wasn’t just Ramirez and Everett and bounced,” Brooks added hopefully.
Luca snorted. “Doubt it. Besides, if he was there alone, he’s probably a hired hitman, so if he doesn’t come back to get the job done, someone will.”
There was a low whimper from their end, reminding me that Everett was with them. The poor guy had, in the last year, witnessed his aunt and uncle’s murder, the attack, betrayal, and murder of the agents that were supposed to be protecting him, and now another brutal killing. I couldn’t imagine what he was feeling.
Wes was whispering something to the kid, but I focused on Luca as he started to give out orders. “We’re going to need transportation and a route back home. Even if we’re not being followed now, I won’t take the risk.”
“On it.” I felt a little better having a task. I was still reeling a bit, but Brooks was sitting on my desk now, out of the way of my monitors but in my line of vision. He was fiddling with his bracelets and kicking his feet, but his gaze was steady and trained on me, reminding me he’d catch me if I started to stumble again.
“Why would they kill Ramirez but leave you guys and the kid alone? Isn’t Everett the target?” Skye asked the question I had been wondering.
“I don’t know,” Luca admitted. “My best guess is that once he saw Wes and me, he decided to back off and try to catch Everett alone. Maybe he recognized us or just didn’t want to take the chance of being outnumbered.”
It made sense. If this were professional, it was likely they were familiar with Il Fortunato, since we all worked out of the same seedy underground, even if it was for different reasons. I could see someone wanting to lie low and attempt to take them by surprise.
“If you can get safely to the airport, I can secure you a plane in an hour. You’ll be able to bypass security and meet them on the airstrip. I’m sending the location over now.”
“Thanks, D, that’ll be a lifesaver. Everett doesn’t have any documentation on him.”
“He won’t need it,” I assured them. “Handling it now. It will look like you went through security already if someone questions it.”
“Dump the car in the commuter lot,” Maverick added. “Switch the plates if you can. Might confuse them if they’re tracking you.”
“Smart. We’ll let you know when we board,” Luca confirmed before hanging up, leaving the four of us in silence with not much to do but watch the tracking dots and hope they got there safely.
CHAPTER 12
LUCA
Everett fellasleep before the plane even took off. His face was still red and raw from crying. Whimpering and tossing and turning in the reclined seat, he clutched the blanket he’d been given tightly.
Wes and I were across the aisle, close enough to keep an eye on him but far enough away to give the poor kid space.
“Fucking hell,” Wes muttered, dropping his head against the backrest. He had a whiskey in one hand and a tablet in the other, but he was staring off into middle distance.
Reaching over, I squeezed his knee. “Are you doing okay, love?”
He and Ramirez might not have been close, but they’d worked in the same office for years. It was never easy to find the body of someone you knew, but it hit harder when it was someone not directly tied to the life.
“Yeah . . . fuck. I barely knew the guy, but this should’ve never happened to him. He was a fucking accountant. He had kids, a wife. Hell, how am I gonna tell her about this?”
