Page 34 of The Fortunate Ones
With that in mind, we immediately went into code red for security. If it was known I was a Castellano, then so was my location. That house had been in my family for generations. It wasn’t a secret. That meant increasing the number of boots around and securing the perimeter. I’d also put people discreetlyon Maverick’s and Brooks and Diego’s parents. They were typically safe, but you could never be too sure.
Mav and Skye scoured the airport before we were even allowed off the plane. Once we got the okay, we walked off with Everett, in a low-slung hat and sunglasses, in between us. He had a bulletproof vest underneath his shirt Leo had brought for us. Both Wes and I had our weapons out and at the ready, just in case. Diego had his eyes on the roof, looking for a sniper. This wasn’t the airstrip we usually used, and the plane was under a fake name, so it might be overkill. But it was better to be safe than sorry.
Maverick was standing by the driver’s side door, our bulletproof truck still running. His eyes were scanning the place, looking for any danger, his gun at the ready.
Skye was grabbing our bags so our hands were free for weapons. Wes and I ushered Everett into the vehicle and took a seat on either side of him.
The poor kid was shaking with fear. I wished I could comfort him and promise everything would be okay, but it wouldn’t be fair to placate him with lies. He’d been through too much for that.
Skye had everything loaded in less than thirty seconds and sat in the passenger seat. Once the door was secure, Maverick got in and closed his. Leo was taking the other car and tailing us.
“Good, boss?” Maverick asked, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror.
My chest rattled with nerves, but I gave him a small smile. I already felt better with most of my men surrounding me. We just needed to get inside the safety of the estate and I might be able to breathe.
CHAPTER 13
MAVERICK
“We’re being tailed.”Leo’s calm voice came through the comm system set up in the SUV.
I glanced in the rearview mirror. There were two cars I could make out behind Leo’s, a white Explorer and a black sedan.
“Which one?” I asked him. Skye sat up straighter in the seat next to me but otherwise made no major moves. He had been twisted around so he could see the others in the back seat, but now had completely switched gears to business mode.
“The black Honda. I’m not sure about the Explorer yet. They just pulled onto the road; it could be a coincidence.”
Luca cursed quietly, making Everett flinch, even though it wasn’t directed at him. I didn’t like how he reacted to it, or to most things, honestly. There were gaps in his history that I had a feeling would piss me off once they were filled.
Everett had been a nervous little thing from the moment he’d gotten off the plane and was twitching uncontrollably between Wes and Luca. He didn’t know what to make of Skye, who had kept up an easy and steady conversation. He kept alternating between being completely silent and word-vomiting everything in his head.
Now, with Leo’s words clear for everyone to hear, he tried to turn around and look out the back window, but Wes stopped him.
“We don’t want them to know we know,” Wes told Everett gently. “Just stay in your seat, okay?”
“O-okay.”
That poor kid was a mess, and I was infinitely glad that Wes was back there, since he was the only one out of the four of us with a nurturing gene.
“Let’s test them, Leo,” I said, eyes scanning the road. “I’d rather know what we’re up against.”
“Roger that. There’s an intersection coming up. I go left and you go right?”
“Sounds good.”
I glanced back at the guys and over at Skye. “Be ready.”
Luca smirked at me in the mirror, while Wes looked as calm, cool, and collected as fucking usual. Skye shot me a saucy grin as he readied his weapon.
“I was born ready.”
I snorted. “Fucking cheesy.” But Everett giggled before covering his mouth with wide eyes, and I suddenly appreciated Skye’s corny quotes more than ever.
Something about Everett triggered all my protective instincts. Not in the same way my men did, but more like Matty. Or my nieces and nephews. The kid needed someone to look after him, someone who was capable of properly keeping him safe, and the little voice in the back of my mind was screaming that I could be that person.
I flashed him a smile through the mirror, which hopefully wasn’t terrifying, and then focused on the intersection. Both cars still trailed at a safe distance behind Leo.
“Ready, Leo?”
