Page 54 of The Editor’s Choice

I feed him all the details we went over yesterday, along with any thought I’ve had about what actually happened. All the things we didn’t tell Sara and Jade last night. Things we’ve learned over the years of being in this business. None of it helps a bit and only leaves us more confused.

“You’ve got to think like you. Not the current you though. The version of you that trained Cain. That’s how we’re going to figure this out before it’s too late. Think about why James pushed him out. Why he doesn’t work with us anymore. We’ve got to think about the things we wouldn’t do in order to find out his next move,” Finn says, eyes coming to life.

“I’ll be damned,” I say, a sly smile creeping across my face. “I think you’re onto something there.”

Leaning back in the chair, a cocky grin slides into place. “Lay it on me. Tell me what’s running through your head now.”

“I think he’s going to hit us when we least expect it. Not with a lot of guys. That would draw too much attention to them. Somebody would see them and remember that. It’ll only be a handful of guys at most. Probably a sharp shooter, somebody good at extraction. Of course, Cain will be there himself to oversee it, though he’ll probably hang back in the shadows. A couple of his toughest guys physically.” Rattling off the details I would have taught him helps. It feels right. I just can’t pinpoint the where. And that’s going to be the most important part.

“It won’t be here. That would be too obvious. He’ll know I’ve got this place ready for something like that to go down. It’ll be somewhere we can’t fortify,” I say, swallowing past the lump in my throat. I have no doubts we could win and keep her safe if he attacked here, but he knows that too.

Resting my elbows on my thighs, chin resting on my hand now, I close my eyes and do my best to picture it. As much as I try, I’m coming up blank. Cain is phenomenal at what he does, mostly because he anticipates the other guy’s moves, but also because he’s willing to stoop lower than anybody I’ve met before. As fucked up as it is, that’s the greatest asset to have in this lifestyle, even if it does earn you a hefty list of enemies hellbent on revenge.

The realization hits me right as it hits Finn. I’m not going to be able to take care of this by myself after all, even with his and Sara’s help.

“I need James’s help,” I say, breaking the silence. One look at Finn confirms what I’d been hoping to avoid. He agrees entirely.

“I know it’s not what you wanted to do,” he starts. “I don’t think you have any other option at this point though. We don’t have the manpower to go up against Cain’s guys, especially without having a clue when or where they’re going to hit us.”

Squeezing my hand into a fist against my thigh, I nod, knowing he’s right. If I want to keep Jade safe, going to James is going to be my best bet. He said he wouldn’t help us before, but that was before Cain was thrown into the mix.

Finn nods as I stand from the couch and go to wake Jade. Stopping in the doorway, I take note of how beautiful she really is. She looks so peaceful, like a dreamworld where everything is right and the biggest worry we’d have is what to make for dinner.

Sliding into bed behind her, I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. A soft moan leaves her lips, deflating me instantly. Waking her to deal with the monster chasing us is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. It kills me knowing I’m waking her and throwing her into a situation destined to make her sick with anxiety and worry.

“Jade,” I say softly into her ear while smoothing her hair away from her face. “It’s time to get up, baby. We’ve got to go.”

She moans louder now, clearly unhappy with being woken up. Snuggling into the cover further, she’s made her position clear. As much as I would love to surrender to her, it’s a no go this time around.

“Come on, sweet girl. You can sleep on the way if you must, but we’ve got to get going now,” I say, a little more persistent this time. Pulling my arm from underneath her body seems to do the trick. She’s up and moving in less than a second, trying to reclaim my hold on her. Unfortunately for her, I’m a bit too quick for her sleep-addled brain and I’m up off the bed before she can grab my arm to keep me with her.

“I’ll be waiting in the living room with Finn,” I say, leaning down to kiss her forehead as she pouts up at me. “You’re beautiful when you pout,” I whisper before giving her a chaste kiss and turning on my heel.

She groans her disproval but gets up anyway. Within a couple minutes, she joins us in the living room with a yawn. Not quite awake, but present nonetheless.

“Good morning, darling,” Finn says, smile full of sunshine even at this early hour. I’m pretty sure I see daggers flying from Jade’s eyes as she glares at him. Thinking better of adding a body to her list, she settles for an eye roll instead, causing him to snicker before being silenced by another death glare.

“Let’s get going before she decides to actually kill you,” I suggest, nudging him with my elbow.

Finn throws an arm around her shoulders before giving her a small squeeze. “She wouldn’t do that. She’d miss me too much,” he teases. When she ignores him entirely, he lets go with a small pout, earning him a wicked smile from her.

Even though I laugh at their playfulness, dread starts to filter in, sinking like a lead weight in my stomach. I hate being completely out of options. I hate having to beg for help, even after being told no already. I swore a long time ago that I would never be in this shitty position again, but here we are.

Closing the door tightly behind us, I take off toward the Audi, the other two falling into step behind me. Not a word is spoken on the short walk to the car. There are no words to cover what’s coming our way shortly, so we settle for silence instead.

The drive is over before I know it, and I honestly don’t remember half of it. As soon as I pulled out onto the road, my brain went numb. Not a single thought ran through my head as I mindlessly drove the same path I’d taken a million times to James’s warehouse.

Parking the car around the corner, I hold the door open for Jade as she steps out. Finn is beside me right after, hands clapped against my shoulder in a steadying grip. A grip that’s supposed to reassure me that I’m doing the right thing, even though every atom in my body is screaming the opposite. With a tight smile, I step away from the car.

One knock on the heavy metal door goes unanswered. A look of concern flits across Finn’s face before he wipes it clean for Jade’s sake. Clearing my throat, I knock again. Same response.

Just as Finn and I are reaching for the guns we have at our waists, the lock slides back. The door creaks open a couple inches at best. Otto peaks out from behind it, opening it a bit further when he sees it’s us.

“Get in here,” he says, all but pushing us through the door before quickly shutting and bolting it again.

“What’s going on?” I question, glancing around the building for anything out of place.

“Weird shit. I’ve been in this building damn near every day for the last four years. I’ve heard every sound this thing makes, but something has been different today,” he explains, voice barely more than a whisper.