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“Do you want to be?” Zayden asks, and I nod. “I can’t mince words here, Q. If you stay, you’ll hear things you can’t unhear.”
Do I want to be involved? No. I’d love to live in ignorance and just follow Zayden wherever he goes until this is over, but I’m in too deep. There’s no way I can bury my head in the sand anymore.
“I’m ready.”
Zayden takes a breath and begins. “Cleo can’t find anything out about Ryker. He’s clearly using a fake name. The only reason she was able to put two and two together at the restaurant is because of CCTV footage. If we don’t know him, it means we can’t find him, which means—”
“We can’t kill him,” Xavier grumbles. “Perfect. What does he want?”
“Everything.” Zayden looks at me, and I lean further into Yale. “The Agency, the businesses—”
“So what?” Xavier asks. “Tell him to go fuck himself.”
Zayden looks at me, as if he’s about to throw me into the deep end and I should brace.
“I plan on doing just that, but right now, he’s got the advantage.”
“If he’s so dangerous, can’t we just give him what he wants?” I ask. “It’s just a business.”
“It’s more than that.” Zayden’s level tone forces me to meet his eye. “He’ll get resources. Contacts. Weapons. He’ll have the power to do a lot of damage, Q, and he doesn’t seem like he wants to do anything positive with it.”
“Is there anything positive about training killers?” I ask, then shrink back. “Sorry.”
Yale mumbles in my ear, his breath tickling my neck. “Not exactly a team player, Q.” I laugh and elbow him. “The recruits also rely on us,” he adds. “Some of them come to us because they have nowhere else to go. Ryker will likely kill them if we give him control.”
It makes sense. In my rational brain, I get it, but we’re also putting our lives on the line for a business.
“So that’s a big no-no.” Xavier finishes his coffee. “What’s the plan, then?”
“We arrange a meeting. Say we agree to his terms. We kill him,” Zayden states simply. “He’s had the upper hand so far; he’s likely getting cocky. Especially after Grant.”
“Surely he won’t fall for that?” I ask, looking between them.
Xavier says, “Unless he thinks we’re putting something important at risk, too.”
I blink, and Zayden’s expression turns thunderous. “Not a fucking chance.”
“What?” I ask, but both men are quiet. “You mean use me?”
“No,” Zayden growls. “We’re not using my wife as bait.”
Xavier rolls his eyes. “Please, we’ll be close the whole time. He clearly has a fascination with her. She’s a good distraction, and you’re also not giving Silence enough credit. She’s smart. She’s strong. She held her own when she was in that hotel room, so why can’t she do it again?”
“Did you just compliment me?”
“I’m clearly delirious from blood loss. Don’t get used to it.” He side-eyes me but winks, and I bite the inside of my lip before looking away. “We have the perfect distraction. Silence and Ryker meet somewhere public. She brings the paperwork for the Agency—”
Yale sighs. “Again, with the paperwork. Everything is online, you fucking dinosaurs.”
“Whatever.” Xavier waves his hand. “She keeps him talking, we kill him.” He uses his thumb and forefinger as a gun and fires.
Zayden looks less than convinced. “I don’t like it.”
I raise my hand. “Don’t I get a say in this? I’m the big, fleshy piece of bait, right? So it’s my decision.” They stare at me, waiting for an answer I realize I don’t have. Am I okay with being bait? Not really, but Xavier is right. I handled Ryker once, and that was with no preparation. I can do it again, especially if it means we can go home. “Let’s … do it.” Zayden opens his mouth to argue, but something Xavier said has me jumping in before my husband can try to change my mind. “What do you mean he has a fascination with me?”
Zayden says nothing, clearly still not comfortable with involving me so deeply, so Xavier pipes up. “He had Grant steal your things. Panties, stuff like that.”
My skin chills a little, and I play with my wedding ring. “He was stalking me.”
