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Fingers trembling, I fumble for my own sunglasses, but Cora snatches them off my face for me. In the rearview, I watch the cop get out of his car and walk toward us. He looks young for a cop, and fit enough that he could chase any one of us down.

Gus mutters a string of curse words as Cora prompts me to roll down my window. The blast of cold wind stops my heart. We listen to the cop’s unhurried approach, a crunch of loose rocks beneath every heavy footstep.

“Afternoon,” he drawls. When he bends down to look at me, his eyebrows shoot up from behind his reflective aviators.

“Good afternoon, Officer.” The venom of Cora’s voice has gone sickly sweet.

The cop bends lower to get a good look at her. His eyebrows furrow, then he takes off his aviators.

“Shit.” Cora, Gus, and the cop all say it at once.

I try to glance between them, but it’s too overwhelming. I’m in the middle of their triangle, and yet completely outside any understanding. My heart has restarted, but in a way that’s more like a drumroll than a heartbeat.

“Tyler.” Cora drops her sickly-sweet act. She sounds bored as she returns her gun to her purse, in full view of the cop.

“Mrs. O’Sullivan,” he says respectfully. “You know I’m going to have to⁠—”

“Yep.”

“And that I⁠—”

“Yes,” she hisses.

“Alright, then.” The cop thumps the hood of the car, making me flinch before he walks away.

I can’t make sense of what just happened. My heart is doing its drumroll in my throat now, making me feel like I want to throw up.

Cora and Gus start bickering, but I’m not listening. In the wing mirror, the cop pulls a flip phone from his pocket as he strides away. He’s stiffer, more purposeful in his movements than when he first approached our car. As he puts the phone to his ear, the wind-driven cold seeps beneath my skin.

Tearing my eyes away from the cop’s retreating reflection, I roll up the window. It cuts off the whistling wind, but I’m still cold. I clench my jaw shut to stop my teeth from chattering.

“I’m driving,” Gus announces.

“I’m driving.” Cora frowns at him. “You have a phone call to take.”

A second after she’s done talking, Gus’s phone rings. He lets out a long breath before answering.

“Boss.”

On the other end of the line, Liam’s muffled voice is furious.

Chapter 27

Liam

My blood whooshes in my ears as I wait for them. Brady stands beside me, our backs to the oversized hangar as we look out over our private airfield. The approaching drive stretches away from us, the main road out of sight.

This is our family’s southernmost outpost. I couldn’t have Brioni and her accomplices driving back into the road rage of the traffic-choked city. She’s already put herself in enough fucking danger.

In the gray afternoon, my brother looks as pissed off as I feel. We’ve both got our arms crossed, our stances wide. Our faces grim.

I cannot fucking believe Gus. He’s supposed to be the strict one. Turns out Brioni can charm him, and I was wrong to think that’d be a good thing. I don’t like being wrong.

“What’s the move?” Brady asks.

“The move is that you keep your wife in fucking line.” I know this must be Cora’s doing on some level, but Brady only chuckles.

“Don’t worry, I’ll punish her.” He shifts his stance as we brace ourselves against a gust of wind. “I meant what’s the move with Gus?”