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“I’m not a shiny new toy,” I groaned as I looked between them.
“Of course not,” Kailan agreed. “You’re my shiny new girlfriend and I want cuddles with you,” he pouted.
“Put me down please, Nick,” I asked, and he did, carefully lowering me to my feet and holding on to me until he was sure I was steady.
“While I love you guys carrying me around, I think we need to talk seriously about our next steps right now,” I told them, only making Kailan’s lip come out further in that adorable pout. “But…” I went on as I looked to him, “…we have time for a quick cuddle.” I reached up and wrapped my arms around his waist as he did the same and held me crushingly. I lay my head on his chest and took in the comforting scent of his aftershave, though it was faint after the hours that had passed since we all last changed.
“This makes everything better,” Kailan sighed.
“Not gonna argue with you there,” I sighed contentedly. I held on to him for several minutes, basking in how tightly he held me and the little kisses he lay on the top of my head, then I pulled back and looked to Harris.
“Are you feeling okay?” I asked as I rounded the end of the conference table and went to him. I lifted up on my tip toes to get closer to the bandage on his forehead, but it looked well dressed.
“I’m fine. Stop worrying,” he sighed as he grabbed my hand from his forehead and brough it to his lips, kissing the back of it gently. “Are you okay?”
“No,” I sighed. “But we’re all here and safe for now, so I’m grateful for that.”
“We’re all grateful for that, sweetheart,” he agreed as he pulled me into his front and held me close. I reached up on my tiptoes again and just managed to reach his lips. I kissed him chastely.
“I was so scared I’d lost you and Nick when that explosion went off,” I told him as I clung even tighter around his waist.
“Never. I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, then he leaned in and kissed me in return. I wanted to take it further, to kiss him the way we used to spend hours kissing when we were just loved-up kids, but it wasn’t the time or the place, especially when Asher walked back in.
“Why don’t you sit down and tell them what you told me, babe?” Nick suggested. I kissed Harris once more, then nodded and took a seat at the table, right beside Aleks. I wanted to hug him too, to feel his arms around me, but we needed to focus. Instead I took his hand and squeezed it tight. He leaned in to kiss my temple and gave me that smile of his that could make everything seem just that little bit lighter.
The others all took seats around me, and Asher sat opposite, a tablet poised in his hand.
“What’s going on, Ev?” Harris asked.
“Well,” I began, a little nervously. I had no idea if what I wanted was the right thing. I had no idea what the right thing to do was, but I just wanted to be near my family. I wanted to be close to do all I could if Soloman came after them. “I…I’ve been thinking and I think I need to go back to Chicago. Soloman…he c-could go after my family again and if he does, I want us to be there to help protect them all.”
The guys all looked between each other and seemed to share some silent conversation before Aleks turned in his seat to face me before he started speaking, “We completely get you wanting to go home to take care of your family, Evie, but you need to think about your own safety too. Soloman will be watching your family’s homes. He’s gonna know you’re there right away.”
“We wanted to get you out of the states. Asher and Eli have a Villa in Italy. We planned to take you there, where you’d be safe,” Kailan added.
“As amazing as that sounds, it’s not a permanent solution,” I sighed. “I don’t want to spend my life running from this psycho, and I certainly don’t want you guys to have to do it either. You have Zack to consider.”
“We have resources we could put into tracking down this ‘Soloman’ while you were in Italy. We would let you know as soon as it was safe to return,” Asher explained.
“I appreciate that and all of the help you’ve offered, but I’m done running. I’ve been doing it for months now and I’m so fucking tired,” I sighed exhaustedly. “We need to bring Soloman out so he can be caught, and me being right where he’ll look for me is the easiest and surest way to do that.”
“No way. We’re not using you as bait, Evie,” Nick growled.
“He has to be stopped!” I cried as I slammed my hands down on the table. “This isn’t just about me. He’s killing other innocent women. He’s threatening the people I love. I can’t just run away to Italy and let someone else be hurt. I can’t and I won’t.”
“I think she’s right,” Aleks spoke up, and the others turned to him with a glare. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not on board with her acting as bait, but I agree we need to draw this fucker out. This has to end for Evie’s sake, if nothing else. At least we have some control in Chicago. We’ll have her brothers to back us up, and the FBI are working from there too right now, after the body dump last week. I think going there is our best option.”
“I don’t like it,” Harris growled and Nick nodded vehemently in agreement.
“I’m in danger wherever we go, you guys. I always will be until he gets caught. At home we’d have my brothers as added protection, not to mention the guys who work for them at Shepard Security. I think it’s the safest place we could be right now.” I looked to Harris and pleaded with my eyes for him to understand. “I’m running out of fight, Harris. I don’t know how much longer I can hang on. I just…I want to go home, hug my parents, lure that bastard out and have this whole thing be over. I n-need that,” I squeaked through my tight throat as tears trickled down my cheeks.
“I’d offer to come with you, but I have to get back to my father. He doesn’t have long,” Asher sighed.
“I’m sorry,” I told him, assuming his father was dying.
“Thanks,” he smiled sadly. “But I can send my security guys with you. They’re all ex-forces and highly trained. I agree, it seems the most expedient way to end this whole thing.”
“Thanks, but we’re not taking your security detail. I don’t want to be responsible for you getting your ass kidnapped for ransom,” Asher chuckled.
