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“We? You mean you and Gigi on the way to that conference?”
“Yes, I need to pre-plan where I’m going to charge on our route to Reno. Somewhere that isn’t highly visible. Realistically, driving at my current speed, I’m down to about two hundred and fifty miles before I’ve got to charge. I need you to look up all the Supercharger stations west of us…” Brendan braced his hands against the wheel so he wouldn’t start pounding on the leather again. “No, that’s dumb. It’s too risky. I can’t underestimate this guy’s network.”
“Wait a minute, what guy?”
“Maybe I need to ditch the Tesla and buy a gas-powered car,” Brendan whispered.
After a long pause, Quill huffed out a frustrated breath. “Brendan, come on, man. What the hell is going on? You’re spinning your wheels without me.”
He vaguely registered that Quill called him Brendan for the first time.
“Dammit, Brendan, fill me in.”
Brendan grinned, soaking in the comfort that his most trusted employee and, quite frankly, friend tossed out the last name ribs when he needed him to the most. Sighing with trepidation, he quickly rattled out a summary of the situation.
Quill scoffed through the speakers. “Don’t be an idiot. Go to the police.”
“No,” Genevieve gasped.
“Gigi…I mean, Genevieve can’t?—”
“I listened to every word you said.” After a short pause, Quill continued, “Look, I sympathize with her reasons for not wanting to, but, in my opinion, going to the police is still her best option. Brendan, this is way above us. We’re smart guys—we could probably take them on in the business world, but you’re talking about a crime ring here. If life and death weren’t involved, we’d probably have fun tackling this together, but I’m going to be frank with you—you’re the best friend I’ve ever had, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. Get your head on straight. This man will kill you, especially since you’re interested in the same woman.”
The hair on the nape of Brendan’s neck lifted. Would this man kill him? Drawing in a shallow breath, he glanced at Genevieve. Her lips turned down as if she sensed the direction of his thoughts. Was he crazy enough to put his life on the line for her? The truth was he marginally knew her. She was merely an associate who might or might not ever even be interested in dating him. Regardless, could he live with himself if he knew an innocent woman was forced into a life that she didn’t want to have?
Genevieve tugged a worried lip into her mouth, and his chest tightened in response. Okay, so maybe his decision wasn’t based solely on being her unattached savior. He wanted a chance with her. Genevieve lit him up inside and turned him into another version of himself. There was just something about her—like the minute she’d entered his life, his world tilted on its axis. If it was anyone else, he’d go to a non-corrupt police precinct and hope for the best for them. But, with her, some divine force was beaming down on him, blocking his rational thoughts and screaming that she was his other half. His gut told him he needed to trust her. So he would—for her, he’d take a stand and fight by her side.
Brendan vaguely registered Quill’s voice as his friend continued, “Man, I’m sorry—wasn’t thinking. I’m not sure you’ve told her how you feel. Didn’t mean to blurt out that you’re into her on speakerphone. My bad. Did I?—”
“I’m taking him on,” Brendan said with full confidence. “There is absolutely no obligation for you to be involved.”
“Hell yeah, there is! I’m not letting you risk your life without me. If you want to be fucking stupid and protect Gigi?—”
“Genevieve.”
“Whatever, bro. If you want to be fucking stupid and protect Genevieve, then we both will.”
Brendan had always thought of Hannah as his best friend, and she’d forever hold a special place in his heart, but she was in a different stage of her life right now—a husband and kids. She could never be involved in a mess like this with a family to protect, and for the past few years, he had to admit that Quill had been his best bro in almost every way. If their roles were reversed, he’d never let Quill take on something like this alone, either.
“Bail out if your life is at risk. Got it, Quill? I mean it. This is my battle, not yours.”
“Yeah,”—Quill’s sarcastic tone blared through the speakers—“I’ll be sure to do that.” He barbed a laugh. “So, let’s work on priority one. Superchargers are out since it will take too long to charge relative to this Roman guy getting gas. Probably thirty minutes for you and five for him, so that’s a non-starter. I agree that these guys will be on to that—checking for you at the charge stations. What’s brewing in your mind, then? You said something about buying a gas-powered car? Sounds like a solid idea to me.”
Brendan nodded. “Agreed. Search for car dealerships within two hundred and fifty miles that are west of our location en route to Reno. I’ll find hotel rooms for Genevieve and myself, ditch the Tesla somewhere it won’t be found for a few days, and then buy a new car this afternoon. That will at least give us time to sort through our options.”
“What brand of car?”
“Quill, what the hell does it?—”
“Just kidding. Man you’re touchy.” He imagined Quill winking after that statement, just like he did when they bantered in the office.
Brendan curled his lips. “Dude, I’m driving over ninety miles an hour down a curvy highway—even you’d be touchy if it were you.”
Quill chuckled and then leveled out his tone. “Don’t get killed, bro. That’s an order.”
“Oh, so you’re calling the shots now?”
More boisterous laughter boomed out. “No, my dick best friend with the death wish is. If I were, I’d order you not to drive toward Reno, but since you’re not listening, I’ll call you back in a few with a tucked-away hotel and dealership combo to shoot for.”
