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“What sort of compromise are we talking about here?” Kayson asks him. His hands are firmly planted on his hips and eyes narrowed as he pivots them between Dad and me.
“Aris stays in the car?—”
When I growl and step forward to tell him that’s not happening, he snaps his fingers at me then readjusts his tie. It’s a move he only executes when he’s prepping to go in for the kill, and I’ve seen it so many times in the courtroom where it worked to his advantage, I immediately back down. I know he’s got my best interests at heart, well, mine and Berlynn’s, as well as Berk’s, so anything he’s going to say is bound to give me what I want while keeping Kayson and Garrick happy.
Properly put in my place, Dad continues speaking, “No, sir. Step back and let me finish what I was saying.” Knowing that he means business, I do as he asks and move back to my prior position. “That’s better. Anyway, as I was saying before being rudely disrupted, Aris stays in the car until you have thewarehouse and occupants secure, then he can come inside and grab Berlynn.”
Kayson rotates his stance and walks up to me, getting in my face. “If I agree to this, Aris, swear to fuck you best stay seated in that car. If you don’t, I’ll hogtie you inside of it and you will be shipped back here faster than you can blink. Are we clear?”
“Crystal,” I blurt through a clenched jaw.
“Great,” Kayson icily says, “let’s roll.”
I’m in the lead car since I’m theonlyone who has the tracking app on their phone. “In two miles, we’ll turn left and we’ll come upon a dilapidated parking lot one mile before the warehouse,” I report to Kayson.
“How do you know it’s decrepit, Aris?” he inquires.
“I looked up the surrounding areas online. The aerial view shows this is the best place for us to hide the convoy,” I return. “Once I hear that y’all have gone inside, I’ll drive over and wait for word that I can come in and get Berlynn.”
There. How’s that for compromising?
Is it what I want to do? Absolutely fucking not.
However, even I can see what the ramifications would be of me going in untrained.
Do I want to be the first one to set his sights on her? Without any doubt.
But at the end of the day, as long as I have her back, I’ll put my pride to the back burner and do whatever they want. With that said, driving over there so I can extract her quickly,thatisn’t something I’m willing to budge on.
“That should work,” Kayson says. “Keep your earpiece in and don’t move from that spot until I give you the go-ahead. Don’t go all gung-ho and assume the scene is secure.”
“I already told you I wouldn’t,” I snarkly reply.
“I know you did,” he agrees. “But I’m also aware that you can be a hothead and jump into the fray without considering the consequences. It could be a domino effect.”
Moaning, I tell him, “Berlynn is the most important thing here, Kayson. I won't move a muscle until I get the word from you.”
I’m getting tired of repeating myself.
Either they shut the fuck up and believe me or they don’t.
There’s nothing more I can do to appease them other than keep reaffirming that I’m willing to do as asked. I may be a hardheaded asshole, but I’m biting the bullet here and letting the experts do what they’ve been trained to do while sitting back like a little bitch.
“I’m sorry if you think I’m pestering you, Aris. But you’re not only a client, you’re also a friend and if anything happens to either you or Berlynn, it’s a burden I have to carry and I have enough of them to deal with already,” Kayson grumbles.
“And I’m not trying to be a pain in your ass, Kayson. But that’s my entire world I’m entrusting you with, and that’s fucking hard for me to do. I just got her back, and I’m not ready to live in a world without her in it.”
During our conversation, we made it to the lot I directed him to. Kayson clears his throat then makes me a promise, “I won’t let anything happen to her, Aris. Swear that on my life. I’ve experienced what it’s like to have the rug yanked out from underneath you, and that’s not something I’d wish on my worst enemy. No pun intended since I’m fixing to fuck up the lives of two of my biggest antagonists and adversaries. But when push comes to shove, Berlynn is my top priority.”
“Then stop stalling and go get my woman,” I tell him as I grab the two earpieces from the glovebox. I put mine in my ear and hand Kayson his as well as the bluetoothed walkie-talkie. “I’ll be good, Daddy.”
“Asshole,” he laughs.
“Always,” I remark.
“See you soon, Aris.”
“Stay safe, Kayson.”
