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“I read you.” I cleared my throat. “What’s the plan now?”
“Bekker is champing at the bit to get us. An ambushwould make sense. We’re waiting for a BB escort to the tarmac to get out of here. ETA, tonight. Get your stuff. We’ll hunker down at the villa.”
“Yes, sir.”
Moving quickly, I unlocked my duffel, donned my tactical vest, and readied my carbine. I checked the mag before I shouldered the weapon and turned to the table where I’d been working before the incident to collect my shit. “I bet the fuckers are waiting and watching.”
“I concur.” Omega’s gaze swept over the jungle.
“I also bet you Bozeman’s toe is twitching just about now.” I tucked away my binos. “My guts are twitching too.”
“Don’t like to hear that,” Omega muttered darkly
“The roof’s clear, boss,” Ferranti reported, climbing down.
“The building’s perimeter as well.” King trotted up the stairs and motioned to Ferranti. “Let’s get working on the deck.”
I powered down my laptop, shut the lid, and reached for the case across the table. Dagger was closer, so he picked it up and unzipped it.
Let’s get working on the deck, King’s words echoed in my head.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
Before I could blink, the sixth snake shot out of the case. Fangs flashed in the air as the viper flew straight as an arrow… toward Omega.
Chapter Thirty-three
Missy
“So, you’re not mad at me for leaving?” I sat at the edge of the sofa, holding on to Thena’s manicured hands. “You don’t hate me? You don’t hate us?”
“Of course not.” Thena squeezed my fingers. “I could never hate you, any of you. Will you please believe me?”
“I believe you.”
I smiled and blinked away tears. My big sister was the kindest, most caring, devoted person I knew. She’d never lied to me, and she’d always made sure I felt her love. That was what I felt radiating from her right now. Love, joy, and gratitude for this reunion.
We sat in the living room of the villa Tracker Team had designated as their staging area. It opened to the lawn at the bottom of the hill. Finn stood outside our door and Micah had gone to talk to Allen to secure our way out of the resort later tonight once our BB escort arrived.
The room was nice, although not as fancy as the treehouse suite. As soon as we arrived, I’d shed the sheet and changed into a pair of jeans and a tank top. While I dressed, Thena had brewed us some fine tea from the resort’s courtesy collection. For the last half an hour, we’d been sharing the highlights of our time apart.
I was horrified to hear the details of our father’s murder, the tale of betrayal that had befallen our family and Tracker Team, and the ordeal Thena had to go through in order to survive. I was so thankful to Dash for coming back to protect Thena when she needed him the most. I’d always loved the guy, but now that I understood he’d risked it all to keep Thena safe, look for Cece and Affie, and find me, my admiration for him onlygrew.
“I don’t know what to say.” I turned the mug in my hand. “I hate myself for leaving you alone to deal with all of this.”
“Oh, Missy, please don’t,” she begged. “I taught you better. Self-hatred is a waste of time. It’s not like you had a lot of choices. Father was out of control. I thought I could tamp down his greed, but I was wrong. You, Cece, and Affie did the right thing getting out from under his thumb. You’ve got a right to choose happiness.”
“You taught us to stick together,” I said. “That’s how we survived after Mom passed away. That’s how we made it when Nix died. But then Father turned into an even worse tyrant, and we felt that escaping him was the only way. You knew this. We asked you to come with us, and yet you refused. Why?”
“I made a promise to Mom before she died.” Thena let out a sigh. “I swore to her that I would take care of Father, so I had to stay.”
“What?” I gawked. “Why didn’t you tell us about this promise?”
“I wanted to tell you, but I feared the three of you would stay behind on my account.” She shrugged. “I wanted you guys to be free, to be happy.”
“I should’ve known you stayed behind because of your sense of duty.” I groaned. “I’m so sorry that I acted so selfishly and left you with such a heavy load to carry.”
“Never apologize for making good decisions for yourself,” Thena reminded me.
