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“Do I?” he asks with a shake and the look on his face tells me he will do it.
“Fuck you,” I say, shrugging out of his grasp as the front door opens and we both turn to find a fuming Jericho enter.
“What the fuck are you thinking?” he demands, stalking toward us.
Zeke gestures for me to go upstairs with a nod of his head.
“Fine,” I hiss, taking one more look at a furious Jericho who looks a little terrifying. I pick up the bags of clothes and head up to my room. The two start arguing before I even close my door.
Nothing to do now but wait. Sitting on the bed, I begin to sort through the things, absently ripping out tags and folding them. This isn’t just about Zeke saving me. If Zeke gives the flash drive to Girard, he puts his brother and his whole family in danger. He’s not thinking it through, and I get Jericho’s anger, but I don’t know how to get through to him.
I’m almost through all the bags when, at the bottom of the final one, I find a fancy envelope that contains the receipt. I am afraid to look but I reach in and take it, flipping the tab and pulling the contents out. It’s not just the receipt, though. There’s something else, something heavier. I assume it’s a business card.
The ringing in my ears starts as soon as I get a glimpse of the corner of it. A pale yellow I recognize. The edges of my vision blur and I need to take a minute, to close my eyes and force myself to breathe. When I open them, the blurring is gone and I drop the receipt on the floor and sit there, holding another Run Rabbit Run card. Little Blue is scribbled where it usually is. I turn it over.
Got yourself a sugar daddy. That’s my girl.
Gates can’t keep me out. I was at the front door today. Saw all those kids. Mommy’s a looker, isn’t she? Poor thing broke her arm it looks like. Maybe I can kiss it and make it better.
Family first, though. I’m on my way to see Wren. I hear I need to bring my swim trunks.
I can get to you, Blue. And if you don’t get to me with that fucking laptop, everyone you care about will pay the price.
A date and place are scrawled at the bottom with a note ofI hear they serve apple pie all day. I know he’s not bluffing about Wren because the address where he wants to meet is a diner two blocks from the Margaret Stone Center.
The date is today. Does he mean he’ll wait there all day with that apple pie comment? I can’t just walk out of here with his laptop and get into my non-existent car and drive to meet him. He must know it won’t be that easy for me.
I get to my feet, push a hand into my hair.
Shit. What am I going to do? I need to think. I pace the room, but then I have an idea. The laptop. He thinks the files he needs are still on the laptop. Okay. That’s a start. The laptop is sitting on top of Jericho’s desk. His study door doesn’t have a lock on it, at least, I don’t think it does. Jericho’s here, with Zeke. They’re downstairs discussing the flash drive. Well, more like arguing over the flash drive. I know the code to get in and out of the house. I also know the code to the front gate, but I may not need that. If I take Zeke’s car, he’ll know right away I’m gone, but the properties are connected. I can walk to the other house, get the laptop while everyone is at the pool. I’ll just take one of the cars there.
I’m already out of the bedroom as my plan takes form, but at each step, I think of the obstacles that will block me, the time it will take to get to Jericho’s house on foot. What if the front door is locked? What if I get inside but I’m wrong and the study is locked? And what if I get the laptop and can’t get a key to one of the cars or can’t open the gate?
And what if my dad isn’t alone? Or he is? What am I going to do, hand over the laptop and what? Is he going to let me walk away? What about Wren? What’s to stop him from hurting her if he lets me go. And that is a very bigif.
No.
My plan has too many holes. Too many trapdoors I can fall through and if I fail, Wren, Jericho’s family and Jericho and Zeke will pay the price.
I can’t do that. I can’t see one more person hurt because of me.
I hear Jericho’s raised voice and I decide in that moment because I don’t have time. I walk toward the study door and open it without knocking. The brothers are standing nose to nose looking like they’re coming to fists. It would be something to see.
“Blue. What’s wrong?” Zeke says, stepping away from Jericho. He must see the worry etched on my face.
I hold out the postcard unable to speak feeling so utterly helpless.
He takes it, scans the text. “Where was this?”
“In the bag of clothes. Tucked in with the receipt.”
Jericho takes it from him and curses, grabbing his jacket which he’d taken off and heading to the door.
“Dex said he’d picked it up at the gate. He could be lying. Saying he was at the house just to scare me.”
“How does he know about Isabelle’s cast?” That I can’t answer. Jericho is on his phone in the next instant. “Dex? My family, you’re with them?” There’s a pause. “Good. I want the house on lockdown. Everyone inside. You do not let any of them out of your sight.”
“I’m right behind you,” Zeke says. “You still have the laptop?”
