Page 83 of Bobby

I shake my head. “He won’t be their father any longer.”

I don’t say more or explain my words. These men get it. He’ll be dead to the girls after this. Figuratively or not, I won’t let them know him anymore. And I doubt they’ll shed a tear over it once I get them back.

I should be terrified by those thoughts. I should be terrified that I’m after blood, that I’m allowing them to take a life, but I’m not. Not if it gets me my girls.

If you get them back.

I push that thought down and curse it to hell. I don’t need that in my head right now.

“Why Payton? Even if she volunteered, can’t someone else do it?”

The brothers look at one another before Danny shrugs, drawing my eye. “You look alike.”

I shake my head. “We look nothing alike.”

He leans closer and rests his elbows on the table. “You both have blonde hair. The women who work for me have darker roots. For anyone who might be watching the place, that’s what they’ll be looking for. The details beyond that won’t be the focus. And yes”—he gives me an almost bored look as he speaks again—“I get that it’s a different blonde, but to a man who’s just being paid to look for someone with blonde hair, they won’t know the difference between your hair and hers.”

I don’t know if I should be offended or not. Either way, now isn’t the time to focus on that. “What about us? What will we be doing while Payton’s flying to wherever he says?”

“We’ll be tracing the call. Once we get a location, we’ll head for the closest airport and land. He’ll be thinking he still has time before he calls you back—”

I cut Danny off quickly, speaking over him as a fresh fear comes to mind. “How do you know he’ll call again?”

“He’ll need to claim you aren’t at the right spot,” Tommy says with a shrug.

I look at them all, and they nod at what their brother said. “Right. Of course.” I should have figured that out. I feel like a shell of my former self, catching only a few things at a time and not seeing it all at once. I feel so out of my depth that I want to cry, but I’ve cried enough already.

“Hey.” Liam puts his hands on the table and leans on it. “We live for this shit. You don’t. It’s okay that you aren’t seeing all the possibilities like we are. You’re one person. We’ve got over two dozen men on here coming up with the plan.”

I hate that I’m so easy to read that he saw my doubt but also elated that he’s right. I need to remember to accept what I know and what I don’t know. Which is turning out to be a lot today.

I smile softly at Liam’s reassurance, and he gives me a smile and a wink before walking away.

Bobby lets out a huff of breath as he adjusts in his seat. “I might not trust the Strays, but he’s right.” He looks over at me and runs the backs of his fingers along my cheek. “Don’t beat yourself up about not seeing the details in this. Your only job is to stay positive and keep Trevor talking when you need to. Then, when the time comes, the boys will go in and get the girls.”

“I’ll go too,” I say with more conviction than I feel.

“No,” all three Leone brothers answer at once. But Bobby is the only one who I feel, his hand tightening around mine as if he’s forcing me to stay seated. His face is full of anger, directed at me for the first time since I met him.

I turn and look at the other two. “But those are my girls. Mine.” I look back at Bobby, putting my other hand on top of the one he has around mine and giving it a squeeze, showing my own strength. “I already let their father take them from me. I won’t let them get hurt again if I can help it.” There’s no quiver in my throat, no tears that fall. I mean every word I say. I have to be there for my girls. I have to. I can’t let them down again.

“I’m not losing you too,” Bobby says with a shake of his head.

I open my mouth to protest, but I’m talked over before I can utter a word.

“I’m sorry, Willow, but I can’t allow that,” Danny says calmly, holding his hand up to keep me from interrupting him. “We don’t know what we’re walking into. We’ll do our best to cover all the bases we have, but this will be a tight extraction. We won’t have time for hours of prep to plan for all scenarios. If you go in and the girls see you, one of them, or even you, could run to the other.”

He says no more. He doesn’t have to. I understand this time what he’s leaving out. And I say it out loud for them to know I get it, but also so I can let it sink in more. To fully believe it with all the conviction I have.

“And draw Trevor’s eye.” And whatever that might entail. I have to think Trevor is unhinged. More so than just kidnapping his daughters to blackmail me. I have to assume the worst, despite not wanting to. Which means I have to think he would hurt me or the girls. Or both. If I’m there, I could jeopardize my girls and all the work Bobby and his family have already done to help us.

“I understand,” I say with a sadness I feel to my bones. I get it. I just hate it. “But they need someone they trust there. Someone they know.”

Bobby nods and agrees with me. “Marco will be with Tommy and Danny.”

I shake my head. “They know of them, but they don’t trust them. Well, they might trust Marco. But not like they trust you.” I look at Bobby with a plea in my eyes. “They adore you. If you’re there, they’ll know it’s okay. They won’t be as scared.”

I hold his eyes, letting everything fade away as I whisper my last words to him. “Save my girls?”