Page 18 of Kyle

“I’ll go up first and clear the third floor and check out the roof. When I’m done, you send up Anaya, and make your way to the south side stairwell,” Declan told Kyle.

With a sharp nod Kyle conceded. I started to feel funny, Declan had agreed flat out my idea was a good one, and even though Kyle didn’t want to split up he, too, had seen the benefits of the higher vantage point and he’d given in. They were both watching me with something that looked a lot like respect, and the longer they did it the more I came to understand the funny feeling that was swirling around in my stomach felt a lot like happiness. I felt useful, respected—they’d heard me out and didn’t have a problem switching their plan to mine. It felt good to be considered, to be useful, to be heard, but mostly to be valued. But it was Kyle and the warmth in his gaze that made me the happiest.

“Tonight is recon only,” Declan reminded me.

“Okay.”

“Seriously, Anaya, no matter what we see we do not engage. Before we make our move, we need to know the players and see if there’s a schedule Amisha keeps.”

“I know.”

“Then why do you look like I need to be worried?” Declan pushed.

“I said I understood, not that I liked it. Every night that goes by, those girls are being hurt.”

The happiness I was feeling fled and all that was left was pain and disgust.

“They are.” Declan’s tone had softened. “But you have to be alive to save them. And if we rush in before we have all the intel, we need…”

Declan let his sentence hang. I knew what he was saying, I didn’t need him to finish.

“I get it.”

“Good. We straight, Kyle?”

“Yep,” he clipped.

“Great. I’m gonna grab a snack and shower and we’ll hit the road in an hour.” Declan stood.

“What about a car?” I asked. “We took a taxi here.”

Declan smiled wide and shook his head in amusement. “We’ll borrow one.”

When Declan left the room, I turned to Kyle and inquired, “Did he mean we’ll steal one?”

“It’s not stealing if you return it.”

“Um…” I didn’t know what to say.

Kyle chuckled and smiled. “Don’t worry, we know what we’re doing.”

“I hope so,” I grumbled.

I wasn’t sure stealing a car was the best plan, but I had no choice but to go with it. And if Kyle said they had it under control, I trusted him.

“Are you hungry? We’re gonna be out most of the night. If you wanna eat you better do it now.”

Food? Was he kidding? I was already in knots and thinking about Amisha and her house of horrors made me want to throw up. The last thing I needed was food in my belly.

“I’m not hungry.”

He studied me for a long time and looked like he wanted to say something but he refrained.

“Everything good with Dec?” he asked instead of pressing me about eating.

“Yeah. He apologized and explained.”

Kyle’s forehead creased and his shock couldn’t be missed. “Good.”