“I’m sorry,” Dad said first. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”
“It’s okay. I’m just glad I was here.”
I stood up. “What’s going to happen now?” I asked.
“Are we calling the police?” Mom added.
“No,” he said. “We are disposing of the bodies. I called my commanding officer already, and he’s sending a more thorough cleanup team.”
“What does that mean?” Dad asked.
“Men will be here soon to scrub your house of blood.”
We were silent for a second as that sank in.
“I know this is a lot to handle,” he said, “but there’s one last thing. Tara, we have to leave town.”
“What?”
“There’s a safe house in Indianapolis. It used to be run by the CIA. My CO tells me that we can use it.”
“I can’t leave my parents,” I said.
“They’re safe here. The Network doesn’t want or care about them. Plus, Cooper and a few others will stay here to watch over them.”
“No, Emory,” I said firmly. “They come or I stay.”
“Honey,” Dad said gently, putting his hand on my arm. “Honey, listen to me. You have to do what he says.”
“Emory knows what he’s doing,” Mom said.
“But I can’t just leave you here.”
“You can and you will,” Dad said. “You’re the one in danger. When the men first came inside, the only thing they wanted to know was where you were.”
“It’s true,” Mom said. “He said they wouldn’t hurt us if they could have you.”
“We didn’t tell them,” Dad added.
“You two did amazing,” Emory said. “But, Tara, we need to leave.”
“When?”
“Right now.”
I stood there, unmoving, staring at my parents.
How could I just turn away and run? After what had happened? I felt responsible for this. I had brought these terrorists into their house. It was my fault for insisting that Emory bring me back to the house to check up on them.
But if they were right, I would be doing more harm than good by staying. If we left, the terrorists would follow us.
“Okay,” I said softly. “Only because I think it would be worse if I stayed.”
“Thank you,” Dad said.
“Come on. We need to get moving.” Emory turned to leave.
“Wait. We need to get Mason’s things.”
Mom and Dad went into motion. They quickly packed what I’d need while Emory watched, his eyes intense. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but he radiated a calmness that made me feel more secure.
He knew what he was doing. Even if this situation seemed absolutely insane, Emory was in control. He’d taken those men out when they broke into the house. He was going to keep us safe. I just had to trust him.
The four of us went back downstairs and packed the car. This time, I didn’t make any jokes about it.
“Are you sure they’re going to be okay?” I asked Emory as my dad finished putting Mason into his car seat.
“I promise,” he said. “Cooper or someone else will be here twenty-four seven until this is over.”
“Where was Cooper this time?”
“He was sweeping the area. He would have been here if I hadn’t been.”
I nodded. “I’m afraid, Emory.”
“I know, but you’re with me.” He grinned. “No terrorist motherfucker is going to touch you while I’m around.”
My parents finished getting us packed and turned toward us. I could feel tears pressing at my throat, so I just threw my arms around my dad and hugged him.
“I’ll see you soon, sweetie,” he said.
I nodded and moved to my mom, hugging her.
When I was finished, they moved away from the car. I could see the fear in their eyes, but I couldn’t let it get to me. I couldn’t stop, couldn’t slow down.
I’d seen what could happen to us. I’d seen what Emory had had to do as he ran the knife across that man’s throat.
We got into the car, he roared the engine to life, and we sped off.
14
Emory
As I drove back toward the hotel, my adrenaline seethed through my veins, lighting me on fire.
I kept seeing my blade running across that fucking scumbag’s throat in my mind’s eye again and again. He could have done some serious fucking damage with that rifle, but I was better, faster. The men had training—I was sure of that now—but not enough.
I wasn’t sure how they got in. But as soon as I heard the distinctive click of an ammo clip being shoved into a rifle’s body, I knew what was happening. I’d moved downstairs fast, sneaking through their sight lines, and taken them off one by one.
And the damn girl didn’t stay in the nursery like I told her to. That made me angry that she’d put herself in danger. She almost got herself killed, but fortunately I got the drop on that guy.
She saw the truth though. She saw what was really happening, and she couldn’t deny it anymore.
The Network was here, and they were fucking serious.
I headed back toward the hotel. I could see the exhaustion rolling off Tara’s body.
“We’re going to stay at the hotel for today,” I said. “We’ll leave tonight.”
“What? Why?”
“They’ll expect us to leave soon,” I said. “We’re going to throw them off our trail. Travis is already running counter-surveillance for us, so hopefully he can trip Omar enough that we can get away cleanly.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we’re going to hold tight and make a run for it when it gets dark out.”
“Okay,” she said softly. “You’re the expert here.”
We were silent for a few minutes as I drove fast back toward the parking lot. I pulled in and found a spot near the back of the lot, close to the emergency exit. I killed the engine and turned to her.
“I need to say something.”
“Okay.” Her mouth was slightly open, and she looked so fucking sexy.
“You need to listen to me,” I said. “From now on. If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to hide, you hide. Okay?”
“Okay,” she said. “I will.”
“Good.” I opened my door. “Come on. Bring only what you need for the next few hours.”
She got out and grabbed Mason and a single bag. I took the bag and Mason from her, and we headed back inside.
I couldn’t begin to guess what was happening inside her head. She’d just witnessed three men getting killed, which wasn’t something many people saw in their life. At least Mason wasn’t old enough to ever remember any of this.
We got inside the hotel and up to the room. I unlocked it and we went inside.
The place was just as I left it. I’d doubted that Omar would make a move on the hotel room, and I was right. I placed Mason down still in his car seat on the couch and looked at Tara.
“Come on,” I said. “You should have a drink.”