Chapter 46

forty-six

DYLAN

I rubbed my eyes, trying to make sense of what Alex was saying. “Slow down. I’ve just woken up.”

“The man in the photo is my brother,” Alex said quickly. “I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“No one does. That’s why Liam was sent to Milwaukee.” I pushed the blankets off my legs and yawned. “If we’re going to talk, I need to get out of my pajamas. Shoo.”

Alex looked around my bedroom and picked up a pair of jeans I’d left over the back of the chair. “Eric’s downstairs. Do you want to wear your jeans?”

I opened the curtains, blinking against the mid-morning sunlight. “I can dress myself. Go and talk to Eric. He’ll think you’ve forgotten about him.”

Without waiting for Alex’s reply, I took the jeans and picked up the other clothes I kept beside my bed. My getaway clothes wouldn’t make any fashion statement, but they were clean, tidy, and warm. Everything that’s essential when you’re on the run from a group of terrorists.

Another yawn locked my jaw in place. Working the night shift usually meant I slept until two in the afternoon. This morning, I’d barely rested my head on the pillow when Alex stormed into my room.

If he hadn’t said something as soon as he shook me awake, he would have been flat on his back, nursing more than a hole in his arm.

Once I was dressed, I opened the bedroom door. Alex was leaning against the wall, waiting for me. “Aren’t you supposed to be keeping Eric company?”

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t go back to bed.”

“Who, me?” I thought about my super comfy inner-sprung mattress. It was so tempting to turn around and snooze the rest of the day away.

Alex must have sensed my dilemma. He held out his hand. “I have something important I want to discuss with you.”

I sighed. How could I resist his earnest blue eyes or the pleading tone in his voice? I placed my hand in his and frowned. Alex had the same expression on his face when he’d told me he wanted to live a normal life. And normal could only mean one thing.

“You’re not moving back to your house.”

His eyes widened. “How did you know what I was going to say?”

“Call it a sixth sense.” I let go of Alex’s hand and poked him in the chest. “Under no circumstances are you going back. It’s too dangerous.”

“The terrorist group is out of control. Someone has to stop them.”

“And you think a one-armed IT consultant can do that?”

Alex straightened his spine. “It’s better than doing nothing. I could draw them into the open and let you take care of everything else. ”

“The FBI, the Department of Defense, and Bryant Security are looking for the terrorists. Our job is to keep you safe. Your job is to do what you’re told.”

“They’ve already tried to kidnap my brother. If they find him, they might kill him.”

I knew they could do a whole lot worse than that. Alex’s brother’s five-year-old niece was in their firing line. If the FBI overlooked anything, their mistake could be deadly. “Your brother has gone into hiding. No one will find him.”

“Just like they wouldn’t find us? No one should have known about the ranger’s house.”

I rubbed my temples. I’d spent a lot of time thinking about the same thing. Hopefully, in the next few days, we’d have more answers. But for now, I had to focus on what was happening in Sunrise Bay. “I’m going to the kitchen. I need a drink.” I walked around Alex and headed toward the stairs.

“You know something isn’t right. We have to stop them.”

“There isn’t anything we can do.”

“We could change tactics.” Alex followed me down the stairs. “If we trick them into thinking I’m on my own, they might make a mistake.”

“If the person who shot you is like the rest of the group, I wouldn’t hold my breath. He still hasn’t told anyone about the cell or how he knew we’d go to the ranger’s house.”

I walked into the kitchen and waved at Eric. “Hi. Can you talk some sense into Alex? He wants to go back to his house.”

“I hope you’re joking.”

I poured myself a coffee. “Unfortunately not.”

Eric’s steel-gray eyes focused on Alex. “I don’t care how clever you are with computers. That has to be the dumbest idea you’ve ever had.”

“What else can we do?”

Cold dread crept along my spine. “We stay here and be safe.” Someone had to find the terrorist cell, but it wouldn’t be Alex. He had more important things to do, like stay alive.