“Yes, she will,” Ryan said. “If we all convince her it’s the safest thing for her daughter.”
Kate wrapped both arms around Ryan’s waist. “I’m ready for things to just be normal, you know?”
“You and me both.” He hugged her back. “And they will be. Soon.”
She drew back, ran a hand over her curly hair, and sent Mitch a weary look. “I’m gonna go lie down. Something tells me I’m going to need my rest for tomorrow.”
Ryan reluctantly let go of her hand and watched her leave the conference room with a sappy, I’m head over heels in love look on his face.
When the door closed behind her, Mitch asked the question that had been foremost in his mind since Kate had stepped into the room. “What about her?”
“No one’s touching her,” Ryan said with dead calm. “She and I’ll get out of the city until we know more too. I’m not about to let anything happen to her either.”
Mitch glanced down at the half-empty cup in his hand. Ryan’s plan made sense, but there was one very major flaw.
“You have to tell her the truth,” Ryan said quietly.
Yep. That was the flaw. Mitch knew Ryan was talking about Mitch’s association with the Cyphers, but right now all he could think about was the look of utter betrayal on Simone’s face when she’d found that earring. “I will.”
“I’m serious, Mitch. If you’ve learned anything from me, it’s that secrets—big ones like this—can destroy everything. I nearly lost Katie because I thought I was protecting her by not telling her the truth. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Tell Simone everything. Up front. No holds barred. She’ll understand.”
Mitch wasn’t so sure. And he couldn’t take the risk. Not yet. The first thing he needed to do was get Simone to agree to leave with him so they all had time to figure out what was really going on. If he let loose about his association with the Cyphers too soon, she’d cut and run faster than Speedy Gonzalez.
“I will.”
“This is important, Mitch. You gotta tell her everything.”
He looked up. He and Ryan had been friends for years, since long before Ryan had started dating his younger sister, and in all those years, he’d never flat-out lied to Ryan. But tonight he did. Because telling Simone the truth wasn’t an option. At least not yet.
“I will,” he said again. “I’ll tell her everything. Don’t worry. I’m not as dumb as you.”
A sad smile spread across Ryan’s lips. “You are. You’re just too stupid to realize it. Now, let’s call Kendrick and wake his ass up so you can get into his house.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Simone wasn’t sure how she’d let herself be talked into this stupid idea.
She looked out the passenger window of the sleek black Audi SUV Ryan had arranged for her and Mitch and watched the forest rush by. Her skin felt prickly, her head too jumbled with what-ifs, and whenever she chanced a look at Mitch beside her in the driver’s seat, wearing those faded jeans, that loose gray Henley, and the black knit skullcap Ryan had gotten for him, she was reminded of only one fact: he was the last person she should be with.
Nothing had been resolved between them, he was still as pissed at her as before, and each time she closed her eyes, all she could see was that earring she’d found on his bed. Being alone with him was like waiting for a bomb to detonate.
“I think we should go back.” She turned away from the window and fixed her gaze on the snazzy console of the new vehicle, so much nicer than that interior of the beat-up old Land Rover he loved.
“We’ve been over this a hundred times already.”
Frustration welled inside her. He wasn’t even bothering to look at her. “I know. I just… Shannon would be better off with me.” Where Simone could see her and touch her and make sure the girl didn’t do something stupid, like run off again.
“Shannon’s safer where she’s at. Ryan’s people will make sure no one finds her. End of story.”
His voice was blunt and unyielding—a lot like Ryan’s when he set his mind on something—and Simone didn’t like it. Crossing her arms over her chest, the red cable knit sweater Kate had brought her scratchy against her skin, she looked out the windshield and worked to keep her temper in check. A light rain had started falling the farther they drove into the California mountains heading east, and she was starting to worry it might turn to snow before they got wherever it was they were going.
God, she hated snow. And she did not want to be snowed in anywhere with Mitch.
“I want to call her.” They’d been out of cell phone range for twenty minutes, and every second she was unable to talk to Shannon was wearing against Simone’s already frayed nerves.
Mitch heaved out a sigh, rested his elbow on the windowsill, and rubbed his forehead. “You’re gonna be a joy the next few days. I can already tell.”
She looked his way, then wished she hadn’t. A few locks of his hair peeked out from behind the knit cap, and the dark stubble on his jaw from three days without shaving was so damn sexy, she had to fight the urge to run her hand over it like she’d done a thousand times before.
Forcing her gaze back out the windshield, she ground her teeth. A week hiding out in a cabin alone with him while Ryan’s PI looked for information on Steve’s case? She’d never survive it. Especially not with her conflicting emotions where he was concerned.
Dammit, those raindrops were definitely turning to snowflakes. Her anxiety shot up another notch. “No one said we had to spend time locked up together. In fact, I think it would be easier if we weren’t. If we go back now, I can find my own place to hide until Ryan’s guy gets back to him with more information.”
Mitch slanted her a yeah right look. “Not a chance, sweetheart. I let you out of my sight, and I know exactly what you’ll do. You’ll cut and run. And I’ll be left with those Delta Team-wannabes all over my ass. No, until we figure out what’s going on and how to get out of this mess, you’re stuck with me.”
Her frustration grew to exponential levels. It was all she could do not to snap at him. Then a thought occurred.
She bit her lip, but figured, what the hell. It was worth a chance. “There is a way out that doesn’t require either of us to be together.”
“Witness protection? No, thanks. I happen to like my life. Besides, you said your case manager was compromised.”
“Not witness protection. People disappear every single day. With Ryan’s resources, you could do just that for a while. At least until things calm down. Take a few months off and go somewhere. I’m sure you have plenty of vacation time banked.”
He looked at her, his features a blend of disbelief and incredulity, then refocused on the road and shook his head. “It’s still abandoning my life, and sorry, sweetheart, but I’m not interested.”
Simone’s frustration bubbled up and over. “Dammit, Mitch—”
“Look, we’re not making any decisions until we know more, so just deal with it. You got me into this mess, you can stick around until we can figure a way out of it. In a week, if we still don’t have any answers, you can argue your case until you’re blue in the face.”
“It’s only worth the effort if the opposing party will listen,” she snapped, “which we both know you won’t.”
She huffed and looked back out the front window. The man was exasperating. He didn’t want to be with her any more than she wanted to be with him, so why was he agreeing to this? And on top of all that, the snow was getting thicker, the skies darker, just like her mood.
“Hey.” He shifted lanes to pass a semi. “I can be as agreeable as the next guy.”
Simone gripped the armrest at her side. Why the man couldn’t use a blinker, she’d never know. Most days, that fact only irritated her. Today, on slick roads that were already turning white, it terrified her. “Yeah, I know how agreeable you can be. I felt it stabbing me in the back.”