Page 50 of By Blood To Avenge

“I haven’t yet decided what to do with it but if we hand it over at all, it’ll be me to do it.”

“You could say I stole it and ran off. Blame it all on me.”

“You’re not listening, Blue. I wouldn’t have him come after you.”

“I’ll be long gone, Zeke.”

He stops at that. He looks surprised and that surprise catches me off guard.

I clear my throat thinking about being long gone. What was my plan for when this ended? It was loose at best and anyway, so much has changed. But I may not have a choice apart from disappearing. These are dangerous men and not only dangerous to me. This may be the only way to keep Zeke safe.

“You and Jericho, you have a life here. You have family here. I can take Wren and we can go to Canada, like I’d planned,” I say, making it up as I go.

“You think he wouldn’t track you down in Canada?” he says with a snort.

“I—"

“Anyway, we just moved her,” he says, and I hear thewe.

I step closer to him, touch his face with both hands. Stubble prickles my palms. He hasn’t shaved in a few days.

“I know you keep warning me, but I care about you?—”

“I told you not to?—”

“Well, I do. You’re helping me when you don’t have to, and I won’t let anything happen to you because of me, Zeke. I won’t.”

“No, Blue.”

“I can do it, I just?—”

“We’re not discussing this.”

“I get a say in what we do with that information.”

“I said no and that’s final.”

“You’re not being reasonable. I bet Jericho would agree with me.”

“Well, it’s not up to Jericho, is it?” He walks around the desk to put the flash drive in a drawer. “Go upstairs. I need to think.”

“No.”

“Upstairs. Now.”

Zeke’s phone buzzes with a message and he pulls away. Taking it out of his pocket, he checks it and mutters a curse.

“Fuck.”

“What?”

“My brother is on his way over.”

“I can help. I can?—”

He grips my arm harshly. “Do I need to lock you in a room? Put your leash back on?”

“I—”

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