Page 132 of The Scarab's Game

Jenn loved me.

And I loved her.

Malcolm’s voice, louder than necessary, broke our bubble. “Remember how I said we need to sit if we’re ever going to leave?”

I pulled back from Jenn, unable to keep the smile off my face. This strange feeling in my chest, this love, was overwhelming in the best way possible.

And Jenn? She was radiant again.

I led her to the leather divan in the mid-cabin, across from the television. Rav, Will, Jayce, and Drew had taken seats in the aft cabin. Our flight attendant, Patricia, bustled through, checking on everyone before ducking into the cockpit.

Scarlett let out a long breath as she and Malcolm swiveled their chairs to face the rest of us. “All right, here’s the latest I’m sure everyone’s curious about. First, we’re not heading to Cairo.”

“What?” whined Jayce from the back.

“I’m dispatching a courier with the scarab when we land in London. So we’re dropping Will off, then flying home. We’ve got more important things going on than a courtesy delivery, like a team that doesn’t listen. I said to leave the disc alone, and next time, I expect you to make better choices.”

“I was point on this job.” I straightened in my seat as the plane taxied. “That means?—”

“Honestly, Em, you can save the martyr shit. It was reckless. You, Jayce,andDrew could have stopped it before things spiraled out of control, but none of you did. The team’s safety always comes first.” Scarlett’s eyebrow quirked in the way that meant I wasn’t to cross her.

But I was an adult, not a child—not the spontaneous guy who got by on his charm and good looks. And not even the guy who froze when he heard Enzo’s voice anymore. When I’d sped out onto the dock last night, seeing the boat leave, seeing Enzo, my knees had gone weak.

But when I’d seen Jenn on the yacht, everything changed.

You didn’t even think about your poker chip. Just thought about getting her to safety.

“Scarlett,” I drawled. “I’m nottryingto be a martyr here. It was my op—my call—not yours. Jayce and Drew did exactly what I told them, so I’m the only one who failed last night. It was the wrong decision, and I’ll admit it.”

Jenn placed a hand on my thigh and squeezed.

Honesty. That’s what Jenn had asked from me, and that’s what I’d give her. “We can discuss it further at our debrief, but rehashing things right now won’t accomplish anything.”

Scarlett frowned at me, a cover for how much she was seething inside.

“It gained us an ally, though,” said Rav, changing the subject before Scarlett or I could start an all-out fight. “I spoke with Dante at length last night, after everyone else left the waterfront.He’s contacting his brother with the Carabinieri in preparation for the yacht’s arrival in Naples. He’ll hand over information about fraud, tax evasion, and several other crimes. If no one else, Massimo will go to prison.”

I hummed aloud. “And Noah gets what he wants.”

“Yet again,” muttered Rav.

What Noah actually wanted was Scarlett. That, and to teach his team a lesson.

The bastard had played us one more time.

“And finally…” Scarlett took a long look at Malcolm, who smiled at her as though giving her the strength to continue. “Mum was monitoring the op from her office yesterday. After Jenn shared Enzo’s bombshell, I went to talk to her. She was already gone.”

I stretched an arm along the back of the divan. “And let me guess, you haven’t been able to get in touch?”

Scarlett nodded, her expression grim. “I expected her to deny the MI6 part, but I wouldn’t have accepted that, given the intel Drew has. And no, she hasn’t answered my calls or texts. Brie checked Mum’s place after I left, and she wasn’t there, either. I don’t know where that leaves us.”

“Is Brie tracking her?” Rav asked.

Scarlett shook her head. “Evelyn’s not a target. My guess is she’s either regrouping, dealing with the emotional fallout of her secrets coming to light…” She paused, scanning the team. “Or she’s planning.”

The thought of our mother ‘planning’ in secret made me uneasy. It couldn’t be good.

Jenn voiced the question I suspected everyone had. “What do you mean by planning?”

---