Page 74 of GAF Factor

“How am I supposed to keep you safe if I can’t hand him over?”

“I don’t know,” she said helplessly. “But I’m not him. I can’t kill him. It’s not right.”

“Neither is getting yourself killed to spare his life. If push comes to shove, I will end him if it means saving your life.”

I walked away and jerked my head at IRIS. “Call it in.”

“On it.”

I dialed Bowie’s number. Man, he was gonna be so pissed when he answered the phone.

“You haven’t been gone that long. Did you kill him already?”

“I need you to take Riley and go to ground.”

“What? Why?”

“The Irish got to Shawn’s parents. It’s not pretty. I have to assume they’ll go after Isla next.”

“Fuck, she’s gonna be so pissed.”

“Yeah, well, she’ll be even more pissed if she’s dead. And don’t forget about the little monster.”

“The what?”

“The cat.”

“Right, because she’s important right now.”

“If I come back and that little shit is dead, you’ll have to deal with Isla, and I don’t think you want that.”

“No,” he grumbled. “Fine, I’ll take care of her, too.”

I hung up without saying anything further. When I turned around, Isla was gnawing on her lip again.

“Bowie’s taking care of Riley. He’ll most likely take her to OPS.”

“That’s good, right? She’ll be safe there.”

“Yeah.”

She shook her head, looking away from me. “You really don’t want to wait for the cops.”

“I’m not a huge fan of them.”

“You were in the military. Isn’t there some sort of camaraderie there?”

“Only if you like following the law,” I smirked.

In two steps, I was in front of her, pulling her into my arms. She was shaking but doing a damn good job of hiding how scared she was. What she saw inside would shake anyone up, but the fact that they were her in-laws was worse. I could only imagine what was running through her head.

“They were good people,” she murmured. “They didn’t deserve that. I could beat the crap out of Shawn for getting involved with these people.”

“Interesting choice of words,” I muttered.

She stepped back, running her fingers through her hair. “Look, I know you don’t get it. I’m not sure I do either. I should want him dead. I know that.”

“Isla, it’s okay to not want to kill someone.”

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