Page 12 of Last Resort

Tea was nowhere near as good as coffee, but she knew there was no way her stomach could tolerate her normal brew.

Chance stood and walked over to her. “Still not feeling well?” he asked, low enough that his brothers wouldn’t hear.

She shrugged. “It’s a bug. It’ll go away soon enough.”

“If you need to take the day off—”

“I’m good,” she interrupted, smiling to soften the blow. When he just stared at her, she sighed. “If I need to go home and rest, I will. I promise.”

“Okay. We’re meeting in ten to discuss new options on the case.” Maci nodded and looked away, trying to settle the nerves in her stomach. She didn’t normally offer many tactical suggestions. Between the four Patterson brothers, they pretty much had that market cornered.

She had no idea how they’d take her suggestion. But ten minutes gave her just enough time to do what she needed to build her case.

She stepped into the bathroom and pulled out her special occasion makeup. She’d watched a few online tutorials last night, one from Stella LeBlanc herself.

When she left the bathroom ten minutes later, she looked less like Maci and more like Stella.

Chance and Brax were in the same seats as yesterday, sleeves rolled up and eyes focused. Luke and Weston were poring over a tablet, pointing out things to each other. She walked to one of the conference room chairs and sat, firing up her laptop so she could take notes like she usually did. She wasn’t sure when she should bring up her idea.

“Is everybody ready to officially start?” Chance asked. “We’re not leaving here today until we have a plan for catching Stella’s stalker. Nicholas is demanding action.”

“Can’t blame him for that,” Weston muttered. The rest of the brothers agreed.

Brax used a remote to turn on the large-screen television near the head of the table. “Should we start by looking at the wreck again with fresh eyes?”

Once they got into that it might be difficult to drag them back out. Now was the time to tell them her plan. “Actually, before you do, I have something to run by you.”

All the eyes in the room zeroed in on her.

Luke shook his head in what looked like genuine fear. “Please don’t tell us you’re quitting. We’ll never get unburied from the paperwork.”

“No, not that.” Maci laughed. “I have an idea for the Stella LeBlanc case.”

Luke’s relief was palpable as he slumped back into his chair and heaved a breath. His aversion to paperwork was near legendary.

“What kind of idea?” Brax crossed his arms and sat back in his chair.

“Why do you look like that?” Chance asked gruffly before she could answer Brax’s question. “Your makeup. It’s...”

She ignored him, knowing she had to get to her point before things derailed. “I think you should employ a decoy. Someone to take Stella’s place publicly to draw out the danger and eliminate it.”

“You want to be the decoy,” Weston guessed. Maci nodded.

A heavy silence followed, but it only lasted for three seconds before Chance exploded. “That’s what the makeup is about, isn’t it? Showing how much you look like Stella. There is absolutely no way we’re using you.”

Brax leaned forward, eyeing Maci critically. “It’s not a bad plan, actually. And the makeup does make them look remarkably similar. Since Stella doesn’t have a sister, that would make it even more likely to work.”

“Did you hear me?” Chance glared at Brax. “I said no.”

Maci took a breath to answer, but Luke shook his head across the table. She didn’t argue because she could see the beginnings of a sibling “chat” brewing, and she was better off staying out of it.

“Last I looked, San Antonio Security was an equal partnership, Chance.” Brax’s nonchalant brush-off caused a vein in Chance’s forehead to pulse. “Not a dictatorship.”

Luke nodded. “We’re in the business of protection. We would make sure Maci is safe. If we use her as a decoy, we’d plan it right so that no one gets hurt.”

Chance scrubbed his hand down his face. “You’re all out of your mind. We’re not sending Maci out untrained so we can catch a stalker.”

Maci had had enough. “You aren’t sending me anywhere. I’m volunteering,” she snapped.

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