Page 81 of Even if You Fall

The corner of my mouth twitched. “Couldn’t risk it.”

Her body seemed to sag. “What were you gonna do? Not sleep the entire week?”

“If that’s what it took,” I said without hesitation.

“Adam—”

“It’s fine,” I told her. “I’m fine. I’ve gone days without sleep before. And as for us—” Chloe jolted at the urgent banging against the door, but I knew before Rush ever ground out, “Thatch,” who it was.

And I knew it wasn’t good.

I took one last look at Chloe before saying, “It’s open,” as I released her to look expectantly at where the door was flinging open.

“We gotta go,” Rush was saying before he was even in the room. “Pack, and let’s head out. All of us,” he said firmly, as if he hadn’t already figured out that I didn’t plan on letting Chloe go anywhere without me.

I glanced at Chloe over my shoulder and nodded toward her bag before looking at Rush, but he was watching her too, and he looked nervous. “What changed?”

He blew out a heavy breath through his nose before focusing on me. “Think we should talk out there,” he finally said.

There wasn’t any arguing with Rush; he was second after Briggs. So, I followed him out of the room without question, shutting the door behind me as we went.

“Have a feeling we’re not going to Aruba,” I muttered as we took a handful of steps away, then folded my arms over my chest when he rounded on me.

“How much does Chloe know?” he asked. Without waiting for me to ask what exactly he was talking about, he added, “About the Wreckers and what Vance is doing—all of it.”

“What you just said,” I told him with a shrug. “All of it. I told her everything we know.”

He drew in a slow breath but released it quickly. “Gray called Briggs,” he began, his tone somber. “That teacher Vance started seeing just a few weeks ago?”

My stomach dropped before he could say it.

“She ‘quit’ Friday, according to the resignation that was submitted this morning.”

“Does Gray have eyes on her?” I asked quickly, somehow already knowing he wouldn’t and feeling physically sick over how colossally we’d messed up by trying to keep Chloe, Lainey, and Kaia safe—over how we’d failed someoneelse.

“He only found out about the resignation after he saw her social media post from this morning,” Rush informed me.

A curse ripped from me as I turned, my hands driving through my hair and gripping tight before I faced Rush again. “She’s gone?”

“‘Left to take care of her sick mother,’” he quoted meaningfully, forcing another curse from me.

She didn’t have a sick mom. She didn’t have a living mom at all.

“Pack,” Rush commanded. “Everyone’s headed home.”

A desperate laugh tumbled from me. “Right where they want the girls. They did thisbecausewe took them—Chloe, at least. Vance wanted her to go back,” I reminded him.

“We’ll take care of it.”

My head moved in a jumbled mess of shakes and nods as I started backing away. “I will,” I vowed darkly before stalking to the bedroom.

Once I was in there, I quickly erased the distance to Chloe and drew her to me without thinking. Capturing her lips and kissing her like I needed her to breathe.

As if she sensed my fear, she matched the fierce kiss and clung to me just as tightly. Giving just as much as I gave until my blood was pounding in my veins, demanding I keep her safe. Demanding I stop the threat to her.

“Promise me something,” I begged against her lips. “When the time comes, you won’t stop me from what I have to do to Owen Vance.”

Her eyes widened as she reared back, her grip on my forearms tightening. “What—wait,what? What do you mean?”

---