Page 102 of Sully

“Yeah, why?”

“Because that’s how long Bonnie has been here.”

To that, Chris nodded.

“Best guess,” one of her women said, swiveling toward us in her chair. “That was his trigger. He’d likely been fantasizingabout revenge for years, but when the two of you ended up in the same place, he probably saw it as a sign. Then he got here and started plotting.”

“And from what we can tell about Bonnie, she’s not easy to get to,” Chris said. “So it took him a while to get his hands on her.”

I nodded to that.

“And what now? Is there a way for me not to have to kill him?” I asked. “Kinda feel like it might be too much, considering why he’s doing what he does.”

“I mean, sure,” Chris said. “We could tip off the authorities. There’s no way his place isn’t full of explosives and other illegal items. He’d get sent away on charges.”

“For how long?”

“Ten years on the lowest end,” Chris explained. “Twenty to life if they can prove he had the intention to use it against someone.”

“But you run into a lot of other issues if he is brought in,” the other woman said.

“Such as?”

“Him talking. About the kidnapping, the suicide vest, the other shit he’s done. That you guys haven’t reported. They’d haul you both in for questioning. You might even need to testify. And I don’t get the feeling your girl would be up for that.”

No.

No, she wouldn’t.

“If you need permission,” Chris said, looking at me, eyes deep, “I give you permission to do whatever you need to do to protect yourself and the people you love.”

“And if it makes you feel better,” someone else piped in, not turning around from their chair, “picked up some chatter on a message board where he was looking to get his hands on somearmor-piercing weaponry. He can’t afford that shit,” he went on. “But he’s looking. He’s not gonna stop.”

“I agree,” the woman, likely one of Hailstorm’s profilers, said. “Even if he went away for a decade or more, he would use that time to plot. Then he would get free and come for you again. Likely when you have a lot more to lose. Kids…”

Yeah, fuck that.

I needed to be able to assure Bonnie that she was safe. For good.

“Any chance Bonnie can stay here tonight?” I asked. “And maybe Zima?”

“That’s the dog you got her, right?”

“Right,” I agreed.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Just have someone bring the dog up. She can hang with the girls. They want to get drunk and spar,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Damn.

I wouldn’t mind being involved in all that.

But, I reminded myself, it would be good for Bonnie to know she could have that kind of fun without me around. And she was as safe as a human being could be at Hailstorm. And in good hands with the girls’ club.

“You want a team?” Chris asked.

“I got a team,” I said, thinking of my brothers.

Chris nodded.

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