Page 51 of S.O.S. Mizzay

“And I’m tired of living like this. I amsodone with making friends, only to have to say goodbye. I’m miserable, not being able to commit to holding down a job. I hate not seeing my Mom and Dad when I want to, especially now that they’re getting older.” He sucked in a breath. “And Ireallyhate not being able to plan for the future, Andy.Ourfuture,” he clarified. “Hell, the only semblance of normalcy I’ve had in the past decade and a half were the years I lived with your family. And then, after reading Chuck in on my location, you two werestillonly able to arrange for me to see my parents twice, and for us to be together three or four times a year, at best.”

Yeah.Even when she eventually started working for SOS, it had been considered unsafe for her to travel to see him without intricate planning.

And wasn’t it fucked up that Cobble might have agreed to continue being a ghost and maintaining the status quo at the Andriopolos compound if he’d been able to stay longer?

But that hadn’t happened.

Because he’d had to move. Again.

Cobble’s resolve hardened, remembering how difficult that had been.

“I’m done, Andy. I just can’t be invisible anymore. I can’t.”

He turned toward her, walking forward to place his hands on the island between them. He dropped his stoic mask and let her see the depths of his sorrow, showing her all the anguish and regrets he’d held inside over the things he’d missed while in hiding.

Andy sat heavily on the stool opposite to him. “I get it, Cobble. I do. And I’m sorry. But what are our options here, other than making you a sacrificial lamb?”

Cobble blinked.

She was using…reason? She wasn’t going to fight him on this?

Really?

Maybe, just maybe, Andy felt as defeated as he did.

“I have this idea,” he told her, leaning over to place his elbows on the granite island so he was eye to eye with her. “One I’ve been thinking about for a while. I’ve gone over it, refined it, and… I promise it’s good.”

“Have you run it by Chuck?” Andy asked,notlooking certain.

Cobble snorted. “What do you think? The man is such a worrier, he’d shoot me down faster than I could get the words out of my mouth. So, no. I haven’t told him. I’m laying this out here for you. Then we can tell Chuck. Together.” Cobble wasn’t above begging. “Please, Andy. Help me get out of this purgatory I’m in. Please,” he reiterated.

She dropped her head to her hands and cradled her skull. “Okay. Tell me,” she stated with finality. “But we only move ahead with it if I like what I hear.”

Cobble felt hope build in his chest. Would she agree to his stratagem? He knew he couldn’t do this without her help, but she was giving him hope. With her partial acquiescence, his neurons started firing in electrical excitation.

“I’ve thought about this long and hard,” he said, finding his words. “All the things I’m going to propose need to be orchestrated perfectly; several parts having to be done in conjunction with one another,” he told her carefully. “That way we’ll lower our risks while making sure we take out all the bad players pretty much at the same time.”

“Something we’ve been trying to do for a bunch of long freakin’ years, Cobble,” Andy reminded him with a huff.

“Yeah, but here’s the difference. For fourteen years, Andy, we’ve been playing a game of defense,” he stated forcefully. “Thistime we’re going to be the offense.”

Andy actually looked hopeful.

Without wasting any more time, Cobble outlined his scheme.

Much to his surprise and delight, with a few minor tweaks and an agreement to finally involve Andy’s much-trusted SOS team—Chuck wouldalsobe given a say, of course—Andy agreed his plan was sound, and admitted it had a high chance of success.

She actually gave it seventy-thirty odds, which was more than he’d been angling for.

“It sounds doable,” she admitted, “but it’s the thirty percent uncertainty I’m worried about.” She was looking a little less pleased now that they’d finished planning.

Right.

Hand Andy logistics to solve, and her brilliant mind couldn’t help but engage. But once her brain was finished with the hard stuff, doubts tended to filter back in.

Cobble wasn’t having any of that. Not now that he could see light at the end of his long, isolated tunnel. He wouldn’t back down.

He stood and walked around the island.

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