Page 91 of Crown of Smoke

She shakes her head, pressing into my touch. "I should have listened to you."

Yes, you should have. But now isn’t the time for reprimands. "Later." I help her stand, steadying her when she sways. "We need to move."

She grabs my arm, fingers digging in. "I'm sorry. For everything."

The raw emotion in her voice hits me squarely in the chest. I pull her close, breathing in her scent. For a moment, I just hold her, letting her presence calm the panic that's been driving me since I realized she was taken. She's alive. She's safe. I can protect her.

A distant yell reminds me we're not done yet. I reluctantly pull back, though I keep hold of her hand. "My brothers are creating a diversion, but we need to go. Now."

She squeezes my fingers and nods, determination replacing fear in her eyes. We navigate the narrow corridor. Lucy's breath comes in short gasps, but she keeps pace. We exit from the secret side entrance. Lucy stumbles, and I steady her, pulling her into the cover of dense shrubbery.

In the distance, chaos is still erupting. Cops will likely be here soon, so we need to hurry. I lead her through the shadows toward where I parked my car. I help Lucy into the passenger seat, scanning the property one last time. Ronan still breathes freely, still sleeps in the house built on my family's ashes. But not for long. Next time, he’ll pay for everything.

As I drive away, I pull out my phone and send a quick text.

Got her. Clear out.

It isn’t until we’re in the safehouse my brothers and I agreed to meet up at that I let out a breath.

I pull Lucy into my arms. “You okay?”

“I am now?” Her arms band around me like I’m her anchor. If only she’d hold me forever like that.

Moments later, my brothers arrive.

“Oh, my fucking God, did you see them? It was like watchingTheThree Stoogesthe way they ran around.” Blaise is running high on the mission.

“They’re certainly not as organized as I’d expect,” Phoenix says, and I know he’s storing that tidbit away for future reference.

“You two okay?” Ash asks us.

“Yes. He was right there… I could have…”

“Your mission was her,” Ash says. “We’ll get Ronan next time.”

Lucy grips my shirt. “I have him on tape. He told me everything.”

My brow furrows. “What?”

“Well, not tape… that’s an expression. But my phone recorder was on.”

“Isn’t that illegal?” Blaise asks.

“Not if there’s consent,” Phoenix says.

Lucy looks a little chagrined. “I didn’t have consent?—”

“Well, well, well… Miss Lucy is a little lawbreaker,” Blaise teases. “Welcome to the club.”

I imagine Lucy would argue that her indiscretion was different from ours, but there is a debate to be had about when it’s okay to break the law.

“What did he say?” Phoenix asks. My three brothers are all looking at her intently. I can’t deny I want to know too, but maybe they could give her time to catch her breath.

“He told me about the fire. About a secret access a young woman who worked for you told him about.”

I guess she doesn’t need time.

“What woman?” Phoenix demands.

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