Page 48 of Brutal Collateral

Griffin

“Keller ready to betransported?” I ask Connor.

“What’s left of him.”

“Lovely.” I roll my eyes.

“Why are we keeping him?” Shane asks.

“To show Ares whatshedid.” I point to Ava’s limp body.

It’s hard to believe she’s so deadly when she’s sleeping and looking like an angel. Christ, she’s going to slit my throat when I’m asleep.

“We have to announce Brandon is dead. After we show up at Trace’s wedding, we’ll have a sit-down and figure out a plan.”

“And where will Ava be during that time?” Shane, Mr. Practical, asks me.

“Don’t worry about it.” I smile down at Ava, who I dressed in only a large T-shirt that says,Kiss me I’m Irish.“Is the bird here?”

“Two minutes.” Shane checks his watch. “The cloaking is still engaged.”

We’ve cleaned up and changed into suits for the wedding, but wearing the same helmets to shield us. Carrying Ava, who’s still out cold and feels like she weighs nothing, I climb back up those four flights of stairs and amble onto the roof. The helicopter lands and we get inside.

“Where’s the wedding?” Connor asks Shane.

“The Cloisters. But we can’t land the bird there. We need an SUV. A guy is bringing one to the helipad.”

“What do we do with her?” Connor reaches over to lift Ava’s chin.

A possessive growl swirls in my chest.

“I’ll put her in the trunk,” I say, swatting his hand. “I don’t trust her not to figure a way out of a locked car, even if I keep her tied up.”

“That’s...harsh,” Shane says, shaking his head.

“You didn’t see her in BUD/S training. Plus, someone can walk by and break the window like she’s a toddler or puppy trapped in a hot car.”

The helicopter lands and Shane’s guy backs up our decoy car right to the cabin door so no one can see us put an unconscious woman in the trunk. Dead and mutilated Brandon Keller is wrapped in plastic and lowered into the trunk as well only because we didn’t request a separate car.

I didn’t expect to transport a dead fucking body.

On the drive to The Cloisters, I get my shit together.

“We missed the ceremony,” Shane says, staring at the time on the console. “Balor said there’s a reception in the garden.”

“We’re showing our faces, giving Trace and Rhys a heads-up, and then driving Ava to her brother’s apartment.”

“Tied up?” Connor asks, smirking at me from the driver’s seat.

“Just drive,” I snap at him.

We reach The Cloisters and get out of the car after parking it under a tree. I stop in my tracks when I hear pounding on the trunk cap from the inside and muffled screaming.

“Someone’s awake,” Shane says, putting on his jacket.

“She can breathe, right?” I ask, feeling guilty.

“Of course.” Connor puts on his suit jacket as well.

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