Page 38 of Crossed By the Stars
“I’d like to go to Vanya’s place in Avalyn Beach tomorrow. He already agreed. I’m hoping to convince Jada tonight. I want to keep those with knowledge of our location to a bare minimum, which also means keeping the team as small as possible.”
He nodded. “It’s a good idea. Flying?”
“Not with the injury to her ears.”
The drive down the coast would be long but better than pushing our luck with her hearing.
“We’ll debug everything before we leave, switch cars several times, and take some detours to ensure we aren’t followed,” Cillian said.
“Her phone is tapped,” I said more than asked.
He gave an almost imperceptible nod. “Most likely. TheKyodainamay not be able to keep up with the Russians in the cybercrime arena, but they still know how to bug a phone.”
This was why I trusted him with my life. It wasn’t just that he could make plans on the fly—and often did—it was that he understood the darkness of our world. He also knew every angle to keep a client safe, when to dial it up, and when to dial back.
“I’d like to know what the police investigation turns up. Any way you can make that happen?” I asked.
“Yeah, we know some folks. We’ll keep you informed. Reinard is already conducting his own investigation into Rana’s team.”
I grimaced.
“She asked for it,” Cillian said, and that did surprise me. “She needs to know what happened as much as you do.”
I doubted it, but I did believe that Rana felt guilty about what had happened.
Cillian pulled a bracelet out of his pocket.
“It’s a GPS tracker that only Reinard and I have access to. If you can get her to put it on, it’ll help us find her if we need to.”
I took it, unsure if I could get Jada to do anything but determined to try.
“Thank you,” I told him.
He nodded and walked out the front door. I locked it behind him and then placed my forehead against it, trying to get my bearings, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to tell Dawson when I made the call in about thirty seconds.
The silence in the apartment was loud after the constant noise of the hospital. I hoped it allowed Jada to sleep better than she had there. Even drugged to the max, she’d been restless overnight. I knew because I hadn’t gotten a wink myself. I’d reclined in the hospital chair, listening to the murmurs and groans escaping her lips even when she’d been passed out. I’d listened and tormented myself with all the ways I might have been able to prevent her from being hurt to begin with.
I pushed off the door, poured myself a finger of whiskey, and then sat down on my couch with my phone on the coffee table. Before I could come up with another excuse not to call, I hit the number for the satellite phone Dawson was using on his trip. I slammed half the whiskey while waiting for him to answer. After four rings, he finally picked up.
“Hey, can I call you back in a few?” he said breathlessly as if I’d caught him running, and I couldn’t help the small smile it brought to my lips. Honeymooners. Then, my smile slipped, realizing I was going to take both of their joy and throw it out the window.
“Unfortunately, not a good idea,” I said.
There was shuffling on the other end before he finally asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t really know how to say this…except to start with the same words you told me. She’s okay. Or she will be.”
“Fuck…” Dawson’s voice trailed off. “What the hell is going on?”
“A bomb went off in her apartment.”
Dawson choked. “What?”
“Killed one of her detail. The blast threw her into the coffee table. According to Rana, she and Nyra only got down one flight of stairs before Jada passed out. They had to call in backup to carry her out to the ambulance.”
“How bad is she hurt?”
“She’s lucky, Daws. Really lucky.” My voice broke, and I forced myself to continue anyway. “She has a couple bruised ribs, a few cuts and scrapes, tinnitus that will likely heal.”
