Page 159 of Into the Woods

“Then what?” I asked.

Court pressed his lips into a tight line. “We have to wait for Linc. We’ll monitor things from a distance, but he says he has this under control, and we have to trust him.”

“That’s a horrible plan,” I blurted out.

Maddie snapped her fingers. “I said the same thing.”

“Anything can happen to him in prison,” I added, worrying my lower lip. “Look at what happened to Ryan.” Last year, Ryan had been wrongfully incarcerated, and in the week it had taken the lawyers to get him out, he’d been stabbed and had nearly died.

Ryan winced. “Unlike Maddie’s father, Kent’s not going to pay someone to try and kill Linc.”

Maddie looked stricken, the same sick look on her face that always showed up when we talked about her dad. Gary had been an absolute monster, and he’d done a lot of damage to the people in this room.

“Now that we’re all caught up on Linc,” Royal said, his gray eyes piercing as they flashed at me, “can we get back to what you saw tonight? What the fuck happened in the warehouse?”

The events of the evening played out like a horror movie in my mind. I told them everything that had happened once I’d gone inside with Eric. When I got to the part about the general and how he “took” me from Eric, Court changed our sitting positions.

Plucking me off the couch, he sat down and arranged me on his lap, holding on to me like I might vaporize and blow away any second. Royal, Rook, and Bishop looked furious, but for me, everything with the general had taken a back seat to the shit that had gone down with my own dad.

Disappointment weighed heavily in my gut as I remembered him choosing himself over me. Over a few dozen innocent people, and who knew how many others during the past decade.

“So he’s the one who called the press? It was a good call,” Ryan mused, looking thoughtful. “It gave everyone attending the auction nowhere to hide. We were so busy trying to keep everything an organized secret, but maybe we should’ve gone for maximum chaos instead.”

“I think I want that on a t-shirt,” Maddie quipped, flashing me a wink.

Royal let out an undignified snort. “Chaos is never a good thing.”

“I don’t know, big guy,” Maddie teased. “You could probably stand a little chaos in your life.”

Rook chuckled. “I’d pay to see that.”

Bishop nudged me. “See? Your dad did help. Kinda.”

“Yeah,” I drawled, my stomach sour. “My dad’s a freaking genius.” Actually, he was. It was why men like General Woods wanted him in their pocket. His technology had helped them do a lot of illegal shit over the years.

“He didn’t get away,” Ash told me with a sympathetic smile.

My eyes widened. “Wait—what?”

“Trick’s team had the side exits covered,” Bishop confirmed. “Your dad was caught early on. He’s being transported to La Santé, too.”

“The general is the only one getting the VIP experience,” Royal said with a humorless chuckle. “He’s going in a black hole somewhere in Siberia.”

“Siberia?” I echoed.

Royal’s lips twitched. “Hell yes. They’ll put his ass on ice. Literally.”

“Knight said we’ll celebrate that win when we all go back home,” Bishop chimed in. He looked at Royal. “When are we going home, big brother?”

Royal frowned. “We still have shit to sort here, but a couple days, tops.”

“That gives us time to explore the city,” Maddie told Ryan with a hopeful expression.

He smoothed her hair back with an indulgent smile. “Whatever you want, baby.”

Ash turned to Royal to discuss more stuff on the computer while Rook wandered toward the bedroom he’d been using. Bishop turned to Maddie and Ryan and started suggesting places they should visit in Paris.

“You’re quiet,” Court remarked.

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