Pros & Cons (16 page)

“According to Dean, the police are looking for me. He hasn’t given them my information yet. He said he wanted to give me time to rest.”

I’m not surprised the cops want to talk to her. Even if they don’t realize how she’s connected, she’s still an eyewitness. Time is not on our side. It won’t take long before someone connects the dots. When that happens, they could arrest both of us. I’m not worried about going to jail, but I can’t kill Stavros if I’m behind bars.

And I can’t protect Jenna.

We have to hide. It’s our only option.

“Jenna, what do you think about Dean? Can you trust him?”

She considers this. “Maybe. I don’t know why. Probably because he reminds me of my dad. I told him what I could about Abby’s brother . . . and about Coop’s sister, but I couldn’t remember her name.”

I hadn’t even thought about contacting their families.

“I should call Coop’s sister.”

“I don’t know how to reach Abby’s brother.”

“Do you know his name?”

“Jason Moore.”

Gabe’s already on his phone, and within seconds, he has Jason’s last known address and phone number. I offer to contact both siblings, but Jenna thinks she should be the one to break the news to him.

She steps out onto the hotel balcony to make her call.

“Where’s the plane?”

Gabe doesn’t even blink. “At a hangar outside of town. Gas it up?”

I sigh. “Look, I don’t have to explain to you how dangerous this could get.”

“So don’t try. It’s always been dangerous. Do you seriously think I’m going to desert you now?”

“I don’t want you getting killed, Gabe.”

“Let me worry about me,” he says, nodding toward the balcony. “You need to worry about her.”

“I’ll take care of her.”

“I have no doubt,” he says firmly. “Make your call. I’ll gas up the plane. Where are we headed?”

“Not sure yet. I’ll let you know.”

Gabe nods. “I’ll call when we’re ready.”

I thank him and wait until he’s gone before calling Coop’s sister. Bracing myself, I search through my phone until I find Cara’s name.

“It’s about time, Ethan Summers. The police called last night.”

Cara Donovan has never been my biggest fan. In her mind, I’ve always been the bad guy. The asshole who pulled her brother into an international life of crime. And now, I’m the asshole who got him killed.

“Look, Cara. Even you can’t hate me as much as I hate myself right now.”

“I seriously doubt that. I have so many things to say to you, but I’ll be saying them in person. My flight leaves from Oklahoma City in four hours. Give me your address.”

I give her the name of the hotel, and she hangs up without another word.

“That didn’t sound good.” Jenna says.

I hadn’t heard her come back inside. She’s lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“It wasn’t.” I join her and gently pull her next to me. “She’s coming here. It won’t be pretty, so be prepared.”

She nods. “I called Jason. He’s catching a flight this afternoon. He wants to take her home to Texas.

I hold her close. “I know it’s not up to us, but I feel very strongly that they should be buried together.”

I feel her entire body shudder against mine, and she begins to cry once again.

I’m grateful when Cara and Jason arrive at the hotel within minutes of each other. I’m selfish, I know, but it keeps us from having to tell the story twice.

Once is plenty.

I awkwardly shake Jason’s hand while Cara introduces herself to Jenna. Jason and Cara take a seat together on the couch, while Jenna and I sit on the loveseat. Jason’s face is haggard and shell-shocked, while Cara looks like she’s ready to claw my eyes out.

“You just left them there?” Cara asks through gritted teeth.

“No, I didn’t just
leave
them there. I was with them until the firemen carried them away.”

Her eyes narrow. “Afraid you’d get caught, huh?”

“I don’t give a shit about getting caught! Don’t you think I’d gladly go to prison for the rest of my life if I could change what happened last night?”

Jenna squeezes my hand, and I will myself to control my temper. I know Cara’s upset, and she has every right to be, but he was my best friend. Does she really think I’d leave him to die?

“Cara, there was nothing he could do,” Jenna says softly. “They were already gone.”

“No thanks to the two of you.”

I feel Jenna’s body tremble next to me. This time, I squeeze her hand.

“We don’t know who’s to blame,” Jason says.

I do.

Cara shoots him a hateful glare. “You’re pretty calm about this. Didn’t you love your sister at all?”

“Don’t you dare question my love for my sister. I just know that blaming Jenna and Ethan isn’t going to bring them back.”

Cara’s eyes fill with tears. “He would have followed you anywhere, Ethan. He would have done anything for you.”

“I know that. And the feeling was mutual. He was my brother, Cara.”

“No, Ethan. He was
my
brother. Mine.”

I take a deep breath. Jenna lays her head against my shoulder.

“Coop loved your sister,” Cara says, turning toward Jason. “We didn’t talk much because he knew that I didn’t approve of all this, but he mentioned her every time we talked.”

“They were getting out,” Jenna says. “They were engaged. This was their last job.”

Cara chokes back a sob.

“Then they should be together,” Jason says firmly.

Jenna and I both sigh with relief. Cara nods in agreement, and the two of them quietly begin to make plans.

It’s late when Cara and Jason decide to check into their own rooms and get some rest. Tomorrow, they’ll speak with the authorities and make arrangements to have the bodies flown home. I have no idea which home, and I don’t ask. Hopefully in time, they’ll tell us.

Before they left—and without our prompting—Jason assured us he wouldn’t mention our involvement to the cops. Cara made no such promise, but I’m not worried. If she does, she does. I can’t control Cara Donovan.

Besides, by tomorrow, we’ll be gone.

Jenna offers me a sad smile before climbing into bed next to me.

“I wish you’d eat something.”

“I will if you will.”

“Tomorrow,” she says, settling herself against the pillow. I reach over and turn off the light before pulling her close to my side.

“Tomorrow.”

The quiet night settles over us, but despite my exhaustion, I find it impossible to close my eyes. I dread the nightmares that are sure to come.

“Dean texted me. He wants to help us.”

“Sweetheart, it’s not safe for him.”

“That’s what I told him, too. He knows who I am.”

I sigh. “That didn’t take long.”

“He says he doesn’t care. That he can tell I’m a good person. I didn’t have the heart to tell him he’s wrong.”

“Hey,” I whisper, gently lifting her chin. “You
are
a good person.”

“So are you, but do you feel like a good person right now?”

I can’t argue with that.

Jenna’s fingertips gently trace my face.

“Take me home, Ethan.”

Home?

“Sweetheart, I can’t take you home. By tomorrow morning, we’ll make national headlines. It’s not safe for your dad.”

She laughs softly, but it’s not a happy laugh. It’s laced with pain and sorrow and guilt.

“There’s only one place in this world that has ever felt like home, and I promise it wasn’t at my dad’s.”

I’m still confused when she lifts her face toward mine. She kisses me softly.

“Please take me home.”

It’s a plea, soft and desperate, and I groan with understanding as her mouth molds to mine.

Later, after she’s fallen asleep, I carefully pull myself out of her arms just long enough to send Gabe a text. It’s three simple words, but I know he’ll understand.

Take us home
.

Heavy rain pounds on the tin roof of the cabin. Despite the raging storm, the rain is a comforting sound that, combined with her sedative, coaxes Jenna to sleep the instant her head hits the pillow. She seems . . . okay. Truthfully, her entire demeanor changed once I finalized the flight plan with Gabe. I’d even convinced her to eat something on the plane.

Her plea to come to the mountains thrilled me more than she could ever know. This place has always been my sanctuary—a place where I can rest and reenergize before running off to the next heist. The cabin is sacred and secluded . . . my one and only home.

Now it’s
our
home.

Coming back to Tennessee is the ideal solution. We can stay here for a while—just long enough to rest and recuperate, and then we’ll be off to Greece. We both know it. We haven’t formulated a plan—haven’t even discussed revenge—but she and I are too much alike, and I know we’re thinking the same thing. Facing Stavros is inevitable, but for now, we need to lay low. We also need to grieve, and my mountain home is the perfect place to do it.

I sit in a chair next to the window, listening to her soft snores as they mix with the crashing rain resonating off the roof. The sky illuminates with lightning bolts that give quick, sporadic glimpses of the Smokies. These beautiful mountains will shield us from the outside world until we’re ready to face it.

“Ethan?”

I turn away from the window to find her sitting up in my bed. Our sleeping arrangements weren’t even discussed. We weren’t leaving each other’s sight . . . not even for a minute.

“I’m here, sweetheart.”

Jenna’s long red hair falls loosely against her shoulders, and her eyes are wide as they adjust to the darkness of the room. Lightning casts a soft glow across her face, but she doesn’t even flinch. She knows she’s safe here.

“You should sleep, Ethan.”

With a heavy sigh, I walk over and climb into the bed. Sleep might have come easily to her, but I hadn’t even tried. Last night, my dreams had been filled with screams and flames and smoke, and I wasn’t in the mood to relive any of it.

“Did you even try?” she asks, snuggling into my arms.

“No.”

We gaze at each other, and her soft hand gently caresses my face.