I’ve barely exited Myla’s office when I get a text that reads: Fuck, fuck, fuck. Call me at this number. Blake, of course, because who else uses “fuck” to say good morning, how are you, and what’s for dinner? And considering I’ve known him long enough to decipher three “fucks” as a problem, I start for the lobby and exit to the parking lot, hoping like hell Kara doesn’t know about Myla, and is now on her way here. Scanning the parking lot, I head for the Mustang, unlock the door, climb inside. Comfortable that my crew has my car under secure watch, I punch in Blake’s temporary number, protocol indicating that it will be blocked, secure, and appear disconnected should anyone else try to use it, as is the case, with all numbers we maintain, once one of us is undercover.
Blake answers his on the first ring. “Holy fuck. You have Myla, and hell no, Kara doesn’t know. It’s killing me to keep this from her but she wouldn’t stay away. But holy fuck. You have Myla.”
“I know, man,” I say, relieved that he’s on board with this, but Kara isn’t. “I couldn’t believe it when it was her.”
“How is she?”
“Being manipulated by dreams and family, but smart and strong enough to use it to survive and protect Kara. But I need to get her the hell out of here.”
“Does she know who you are yet?”
“I can’t tell her until I can assure her Kara is not only safe, but will stay that way, and that leaves us with two options.”
“Alvarez dead, arrested, or thinks Myla is dead, which forces her to hide her entire life.”
“I’m not sure he wouldn’t reach for her outside a jail cell,” I say. “She’s too close to him for him to just let her go.”
“So we kill him,” Blake says, no hesitation, decision made. “Let’s talk logistics. Can we get to him?”
“He’ll come for Myla,” I say. “But I need to bring her into the loop, prepare her for what comes next, and I need to extract as much information from her to destroy the cartel and tear down that sex trade operation now, not later.”
“If we get enough from her we might have to bring in the Feds,” he says. “And that dirties things up.”
He means it makes killing Alvarez more complicated. “He’ll be in my face, and I’ll be in his.”
“Fuck, man. That was supposed to be me. You better enjoy it for me.”
“Oh, I will,” I say. “I will. But back to Myla. She has tolerated being in that man’s bed, doing God knows what, to survive and to protect Kara. If she thinks I’ve endangered her sister, this will fall apart. I have to be able to convince her that Kara is safe, out of reach, and that she will stay that way until this is over. She’s been through hell to protect her sister. If she thinks I’m endangering her, I’m not sure how she’ll react.”
“I couldn’t get Kara on the plane to Italy and I wasn’t leaving her here alone.”
“What about the Ella case?”
“I have men on the ground chasing what, right now, is an iffy lead. If I get something solid, I’ll use that to get Kara to Italy. We’re in New York.”
“You need to get off the radar completely.”
“You don’t have to tell me that,” he says. “I get it. I convinced Kara to go away for a few days with me to Seattle. I’ve arranged a private plane, and I’ll conceal our destination and identities, but I can’t keep this from her. I’m going to tell her when we’re there, give her some explosion time, and get her head on straight. She needs to get past the emotional aspect of this.”
“Make sure she does, man, because I have the same issue here. I can’t keep lying to Myla. She knows I’m not what I say I am. I’m going to kill any trust I’ve started to earn if I don’t tell her the truth and fast.”
“We leave in an hour,” he says. “I’ll tell her by morning and I’ll tie her to the damn bed until she’s reasonable, if I have to.”
“That’s what I want to hear,” I say. “That’s what I need to be able to tell Myla.”
“Understood.” He pauses a moment. “You never gave up on her, man. You were as obsessed with her being alive as Kara. More, even.”
“It was a gut feeling.”
“It was you doing what I couldn’t do and keep Kara sane at the same time. You did this for us. You are a fucking brother, a Walker in every way.”
The emotion in his voice punches me in the chest, while mine hits me in the gut. Blake, his brothers, they are the family I never had, and that’s why I can’t leave this unsaid. “I am your brother,” I say. “And this started about you and Kara, but it’s become about Myla just as much. No. It is about her to me now.”
“Fuck, man, I get where this is going. She’s vulnerable and you know that makes her off limits.”
My jaw clenches. “I haven’t touched her.”