Ah, so Sahara had taken the same road to logic that Leese had? “Proving it will be tough.” But he refused to believe it would be impossible. He looked at Cat’s pale face, stiff with a mask of control. “Tesh works for him?”
“For as long as I’ve known him.” She glanced away while admitting, “I met the senator when I met Tesh, when I was eighteen. I’ve seen Tesh without Platt, but not the other way around. Far as I can tell the senator doesn’t go anywhere without Tesh.”
“So,” Sahara surmised, “Tesh is working under the senator’s orders.”
“I assume so.” Cat made a point of not looking at Leese. “Tesh is the one who ‘took care’ of Georgia for the senator. I heard him say so. When he spoke with Webb that day at the boathouse, he explained that both he and Tesh needed an alibi, because Tesh had, very necessarily, ‘disposed of the girl.’ Protecting Tesh, Platt said, was also protecting him, and he promised Webb he wouldn’t forget his loyalty.” Her chest expanded on a slow breath, and on the exhale she whispered, “That’s when Webb agreed.”
Leese didn’t like how distant Cat felt, as if she’d already emotionally left him. “You should have told me all this immediately.”
Cat paid no attention to the reprimand, keeping her gaze somewhere in the distance. “Tesh always scared me, but the senator seemed so nice. Almost like a grandpa. I never, ever would have guessed if I hadn’t heard him myself. The things he said and how he said them... He was a different man than the one you see on television, definitely different from the man who offered to let me visit his stables.” She swallowed hard. “I know he’s awful, but still, Tesh is the scariest.”
Leese caught her arm and drew her around to face him. “Platt wanted you to come to his house?” Had she been alone with the monster?
“He invited me often, and you know, I wanted to go. I wanted to see the horses, maybe ride, draw the grounds...” Her gaze, so lost, lifted to his. “Webb always refused. He was adamant that I not visit Platt, ever.”
The knot of rage loosened in Leese’s chest. “At least your stepfather showed some common sense.”
“I wonder,” Sahara mused. “Perhaps Webb always knew the caliber of Platt’s character. It’s possible he knew what would happen to Cat if the senator got her alone.”
“Then he should have stayed away from the man,” Leese insisted.
“Yes. But I wonder if he’s caught up in something he can’t control.”
Leese didn’t like the direction of her thoughts. Sahara certainly knew more about the vagaries of the wealthy than he’d ever know, but not for a second would he dismiss Webb’s involvement with the senator. “You think he protected her then, but was willing to sacrifice her now?”
Sahara considered it. “I think it’s worth putting more thought into this.” She brightened as she took Cat’s shoulders. “Please don’t look so anguished. We will figure this out, I’m sure of it. In the meantime, with the police now investigating—” she made air quotes “—the ‘break in,’ it’ll be riskier for Platt or Tesh to try anything. Hopefully that’ll buy us enough time to set my plan in motion.”
“What plan?” Leese asked.
Cat took in his expression with a lot of remorse. “There’s only one thing for me to do.”
“Hand yourself over to Platt,” Sahara agreed.
Leese jerked his head around to stare at Sahara. “What the hell?”
She merely smiled.
“No.” He’d die before he let that happen.
“It is the only way.” Cat did her utmost to look stoic. “Once he has me—”
“Fuck that,” Leese growled, his voice deepening with his outrage. “Not happening.”
Through the waiting room window, the fighters turned to stare curiously.
“Of course not.” Sahara shushed him. “But I have a plan that involves making him think he’s getting Cat, while we set a trap.”
Cat took a step back. “But—”
“No buts,” Leese said. “You’re not getting anywhere near Tesh or Platt.” He glared at Sahara. “I won’t have Cat in danger.”
Cat blinked at him. “I’ve been in danger for a while now. Most of all, I just want it to end before anyone else gets hurt.”
Hating the entire situation, Leese tangled a hand in his hair. He couldn’t control things and it enraged him. Somehow, some way, he needed to remove Tesh and a beloved senator forever from Cat’s life.
But how?
Sahara gave him a long-suffering look. “Both of you, stop being so grim. You know you can trust me, and you know I’m good at what I do. I need to go see Enoch now, but I’ll talk to you both when I get home.” She handed Leese a key. “Justice can tell you where I live.”
Leese caught her hand before she could turn away. “You need to be careful too, Sahara.”
She cocked her head. “I would tell you that careful is my middle name—” her expression hardened “—but actually it’s vengeance.”
*
ONCE THEY WERE alone together, Cat completely withdrew. She strode to the windows and looked out at the parking lot, her shoulders drooped, her posture weary and defeated. “I’m so sorry.”
Knowing his friends wouldn’t wait much longer, Leese needed to put his anger on the back burner for now. But first, they needed to come to an understanding. “No more secrets, Cat.”
She nodded.
“Say it. Swear to me that you won’t ever again keep anything this important from me.”
She turned to him, her face ravaged with guilt. “Will you also promise not to put yourself at unnecessary risk?” She took two quick steps toward him. “Please, Leese. I can’t bear the thought of you being hurt.”
The necessity of risk was a subjective thing. Since he considered her safety very necessary, he easily agreed. “All right.”
That answer stole some of the shadows from her eyes. “Thank you.”
Tunneling his fingers into her hair, Leese held her head and pressed a kiss to her brow. “No more lies of omission, no secrets and don’t even think about some stupid sacrifice.”
That stiffened her up a little.
Good. He’d take her irritation over misery any day. “I’ve told you from the beginning, honey, if you run, I’ll come after you. That hasn’t changed. Keep it in mind for any half-baked plans you might come up with. If you face Tesh or Platt, I’ll be facing them with you.”
With new alarm, she gasped, “No—”
And Leese stole away the protest by kissing her.
Not a quick, easy peck. No, that wouldn’t do. He took her mouth in a devouring possession so hot, it obliterated the pain in his side.
“Get a room, already.”
Leese pulled away and found Armie grinning at him.
“Hard to believe you were wounded.” Armie tipped his head, looking at him critically. “Gunshot, Justice said?”
“Sloppy,” Stack accused. “You sure you shouldn’t return to fighting?”
“He’ll have a badass scar now,” Armie pointed out, then gestured at Cat. “Clearly, the ladies love that macho shit.”
How had he forgotten that they were all here?
Behind those two, Denver, Cannon, Miles and Justice pushed into the room.
Cat stared at the group, her expression boggled. “Wow, that’s a lot of big men.”