I get it. They’re curious but they don’t know where the boundaries are. I give her a reassuring smile. “Yeah… the brother I helped send to prison. We haven’t talked since he was arrested. I thought he hated me. I even thought he could be behind all the threats. So it was a shock to see him yesterday.”
Mazzy and Farren both go still, their expressions sympathetic but curious.
I exhale slowly and lay it all out. “Jameson’s been working the case and they think Jace is the one behind the threats. Peter’s been in contact with him—pretending to be on his side—to lure him here to Pittsburgh with the promise that he’ll help Jace get to me.”
“That’s… terrifying,” Farren says honestly. “And do you trust that your brother is on your side?”
I take a moment to consider that. It’s not the first time I’ve questioned his authenticity, but I have to go with my gut. “Yeah… I actually do.”
“Regardless,” Willa says with a glance over at Ladd and Greer. “You’re protected around the clock.”
My eyes follow her gaze to the Jameson agents, their casual appearance doing little to disguise the way their eyes never stop moving. “I feel very safe with them.”
“They look like they could snap someone in half without breaking a sweat,” Mazzy whispers.
“Oh, they absolutely could,” Willa deadpans.
That earns another round of laughter, easing the heaviness of the conversation.
“What’s the plan when Jace gets here?” Farren tilts her head. “Will he get arrested?”
“No. There’s not enough to get him off the streets with just the threats he’s made. But we have to see what his plans are. Peter is going to meet him today and we should know more this evening.”
Farren leans forward, steeples her fingers. “Let me get this straight… there’s going to be no way to arrest him unless he does something worse than the threats? I mean, there’s not going to be worse, because you have protection. So do you just constantly have security? Wait for him to make a move?”
I glance again at my shadows, watching over me, then back to Farren. “Or we could lure him into a trap. Use me as bait.”
Farren’s eyes round with surprise, and Willa taps my arm, offering a harsh whisper. “Please tell me that is not the plan. Penn is crazy if he lets—”
“Penn has forbidden me to do it.” I sigh, a little bit with pleasure again thinking about how we ended up in bed after our fight and he made me forget about such a stupid plan to trap Jace. “But he’s probably right. I shouldn’t put myself in danger.”
“He’s absolutely right,” Willa says sternly, glancing between Farren and Mazzy to get their agreement.
Mazzy lifts a shoulder. “I don’t know… I mean… if it were me, I’d probably be willing to be bait.”
Willa gasps. “Mazzy… don’t give her any ideas.”
“I’d do it too,” Farren says, and then presses her fingers over Willa’s lips when she starts to argue. “But only if I had Jameson protecting me, which she does, so it’s not really all that dangerous.”
Willa’s lips press flat with disapproval. “Well, I’m against it and I’m glad Penn is too.”
“God,” Mazzy exclaims as if she just had a revelation. “How are you even going to enjoy the game tonight with all that hanging over your head?” She plucks a cucumber from her salad and pops it in her mouth. “We should get drunk.”
“Oh, she’ll be too busy ogling Penn on the ice,” Farren says assuredly.
And even Willa seems to have forgotten her stern mom-like demeanor and giggles. “There’s unlimited champagne in Brienne’s booth so we can indulge.”
My lips quirk. “You ladies are exactly the bad influences I need.”
Mazzy leans in. “I have to say… Foster told me after the road trip how different Penn’s been lately. Said he was fun—like, really fun—on the plane and at the hotel. Joking around. Hanging out. They all say it’s because of you.”
Farren nods. “North said the same thing. It’s like he’s relaxed for the first time since joining the team.”
Warmth spreads through me, a flush of pride mixed with something deeper.
Hope.
“He’s pretty incredible,” I say softly. “And I think this is all difficult for him, but I’m really proud of him for opening up.”
