“How do you want to do this, Lyons?” Kane’s voice was set and determined.
“There’s an airfield about four miles from you. A small one. Very private and deserted. Have a private plane there at noon tomorrow. Merinus and I will meet with you where you are now, and go to the airport together. When we get there, your pilot will vacate the craft and I’ll fly us to an undisclosed location outside D.C. If I can still trust you that far, then we’ll go ahead with your plans.”
“Trusting bastard, aren’t you?” Kane bit out.
“Kane, if the Council gets your sister, they will destroy her, painfully. There will be nothing left of her, alive or dead when they are finished. I refuse to take a chance on that. And don’t think the Council isn’t watching you, too. They know about Merinus and they know who she is, and if Dayan has betrayed us, the plans your family has made as well. There’s no safety for us, or for you and your family until this is finished.”
“I know what the Council is, Callan, and I have my own safeguards in place,” Kane assured him. “My sister is everything to myself and the rest of her family. You can count on that.”
“As long as I can. Remember, noon tomorrow.” Callan disconnected, then flipped the phone to the desk.
He breathed in roughly. Terrified to trust even someone Sherra was backing. He trusted no one but himself and Merinus now. Especially now when the danger was so much closer.
He rose to his feet and paced the room slowly. The motel Kane and Sherra were staying in was one of the best and he knew she would have taken precautions in checking in and disguising herself. They would be aware that the Council had been watching them, their soldiers trying to track them. That was no guarantee they had taken enough measures, though. There was no foolproof answer. His muscles bunched with the tension that knowledge sent through him. The roads between here and D.C weren’t any safer. There would be hidden Council operatives all along the line, if there weren’t already.
Son of a bitch. He snarled with anger. He could have escaped on his own, but not with Merinus—
“Callan?” She stood in the doorway, dressed in his shirt again, concern etched across her face.
He breathed out roughly, turning to her, opening his arms for her.
She came to him as naturally as breathing. Her arms going around his waist as he held her close to his bare chest.
“How do I protect you, Merinus?” he whispered roughly against her hair. “I’m terrified of losing you.
Terrified I can’t get you to D.C. safely.”
“How would you do it if I weren’t with you?” she asked him, raising her head to meet his gaze. “I can keep up, Callan. I’m not weak and I’ll try like hell not to slow you down. Do what you would do if you had only yourself to deal with while getting there.”
“There is safety in numbers,” he sighed. “Your family knows this, that’s why they are gathered together for you now. I just hope the Council isn’t willing to risk everything to stop them. A public massacre would only give credence to the proof your brother has and would serve them no purpose.”
“Then we need to keep this public,” she said with a frown. “Why try to sneak to D.C.? I’m certain Kane can arrange a public statement, and then Uncle Brian can arrange an escort to D.C. Why be covert about it?”
“Because—” Callan could go no further.
He stared down at her, tilting his head, her idea turning over in his head. Why hide? That only gave the Council the opportunity to try to take them. He had hid for so long, fought covertly for so long, that he knew nothing else. Knew no other way to fight.
He grabbed the phone from the desk and hit Kane’s number. The light indicator flashed green.
“Callan?” Kane’s voice was questioning.
“Do you have contacts with the television stations around here?” Callan asked him quickly.
“Several are affiliated,” Kane answered him cautiously.
“Do you have any of the proof you gathered easily accessible?”
“Most of it.” Once again, the voice was cautious.
Quickly, Callan outlined the plan forming in his head. The bastards couldn’t touch them if the whole nation was watching their trip to D.C. It would be perfect.
“That would work,” Kane told him, his voice edging into excitement. “It will take a while to set up. I’ll call you back with the details. If you can bring yourself to answer the phone.”
“I’ll answer it,” Callan growled. “Get it set up. Have the reporters standing by for the location to meet us.”
“Callan, what about the others?” Kane’s voice was guttural now. “Sherra, Dawn, and the two men.”
“There are three other men,” Callan reminded him.