Havana folded her arms. “Yeah, we’re still going.”
“Yup,” agreed Bailey.
“You won’t get them to hang back,” Aspen told Tate. “They’ll just make their own way there. You won’t even notice them until they want you to. So unless you’d rather be distracted knowing they’re out there somewhere on the hunt for Wayland, don’t fight them on this.”
Tate mumbled something under his breath and cast his mate an annoyed look.
“When are you planning to make your move?” Camden asked him.
“Not tonight or even tomorrow,” replied Tate. “Purely because that’s what he’ll be expecting—for us to rush there to take him down. There isn’t a need to rush when we now know where he is and that he’ll be staying close to the cabin, waiting to spring his trap. Essentially, he’s trapped himself in one spot. He just doesn’t see it yet.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You’re working yourself up again.”
At Camden’s words, Aspen glanced up to see him pouring coffee into two mugs. He wasn’t wrong. She was tying herself up in knots. But calming her mind was proving to be impossible.
Nervously drumming her fingers on the table at which she sat, Aspen said, “There are so many ways in which this could go wrong.”
“But it won’t. Everyone currently heading to that cabin knows it’s a set-up. They’ll be on the lookout for tripwires and any other traps. They won’t get close enough to the cabin for an explosion to injure them.”
“But Wayland will be armed, well-concealed, and—”
“Baby, it’s essentially a case of several people against one man.” Crossing to her, Camden held out a mug, which she carefully took. He then moved his chair closer to hers and sat down. “Wayland is smart, resourceful, strong, and an excellent shot. But he doesn’t stand a chance against the group heading his way—especially since it includes pallas cats, your girls, and a goddamn wolverine.”
She’d like to think so, but … “He had us all racing for cover last time.”
“He also had the element of surprise then. He won’t have that today. Seriously, baby, you need to stop getting yourself all wound up. They’ll be fine.”
Her bearcat completely agreed with him and kept giving Aspen her trademark “you’re being dramatic” sniffs. Sighing, Aspen cradled her cup in both hands. “They’d better be. I’ll bitch slap them if they get hurt.”
“I doubt they’d expect any different, since you did it a few times when we worked for the Movement. In fact, you used to slap me on the chest if I got injured.”
“And you used to swat my ass if I had so much as a scratch.”
“You liked the swatting.”
“I did not. And while I wish my mind would allow you to divert my attention from what’s currently happening, my thoughts just keeps circling back to it.” She took a sip of her drink. “I wouldn’t worry so much if we were with them. I’m on pins because I can’t see for myself what’s happening. It’s making my imagination run wild.”
Camden gave her knee a comforting squeeze, unsure if he was saying the right things. He was more about logic than emotion. Logic told him that Havana and Bailey would escape the situation unscathed, much as they usually did. Logic would no doubt tell Aspen the same thing if there wasn’t an emotional fog clouding her thoughts.
Anxiety wasn’t something he had much experience with. Sure, he’d felt occasional … flashes of it. But they’d come and gone quickly. They’d had no real depth. The emotion humming down their bond was very real and very strong.
Should he be feeling it himself, considering Havana and Bailey were two of the few people he held in some regard? Probably. His concern right then was Aspen, but he was so far having no success in easing her fears.
Deciding to try again, he said, “I don’t see there being any fatalities. Sam’s waiting in one of the vehicles away from the cabin. He’ll heal anyone who might need help. I definitely don’t see anything happening to either Havana or Bailey. They’ve been on more missions than I can count. Several of them were much trickier than this and involved a lot more danger. They survived them.”
“I know, but I always had their backs in the past,” Aspen pointed out. “Yes, the others will watch out for them. I just feel shitty letting them walk into danger without me. It goes against the grain.”
“I get it. But they wouldn’t have been comforted by your presence this time. They’d have been distracted, knowing you were one of Wayland’s main targets.”
“I guess,” she mumbled before taking another sip of her coffee.
“They’ll get Wayland. They’ll bring him here. And then we’ll make him pay for every single thing he did to you.”
“And to you.” Her eyes flared. “He needs to answer for that shit, too.”
Camden’s phone began to chime, and his entire being tensed. Had Wayland been caught already? He goddamn hoped so. Camden fished his cell out of his pocket. “It’s Vinnie.” He then swiped his thumb over the screen and answered, “Yeah?”