I turned to Champ. “They can talk over options as much as they want, but until we actually get the Horn, we won’t know for sure what’s possible or what the data actually is, right?”
He made a sound of agreement.
“Okay,” I said, grabbing his arm. “Then let’s get this op started. I don’t want Vince to get to the Horn before we do.”
We ran through ideas with Elvo scribbling on the whiteboard and Hux tapping away at his laptop until we felt confident in the plan. Everyone agreed I was the best person to approach Tommy since he’d feel the least threatened by me.
Champ agreed. “He may be a small-time criminal, but he’s not the kind of guy who’s going to hurt you for asking to see his Horn.”
Riggs turned to Elvo. “Getting the HOG Corporate account is the best thing that ever happened to us, if only so we get to hear him say shit like that. You’d never know he was a man who hates puns.”
“Oh, no, you would,” Elvo argued. “You can practically see the boss’s blood pressure rising.”
Champ ignored them. He put his hand on my chest and met my eyes. “We will be nearby if you need us, and I’ll plan to ‘come home’ to the farmhouse not long after you get there. You won’t be alone, okay?”
“I’m not worried about Tommy. The worst that can happen is him saying no to our request,” I said with confidence, even though my stomach churned with nerves.
I wasn’t worried about Tommy; it was Vince I was terrified of. The man set off my alarm bells like crazy, and I couldn’t figure out if it was because of high-key jealousy since Champ had dreamed of a future with him or if it was because he was damned good at intimidation tactics.
Either way, I wasn’t looking forward to talking to him.
We went through the plan one more time. I declined Hux and Champ’s attempts at loading me up with surveillance tech. “Dude, I’m just going to talk to my client. It’s fine.” But I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that someone had slipped a tracking device in my pocket when Champ hugged me tight enough to cut off my circulation.
His blue eyes retained their familiar intensity, but his voice softened. “I meant what I said earlier, you know. I really love you.”
My heart felt like a cage suddenly opened, expelling manic butterflies desperate to be free, and I wished I had the magical ability to transport us to an alternate reality with no Horns, no canceled weddings, and no weirdo ex-boyfriends to contend with, where I could listen to Champ repeating those words all night long.
But since that wasn’t an option, I was willing to fight for our happily ever after in this reality, so I could hear him tell me again for the rest of our lives.
“I really love you too. And that’s why I’m one hundred percent going to do this. Because I want to protect what’s mine too. Do you trust me?”
“Yeah, I do.” Champ pressed a hard kiss to my mouth before pulling away and clearing his throat. “But if something happens to you…” He grasped my jaw with both hands and lowered his voice until it was even deeper than his usual baritone. “Just know that if anything happens to you, I will burn the world down to make it right.” He leaned in and kissed me hard on the mouth before repeating his warnings against my lips. “You call me the minute your gut starts squawking, understand?”
I nodded, and I imagined my face must have shown just how much his words affected me because Champ stood a little straighter. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s do this.”
I couldn’t say I minded Champ’s protectiveness when he kept his bossiness in check, not one little bit. It was seriously sweet and hella sexy. Who wouldn’t want someone to look out for them while also trusting them to do what they felt they needed to do?
After finally hopping in my car, I drove down the long driveway and took a deep, cleansing breath. The idea of setting up Vince was fucking with my nerves, so I decided to do that part first and get it over with. The plan had assumed I’d get Tommy’s buy-in first, but I was confident he’d help us in some way.
I wasn’t as confident in my ability to fool Vince. Might as well try it and see.
I turned right toward Vince’s motel instead of left toward Drakes Farm.
With Champ on my side, what was the worst that could happen?
22
CHAMP
As I watched Quinn’s car head down the driveway, I replayed the last bits of our conversation. Quinn had asked me the dreaded question.
Do you trust me?
I’d felt my team’s eyes burn the back of my neck.