The important thing was that he’d had a plan that was progressing steadily. A relatively safe plan.
But instead of a careful plan with trained people acting as backup, they’d escaped through ferret-induced chaos and the sheer luck that brain-dead goons were taken by surprise.
He knew he shouldn’t complain, but he’d been in enough deadly situations in his life to know that no one could rely on luck. If he hadn’t been fast enough, if there had been more guards present, they could all be dead or at least seriously injured.
Isidore…
A violent shudder ran through his entire body. He wouldn’t allow his brain to finish that thought. Nothing could happen to Isidore.
When he came outside and saw Isidore getting out of the car, he was ready to shake the man. He’d been returning for Kairo. There wasn’t a shadow of a doubt in his brain. He was coming back when he should have been running with his sister.
No. No. No.
He tamped down the rising fear and panic over thoughts of what could have happened. There was no point in any of it. With his eyes focused on the winding road in front of them, his attention needed to be locked on next steps. They needed a safe place to lay low and they needed a way to contact the rest of the team.
Unfortunately, both of those things required money.
Something soft and gentle touched his cheek. He instinctively flinched and looked over to find Isidore’s hand outstretched, fingers frozen mere inches away from his face while Isidore stared at him with wide eyes.
“Sorry. I was worried about you. You’re covered in all this blood…”
Kairo jerked his eyes to the road and offered him a small smile before he could send them over the side of the mountain. “I’m okay. Most of this blood isn’t mine.”
Isidore’s fingertips skimmed lightly across his cheek and jaw. “Are you sure? You look puffy and swollen.”
His skin heated and tingled where Isidore touched him. Part of him wanted to lean into that touch, let the man soothe away the aches that were blossoming across his face. He’d taken a few punches in the fight, but nothing serious. At least he hadn’t gotten shot.
“It’s nothing. I’ve had a lot worse. The swelling will disappear in a few hours,” Kairo quickly said.
“You should have seen the other guy, right?” Athena chuckled darkly from the back seat.
Kairo glanced up at the mirror to meet her narrowed gaze, as if she were suddenly questioning Kairo’s relationship with Isidore since her brother had decided to touch his face. This wasn’t his fault! Isidore touched him. He wasn’t doing anything.
He wasn’t exactly doing anything to stop it either, but still…not his fault.
Athena settled the ferret across her shoulders, where it seemed to be preparing to fall asleep while she grasped their seats to pull herself forward. “Speaking of the other guy, are they all dead now?”
“Probably not. Bullets were limited, and we needed to make a fast escape. Some are dead, but I wasn’t focused on making sure they all bit it,” Kairo replied.
“Plus, Vanko is still alive along with whichever bodyguards he had with him.” Isidore chimed in. “When he returns from his errand, he’s going to find a big mess and be very pissed.”
Athena huffed and dropped against her seat, her arms crossed over her chest. “Shame he wasn’t there so Kairo could put a bullet right in his forehead.”
That was a little more bloodthirsty than he’d expected from the young woman.
“Athena!” Isidore cried out.
“What?” Athena snapped, waving one angry hand at her brother. “I’m not sorry. He threatened your life. He threatened mine. And I really doubt he was going to let either of us go even if he got exactly what he wanted. It’s either him or us, and I’m voting us.”
Isidore sighed heavily as he turned back to face forward, his shoulders slumped. “You’re probably right. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t start, Izzie. None of this is your fault, and you know it,” Athena declared in a hard voice.
“It’s true. I don’t see how any of this could possibly be your fault,” Kairo added.
“Dragging you into this is definitely my fault. If I hadn’t tracked you down, you would still be in South America right now.”
Partially true. Okay, ninety-five percent true, but he didn’t need Isidore wallowing right now.