CHAPTER FORTY
Candace
My heart is in my throat and the tension in this circle of men on this patio is tighter than a band about to pop. “Leave us,” I order roughly, closing the space between me and Rick, to stand in front of him.
Before I can say another word, he’s already pulling me to him, his hands on my arms. “He’s alive,” he says softly, even before we’re alone, but that follows. We’re left on that patio with what should be good news, but somehow I know it’s not.
There’s a clawing sensation in my gut. “Why am I not relieved? And don’t you dare protect me. Don’t you dare tell me there’s nothing wrong. You want me to share your life, then trust that I’m strong enough to really be here with you.”
“This is your father, baby. We both know this isn’t just any other problem.”
“Damn it, Rick.”
“I’m not hiding anything.” His lips press together. “I just haven’t told you everything. I haven’t had time.”
“What are we telling Candace doesn’t sound like a question you ask a man who isn’t keeping secrets.”
“They wanted to protect you.”
“Tell me,” I order. “Tell me what I don’t know.”
“Your father’s alive and well but his convoy was attacked. An Iraqi prince’s security team saved him. He’s now a visitor in that prince’s castle.”
“Where’s the bombshell?” I ask, adrenaline quaking through me.
“That Iraqi prince is close to Tag but the good news is that Gabriel can’t get to your father,” he says. “Not when Tag doesn’t want him to get to your father.”
All I can focus on is one thing. “Tag has my father. The attack was a set-up to capture him.”
“Yes,” he confirms. “But your father doesn’t know he’s a prisoner or I assume he doesn’t. And he won’t know until we rescue him and we will. We’re going to rescue him. We have a plan.”
“We have a plan? Really, Rick?” I push away from him. “We? I’m not part of that ‘we’ now am I? I thought we talked about this? I thought we agreed? You said that you’d keep me in the loop.”
“Candy.”
I poke his chest. “Don’t call me that at a time like this because it feels condescending.”
“Fuck, baby. I’m not trying—”
“And yet you succeed.” I press my hand to my forehead and turn away, only to rotate to face him again. “Can’t you just kill Tag?”
“I kill him, the prince kills your father.”
“Can we extract my father?”
“Yes, but that’s complicated. The minute we extract your father, the minute I take Tag’s leverage, he claims new leverage. That’s how he operates.”
“He comes at me.”
“Yes. He’ll kill you, baby. Or he’ll try. And he’ll keep trying. You’ll be on the run your whole life.”
“I don’t care. Just save my father.” Tears well in my eyes. “He’s going to die.” I cover my face, willing myself to get a grip.
“No,” Rick says, and already he’s there, pulling my hands down and cupping my face. “We’re going to extract your father and I’m going to kill Tag. It has to happen in the same moment. It has to be in unison. I promised you that I’d save your father and protect you. I will, baby. I will.”
“When?”
“The night of the governor’s appreciation ball.”
“Why then?”
“It’s the most logical time for me to hit Gabriel. And if we’re right, Tag wants me to look like the jealous boyfriend who got triggered by seeing you with Gabriel. He’ll like that timing. He’ll wait for that timing. If I don’t act then, he’ll push me and he won’t be a pleasant push.”
“Are you,” I can barely ask the question, “are you going to—”
“Kill Gabriel? As orgasmic as that would be, baby, no. The plan still stands. We take Gabriel down. In a perfect world, that happens that night. If it doesn’t, your father’s extraction will be made to look like a military assignment. Gabriel won’t know that he’s in hiding.”
“You really think we can send Gabriel to jail?”
“I know we can. I know we will. It’s the right thing to do. And that’s the kind of man I want to be for you. For us.”
I shove my hair behind my ear, my hand trembling just thinking about what I’m about to say. “If we let Gabriel live, what if my father has evidence that can assure his conviction? What’s to stop him from having him killed, even after he’s arrested?”
“We’ll bury Gabriel deep enough that your father isn’t the key to his conviction,” he says. “For now, we get rid of Tag and we bring your father home.”
“Do I have to go to the ball with Gabriel?”
“Do I want you to?” he asks. “No. Will you have to, for us to pull this off, and save your father? Maybe. Tag will be watching. He’ll be waiting for a reason—”