“Sorry.” At least it looks like he means it. “If it helps at all, I don’t actually want you to die.”

“That does help, thank you.”

St. Clare swallows and runs his thumb over my jaw. “I don’t want you to die either.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” I set a smile free and give in to the urge to give his hand a quick squeeze. “In and out, quick as I can. I’ve got this.”

I get a flicker of his smirk. “I’ll have a reward waiting for you when you’re back.”

I groan because the last thing I need walking into this place is a fucking hard-on. That’s probably not the way I want to get their attention.

“Hold that thought.” I grab my car keys and head out, not wanting to delay shit any further. The sooner I get on the road, the sooner I get back, and then the sooner St. Clare can give me my reward. Which is very clearly his dick and very, very appreciated on my end.

Fucking is a good way to pass the time between dangers.

It’s not until I get to the car that I realize I’ve left my bag and gun inside. Props to me for realizing it before I got on the road though.

I head back for the cabin, and when I go to push the front door open, I catch the sound of my name.

“… the whole reason we kept Perry,” Lars insists.

The what? I lean closer, ear to the door, wondering what the hell they’re talking about.

“Do you really think Yanni will give a shit?”

“Can we really afford not to try?”

Try what? Yanni is the guy I’m supposed to find, so this feels like the kind of conversation that I should have been a part of.

“Come on,” Lars says, lowering his voice. “I get it. I like Perry too. But in a choice between him and Colin, are you really telling me you’re going to put him first?”

“Of course not.” I’ve never heard St. Clare sound so irritated.

“Then I need to make the call. I’ll ask Yanni if he knows anything about Colin, and if he does, he needs to give up the info. I’ll … I dunno. Tell him I’ve hired a hitman to take him out and that if he gives me what I want, I’ll give up the hitman.”

“We could have at least warned Perry first,” St. Clare says, and I wholeheartedly agree.

They should have warned me.

Because I’m pretty stupid most of the time, but they’re spelling it out in a way that even I can understand. They’re going to trade me. For his brother.