Page 11 of Cage

I huff and lift one corner of my mouth. “I’m starting to get that. After we land this birdie, I won’t put you on another one.”

“Promise?”

If she keeps looking at me the way she is, with her big round eyes and pouty lips, I’ll promise her the goddamn universe. How anyone has ever told her no, I’m not sure.

“I swear. Now, I want you to turn on a movie and focus on that for the rest of the flight. We’ll be on the ground in no time.”

As planned, a swarm of security surrounds us as we deplane and load up into an SUV. The plane following us doesn’t land, which I’d counted on since the airfield I chose only has space for one plane. They obviously don’t want to cause a crash. Whoever is a threat to Ember doesn’t want her dead. So, they’re not after money, and they aren’t trying to kill her. What the fuck could they possibly want?

After driving for twenty minutes, I pull over and we switch vehicles again. We’ll continue changing vehicles along the way to stay under the radar.

Ember has been silent since our conversation while we were in the air, but she has complied with every instruction I’ve given her. That thrills me and causes my dick to ache against the zipper of my pants. I want to tell her how good she’s being, but it’s not my job to praise her. I’m here to keep her safe. Thankfully, the second we touched the ground, her shaking stopped, and the haunted expression she wore disappeared.

I pull out my cell and call Cassian again.

“I see you, brother,” he says when he answers, his voice coming over the speakers. “Car number four is waiting for you.”

“Thanks. I’m heading to safe house twelve for tonight.”

“I’ll let Ghost know. What’s your plan after that?”

“Right now, I’m not sure. I need to talk to Ruth. Something tells me she’s withholding information. Whoever the fuck was tailing us isn’t some broke amateur after her father’s money.”

Cassian curses under his breath. “I can have another plane ready in an hour. Bring her here. This is the safest place for her.”

He’s right. The Ranch is the most secure place to protect her, plus my brothers would help to keep her safe as well.

Ember gasps, and without thinking, I reach over and squeeze her hand. “No planes,” I tell him while keeping my eyes locked with hers.

Cassian pauses his typing in the background. “No planes? It will take days for you to drive here.”

I wink at Ember. “It’s not an option.”

My brother stays quiet for a moment, then clears his throat. “Okay. I’ll have cars ready and waiting along the way. Sending a route now. Rylan and Koda are going to fly out to meet you in Nebraska so you can get here within forty-eight hours.”

I almost tell him that I don’t need him to send anyone. Because, for some reason, I don’t want this time with Ember to be interrupted. I to have her to myself. Her safety comes first, though. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

We end the call, and I quickly load the route he sent me onto the GPS. Cassian will continue to track us, but for the time being, it’s just the two of us.

“Who are Rylan and Koda?” she asks.

“My brothers.”

“Oh. How many brothers do you have?”

“A lot.”

What I don’t tell her is that none of us are related by blood and that we are all trained to be the deadliest men in the world. She may only be a client, but I don’t want to see disgust on her face when she finds out what a monster I am.

The silence is awkward as fuck. She’s been restless for the past hour, and I’m not sure what will fix that.

“Why are you wiggling so much?” I finally question.

She turns her head, and when I glance at her, she blushes. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Fuck.

Swerving to the side of the road, I park. “Wait for me to come around.”