Chapter 277
Lance
The Audi's engine roared through Manhattan's streets like a wounded animal. My hands gripped the wheel hard enough that my knuckles had gone white, Vincent beside me silent for once, and Serena in the back seat radiating confusion that was about to turn into fury.
"Where the hell are we going?" Her voice cut through the tension. "I thought we were getting dinner first. You said—"
"Change of plans." I didn't take my eyes off the road, weaving through traffic with the kind of recklessness that would've made Vincent lecture me on any other night.
"Lance." That single word carried a warning. She knew me too well already, could read the shift in my body language, the way my jaw had locked the moment we'd left the precinct.
"I've arranged security." The words came out clipped, efficient. "When we arrive, we'll need to separate. I have something I need to handle."
The explosion came exactly as I'd anticipated.
"What the fuck?" She lunged forward between the seats, her hand finding my shoulder with enough force to make me wince. "Are you seriously—again with this? You're going to run off and play hero while I sit around waiting to find out if you're alive?"
"No." I kept my voice level even as my phone burned in my pocket—three unanswered calls to Wesley in the last ten minutes. Wesley never ignored my calls during a crisis. Which meant he was either in a firefight or couldn't answer. And if it was still going after this long, things had gone catastrophically wrong. "This time, the success depends on you."
That made her pause. I could feel her staring at the side of my face, trying to parse whether I was bullshitting her or covering up something worse.
"I don't believe you." But her grip on my shoulder had loosened slightly, uncertainty creeping in. "You're just saying that to—"
I reached back with my right hand, finding her waist and pulling her closer to the front seat. The movement was probably unsafe given that I was doing seventy in a forty-five zone, but I needed her to understand. Needed her to see this wasn't about sidelining her—it was about buying Wesley time I didn't have.
"I need you to draw Thomas's attention." My voice came out rougher than intended. "Away from what I'm actually doing. And before you argue—your job is going to be more dangerous than mine."
She went still against me, confusion replacing anger in those eyes I'd memorized in excruciating detail. The worry remained though, sharp and bright and making something in my chest constrict.
I pulled out my phone with my left hand, thumb already bringing up the message I'd sent five minutes ago. Held it where she could see.
Diana found the other recording. The one that shows the person in the car was thirteen-year-old Felix. Clear as day. When I retrieve it, I'm releasing it to every media outlet in the city. Hope Felix enjoys prison with his shattered spine.
Serena's sharp intake of breath told me she'd read it. "She found it? But—she left the station. How could she—"
"Well." I allowed myself a grim smile as I took a corner hard enough to make the tires scream. "She didn't, actually. There is no second recording."
"Then why—" She stopped. I could practically hear the gears turning in that brilliant mind. "Oh my god. You're baiting him."
"Felix is the only person who can make Thomas completely irrational." I merged onto the highway, finally able to let the speedometer climb. "Doesn't matter if he believes the recording exists or not. The mere possibility that his son could be exposed, arrested, tried for a murder he committed as a child—Thomas will follow us. Make absolutely certain we can't get our hands on that tape."
"Fuck." She pulled away from me, and I felt the loss of her warmth like a physical blow. "You're saying someone's already following us?"
"Not yet." Vincent spoke for the first time since we'd left, his voice carrying that particular note of satisfaction he got when a plan came together. "But they will be. Very soon."
Serena's head whipped toward him. "What the hell does that mean?"
"When I escorted Arthur to his car—" Vincent's grin was audible even though I couldn't see his face. "—I took a moment to check our vehicle. Found a GPS tracker. Military grade, expensive. They've been able to follow us this entire time."
"Jesus Christ." Serena's voice had gone up half an octave. "And you're just—you're letting them? Lance, what the fuck is wrong with your planning process? Why don't you ever tell me these things before they happen?"
"Because I didn't want you scared." The truth came out rougher than I'd intended. "And because once we separate, you need to act natural. Worried about me, yes. But not terrified. Not looking over your shoulder every five seconds."
I caught her eyes in the rearview mirror. Held them.
"Vincent is going to take you on a tour of Manhattan. Keep moving, keep the tracker active. Make Thomas think I'm in that car, heading to wherever Diana supposedly has this recording hidden. And you—" I had to force the next words out. "—you wait. Trust that I know what I'm doing. Trust that I'm coming back."