Pros & Cons (26 page)

Gabe and I share a smile before he leads the security team out to the vehicle. Jason and Cara follow them to the car while Ethan stays behind with me on the porch. His hand grips mine tightly.

“I love you, Jenna. I’ll be back before you even have time to miss me.”

“I somehow doubt that. I miss you already.”

His eyes are filled with tears, too. It nearly breaks my heart. But I have to stay strong. At least until he’s on the road.

Ethan kisses me one last time, and I watch through blurry eyes as he walks away from me and climbs into the SUV. The glass is too dark for me to see him, but I know he can see me, so I smile bravely, and I keep smiling until all I can see are taillights.

Suddenly, my dad is right by my side, pulling me by the hand and back into the house. I make it all the way to the living room before the tears come. Uncontrollable, exhausting tears that leave me limp and numb and heartbroken.

“How are you, Jenna?”

“Are you hungry, Jenna?”

“Do you need more crackers, Jenna?”

“He’ll be home before you know it, kid.”

It’s only been two days, but being in a house full of overprotective men is really beginning to suffocate me. And, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear Dad knows I’m carrying his grandchild. Probably because I can’t seem to keep my hands off my stomach. It’s become a nervous habit over the past few days and makes me feel closer to Ethan, but I’m pretty sure my eagle-eyed father has figured it out.

I’ve never really missed anyone this much. I miss my mom and Abby every single day, but this is different. It’s as if I can’t take a deep breath. It’s a powerful ache of longing and fear, and I’m not really sure how to function around all these people. All I want to do is crawl into bed and hide beneath the blankets until Ethan comes home.

We stay in contact as much as we can. At one point, he lost satellite signal over the ocean and I’d nearly hyperventilated. My tears really freaked out my father. He’s not used to seeing me so emotional, but Sebastian constantly promises him that this has become my new normal and it always passes. And it does pass, but only when I hear the Skype ping, letting me know that Ethan’s online, and that he’s safe and sound.

At night, when the house is quiet and dark, is when I worry the most. Sebastian and my father are never far away, and there’s a wall of security surrounding me and the house at all times, so it’s not like I’m scared for me. But I am terrified for Ethan. Stavros can’t be trusted, and if cornered, Ethan may choose to join his organization in order to protect me. I know it’s a possibility, because I’d do the same thing if I knew it would keep Ethan safe.

We are each other’s strength
and
weakness . . . and Stavros knows it.

But how can we be strong if we’re divided?

I go through my moments of doubt, wondering if maybe I should have gone to Greece, but deep down, I know I made the right decision. I just can’t help but wonder what happens after all this is over. Sure, we’ll be free of Stavros, but plenty of people—including the FBI—want to see us behind bars for the many crimes we’ve committed. Do we have any chance at a normal life?

One morning, after another sleepless night, I’m making breakfast for the crew when a glimmer of hope is offered from the most unlikely of sources.

“Smells good in here,” Shane says. He grins and helps himself to a plate before sitting down at the table with my dad and Sebastian.

I smirk and pour him a glass of juice. It doesn’t feel odd, being all domestic with my ex-boyfriend, but it does remind me that
this
could have been my life with Shane Barnes. Safe. Easy. Predictable.

I’m so glad he cheated on me.

“Make yourself at home there, Shane,” Dad says.

“Don’t mind if I do,” he says in between bites. He then smiles up at me. “I just got an interesting phone call. After I eat this delicious meal, you and I need to have a conversation.”

Dad and Sebastian’s forks stop mid-air.

“About?” I ask hesitantly.

Shane finishes chewing before answering.

“About how I’m going to help keep you and Ethan Summers out of prison.”

After breakfast, the four of us head to the living room. Sebastian flips through channels on the TV while the rest of us find places to sit.

“I don’t understand. What does the FBI want with Stavros?” I ask.

“Apparently, your Greek friend has been causing quite a bit of chaos on the East Coast. Your aunt’s gallery was robbed last week. One of her assistants was killed.”

My stomach lurches. Aunt Clarissa is my mom’s sister and the owner of the gallery in Manhattan that Ethan had tried to rob a few months back.

“Was Clarissa there?”

“No, she was out of town.”

I sigh with relief.

“That was probably another attempt by Stavros to lure us out of hiding. Didn’t work, though. I guess he didn’t realize just how little contact I actually have with her.”

“Which is why Stavros shifted gears and went after Ethan’s parents instead,” Dad says.

Shane nods. “That’s what the FBI thinks, too. Crimes are crimes, and you and Summers have committed your fair share of them, but the FBI is much more interested in catching three murderers than arresting two thieves.

“Three murderers?” Dad asks.

“A pair of twins,” Shane says. “Some brother and sister from Italy.”

Maria and Marcello.

“They think the brother was the one who shot Clarissa’s assistant. The FBI doesn’t have enough evidence to prosecute them for the death of your friends, but they’re working on that, too.”

“So what does all this have to do with keeping us out of jail?”

“I might have mentioned that the two of you are eager to get out of the business, and you’d be willing to help them prosecute the twins and Stavros Peri if you were granted immunity.” Shane arches an eyebrow. “I didn’t lie, did I?”

His eyes drift down to my hand caressing my belly. We exchange a look, and I know he knows.

Might as well get this out of the way.

“No, you didn’t lie.” I then turn to my father. “I’m pregnant, by the way.”

Dad laughs. “No kidding.”

“You know?”

“We
all
know,” Shane says with a grin.

“It’s hard to ignore when your normally stoic daughter cries, pukes, and rubs her stomach all the time. We might be men, but we’re lawmen. We’re observant like that.” Dad grins, but then his expression turns somber. “Will you accept the FBI’s offer, Jenna? Will you help them catch Stavros so that you, Ethan, and my grandchild can live in peace?”

Is he kidding?

“Of course! What do I need to do?”

“Well, I probably need to tell you that they’re only interested in Stavros if he’s alive. Now, I haven’t asked why Ethan went to Greece, but I have a pretty good idea . . .”

“And the FBI probably won’t be as accommodating if Ethan adds
murderer
to his list of crimes,” Dad says quietly.

Shane nods. “We need to stop Ethan.”

“Before it’s too late,” I whisper.

“Stop moping.”

I shoot a glare at Jason and continue testing my headset. I’m not moping. I just wish I was anywhere but here.

That’s not true. I wish I was with her.

I want to take her back to Tennessee and hide in the mountains until she goes into labor. But no. I’m here. Trying to track down a lunatic in hopes that, once we find him and kill him, I can live a normal life with the woman I love.

Plus, I’m getting restless. It’s been three days since we arrived in Greece, and so far there hasn’t been one sign of Stavros. The man has neither entered nor exited his estate. We don’t even know if he’s in the house. Or in the country. It’s as if the man has disappeared into thin air, and not knowing his whereabouts is slowly driving me insane.

I’m gonna destroy the bastard when I find him. Not only did he kill my best friends, but now he’s screwing with my life in ways I never could have imagined.

He’s keeping me from my girl. And our baby.

It only makes me more determined to end his miserable, pathetic life.

Gabe stops the vehicle a half-mile short of Stavros Peri’s estate.

This is it.

“Ethan, are you sure you want to go through with this?”

The question comes from Gabe. I’m not surprised. I know he’s anxious. Even more so now that he knows Jenna’s pregnant. Plus, our internet signal has been spotty at best. It’s making us all more than a little nervous. When you plan to storm a house, it’s best if your communication devices are all in working order. Throughout the morning, Cara insisted we double-check our headsets, just to make sure everything was functioning properly.

“You know there’s no other way. I have to protect my family.”

“I know, but maybe I should be the one to do this.”

“No, Gabe. I’m doing this.”

With a heavy sigh, my trusty pilot nods.

Jason looks out the window. “I understand. I wish I could have protected my sister.”

“And my brother,” Cara adds.

“This won’t bring them back.”

I know they realize this, but it’s important they understand that they’re both walking into a situation where we could all get killed. But if we’re successful, Jason and Cara will have to live with the fact they helped kill a man. I’m willing to carry that weight, but are they?

“We want justice,” Cara says. “We know the risks. Let’s just do this so we can get the hell out of this country.”

I nod toward the screens. “How’s it looking?”

Cara shakes her head. “Not good. Our signal sucks anyway, but I’m still having trouble getting around his security system. Keeps booting me out and it’s pissing me off. I’ve never found a system I can’t beat.”

“What does that mean?” Gabe asks.

“It means you can’t be monitored once you’re inside. Even the radios are useless.”

We’d been afraid the security system would be impenetrable. Without communications, we’ll have no connection to the outside world. Or to each other.

I’ve already lost two friends. I can’t lose any more.

“I’m going alone,” I tell them.