THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON was spent coming up with as much of a plan as we could. I’d suggested that, much to his disgust, Sean would be their next target, and Nathan agreed. They hadn’t succeeded in keeping me, would know we’d have extra precautions in place, so using him as a bartering tool would make it impossible for me to refuse to go back. It was more than belief, though. If they got him, I would lose him. Because if their ploy worked, and I waltzed right back to them in exchange for Sean’s release, I’d be as good as signing his death warrant. If they had me, they’d no longer need Sean. If Sean no longer existed, I’d have no reason to leave. So, despite his growls of protest, Nathan and I wholeheartedly agreed that Sean—more so than me—needed to be kept safe. With that in mind, and c
