Page 41 of The Silent Note

Since this is important, I shelf my sexy teacher fantasies for later. Especially since the fantasy is real and it’s mine now. I just have to wait until everyone clears out so I can take her three ways to Sunday.

Grey touches the skin under her scar and I can tell she’s flustered. But I wish she didn’t keep messing with that gash. If she breaks the stitches it could get infected.

“Ahem,” she clears her throat and swings around to focus on the whiteboard, “Sol will light a fire in the kitchen to set off the smoke detectors. Finn will pay off the security guards on night shift, so they don’t immediately put the fire out.”

My brother does a thumb-up gesture.

Grey slaps the ruler on another section of the whiteboard. “The fire will create the necessary commotion to take Gran-Gran out.” She points to a crudely drawn old lady with a… is that a hotdog?

“That’s Gran-Gran?” Cadey gasps. “I thought it was a fire hydrant.”

“No!” Grey exclaims. “Can’t you see the walker?”

Dutch, Finn, and Sol lean forward, squinting at the picture.

I smirk to myself. Even in Lit Class, Grey was never much of an artist.

“Anyway,” Grey moves on, “while they’re evacuating, someone needs to pose as a doctor to get her out.”

“I can do that.” I shrug, sitting back down and reaching for my water. I’m still on meds for my other injuries so, even if I’m panting for it, alcohol is a no-no.

“Good.” She nods like I just offered to lead the group project in class. “Cadey, can you get Rick to pose as security again? I think we’ll need that extra buffer.”

“I can call him,” Cadey agrees.

Grey swats the ruler against the whiteboard one more time. “After that, we’ll deliver her safely to the address.” She lifts the note we got from our little prison visit. “And Slavno will deliver his information to us. After we get a name, we solve the case.”

“What if he doesn’t fulfill his end of the deal?” Finn points out.

I scowl at him. Why’s he always the one to rain on our parade?

A shattered expression takes over Grey’s face. “That’s a good question, Finn.”

Sol pipes up. “Forget him not keeping his deal. What if it’s worse than that? How do we know he isn’t setting a trap? What if The Grateful Project psychos just want an excuse to swoop us all up and kill us off, execution style?”

Dutch grunts and stares across the room. I know he’s scared about anything harming Cadey.

She sets a hand on his shoulder, calming him.

The mood in the room sours.

I better salvage this before people start backing out. I don’t trust Slavno either, but it’s the only card we have in this game. And I know how desperate Grey is for answers.

I unfold myself from the bed and walk lazily over to the whiteboard. “It’s a risk. I know it is. I considered keeping this from all of you because of that danger, but I’m smart enough to know we can’t do this gig on our own.”

Grey bows her head, chewing on her bottom lip. Her emotions are so clear to me that it’s like reading a book.

She’d prefer to carry this all on her delicate shoulders if she could.

Too bad.

I’m not letting her.

“If Slavno had anything to live for, he would’ve kept his mouth shut no matter what we dangled in front of him. His conversation with us means that hewillkeep his word. If he doesn’t, we’ll just return his grandmother. It’s not like we’re friends. He knows we’re capable of it.”

Finn bobs his head thoughtfully. “The fact that he wants to take his grandmother to a safe place means he knows whoever ordered him to murder Sloane is ruthless enough to kill him and his family.” My brother looks up, eyes narrowed to slits. “It also means, he might know more than his bosses are comfortable with.”

“It’s worth the risk,” Cadey says encouragingly.