“You can’t tell a single soul.”
Her sister nodded. “Of course I wouldn’t.”
“I found something out I shouldn’t have. About Dash. He’s mixed up in something pretty bad, and he’s been arrested.”
“You’re kidding?” Aine gasped.
“I have to testify against him.”
Aine turned white. “Is Razor like…your bodyguard?”
Ava put her finger in front of her lips. “You can’t tell a soul. Not even Mom and Dad.”
“I won’t, I promise.”
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you as much as I have.”
“You know you can trust me.”
“It isn’t that. The more you know…you could be in danger too.”
Aine nodded, but Ava doubted she had any idea how serious the situation was.
“There’s something else. On our way back from the airport and then again after breakfast, Tabon said he wanted to take care of me.”
Aine put her hand on her heart. “He cares about you. He called me.”
“When?”
“After you left. I told him about you seeing the woman going into his house.”
Ava heard a knock, and expected to see Pen or Tara when she told whoever it was to come in. Instead, it was Tabon, who came in and closed the door behind him.
“Here,” he said, handing a phone to Aine. “Ava will be able to call you, but you won’t be able to return calls to her. If anyone gets their hands on this phone, there will be no link to your sister.”
Tabon handed her a phone as well. “You’ll get a new one at least every few days, unless I see a reason for it to be more often.”
“Thank you, Tabon,” Ava said.
“This is unorthodox, but it is the only solution I could come up with for you to be able to stay in touch. Aine, if you have any concerns, if you haven’t heard from Ava in a few days, you can contact Doc directly.” He handed her a card. “Memorize that number.”
She nodded, murmuring her thanks as well.
“You and your two friends will be leaving in under two hours—”
“Why?” asked Ava.
“They’ll be having a great deal of fun, I promise.”
“Oh, I love San Francisco,” Aine said, opening the envelope he handed to her.
“Gunner will drive you to the airport, and make sure you have everything you need. He’s briefing Penelope and Tara now.”
“I’m going to miss you so much,” Ava said, standing to hug her sister.
“I’ll be downstairs,” he said, walking out the door and closing it behind him.
“Briefing?” said Aine, laughing.