This was her fault. If she hadn’t gone looking for Dash that night, none of this would be happening.
“Oh my God—they wanted me, didn’t they? They didn’t want Aine.”
“There is intel to suggest that is true.”
“Give me to them, and make them let Aine go. Pen and Tara too. Just give me to them,” she cried.
“Shh,” Tabon repeated, holding her while she cried.
Finally, she pulled away from him. “You don’t understand, Tabon. I can’t live without Aine.”
“And she can’t live without you.”
“I don’t fucking care. Aren’t you listening to me? Give me to them.”
“That won’t save your sister or your friends. All that will accomplish is they’ll have all four of you. That’s it, Ava. Martyring yourself will do nothing.”
She forced herself to take several deep breaths. Once Tabon left, she’d figured it out on her own. Maybe she could talk to Dash’s lawyer, and he could deliver a message telling whoever had her sister that she wouldn’t testify as long as they let her sister go.
“When are you leaving?” she asked.
“I’m not.”
“Why not? You have to find her.”
“I’m needed more here.”
“For me? You’ve got to be kidding. I don’t matter. Aine is all that matters. You have to find her.”
“I’m not leaving, Ava.”
—:—
She tore herself away from him and stalked to the window. “I don’t matter,” she said again, making him want to tear his heart out of his chest.
“If you won’t look for her, I’ll do what I should’ve done in the first place.”
“What is that, Ava?”
“Call my father, and then call the police.”
Razor scrubbed his face with his hand. “I can’t let you do that.”
“As I said—”
“I’m serious, Ava. You can’t.”
“Like I’m not serious? Jesus, Razor, somebody has my sister. My sister! Do you even have a sister?”
Her eyes filled with tears, and as much as he wanted to put his arms around her and tell her it would be okay, he knew she wouldn’t allow him to.
“I do have a sister, and if anything like this ever happened to her, I’d want the best people possible to rescue her, and that is the K19 team. You cannot involve your father or the police.”
“Can you hear yourself? You’re telling me not to tell my parents or get law enforcement involved? Do you all operate in your own little world so often you’ve forgotten how real life works?”
“You have no idea how many lives are saved by the people who you think operate in their own little world.”
She stood with her arms crossed, shooting death daggers at him.