“I know all about my mother,” Victor replies, his voice quiet, almost menacing. He turns his attention away from us, toward the window and the glowing orb of the sun as it dips low in the sky. With just a couple of weeks left in the school year, we’re running out of time.

“Based on what we know of the raid,” I start, drawing all of the boys’ attention but for Vic’s. He keeps his gaze focused out the window instead, fingers idly teasing the leather of the couch. “It’s going to be slow and nonviolent, and likely to coincide with the final part of the ceremony. What if we go in assuming the VGTF will take care of Ophelia and Maxwell but come up with a contingency plan. I mean, it’s possible that someone tips them off about the raid; they might not even come to the graduation ceremony.”

“While I agree that it’s a fool’s error to simply assume Ophelia and Maxwell will both be there, the VGTF wouldn’t waste resources on raiding a prestigious private school without a kingpin as a prize. If they’re still coming, then they firmly believe they’ll find Maxwell, at the very least.” Oscar points at the iPad screen, tapping a red X at the end of a long, curving road. It starts at the back of the school, near the Student Parking Area. “This is the south entrance; Maxell has already planned to leave an armed motorcade waiting here. As of this morning, the plans were still on. So, in my best estimate, there’s a ninety-percent chance that he’ll show up as planned.”

“As Ophelia’s plus one?” I ask, because I’d sort of just assumed that, that Maxwell was coming to support Ophelia. But then I thought about Trinity. Just because she doesn’t want Samuel Jade or her community at large to know she’s Maxwell’s biological daughter, that doesn’t mean Maxwell isn’t committed to being a father figure in some fashion or another.

“That, I don’t know,” Oscar admits, shaking his head as he finally takes a seat on the end of the couch where Aaron and I are sitting. “But I must admit, Stacey’s girls are coming in handy. We wouldn’t have information about the motorcade without them.”

“They are coming to the ceremony then,” I murmur, teasing the ring pierced through the nail on my left pointer finger. “What if something they see tips them off while they’re here? I mean, what if the VGTF moves in and Maxwell decides to bolt? He could whisk Ophelia off in his helicopter and we’d never see them in person again.”

“Yet, they’d still be up our asses,” Hael repeats with a sigh, circling us back to the same argument we’ve had many times before. “So what do we do?”

“How much personal security are parents allowed to bring on campus?” Cal queries, and I try my very hardest not to roll my eyes. Personal security. For a high school graduation? Jesus H. Christ, but I hate rich people. It didn’t even occur to me that any of the parents would be bringing their own security crews. I guess when you’re a rich hotelier or a senator, a record producer or even a rock star, you need that sort of shit. And those are exactly the types of people who have children that attend this school.

“Two guards per guest and one personal driver that must remain with the car. Guns are not technically allowed, but there won’t be much enforcement of that. Really, it’ll just stop Maxwell’s security from open carrying.” Oscar leans back in his seat as Vic rubs at his chin.

“That means if Maxwell and Ophelia both show up, they’ll have four guards protecting them at most?” Aaron clarifies and Oscar nods. “Sounds like the perfect opportunity to grab them both.”

“It would be, without the VGTF,” Victor agrees, shaking his head. “But that means we need to find them either before they get into the auditorium or after they leave, in a place that isn’t filled with people. Oh, and only if we can get them in a dark zone or Oscar can figure his way into the Oak Park security system.”

“I’ve hacked in,” Oscar snaps back, like he’s offended that Vic would even question his ability to do so. “But it isn’t easy. I’d need time to cover my tracks after deleting any footage.”

“If I can get Maxwell alone for just a second …” Callum breathes, shaking his head. “I could be careful; I could hide the body.”

“Even from the VGTF?” Victor sighs and scrubs both hands over his face. He’s not thinking about Maxwell though; he’s thinking about Ophelia. “I suppose, in the right circumstances, we could pull it off.”

“It’s about orchestrating those circumstances that’s a problem.” Oscar sits up as Aaron strokes his fingers across my belly, making me shiver with pleasure at the soft touch. “Manufacturing a scenario where we can get Maxwell and Ophelia away from the crowd and into a more private location, that’s the problem.”

We sit there in silence for a moment, and I swear, I can hear cogs and gears turning in Victor’s and Oscar’s heads. My own eyes scan the map as Hael sits up with a groan.

“We all know I ain’t the brains of these operations, so, let me do what I do best and pour us some drinks.”

“Scotch,” Victor and Oscar both say, almost in unison. That makes me smile, but I’m the only one. Everyone else is still frowning, still planning and plotting.

“What if we used Trinity?” I ask with a loose shrug of my shoulders. “Surely, we could convince her that it was in her best interest to get Maxwell and Ophelia alone?” I’m feeling pretty proud of myself until Oscar shakes his head once, slow and sharp.

“No,” he says, but in a contemplative way like he’s truly trying to see if my idea won’t work. His silver eyes shift over to mine. “If we tell her what we want and she in any way lets that slip to either party, we’re in trouble. Whatever fragile peace we’ve had for the last few months is guaranteed to break. That means, even if the VGTF round the pair up, they’ll be gunning for us from prison. Frankly, it’s better to just keep on playing the fake fiancée game.”

“She can’t feel very fondly toward Ophelia?” I retort, giving Hael’s knuckles a kiss as he hands me a glass of scotch before offering up drinks to anyone else. Our gazes catch just before he turns away with a smile. I look back over at Vic and Oscar while Aaron scoots close against my left side, peering at the map. “I mean, don’t you think she’d want her gone, considering the blackmail and all?”

“We don’t know her feelings about her father.” Oscar’s mouth twitches at one corner, like he might actually be considering smiling about something. “If those feelings are anything like the ones she had for her brother, well …” I snort, but I don’t think he’s actually implying that Trinity and Maxwell have an incestuous relationship. What he is saying, however, is that if Maxwell is coming to this school to watch a shitty graduation ceremony, then it’s possible he cares about his daughter. Maybe she cares about him, too. “It isn’t worth the risk. Besides,” and here his voice gets wry and thick with disdain, “I don’t exactly trust that conniving little cunt.”

“She looks at Vic like she wants to ride his dick,” Aaron adds, and I feel myself bristle with jealousy. For his part, my husband just quirks the corner of his lip in amusement.