Page 75 of Crowe
“Go ahead,” Wolfe said.
“We could fake his death.”
The room processed that.
Diego sat forward. “That would be the cleanest solution. You make it look like Noah Gentry is gone… accident, disappearance, whatever sells best… and suddenly there’s nothing for Corvane to collect on. He paid for a person who no longer exists. The contract is void.” He looked around the table.
“And Noah’s actual life?” I asked.
“He’d have to build a new one. New name, new location, new history. It’s doable.”
“He just rebuilt his life,” I said. “He spent the last six months making something he could actually live in. His therapist, hisfriends, his work.” I looked at Diego. “You’re asking him to lose all of that.”
“I’m asking if it’s better than the alternative.”
The room went quiet.
Diego wasn’t wrong, exactly. I didn’t like what he’d said, but I couldn’t dismiss it.
“It’s on the table,” Wolfe said. “But we’re not there yet. What else?”
Hawk put forward a modified version of it without the fake death. Just a relocation. New identity, new city, deep enough cover that Corvane’s network couldn’t find him without significant effort and resources. “Witness protection without the federal involvement,” he said. “We have the contacts to build a solid legend. New name, new background, documented history. Put him somewhere he has no prior connection to.”
“There’s no guarantee that Corvane will stop,” Kat said. “He has resources. Given enough time and motivation, he could find a sufficiently constructed identity. It buys time. It doesn’t end the threat.”
“Nothing ends the threat except Chance getting something that sticks,” Gator said.
“That or ending Corvane,” I said.
The room went silent for a second while everyone let that sink in. I was no assassin, but if that was what it took to keep Noah safe, I wouldn’t hesitate.
“Let’s focus on our legal options for now.” Wolfe gave me a look that told me he knew what I was thinking, and while he didn’t approve, he didn’t necessarily disapprove either.
“Then we’re back to Chance,” Hawk said.
I made brief eye contact with everyone in the room and then looked directly at Wolfe. “I just want to be clear. If we relocate him. If it comes to that.” I paused. “If we build him a new identity and move him somewhere Corvane can’t find him… you’ll need to do the same for me. Because I won’t let him go alone.”
Wolfe looked at me for a long moment. Not surprised, but I knew he wouldn’t be. “I know,” he said. “That’s why it’s the last option.”
Something settled in the room. Hawk looked at me with the expression he’d had since the cabin, the one that said he knew, and that he approved of my choice.
“So the plan,” I said. “As it stands.”
Wolfe set down his tea. “We give Chance the time he needs. We maintain security at the building. We continue monitoring Corvane’s network through Kat. We keep Noah’s life as normal as possible. He’s free to leave the building with an escort, butfree to leave. He isn’t on lockdown.” He looked around the table. “If Chance gets something that sticks, we’re done. If Corvane moves against Noah before that happens, we respond. And if it becomes clear that Chance’s timeline is too long and the threat is escalating—” He paused. “Then we revisit the identity option. With all that it entails.”
“One more thing,” Wolfe said, looking at me. “Noah should know what was discussed today. Not the details, but he should know that we have a plan and what the priority order is.” He held my gaze. “He deserves to know that we’re not just sitting around waiting while his life is on hold.”
“I’ll tell him tonight,” I said.
Wolfe nodded and stood, which meant the meeting was over. People began gathering their things. Kat was up and headed out the door to go back to her cave. I was gathering up my stuff and noticed Wolfe look at the cup in his hand with an amused expression before draining what was left and setting it back down on the table.
I hurried out to hide my smile. Looked like the Three Bears had gone caffeine-free for the time being.
Chapter twenty-five
Noah
I heard the key in the door and looked up from the book I’d been attempting to lose myself in. I’d never been as big a reader as Jackson was, but a guy could only watch so much television without losing his mind.
