Ford leans down into my ear and says, “Shut it, Rook. Just shut up for once and do as you’re told.” He jerks on my arm a little to make his point and I’m powerless to fight.

Spencer leads us across the backyard and towards the woods and then I really start to freak out. “Why are we going in the woods?” I struggle but they hold tighter, say nothing, and by the time we make the tree line they’re dragging me through the mud. I start kicking and screaming, but Ford’s hand clamps over my mouth and I have to use all my energy just to breathe. They drag me down towards the river and I swear, I am so f**king stupid for trusting these guys. They’re gonna kill me and throw my body in the river.

“Rook,” Spencer says this time. “Just calm the f**k down. We need to get away from the house to have this conversation, OK? Just relax.” We stop next to the river and he pushes me to sit on a rock.

“Are you gonna be quiet and listen?” Ford asks in his most businesslike voice. “Because I’m not in the mood to baby you tonight, got it? We need to talk.”

I nod, but my body is trembling badly, the adrenaline still rushing through my bloodstream. Ford removes his hand. “I’ve tried to tell you this several times but…” He stops and runs his fingers through his hair and looks away. “But you never wanted to hear it, so I let it go. But you need to know now, because this shit with Ronin is big time, got it? We’re playing in the majors right now, Rook. This is real f**king shit, serious shit, and you have to follow the rules now because you’re on the team. Do you understand this?”

I look over at Spencer. “The team?”

Spence nods. “It’s got a lot of perks, Blackbird. But it’s got a lot of rules too. So you need to know the rules. Because it’s gonna get ugly and the only way we all stay out of jail is by following the rules.”

Ford kneels down next to me and Spencer sits on the rock, squishing his body into mine. “First of all, you know what I do on the team, right?”

“Computer stuff,” I say in a small voice.

“Yes. And Spencer here is our logistics guy, OK? But he’s also the muscle. So if we need someone roughed up, that’s Spencer’s job.”

I look up at Spence and he shrugs. “Can’t help it, Blackbird. I’m the biggest guy here, I got the job by default.”

“Did you guys murder that businessman, like all the papers say?”

“Rook.” Ford pulls my attention back to him before Spencer can answer. “Look, we don’t go looking for trouble and we’re not violent. You shot Jon, not us. We had no intention of physically hurting him. But as you saw firsthand, things don’t always go as planned. Veronica showed up and as good as that was for you, it almost got her killed, right? Even though we never intended for her to be involved, let alone get hurt, or God f**king forbid, killed. Sometimes shit happens and the plans just disintegrate.”

“Did you guys murder that businessman?” I ask again.

“Well,” Spencer says. “Look, it wasn’t meant to happen. It was not meant for him to die, all right? I did what I had to do to prevent him from involving another innocent party.”

“I need to hear this whole story. Like now. I never signed up for this, Ford. I never wanted to be a part of this shit.”

Ford opens his mouth to speak, but Spencer’s words are the ones that come out.

“I killed him, Rook. We were stealing his money, money he used to fund too many dirty things to even list off the top of my head. Shit like drugs, embezzlement from non-profits,  p**n . Just filthy shit. And we needed to get inside the house for some codes and it just all went down wrong.”

“How did you find that out? The bad stuff he was doing?”

“His daughter told us,” Ford says. “Told Ronin, actually. She never knew we were involved until after and the papers got a hold of the story. But this isn’t what you need to know. We’re telling you about that because you’re already in and we need you to trust us, to cooperate, and to understand what it means that Ronin is in jail.”

I have a very bad feeling about this.

“You see, what I do has risk. I hack into very secure databases and networks. Some of them very high-level. I’m risking a lot of prison time, possibly even a treason charge when I do some of this. Do you understand?”

“OK.”

“And Spencer’s job has risk. He killed that man. He’s guilty as f**k, Rook. He’s got a murder charge all over him. Do you understand this? Spencer’s job has risk.”

I nod but I’m not liking how often he’s repeating the word risk one bit.

“Ronin’s job also has a risk. Ronin’s job is to be the front man, the face of the operation, to clean up the mess. Lie to the police, take the heat, and get the rest of us off. Ronin’s job is to lie, Rook. He’s a very, very gifted liar when he’s working.”

“Oh, God,” I moan. My boyfriend is a professional liar!

“Ronin is the only one of us allowed to talk to the police. He’s the only one allowed to give a statement. If Spencer and I are brought in or questioned for any reason—for anything—we are to exercise our right to remain silent. And if we ever get to court, we are to plead the Fifth and not testify. We are not allowed to be involved, Rook. We cannot in any way make a statement in favor of or against ourselves or each other. Only Ronin is allowed to talk. Do you understand this?”