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Thirty
ACE
Istare at the red numbers on the digital clock and will them to speed up. Nights are the worst. The darkness makes me want to lie next to her soft body and breathe in her intoxicating scent. She’s so much fucking easier to deal with when she’s asleep. But being with her like that isn’t an option. She kidnapped my boss’s fucking wife and unborn kid, for fuck’s sake.
She put a target on both mine and Romeo’s backs, and the worst of it is she doesn’t seem to give a shit. I didn’t buy her fake apology for a second. She had plenty of opportunities to apologize before now, and it’s way too big of a coincidence that she chose today, when I had information she wanted, to say sorry. So I refuse to find any comfort or pleasure in the feel of her flesh or the softness of her body. Everything about her is fake. She’s about as warm as an ice cube wrapped in shards of frosted glass.
The door opens and Romeo staggers out of the room, naked and scratching his junk. He offers me a sleepy half smile before yawning loudly and stumbling toward the bathroom. I can smell her on him as he passes me. Of course he fucked her. Unlike me, he can separate sex from the feelings. And an occasional angry fuck might be too much for me to resist, but anything more is off-limits. Keres makes me feel way too many things that I don’t want to feel.
My phone vibrates on the table in front of me, and Lorenzo’s name flashes on the screen. I called him a few hours ago to give him Theo Wynn’s name. A phone call just after 4:00 a.m. means he has something important to tell me. I take a deep breath and hope that it’s good news.
I answer his call. “Yeah, Boss?”
“Where are you?”
“A motel just outside of Ann Arbor.”
“Are you able to talk?”
I glance at the open doorway. “Yeah.”
“We’ve found her.”
Relief floods my entire body and I slump back against the sofa. “Where?”
“Ohio. Toledo, to be exact. We were following up a lead in Fort Wayne and we’re on our way there now. But you’re closer, Ace.” The desperate plea in his voice makes my hair stand on end.
This is our chance to put things right and prove that the Morettis were right to have us on their team. “We’ll get her back, Boss. I promise we won’t let you down again.”
“You need to leave right now. Can you do that?”
“Give us two minutes and we’ll be out the door. But what about…” I don’t finish my sentence for fear that the sound of her name might rouse her from sleep.
“She doesn’t have the information she needs to find this Theo guy, does she?”
“Not yet.”
“Then leave her. She’ll come back when she needs our help.”
“And if she doesn’t? We could lose her. Should one of us stay with her?”
“If she runs, I’ll find her when I’m ready. Right now your job is to get to my wife and child and make sure they’re safe. Both of you.”
Romeo comes out of the bathroom, and his eyes narrow with concern when he sees me on the phone.
“Of course. I’ll call you as soon as we have eyes on her.”
“Don’t let me down again.” The line goes dead.
Romeo frowns. “What is it?”
“We need to leave,” I whisper, conscious that Keres might wake and hear us at any moment.
His frown deepens, and he glances at the open bedroom door.
“Now.”
He jumps into action, yanking fresh clothes from his backpack and throwing them on. I pull on my boots, and we stuff the rest of our meager belongings into our packs before grabbing our coats, guns, and helmets. The door creaks when Romeo opens it, and I take a final glance back at the bedroom, half expecting Keres to come running out of it. She doesn’t, and I sigh with relief.
