Page 181 of Always: A Legacy Novel

“You pissed at me?” he asked.

Catherine shook her head.

“You sure because you’re not even looking at me, babe.”

“I’m not mad,” she said quietly, “but it’s kind of last minute notice. That’s all. I’m going to miss you.”

Cross laughed, reached over, and pulled Catherine close enough so that he could press a kiss to her temple. “Fuck, I love you.”

She smiled, watching him under dark lashes before she kissed the corner of his mouth and then settled back into her seat. “I’m not mad, I promise.”

“And you’ll be okay.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just … worry,” he said lamely.

Catherine waved his words away. “I’ll be fine, Cross.”

Yeah, give it a minute.

“I might not be back in time for your birthday,” he added.

Catherine’s gaze snapped back to his. “Really?”

“Yeah, I know, I’m sorry.”

She blew out a slow breath. “That sucks.”

“I’m going to try, though.”

“Okay. But … if you don’t, can we do something special when you get back? Go out, or something?”

“You don’t even have to ask,” he promised. “Whatever the fuck you want to do, Catty. Dinner, dancing, those shows you like. Whatever, we’ll do it.”

Catherine’s face lit up again, and he didn’t feel so bad. Maybe he had panicked for nothing about leaving his girl on her own. She had been doing better. She certainly slowed things down with her cousins while she focused on getting her grades in for school, and Cross appreciated that more than she could possibly know.

Especially if he was going to be gone. He didn’t like the idea of her being caught up in something he couldn’t help her with.

“Lean back and open the corner pocket of that duffle, would you?” he asked.

Catherine did as he wanted, saying, “There’s only keys in here, Cross.”

“Yeah, you’re going to need them. For my apartment, and the Rover in the underground garage. Just in case you need something or want to hide out, you know. I left my leather jacket on the bed, and the whole season of that show you like is still on the DVR to watch.”

Her smile bloomed. “Always looking out for me, huh?”

He pulled her across the seat for another kiss, tasting her familiar sweetness and heat, before letting her go.

“Always, Catherine.”

“Sit down, or stand up, but keep your eyes on the screen and keep fucking quiet for the next several minutes,” Theo Deluca said.

Cross chose to sit his ass down in a hard metal chair because his flight had been delayed three hours. He didn’t get into Chicago until early morning, and he hadn’t slept a wink. Four other men sat, too, while one opted to stand. He didn’t recognize the five men. The only person he did know was Theo standing in front of a projection screen. He had met Theo once or twice on trips with Wolf—the Chicago Outfit front boss was not a man to piss off, and he only seemed to get more irritated with age.

A map came up on the screen, showcasing the United States and Mexico. Theo clicked buttons on the remote in his hand, making the map come closer, and roads show up.

“From Chicago to close to the boarder, it is basic highway, but you’re going to hit tolls, and only one of those might be a problem.” Theo clicked another button, and the specific toll in a lower state came up on the screen. “Make sure you hit it between eight and nine at night, on any given day, and you won’t have a problem. That’s when they’re changing shifts, and they’re less likely to notice several of the same kinds of vehicles moving through within a short period of time. They notice, report it, and you’re going to find yourself stopped shortly after. And if you do, you don’t know anybody’s name, and we don’t know yours. It’s that simple.”