Page 69 of Above ’N’ Beyond

“Kade,” he said. “It’s Jamie. I don’t have a lot of time.”

“What’s up? You okay?”

“I want you to promise me something. If anything happens to me, I need you to look after my mother and sister. With my dad still in prison and…” Emotion clogged his throat, preventing him from finishing his sentence.

A beat of dead silence, then, “You’ve got it. But what’s going on with you? First you ghost us for six months, and now this?”

“Just promise me. I need to know they’ll be taken care of.”

“Of course, I promise. I’ve got your back. We’ve all got your back. You know that, right?”

“Yeah.” He did know that.

“You remember our pact? If the shit goes down, we’ll be there for you. Any time. Any place.”

He did remember their pact. If any one of them was in a bad jam and needed assistance ASAP and without official blessing, the rest of their group would respond without hesitation. In a choked voice, Jamie replied, “Thanks, Kade.”

He ended the call then set the phone on the vanity. Jax stuck his head through the half-open door, watching with a concerned look on his furry face. It never ceased to amaze him how his dog always knew when the shit was about to fly.

Jamie didn’t doubt Kade’s promise and understood the pact they’d made would remain in effect in perpetuity.

As he stepped into the shower, he hoped he’d never have to make that ultimate ask of his friends.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“The boys all like you,” Tony said as Jamie turned onto the road leading to Stewart International Airport. “Even my mother likes you, and she’s the most important person you need to impress. You did that yesterday. I knew you’d do good for us, and not just because you saved my ass in Sing Sing.” Tony chuckled. “You’re no hump. You’ve proven you’re an asset to the family.”

Jamie snorted. “I don’t think Marco sees it that way.”

“Don’t worry about him. He’ll come around.”

Doubtful. When the time came, Jamie planned to put the habeus grabus on Marco Ianetti himself. Snapping cuffs on that guy would be sweet.

He took the next turn, and Stewart’s one and only terminal came into view. Set in New Windsor in Orange County, New York, Stewart Airport boasted a twenty thousand square foot international arrivals facility, yet being two hours north of the city, it was significantly less traveled than JFK or LaGuardia. Jamie didn’t doubt that figured into Paola’s plan.

Tony glanced at his watch. “Pull over in front of the American Airlines sign and wait for me. Those dumbass Port Authority cops might kick you out. I’ll text you when I’ve got the package. I don’t want to be standing outside in front of the cops waiting for you.”

Jamie pulled curbside behind several other cars. “Got it.”

Tony grabbed the cardboard sign at his feet that read Smith, then got out and headed into the terminal.

“Dumbass Port Authority cops, huh?” he threw over his shoulder at Jax, who, like him, was one of those cops. He couldn’t wait for the moment when he could say to Tony: Who’s the dumbass, now?

When Jamie had first seen the sign, it confirmed they were picking up a passenger, not contraband. Having been stationed at Stewart for a few months early on in his career, he knew American Airlines was the primary carrier at this airport and flew daily to and from Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. From Reykjavik, other European cities, including London, Paris, Berlin, Dublin, and Brussels, were only a connecting flight away. Whoever they were here for could have come from virtually anywhere.

Including Italy.

Jamie scanned the curb in front and behind him in the rearview mirror. The Port Authority P.D. must have been short-staffed today. Not a single uniformed officer patrolled in front of the terminal.

Ten minutes later, he began tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Behind him, Jax gave a bored sigh. Sitting around waiting wasn’t the kind of work either of them was used to. He opened up the puppy cam app on his phone to verify whether Bella had changed her login. One by one, three images appeared on the screen. The cameras were still active. One was angled perfectly at the head table. Again, not that he could use anything he witnessed as evidence, but it was a miracle Bella hadn’t changed her password. She could still do that at any time.

Why hasn’t she?

Did she really trust him that much? The question made his guts twist.

After last night, things between them were more complicated than ever. When she found out who and what he really was, let alone why he’d infiltrated her family…

He didn’t know if there was any way he could make her understand.