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“No,” I said, “Lucy is my favorite. Sorry!”
Lucy laughed harder and Olivia gave a mock gasp. I then heard the unmistakable sound of a slap.
After the mock fight had ended, Olivia returned to the phone. “Right. So, you’ve got everything arranged? Oh, and if you didn’t book first-class flights, I’m not coming. Just putting that out there now.”
She meant it as a joke, probably because she knew damn well I’d booked first-class. But she’d probably never flown less than first-class in her life due to her dad’s career as a famous baseball player. Apparently, according to Olivia anyway, at the height of his career, he’d made more in indorsements per year alone than most other players earned in salaries, bonuses, and endorsements combined.
“Of course, I booked first-class, you bimbo. Well, apart from our minder. He’s in business. It’ll be easier to keep an eye on the bad guys from there, I guess.”
“Well, if he’s as hot as you said he is, he can always bunk up with me. I don’t mind sharing,” Lucy said, in a low, husky voice. “Plus, it’ll give me something to do on the flight…”
“Yeah, he is hot. Sort of. Big, huge muscles, scary-looking…but handsome at the same time. But hands off. He’s there to look after us, not for you two sex offenders to bait him.”
“Awww. Little Alexandra wants him all to herself,” teased Olivia. “That’s okay though. You can have him first. From the sounds of it, there’s plenty of him to go around.”
I could practically hear her winking at Lucy.
“So, are you two all set?” I asked, deciding to change the course of the discussion from what would probably be a recurring subject over the course of the next few days until they either lost interest in him, or one of them managed to get him into bed. And Cruz didn’t strike me as the type to risk his job for the sake of a quickie with a young slut. He’d probably be too busy looking mean and scaring the shit out of people, anyway. “The flight is in two days. We’re flying at seven, so get to my place at four. If you’re late, I’ll get my bodyguard to rough you up. And I don’t mean the good kind either!”
This garnered a burst of laughter. “Okay, we’ll be there,” they chimed in unison once their laughter died down. They were so alike that people quite often mistook them for sisters. They might as well have been, considering the amount of time they spent together. Lucy practically lived at Olivia’s house.
“How about we come over to celebrate? I bet your dad’s got some nice champagne on ice that he won’t miss?”
Before I could respond, Lucy chimed in, “Great idea, Olivia! We’ll be over in an hour.”
“Okay, okay. Come over then. It doesn’t sound like there’s any way I’m gonna talk you out of it. Oh, and I’ve already cracked open the bubbles, so you’d better get over here quick before I finish it all.”
They screamed in mock panic and hung up, and I couldn’t help but smile at their antics. They were a pair of pretentious bitches, but they were good fun and actually quite nice to be around when they weren’t trying to egg each other on or wind someone up.
I lied back and took another sip of champagne.
Yup, I think this trip is gonna be a whole lot of fun, I thought to myself. Then I figured I’d better get ready if my friends were coming over soon.
I stood, pausing to grab my glass before heading towards the shower.
Cruz
I sat in my apartment, deep in thought. I’d managed to prepare everything for the impending trip, but still had nagging doubts gnawing at the back of my mind.
It’s normal. Stop worrying about pointless shit and get on with it, I tried to tell myself.
Thing was, if I had doubts, they were usually about something specific. But this time, I just had a bad feeling I couldn’t place. And I fucking hated bad feelings. They gave me indigestion.
I’d also been watching Alexandra’s house the last few nights, making sure there wasn’t anyone else eyeing the place up for a late-night visit. There were a few things I’d learned I was damn good at when working as a gun for hire. One, I was patient. You had to be when you were waiting for someone paranoid to show themselves or make a mistake. Two, I was quiet and quick for a big guy, and surprisingly good at not being noticed. I seemed to blend into the background, my nonchalant demeanor disarming all but the most intense scrutiny.
Another thing I was good at was noticing things. I’d learned to go into an almost meditative state where I wasn’t distracted by conscious thought and could keep an eye on the telltale signs that painted a much clearer picture of the world compared to the casual or distracted viewer. I had learned to do this while maintaining a blank expression, looking more like an idiot than a threat.
Even so, I hadn’t noticed anything at all unusual around Alexandra’s house. No cars parked suspiciously or driving past more than once. No lone figures walking past the fence or gate. No sign at all of any attempted entry.
Not a fucking peep.
I checked my gear for the trip for the umpteenth time.
My guess was that they knew where she lived, so why would they need to keep an eye on it? They’d probably already worked out she’d booked on a flight by now, and they probably even knew what fucking seat she’d be in and what she’d order for dinner.
I just hoped that the seat booked for Cruz Miller in business-class had passed under the radar. I’d spoken to her dad the day before to discuss a few final details like location and transport. Discussing the risks, basically. We’d agreed it would be good for me to try and avoid suspicion by sitting in business-class. Firstly, if anyone had access to the flight records, first place they’d look was the seats around Alexandra. Secondly, people who could afford first-class wouldn’t be looking to extort money out of their wealthy co-passengers. Finally, I’d be at the front of business and only a quick run from where they’d be sitting.
I was distracted from mindlessly re-checking my gear when my cell phone ringing loudly in my pocket. I guessed it was probably Alexandra since I couldn’t remember anyone else having the new number.
