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He sounded so scared on the phone earlier. He said he needed to talk to me and Stone, together. That was jarring enough that I didn’t bother to question him. What on earth could my brother have to say to me that he’d also need to tell Stone, the guy hired to intimidate him into paying up.
I force the thought from my mind and head toward the motel room door instead. My stomach growls at me, angrily reminding me that I haven’t eaten since last night. I wonder if there’s a breakfast nook in this place, or at least a vending machine I could buy some chips from. The moment I open the door, though, my question dissolves. Because Stone is climbing out of his truck, a bag full of takeout gripped in one hand. He hands it to me without a word, and we sit on the stoop outside to dig into it. Bacon, egg, and cheese on a biscuit, with a side of my favorite hot sauce.
I’m not sure I want to know how he figured out that’s my usual topping.
We don’t talk. Not until my brother’s car pulls up in the parking lot beside Stone’s. We exchange a sideways glance, then rise to our feet as one, and walk over to greet Ian.
No way am I letting my brother see the inside of the motel room right now. Not after last night. I’m ashamed enough of falling into bed with Stone without all but admitting to my brother how weak I am. Still sleeping with the guy who used me.
In the end, we settle onto a picnic bench a few yards away from the motel, far enough from the parking lot that we can see every car pulling in and out. It’s a secluded area, with the low-hanging tree branches overhead. My brother takes the seat across from us and places his hands flat on the picnic table. For a long, awkward moment, the only sound is of cars whizzing past on the nearby highway and a few birds cooing.
“I just heard from Rich,” Ian finally says, and I can’t help it. Stone and I exchange a nervous glance.
“About Skye?” Stone demands before I can beat him to the punch.
Ian shakes his head. “No. Not exactly,” my brother adds with a pointed look at Stone. “It was about the drop. He doesn’t want to wait anymore. He wants to do it tomorrow. New location, too. He wants to do it in the Revel. Or, the old Revel, I guess. Isn’t it being renovated now?”
“By Rich,” Stone replies with a scowl. “He wants you there so he can be in total control of what happens to you and who witnesses it. Or who doesn’t witness it.”
I clench my hands under the table to try and stop them from trembling. The last thing I want is to picture my brother in the hands of the man Stone works for. Not if he’s as awful as he sounds. Making Stone seduce me, use me, then sending someone else to kidnap me for god knows what. And I wasn’t even involved in taking his money.
“What did you tell him?” Stone demands, and I force myself to stop thinking of all the ways this could go wrong and pay attention to what they’re saying.
“That I can’t do it.” Ian sets his jaw hard. “And he said it wasn’t a request. That I’ll be there with the money tomorrow at six sharp, or I’ll never see my sister again.” He finally meets my gaze for the first time since he showed up at the motel. “I’m assuming he thinks Stone’s already kidnapped you,” he says, keeping his voice carefully even.
Yet I hear the question in it.
Are you okay? Are you safe here?
“Let him keep thinking he has,” Stone replies, and I nod, just a little, just enough for Ian to see and understand.
“There’s no way you could swing a drop tomorrow?” Stone prompts, and Ian tears his eyes from mine.
“I can try. It was all set for Monday, but I can try.” He digs his nails into the picnic table, so hard that it has to hurt.
“Ian,” I interrupt. “What was set?”
He winces. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone.”
“I’d say the two of us are pretty knee-deep in this shit with you, so you might as well come clean,” I mutter.
He nods, slowly. And then his next words nearly knock me off the picnic bench. “I’m working with the FBI.”
I gape at my older brother.
For his part, Stone doesn’t look flustered. His eyebrows rise, and his dark expression clears a little, but other than that, he seems to take the news well.
Better than me.
“What the hell, Ian?” My voice practically cracks on his name. “For how long? Why? When?”
“I’m sorry, Skye. I wanted to tell you.” Ian reaches for my shoulder, but seems to think better of it halfway there and raps his knuckles on the table instead. “But I couldn’t get you involved. You don’t know Rich. The things he’s done in the past. This guy ruins lives.” His gaze darts toward Stone at this line. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Stone shaking his head, hard. Like he’s asking my brother not to say something.
What the fuck now? More secrets and lies?
But Ian keeps talking, and I forget all about that. “He went after a few of the guys I went to rehab with.” He scrubs his hands over his face and makes a pained expression. “That’s why I was approached. I have the past—Rich would believe that I’d fallen off the wagon again. All I was supposed to do was borrow a lump sum of money from him, turn it over to the Feds, and then, when I was supposed to give it back plus interest, they were going to stick a wire on me. Catch him red-handed threatening me and blackmailing me for the money, or however far he would go.”
“So you need to do the drop to get him arrested,” I say.
