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The guest quarters were neat and modern, with a simple efficiency kitchen and small bathroom. Nothing fancy except for the security.
I hoped the cell they put Tony in wasn’t anything like this.
“Did you bring any of his toys?” I turned, looking at the row of bags arranged near the wall.
“Yes. I’ll find the tennis balls if you tell me how you managed to make Derek Sawyer fall in love with you.”
I sputtered and plopped onto the edge of the bed. Love. Fuck, there was that word again. It was dangerous and tempting. I wasn’t going to get my hopes up until I was free and clear of Uncle Jimmy.
“Honestly, it’s a long story, and I’m not sure where to start or how it’s going to end.”
“Love will always find a way.”
With a dramatic sigh, I collapsed into the pillows on the very comfortable bed. I hoped Quinn was right.
Chapter 41
Derek
TheprivateplaneJohnhad arranged for absolutely came from one of his CIA contacts. It waited for us on the edge of the Miami International Airport, far from the terminal or hangars used by commercial airlines. The hard-eyed ground crew didn’t bat an eye at the arsenal of weapons we loaded on board just before dawn.
Lee was holding up well, hiding her nerves behind the mask of cold sophistication she wore so well. Having Onyx helped, and I hoped my presence did, too. She was a brave woman to reroute her life at forty. I wasn’t sure I would have been courageous enough to do it. I’d been a soldier all my adult life. If I had to start over, I wouldn’t know how.
For the last two nights, she’d slept in my arms, curled around me, holding on to me for dear life. Awake, she put on a brave front, but I knew she was feeling the stress. Sex hadn’t been on either of our minds, with my coworkers coming and going on the other side of the wall and the preparations for the New Jersey trip filling all available time. But having her in my arms had been enough to keep me sane.
Steel and I muscled the last black plastic Pelican case of weapons into the luggage hold. I didn’t think we’d need half this shit, but I was coming prepared—over-prepared. It was my way of dealing with a situation out of my control.
Lee and John Smith were making their way into the plane from the car Sydney had driven us over in. Onyx trailed behind his mistress across the pavement, his black coat blending into the near darkness, so all I saw was his pink tongue.
“Did you bring a rocket launcher?” Steel asked as he sealed the plane’s cargo door.
“If I could have put hands on one, I would have.”
“I hear you. It’s never good to be outgunned in someone else’s town.” He shrugged.
“Exactly.” I watched John lead Lee up the gangway and into the plane.
“If things go according to plan, we’re not using any of this hardware, right?” Steel twisted his lower back this way and that, a grimace on his face. Getting old sucked. He and I were both on the downward slide toward fifty.
“Correct. We’re the henchmen that make John look like a serious player.”
“I think we look the part. And we have all the right toys.” Steel patted a 9mm strapped to his side.
Steel, Noah, Damon, and I all wore the black cargo pants and tactical shirts favored by private mercenaries. And when we landed, we’d arm ourselves to the teeth with every weapon we could carry. A silent show of force. We were going into the beast’s lair.
Steel and I hustled up the jetway, the last to board. The plane was a utilitarian private jet. Not the sumptuous things that billionaires flew, but still nicer than any general aviation plane in the sky. I took the empty seat next to Lee. Her brittle smile didn’t fool me—she was anxious.
“How are you holding up?”
“Nervous. This is going to be the longest flight ever.” She took my hand and squeezed it. “In case anything happens or I forget, I want to tell you thank you. Again.”
“Lee, you don’t have to keep thanking me.”
The plane was taxiing down the runway, picking up speed.
“Yes, I do. The last two days have been surreal. Last year, on my birthday, I told myself I would ask Jimmy to let me retire. And I thought I was doing everything I could to make that happen. I wasn’t. I was so stuck in my world, my box, it never occurred to me to go outside and ask for help from others. I spent my adult life pushing people away.”
“You would have gotten out.”
