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“What is it?” her dad asked as Sersha put the phone in her purse again.
“I’ll tell you later.” Sersha forced on a smile that was clearly not genuine. “Are you going to help us with Ludlow or are we on our own?”
Her father sighed. “I’ll make some calls.” His eyes cut to her. “But I’m going with you. Me and your brother.”
Which was a better option than her dad excluding her. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Want me there?” Sersha asked.
“No,” her dad said. “We’ll go in and if you don’t hear from us, activate the clover plan.”
Sersha’s next smile was a little more honest. “Oh, yeah, I’ll do that, old man.”
“All the shit I’ve done for you…?”
“Duck and cover?” Sersha asked.
“Duck and cover,” Strat agreed and dragged in a breath. “Okay, Ludlow, this will be fun.”
Sarcasm from her deadpan father was better than fists flying. Heading into a meeting with a thug while their family ties were strained may not be smart. But she had to find out, had to know if the women were still alive. In all of this, she had to save someone. A single life would be better than none.
Had everything, her endeavors to be good and righteous, been for naught?
FORTY-TWO
AFTER SOME PACING and hand wringing, Ford gave her a ride back to Jagg’s. Her agitation was agitating everyone else. Anxiety and adrenaline flooded through her. She just couldn’t relax. Something felt off. Wrong. Dangerous.
Before Ford had turned off the engine, she jumped out of the car to rush inside.
Jagg was in the spray booth, talking to someone else about the vehicle there. With no paint or safety equipment in sight, she went right in to link their fingers, interrupting him.
“You got a minute?”
After a nod at the other guy, he led her through the breakroom into his bedroom, enclosing them in privacy.
“You okay?”
“Dad’s reaching out to… whoever. He’s going to get me a meet with Ludlow.”
“But he’ll be there? I won’t let you go alone to—”
“He’ll be there. Ford too.”
“Then we know you’ll be safe.” Scooping her closer, he pressed his lips to her hair. “I’m meeting Silvio later.”
“What?” Pulling away, she frowned up at him. “Why? No. I don’t trust him. It’s not safe.”
“We thought the Carlyle was safe and it went up in smoke. Silvio could have me wiped off the board any time. Arranging a meet doesn’t change that.”
“You have to take Ford.”
He didn’t fight. “Okay. Busy day for him.”
“Is it bad that I’m dragging him into this? I dragged all of you into it. I’m sorry.”
“We came willingly.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “This was my choice.”
Not her father’s choice and he was in it too. “If Ford got hurt, if you or my dad—”
