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He shakes his head. “No, in Chicago, not far from you, Angel,” Jay says.
I try hard to hide my smile, but I’m pretty sure that I don’t succeed. Jay has obviously looked up where I live. “Why were you in LA at Brian’s?” I ask.
“I work for Chase Prestian and was with him and his wife who were visiting before their trip to Italy, but I’m heading back to Chicago today, too. Unfortunately, I need to take a different flight so I can be with the rest of my team,” Jay says.
We finish our breakfast, and he guides me downstairs with his hand around my waist. Three of his security men are sitting at the table, and Celia is in the kitchen. The men are all trying to hide grins, and I feel a slow but hot burning embarrassment start to seep through my body, realizing what they must think.
They probably think I’m some wild tramp that can’t keep her legs shut after being with one guy that left me, moving on to another who literally whipped me, and then on to Jay, all in one night. I swallow, trying to calm myself, but the anxiety rises as I consider how they must see me and the circumstances that played out last night. I can’t really blame them and try to take a deep breath, but suddenly everything clicks into place, and I am filled with mortification. This is why he didn’t bring me to breakfast downstairs and will be sending me to Chicago alone.
I dare a glance upward. Every single one of Jay’s men is still smiling, looking at Jay, and now he’s got a smirk on his face, too. I choke back a sob as I swallow hard past a lump in my throat, and all of a sudden I just need to get the hell out of here, far away from those grinning faces and to a place where I can be alone with my shame.
I walk past them swiftly and continue through the great room to the elevator beyond, allowing the door to close behind me even as I hear Jay calling my name. I step out in the lobby and have made it to the entrance. I open it, hearing him call me, but keep moving, rushing through the exit as the glass door closes behind me. The yellow cab turning the corner is just in time, and with a flip of my wrist the driver brakes, allowing me to slide into the back seat. “Go fast, please, I’m late for the airport,” I say, slowly trying to catch my breath as he begins weaving in and out of the LA traffic before I’ve even finished my sentence.
I hear the beep of my phone alerting me to an incoming message and look down.
Where do you think you’re going?
Away, I’ll find a flight. I need to go home.
If you recall that’s where I was taking you. Go to the airport. One of my team is right behind you. The Prestian jet has to return to Chicago, you’ll be on board.
Okay, I will.
We’ll talk when I get done with this job.
I don’t answer, but I do need to get to Chicago and figure out what’s going on with my sister, and the quickest way to get me there is on that plane. I give the driver instructions, and he pulls onto the private tarmac where the Prestian Corp jet sits. There is also a Carrington Steel Gulfstream parked adjacent to it, and I realize that must be the one Jay and his team are taking back to Chicago. I have barely gotten out of the cab and paid the driver when I feel a hand on my elbow.
“Sasha, I’m Cole, come with me. We’ll get you back to Chicago as quickly as possible,” he says.
“Excellent, thank you,” I say to the big muscle-bound guy that looks more like a football player than a security guard.
“No problem,” Cole says, leading me up the ramp where he talks for a moment with the crew before showing me to the main cabin. “Make yourself at home. There’s Wi-Fi overhead, and you can dial out normally. There’s a satellite transmitter that will route your calls. I’ll be in the next cabin, behind the flight crew. If you need anything, just hit that button,” Cole says, pointing to the remote sitting on the small table in front of the leather sectional.
“I’ll do that, and thanks again,” I say, welcoming a little time to myself to unwind in the comfort of the luxurious cabin, slipping off my shoes and curling my feet beneath me.
My sister was supposed to be out having fun with her friends on a four-day layover after week upon week with no break as an airline attendant. She had made plans to celebrate and soak in the city with her friends, but I’ve received no word from her.
I try to relax as the plane takes off and read for a bit before dozing. When I wake, it’s a couple hours later, and with the time change it will already be afternoon in Chicago. I send my sister another message, and this time I see the movement that means she’s typing a response. I hold my breath waiting, but she just keeps typing and typing. “What is she writing, a dammit book?” I fume, but I’m still filled with relief that Marenah is okay.
I am about to text and lecture her about not taking her phone with her, not charging it or whatever the hell happened when her message finally comes through.
What the hell! I reread the message for the second time, hitting the button that will connect me with Liza, her best friend in the world, who apparently has my sister’s phone.
Liza picks up in one ring. “Sasha, I’m so sorry that I didn’t catch your earlier calls. I can’t go into all of the details right now, but we were at one of your father’s joints. Marenah went into the bathroom, and when she came out she was pretty shaken up. She took out a piece of paper, wrote down instructions, and slid it over to me. It said, ‘saw a man dragged downstairs. They saw me. I have to stay, get the hell out of here right now. Call my sis if you don’t hear from me by a.m.’ She sees the bouncers coming toward us and slides her phone into my lap, gesturing toward the door with her eyes. I waited for her to call all night and went over to her apartment and she’s not there,” Liza says, sobbing on the other end of the phone.
“What the hell were you guys doing there?”
“You know your sister. She didn’t tell me anything, but they were accusing her of bringing drugs into their bar when I left.”
My chest tightens with panic. This Matt could be the same guy. One of Jay’s security men, one he wasn’t willing to trade me for after somehow learning of my relationship to Frederik Bernatelli, head of the Chicago Family.
I don’t want to talk to Jay after what happened last night, but I need to tell someone in case that man being held is Matt and my sister is with him. Jay and I both wanted what happened this morning, but I don’t want him to feel indebted to me in any way, and hit Brian’s cell phone instead of calling him.
He answers on the second ring, and I hear the hesitancy in his voice. It doesn’t sound like he thinks it was a good idea to pick up the call. I guess it’s deserved after all the trouble I’ve caused, and it fuels my resolve to turn over a new leaf, and it’s starting right now.
I inhale deeply.
“Brian, I know you asked me not to call you anymore, but I wanted to thank you for what you and your lady friend did for me last night,” I say.
