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After Nico’s phone rings off the third time, I decide to stop calling.
He’s a busy man. He might be my… what? Boyfriend? Whatever. Still, he’s the don of the Chicago Outfit. He doesn’t need a lovesick woman calling him in the middle of… an arms deal? A mob war?
“Be my strength, fiammetta,” I whisper to myself, channeling what I imagine Nico might say.
I’m about to call Cade when a sudden wave of caution makes me pause. Acting purely on impulse, I grab my purse and fish out Nico’s burner phone, and then I dial Cade’s number from it. Thankfully, he answers on the second ring.
“So, remember how you looove doing me favors?” I start off in my sweetest voice as soon as he picks up, prepared to lay it on thick. Cade is a sucker for that shit.
He snorts, then retorts drily, “I remember how you love asking me for impossible favors, Soph.”
“Great,” I smile, then let a hint of urgency bleed into my next words. “Because, see that favor we talked about a few weeks ago? About the woman and child in trouble? Well, it turns out I’m going to need it after all.”
“Really?” The hesitation in his voice tells me there may be a problem.
“Are you not in the neighborhood?” I ask, praying he’s not too far away. For all I know, the guy could be in Siberia right now.
“No, I’m not. I’m in Mexico.”
“Oh, thank fuck! Is this fate or what? You’re exactly where I need you!”
“What do you mean, Soph?”
“You are an absolute lifesaver, Cade.” My sweet, sucking-up tone is back in full force. “Maria is in Mexico right now. So, how do you feel about making a quick trip to Cozumel?”
Silence stretches on the line for what feels like an eternity. “You mean the island off the coast, on the other side of the country?”
“Yep, the very one. Like I said, it’s practically next door to you.”
He lets out a huff, somewhere between disbelief and resignation. “When?”
“Um… right now, actually.” I bite my lip and pray. It’s entirely possible both Maria and I are overreacting, but when it comes to the safety of a four-year-old, I’m not taking any chances.
Cade’s silence stretches out again, and I can almost picture him weighing his options. I have a feeling he’s not in Mexico on a pleasure trip, so this might take a little extra persuasion. Fortunately, I’m very convincing when I want to be.
“What the hell, Sophie,” he grumbles. “I’m bang in the middle of something here. I don’t have time to save damsels in distress.”
“Funny, I thought that was exactly what you did. Look, some unsavory guy has been stalking her for days, and today, he was looking at the kid like he was checking out merchandise, all the while communicating with another party.” I wait a beat before delivering the killing blow. “Cade, she’s four.”
“Fuuuck,” he swears softly. There is a long pause, and then he sighs. “You really know how to corner a guy to get what you want, don’t you, Soph?”
I can’t help chuckling. “It’s a talent.”
He sighs again—it’s purely for dramatic emphasis at this point. I’ve got him, and we both know it. “Text me the address.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
“And Soph,” he snaps as I start to take the phone away from my ear. “You’re going to owe me big time for this. Like fucking concierge service and a five-star breakfast in bed the next time I crash at your place.”
“So, like extra blankets on the couch and a breakfast sandwich from McDonalds?”
“Precisely.”
“Then you’ve got a deal.”
After giving him details of the number to ring me back on, I hang up the burner phone and pick up my cell phone.
“Alright, Maria. I’m sending you a number. Text the motel’s address to it, and then just stay put. My friend, the one I mentioned before, is on his way. He’ll fly you and Victoria back personally and make sure you’re safe with people who’ll protect you until Nico can sort this creep out.”
