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How could I be in the same room without wanting her? I wanted to wake her up and remind her how hungry my kisses could be, show her the heat of my lips and the talents of my tongue.
I might have done it, too, if I wasn’t distracted first.
My phone was on the nightstand, plugged into the charger. Felicity must have taken it from my discarded clothes and started to charge it for me. When I approached our bed, its screen lit up.
Dennis Kerry was calling.
“Miller. I need you,” he said the second I answered.
“I’m flattered, Denny, but I’m afraid I’m already spoken for.” I kept my voice low, glancing at Felicity as I spoke. She still hadn’t stirred.
“Ha. Glad to see you’ve got your sense of humor back. Sounds like some time at home has done you good.” He grunted in approval. “Anyway. My guys have spotted Melony Houghton in Vegas, coming to and from Mama Striga’s place. Looks like she’s still there.”
“And Ryder?” My tired eyes popped wide open. Suddenly, I was on alert.
“No sightings yet. Sorry. But considering that no one’s spotted Quincy lately, and Samuel Morrow is almost certainly holed up with his crackpot doctor at one of the old East Coast packs’ estates, Melony’s our best lead right now. I want to follow it.”
“Do it,” I said. “Whatever you need to. I trust you.”
“Well, see…” Denny cleared his throat. “There’s a hiccup. She’s proving pretty evasive. I reckon if Sarah didn’t outright tell her we tracked her down and rescued Rylan, she’s figured it out for herself. We’re having a hard time keeping on her trail.”
“Shit.” It was an annoyance, but presumably Denny hadn’t called just to bitch. “What can I do?”
“Ah, well… Remember how you were so keen on coming out to Vegas?”
I did, but there was something in his tone that suggested whatever he wanted me to do out there wouldn’t be anything I liked.
Chapter16
Felicity
Most men would have jumped at the chance to enact the plan Denny had suggested.
But for better or worse, Xander Miller wasn’t most men.
He paced the bedroom, rocking Rylan in his arms. It was clear which one of them actually needed the soothing. Rylan was perfectly quiet, but Xander looked like he wanted to crawl out of his skin.
Denny’s call had come in while I was sleeping. Generously, despite his reservations, Xander had allowed me my full eight hours. Meanwhile, he’d been up all night.
“It’s a good plan,” I said again, unfolding one of Xander’s T-shirts and smoothing it out on the bed. I refolded it, hot dog style, and rolled it up so it wouldn’t wrinkle in his suitcase. “It won’t be that bad.”
“It will,” Xander insisted. “That woman, Cheeks… The mere thought of her makes my stomach turn. She’s done everything she can to pull our lives apart at the seams—and she’s goddamn obsessed with me!”
“That’s to our advantage, isn’t it?” I pointed out, reaching for another shirt.
“She’s delusional—”
“We wouldn’t be in this mess if she was sane.”
“She stole our children.” His voice rose to a shout, as if I wasn’t hearing him properly.
As if I could have forgotten any of Melony Houghton’s many sins.
I set the shirts aside and rose. We still had a few more hours before Xander needed to catch his flight to Vegas. Right now, he was in no state to even pack his own suitcase, let alone get on a plane.
I moved to him, placing a hand on his chest. In his arms, Rylan was fast asleep yet again.
“I know how hard this will be for you,” I said gently. “But it’s the best chance we have to find Ryder. This will help bring him back.”
