Page 36 of Drawn Blue Lines

“Ooooof.”

“Hold on a minute, boss.”

I froze, my hands planted against the stucco wall and glass rattling under my knees as the sound of his footsteps moved toward me. Shit. Adding eavesdropping on top of all my other infringements wouldn’t bode well in winning over a king.

Thankfully, at that same moment, all hell broke loose in the kitchen. Glass shattered, men shouted, and multiple mothers were insulted. I held my breath as Brody stood right outside the door. One more step and I’d be up close and personal with a part of him I’d already seen way too much of. Thankfully, he grumbled and kicked the door shut.

Exhaling hard, I dislodged my foot and tip-toed toward his door until I could press against it. With the war going on in the kitchen, it made it almost impossible to hear, but I didn’t give up so easily.

As gently as possible, I gripped the doorknob and gave it a slight twist. With minimal effort, the door pushed open no more than a fourth of an inch.

Just enough to hear the end of an important conversation.

“I know it’s not a good time, but let’s be honest, is there ever a good time to meet one’s dead sister?”

Balling my fist, I gritted my teeth.

“Of course, you’re right. Look, I know Eden’s worried, and you both have a lot going on with the party, but I wouldn’t bring her if I didn’t think this threat was real. It’s not the first I’ve heard of Muñoz reconstruction and infiltration.” I caught a quick glimpse of him as he paced across the office. “No, I’m not hiding anything from you, Val. I’m not a damn moron. I just didn’t want to come to you until I had full recon and intel. Adriana has the name of the man leading the charge. It’s foolish not to hear her out.”

For a moment, I almost believed the shit he was shoveling. Then I remembered he was so desperate to hide his Chicago dealings and indiscretions, he’d sell his sick grandmother beachfront property in Colorado if it meant saving his own ass.

Hypothetically speaking, provided he had any family left.

Which he did not.

“Yet again, she won’t tell me.” I cocked an eyebrow at his tone. It bordered on mocking, a dangerous line to walk for a man in his position. I suppose he knew it too because he returned to his chair and slumped down. “I ripped the floor out from underneath her, Val. She wouldn’t trust me with her drink order, much less valuable information.”

That’s true.

“No, she won’t be here for at least another forty-five minutes.”

I laughed to myself. That’s what he thought.

After a long stretch of silence, Brody let out a relieved sigh. “Perfect. I’ll have the pilot on standby.”

Pilot?

Clamping a hand over my mouth, I crept over to where I’d dropped my bag. Collecting my belongings, I quickly slipped inside the ladies’ room before being discovered. Once inside, I leaned against the tiled wall, the bag falling from my shoulder again. This time, I didn’t care. All I could do was stare at my reflection in the blurry mirror, the reality of what I’d heard finally sinking in.

This was it. There was no turning back now.

We’re going to Mexico.

Chapter Eleven

Brody

My patience was running low.

Bouncing my knees up and down, I watched. Tapping my fingers against my chin, I waited. Finally, seconds after the plane leveled out, the pilot’s voice crackled over the onboard PA system.

“We’ve reached our cruising altitude, Mr. Harcourt. You’re free to move about the cabin.”

Thank God.

I didn’t waste another minute. Unbuckling my seat belt, I pressed a hidden button on the inside of the arm rest, causing the back to recline and a footrest to pop out. The groan that followed bordered on obscene. Whether out of embarrassment or courtesy, I tilted my chin to the left and offered an unenthusiastic apology. “Don’t worry. Everything’s still tucked in and zipped.”

Silence.

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