Page 31 of Play With Me

“Hey, Lola. Do you know which clinic Kate’s mother’s in?” Cameron asked.

“New Hope in North Carolina. She’s under the alias Jo Winters.”

“Thanks.”

Lola leaned into me, and for a moment I thought she was over her fear of flying.

“There’s no way they’ve got Anna. They couldn’t have known where she is.”

The thing with the mafia was that nothing was impossible. Moments later Cameron turned around, saying, “They’ve got Kate’s mother as well.”

I lowered my head. We were battling a cartel. They had handguns, machine guns, grenades, and fucking automatic shotguns, and here we were, walking blind into a fight with weapons that’d be emptied way too soon.

“Shit. I really fucked up on this one.” Lola slouched in her chair. “I was going to check on her, but then Kate disappeared—”

Her forehead creased. She appeared broken. I would have preferred sad because I wasn’t sure if I could actually handle this. I was still mad at her, but with those trembling lips, she was making it difficult to remain angry. I didn’t want my heart to be making more space in my chest – space that was quickly being filled by Lola.

“Hey, we’ll get them back. I promise. If there is anything I know about you it’s that you don’t give up that easily. We’ll get them back. I’m sure of it.”

The tension in her shoulders eased. I didn’t want her upset. I wanted her to look at me the same way she had before, but I’d used some pretty strong words with her.

Damn it!

“Fucking idiot. You need to warm them up first,” Lola barked, as the pilot gave more fuel to the engines.

“What?”

“The engines are still cold. He should give them more time. Where did you find this pilot? Did you do a background check? Why is the plane shaking so much?”

“Why would I need a background check?” I teased.

“Stop fucking around, Brook. This is serious.”

“So is the mile-high club.”

“It figures you’re thinking about your dick when you’re about to die. Did you know most accidents occur on takeoff and landing?”

“Actually, I’m thinking about your pussy.” Though I was pleased how quickly we turned the conversation, I was somewhat worried about the green shade on Lola’s face. “And if you’re seriously worried, then you must know that our pilot can be trusted. He’s one of the best.”

“Maybe I should ask him a few questions.” She fumbled with the buckle, trying to open it just as the pilot let go of the brakes. We were pushed back into our seats, and Lola’s hands flew back to the side rests. She gripped them with all her might.

“Lola, you’re fine. We’ll be fine.”

Her attention shifted to the brown bag stashed at the side of her seat. She wouldn’t throw up, would she?

The plane lifted into the air at a steep angle and my brother turned my way, asking, “How do you suggest we approach this?”

Was he seriously interrupting us now?

“I don’t think they know we’re coming, so we have the upper hand there,” Lola said from the side, suddenly all well again.

“We need an element of surprise. We’ll ambush them. We’ll be exactly where they want to end up.” Cameron frowned, and a bead of sweat rolled from underneath his hairline.

“Wait – you know where the money is?” I asked. “The fifty million?”

If we found that, maybe we could cut a deal with Cortez. As soon as the thought passed through my mind, I realized that making any kind of deal with Cortez was out of the question. He couldn’t be trusted. My only priorities on this trip were Lola and my brother. After his girl was safe, it would be time to return to the other important woman in my life.

“I’m going on a hunch, but right now I’m going to trust it. I also don’t have anything else, other than to search the whole town. If we do that, they’re dead.”

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