Page 44 of Murder & Mayhem
I tried not to be disappointed. I mean, how could I expect him to want to play even casually after all this? Just becausehe’d had one moment of weakness with me, didn’t mean he wanted to pursue more.
“Sounds good, beautiful.”
Jamie fell quiet after that, lost in his thoughts. I let him be, and eventually, I looked over and he was asleep.
CHAPTER 16
JAMESON
My eyes fluttered open to the soft sound of voices. I stretched my legs, surprised to realize I had the room to extend them all the way out and the confines of the car didn’t trap them. Where was I?
I didn’t remember arriving or getting out of the car, but somehow I’d ended up asleep on one of those super comfy cuddle couches I always saw on TikTok. I never thought I’d have a chance to try one out myself, but they lived up to the hype.
I knew I should get up. I had no idea how long I’d been asleep or what had happened in the meantime, and the anxiety of not knowing exactly what was going on was starting to build to the point where it wouldn’t be bearable much longer. But there was still enough haziness from a nightmare-less sleep that I allowed myself to drift in that luxury for a few minutes. If I didn’t move, then none of the stuff happening was real yet. Or something like that.
Someone had taken off my shoes and covered me with anincredibly soft blanket that was a pretty blue color. I brought it to my nose and sniffed. It smelled nice, like fabric softener, but nothing like Dominic’s sheets. It made sense since I doubted he spent much time here, but I still liked the scent of his sheets better.
I was in a spacious living room area. From what I could see, the house was yet another place fancier than anywhere I’d ever lived. I had so many questions. Was this theirs? How could they afford all this?
“Great, so worst-case scenario, we’re gonna need backup, A. I’m willing to admit when I’m in over my head.” Dominic’s voice filtered in, sounding stressed and a little annoyed. The reaction my body had to it was . . . strange. Getting that confirmation that I was at the shore house and safe with Dominic was an immediate comfort. Dominic was close. He hadn’t abandoned me. Then his words started to filter in. Something was wrong.
“I’m three steps ahead of you. Luca’s got two of his guys scouting out the place now. You’re not doing this alone. If you want my opinion, which I doubt you do, I think you shouldn’t handle it at all. Since you both ignore all my good advice, I’m not holding my breath you’ll listen though,” Ari chimed in. There was something tinny about his voice, like maybe he was on speaker phone.
“Personally, I think you’re underestimating us, but whatever.” That was Gideon, and it sounded like he was chewing something.
“Yes,” Ari snapped, sarcasm so heavily lacing the word, even I could hear it all the way from another room. “The two of you can infiltrate a fully secure shipping dock funded by an international trafficking ring and rescue not one kid like we thought, but at least eight. And that’s what we’ve confirmed. Totally underestimating your abilities. You’re not black ops,Gid. You’re a middle school teacher who occasionally kills a deadbeat as a side hustle.”
The full implication of Ari’s words finally hit me, and I jumped to my feet, the blanket falling in a crumbled ball onto the floor. I followed the sound of their voices into an airy, open kitchen. Gideon and Dominic were sitting on barstools around a large island. There was a phone in between them, probably where Ari’s voice was coming from. I staggered to a stop in the entranceway, torn between needing more information and feeling like an intruder.
Dominic glanced up. He didn’t seem surprised to see me.
“Hey, Jamie. How’re you feeling?”
I waved the question away. “Go back to the part where you think Bailey’s being held by a trafficking operation, and that he’s not the only one.”
Gideon snorted. “You have your hands full with this one, Nicky. I like him.” He had changed from earlier, wearing black Under Armour workout pants and a long-sleeved black shirt that was straining around his biceps and chest.
“Now that Jamie’s up, how about we fill him in on what we know and what the plan is?” Ari interrupted, all business.
Dominic pressed his hand lightly on the small of my back. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?” he whispered, completely ignoring Ari and my previous question. I wanted to be annoyed, but I remembered his earlier comments about being a caretaker, and it eased some of that initial irritation. “Gid’s gonna pick up some pizza and wings later, but there are some snacks here if you need something to hold you over.”
I shook my head. My stomach was too hollowed out to even think about food without getting queasy. “No, thank you,” I said back quietly. “I’m not hungry.”
Dominic seemed unhappy with that but thankfully let it go and guided me to one of the barstools.
“So, what the fuck is happening?” I asked once I was settled between the two brothers.
Dominic rubbed his face with his hands, looking stressed. “Remember how we were talking about Slash’s connections to a trafficking ring and how we hoped that O’Malley hadn’t sold Bailey to her? Well, Ari got confirmation. We believe Bailey and at least eight other kids, but possibly more, are being held in shipping containers on one of the loading bays at the docks. I told you about Ari’s contact, Luca?” I nodded, trying my best not to freak out and compartmentalize all the information that was being thrown out to me.
“Skye and Brooks, two of his partners, are currently scouting the location.”
I swallowed, my throat bone dry. “T-too many people are helping. I can never pay you back. And don’t even say you don’t need me to,” I snapped at Dominic before he could.
“Actually,” Ari interrupted, “as far as Luca’s crew, we kind of did them a favor. They were recently dealing with a job that ended up being much larger than they expected, and they adopted a teenager who had become a victim as a result. Well, turns out, this group is connected to the people who held their kid. They are more than happy to get involved now.”
I hugged myself while processing. It was becoming too much, but I tried to focus on one thing at a time, think about the positives before I got too overwhelmed, where the only thing that would shut off my brain was pain.
“And these guys, Luca or whatever? They know what they’re doing? My brother will be safe?”
