Page 23 of Little Bird (Advantage Play 3)

“I’ve missed you too, Little Bird.” I squeeze her a little tighter before remembering how tiny she is. How breakable. Loosening my hold, I mutter, “We need to talk.”

Sensing the urgency in my voice, she pulls away and looks up at me. “What’s wrong?”

“We can’t let you go to that tournament.”

“Yeah, I know—”

“No,” I interrupt. “You don’t understand. We need to get you out of here as soon as possible, and we need to warn your brother that if he goes, he’ll be walking into a trap.”

Her mouth opens in shock, her eyes wide. I watch as her lips form a small ‘o’ before releasing a slow breath. “Okay…how do we warn him?”

“I need you to write him a letter.” I reach into my back pocket and pull out a pen and paper. “I need you to explain that if he shows up at that tournament, then he won’t walk out of it. I need you to tell him that I’m on your side. That I fell for you. That I’m going to do everything I can to save you. I need you to tell him to trust me. Do you think you can do that?”

Her eyes bounce around my face, soaking up every word like a sponge before she asks, “Is that true?”

“Is what true?”

“That you fell for me?”

Shit. I’d been so focused on her safety, I hadn’t even realized my feelings for her had slipped out in the process.

Swallowing thickly, I bring her back into my chest and hold on for dear life. “I can’t let you go to that tournament.”

She burrows into my chest, trembling slightly as she whispers, “What if you can’t stop it?”

“Then I’ll die trying.”

“Don’t even say that. I’m not kidding, Dex.” Her tone is sharp, her back turning rigid. She’s pissed at me for even bringing up the possibility that I might not make it out of this. The irony isn’t lost on me. She’s fine sacrificing herself for me or her brother, but when it’s the other way around, it’s unacceptable to her.

She’s a brave little shit. I’ll give her that.

“Look.” I rub her back, trying to soothe her in the only way I know how. “It’s not like I want to die. I’m just saying that you going to the tournament isn’t an option. We’re going to figure this out, okay?”

“But…how?”

A blaring I have no fucking idea flashes through my mind before I shove it away and focus on the issue at hand. Swallowing, I present the first step. “First, we need to get your brother this letter. I need an ally right now, and I think he’s our only shot.”

“Then we’re screwed,” she admits with a dry laugh. “Kingston will kill you before you get within ten feet of him or any of his men. How are you going to deliver the letter?”

“I have an idea.”

With pursed lips, a doubting Regina folds her arms. “Which is?”

“Don’t worry about it. All I need you to do is write the letter and hold on while I’m gone for an hour or two.”

“Where are you going?” She reaches for the pen and paper before sitting on the floor to use the slab of cement as her own personal table while waiting for my response.

“Out,” I offer. “I have an idea of how to reach my brother––alone––and I think he’s the only one who will give me a chance without shooting me between the eyes. That is if he even knows I’m his brother.”

Brother. It’s such a foreign concept for a guy like me. Sure, we’re blood. But we’re also enemies in every other sense of the term. Will it be enough to save Regina? I have no fucking clue.

Regina doesn’t answer right away. She’s busy concentrating on her letter, and I watch in fascination as she writes every word in swirling cursive across the paper. Even her handwriting is dainty and feminine. It’s a stark reminder of how different we are and only makes me want to protect her more.

When she finishes, she pops the cap back onto the pen and folds the paper into a perfect little square before offering both to me.

“Here you go. And I don’t remember D ever talking about a long-lost brother. But I do remember my brother making an off-handed comment once or twice about D’s dad being an ass for sending someone away instead of bringing him into the fold. After hearing your history, it was easy to piece the information together. Plus, if D sees you up close, I don’t think it’ll be too far of a reach for him to figure it out, too.”

I cock my head. “Do we look that alike?”

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