JOSEPH
I don’t care what anyone says—if I see this motherfucker, he’s going down. What kind of ball-less, shitty-ass douchebag would kidnap their kid like that? If only we had tracked him down before he bounced out of here, then we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Michael’s driving me crazy with all his pacing back and forth. It’s making my back hurt, and I’m not even the one doing it. All I can do is hold Lana, begging her to get some sleep. She refuses, of course, her eyes wide open and alert.
The light coming in through the windows dims until we’re bathed in moonlight, by the time my phone rings. I pull it out, staring at it as though it’s alive before I answer it. “Yeah?”
“Mr. Wright, it’s Mr. Gorman. I’ve got an update for you,” the PI says, his voice low. Wherever he is, it’s loud as hell, voices shouting, music going.
I sit upright, letting my arm fall from around Lana’s shoulders. “Tell me.”
“I had to grease a lot of hands, I’ll warn you.”
“I don’t give a fuck where the money goes, as long as we bring her back. What did you find out?”
Mr. Gorman mutters something to someone else before answering. “Javier Escobar. Son of Julio Escobar, noted Escobar family drug cartel. Javier works for his father mainly, basically the middle man on their deals. Keeps the peace between them and the other cartels. My sources tell me that he booked a private flight to Venezuela for two passengers. The plane landed at approximately 1:00, where both passengers immediately got on a commercial flight to Colombia. The plane tickets are for a John and an Amber, both of these people matching the descriptions of Javier and Olivia. We believe Javier is trying to mask where he’s going, hence the hoops he’s jumping through. A passport for a young Amber Escobar was produced in Colombia only hours ago. I’m sending you the picture of it, now.”
The phone buzzes, and on the screen, I see an attachment of a face. It’s Olivia, for sure. “Yeah, that’s her.”
Beside me, Lana sucks in a breath, leaning against Michael as he takes a seat.
“It sounds like he was already on the plane with her before anyone even knew she was missing. The bastard must have had this all planned out,” I mutter, pure rage boiling underneath my skin.
“It appears to be the case, sir. I will, of course, let you know if anything else is found,” Mr. Gorman replies.
I nod. “Thank you. Please keep in touch.” Slipping the phone back into my pocket, I run my hand over my face. “Javier has her, all right. And you were right, Lana, he took her down to Colombia. Apparently, he took a private flight to Venezuela for some reason, before getting a commercial flight to Colombia for him and Olivia, under aliases. He even had a fake Colombian passport made up for her,” I tell them.
Michael’s nostrils flare. I can see the anger that I feel reflected in his eyes. “You call Riggs and have him fuel up the jet. It shouldn’t take more than an hour. We’ll be ready to go by then. I’m going to call up Paolo and let him know we’re coming down his way tonight. He’ll help us out, I’m willing to bet.”
--
I lean back on the bench seat, running my fingers through Lana’s curls, not even the slightest surprised at the soft, deep breathing coming from her nose as her chest slowly rises and falls. Poor thing is utterly fucking exhausted and stressed out of her goddamn mind. I know I am, and Olivia isn’t even my kid. Michael’s rubbing her feet, hunched over them as if making her feel better is the only thing keeping him going. Maybe it is.
It’s quiet here, with only the sounds of her breathing, the rain pounding away at the outside of our jet. If I wasn’t about to jump out of my skin, ready to launch myself at Javier the moment I see him, maybe I could get some sleep too. I hate seeing the way the lines crease on her forehead as if she’s still thinking about everything, even in her sleep. We’ll get Olivia back—I’m not about to think of any other alternative.
“You know… I don’t care what you say,” I begin, talking quietly enough to not wake her, but loud enough for my brother to hear me. “I don’t care what your plan might be, because the moment we get back with Olivia and Lana safe, I’m never letting her go again. No way, no how.”
Instead of fighting me on the issue like I expect him to, Michael just nods, looking somewhat resigned. “I have to agree with you. I don’t see how we can let go of her, either.” He looks down at Lana. “I just wonder what she’ll think about that.”
And I get it, I mean, I wouldn’t want to force myself on anyone in any kind of way, much less her, but no matter what comes from this, I will be making sure she’s completely taken care of from here on in. “We’ll just have to make it clear how we feel about her. Let her know that we don’t want some fling with her—that this means way more to us than that. Right? Tell me I’m not the only one thinking like this.”
He nods again. “Lana was never just some fling. I think we both care way too much for it to be something like that,” he says softly.
I’m glad to know it’s not just my imagination. It’s a weird situation to be in, no doubt, but oddly enough it feels right. Like this is exactly how it’s supposed to be between the three of us. Inhaling the scent of her curls, I’m completely awake, with no sleep in sight.
It looks like it’s going to be a long night for us.