He chuckled. “Not a thing except that you’re a Mason. That means right out of the gate, that baby will have powers you’re probably not ready for.”
It was my turn to laugh. “Hopefully, the little guy will take after me.”
We both chuckled just as Layla’s scent announced her before she rounded the corner of the house and stiffened.
Layla sized up George as though he was a threat. “Who are you?”
I grinned at how she was ready to go into battle, her electric-blue eyes narrowing, her fists ready to swing.
George, ever the gentleman, smiled warmly. “I’m George. I live here mostly year-round and take care of the house for Webb and Jo. You must be Layla.”
She lowered her shoulders, unclenched her fists, and returned a smile. “I am. Nice to meet you.”
While the two got acquainted, I went inside. I was ready for a beer or ten and definitely blood. Their voices droned as I dropped my bags on the honeyed wooden floor in the foyer then ambled through the open floor plan to the accordion glass doors that opened to the Atlantic. The gentle waves slid over the sand in the push and pull of the ocean as the tide came in. On a sigh, I skirted the speckled tan granite island and beelined for the fridge. Beer, blood, soda, containers of food, and a drawer of fruit packed the inside of the fridge to its gills. I’d just snagged a bottle of blood when my phone rang, the screen lighting with Tripp’s name.
“What’s up, man?” I asked.
“Are you alone? Or are you still in the car?” His lieutenant’s tone said he had bad news.
A boulder dropped into the pit of my stomach. “We just got here.”
“Find a quiet spot where no one can hear you,” he said.
I took the bottle of blood and walked out onto the sprawling two-tiered deck. “You’re clear to talk.”
“You know we’ve been monitoring the airports for Roman.”
Excitement barreled through me. “You got a lead?”
“Not exactly,” Tripp said. “We spotted Rianne at O’Hare airport in Chicago. Passenger list says she’s on her way to Boston.”
Motherfucker.“Are you sure? Maybe she’s meeting Jordyn in Chicago.”
“I’m afraid not. According to one of the passenger lists, she’s on the plane now, heading to Boston. She’s probably coming to the naval base.” He sounded as frustrated as I felt.
If it had been me, I would have done the same thing, whether to beg for Layla’s forgiveness or follow through and finish what I’d started.
I took a long swig of blood, the thickness cooling the burn in the back of my throat and the anger simmering inside me.Fucking Aberdeens.“Layla has been trying to call her since we left Boston with no luck.”
“I’ll alert Stan to keep his eyes open just in case she shows up there,” Tripp said.
“She doesn’t know where Layla is, and the only thing Jordyn knows is that the house is in Maine. Speaking of Jordyn, any word from Conrad about meeting up with her yet?” Conrad was assigned to guard Jordyn and was meeting her at O’Hare. With our luck, Jordyn would run into Rianne. I had no idea how that reunion would go, although if it was anything like that night at the firepit, Jordyn would probably strangle Rianne. Regardless, blood was blood, and while I believed Jordyn was on Layla’s side, I couldn’t trust her completely. Hell, I hardly trusted anyone to begin with.
“Conrad checked in. All is good with Jordyn. He’s in the lobby of Intech, waiting for her.”
“Layla will be relieved to know that. Also, is there any other Aberdeen with Rianne?” If it was Noah, I would gladly tell him where we were, just to yank out his tongue and then his heart.
“The passenger list doesn’t show any Aberdeen but her,” he said. “If you want Layla’s undivided attention while you’re there, I highly recommend you shut off her phone.”
Or throw it into the Atlantic.
Tripp cleared his throat. “Sam, aside from the baby, is she worth it?”
I stared at the whitecaps cresting the water as the wind picked up. “Fuck yeah. I know it’s crazy to be into a vampire hunter.” If I royally pissed her off, she could axe me in my sleep. “But, man, I had this desperate need to protect her even before I found out she was pregnant.” I swore if she died, my soul would die with her.
“Sam Mason has fallen for a woman.” I could picture him grinning like an ass.
“Are you trying to bust my balls? You know payback is a bitch.”
