Before I can, my cell rings. On the screen is Thomas’s name. “Hey, big bro, how are things?” I answer, and he chuckles.
“Ah, Jazzy, it’s so nice to hear your voice. I can’t tell you how worried we’ve all been. Seeing you so happy at Christmas was the best present you could have given us.” A little lump forms in my throat when I think about how worried they all must have been.
“I promise I’ll do better.”
“I’m sure you will, and I’m sure your guys will make sure you do. Or at least they better. You have six brothers who will dole out some punishment.” I giggle and roll my eyes at the protective big brother routine.
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, is everything okay? How are Harlow and the baby doing? What about Kai? Veronica is due at the end of January, isn’t she? He must be starting to freak out.”
Tom scoffs. “Hardly, the dude is cool as a cucumber, but I cannot wait to be rid of that woman. It’s time she paid for her crimes. Thankfully, the doctor limited our visits to once a month since Thanksgiving. Her blood pressure gets too high when we’re there.”
“That sucks. I’m sorry.”
“Look, that’s not what I was calling for. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Matthew Shaw has disappeared. They think he’s fled to South America to escape trial. I’m so sorry.” My stomach rolls with annoyance and a hint of fear. How the fuck did this happen?
“Well, that’s fucked.” I sigh, and he grunts his agreement.
“Jake is having one of our agents that works down there keep an eye out for him, but for now, he’s in the wind. The other news is that Urie Sokolov has also been spotted in South America. He fled there once the Diamant Unlimited execs realized they no longer had any control over their own company.”
“Shit, we were going to head to Colombia tomorrow. We’re all sick of the cold and wanted something warm for New Year’s. I was just about to call Forrest to have him make the arrangements.”
“Well, he was last seen in Argentina, so that’s nowhere near Colombia. I think you’ll be fine, but I’m going to send Riku an email with Sokolov’s file so he can familiarize himself with what he looks like just in case. With the private plane and the funds we have, Forrest can make sure your arrival and transportation is as quiet as possible. There’s no need for any fanfare, and if we do this as stealthily as we can, there’s no reason to believe that Urie would hear about your arrival in South America.”
“Okay, thanks.” It’s comforting that Thomas is being so pragmatic about this. If he had started freaking out, I might have lost my nerve to go there. Sure, my brothers can be overprotective at the best of times, but I still trust their instincts. If Thomas says it’s okay, then we can do this and stay safe.
We talk about family stuff for a little longer, but then he hangs up so I can make the rest of my calls, putting what he just shared with me out of my mind. Christmas Day is not for worrying about attempted rapists and treasonous Russian criminals.
ChapterTwenty-Two
Jacinta
Christmas lunch turned out to be perfect because when the chauffeur arrived to pick up Elizabeth, she refused to get in the car, so our meal was full of laughter and affection. The only thing missing was having Spencer and my family around, but we’ll see them in the new year.
We actually discussed what we were going to do for housing, and a decision was reached. We’re going to build something on Dad’s land because they are all in agreement that they are happy to stay close to my family. While the construction is happening, we’re going to try to find something to rent nearby. Nana is working on that for us, and the guys are going to start looking over house plans or at least writing a list of what we want and finding an architect to help us out. While I was talking to Nana, she mentioned that Parker McCallister is a qualified architect, so maybe I’ll just ask him to draw us up some plans. Might as well keep it in the family, so to speak.
My phone calls were successful, and the law firm in Bogotá is expecting us to arrive in Colombia two days after Christmas. From there, we’ll travel to Cartagena, a seaside city where the Bucataru estate is. The groundskeeper will be expecting us and will help with anything we may need.
It’s with great enthusiasm that we’re all up bright and early on Boxing Day. The flight from London to Bogotá is about eleven hours, so I’ll sign some paperwork with the lawyers who will meet us at the airport while the plane refuels, then we’ll fly on to Cartagena, where two hired cars will be waiting to take us to the Bucataru estate which sits about twenty minutes north of the city. It’s going to be a long couple of days. Ash and I spend the morning giving the staff instructions on furnishing the place, and then we kill some time shopping for the Romanian castle. Poor Cole, Shane, and Riku were bored out of their brains, but Ash, Jace, and Alex had fun helping me pick things.
Edie’s eyes are wide with amazement as we board the plane late afternoon. “Holy shit, this is amazing. Some of the girls at school were rich, but this is next-level rich.”
“You have no idea,” Jace mutters to her as we say hi to James, Chris, and Jilly before he makes his way into the back of the plane.
I snicker with laughter. He’s become accustomed to it now, but he was just like Edie the first time. I introduce the staff to Edie as Jilly tucks her arm into hers and drags her off for a tour of the plane.
“Jilly has prepared a meal for you. It will be served just after takeoff,” James tells me as the steps are wheeled away and he closes the doors. “Then it would be best to sleep most of the way there. We should land in Bogotá just after five AM. I’ll wake you all about an hour before landing in case anyone wants a shower or anything.”
“Okay, I’m sure the guys might watch a movie, but that sounds great. The lawyers aren’t meeting us until about eight AM, so we can have breakfast and refuel while we wait for them.”
“Excellent. You know the drill. If you need anything, just call out,” he says before joining Chris in the cockpit.
Takeoff is smooth, and dinner is delicious. Edie and the guys do get in a movie, but I snuggle up on a couch with Dolce and pull out my bag of yarn and my needles. It’s been so long since I’ve had a chance to knit. I want to create something for the babies coming into my life, but Dolce is getting a cute little jacket first. I’ve got some hot pink feathery wool that’s going to really pop against her white coat. I was worried about traveling with her, but I did some research and realized that it’s not as difficult as I thought. I put some puppy pee pads down in the shower of the master bedroom and will take her down there for a chance to wee during the flight. She’s crate trained too, so once I put her in there, she will let us know if she needs to go. She’s such a smart floofy ball. I am so totally in love with her.
When we finally arrive in Colombia, it’s early morning. The sun is starting to poke its nose over the horizon, and the temperature is expected to be warm today, certainly a contrast to London.
Once the lawyers arrive, they are shown into the plane’s conference room. Only Riku accompanies me to the meeting, the others letting me deal with this on my own.
“Thank you for making the trip out here for me. I appreciate it,” I tell the two gentlemen, gesturing for them to take a seat at the table.
