Focused on the heavy traffic, I scowl, and release my clamped jaw so I can speak. “Please. Enlighten me.”
“I told the guy it was my ex who was surfing the dark web and ordered the doll. Sam is off the hook. She, Suds, and little Mikey are safe.”
Her confession rips a hole in my anger and like a hot air balloon, it crashes to the ground. “You shouldna put your life in danger,a ghrá. We could’a found a better way.”
With my dad’s Irish accent in my ears, I close my mouth. Clearly, this woman has me wrapped around her pinky. I’m never this emotional.
Chapter 12
Rose
Because it’s Sunday, traffic is light. The GPS lady takes us through the tunnel and up the east side. At the top of Manhattan, we veer onto the George Washington bridge. The whole time, Mr. Grumbly-puss chews me out. Whoever said confession is good for the soul has never had to ride shotgun with a pissed-off bodyguard.
“And another thing. Sam is former FBI, half owner of a successful private detective agency. She’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself, and if not, her husband has her six. She handles your Uncle Vinny a hell of a lot better than you.”
Without knowing, Wheels rubs salt in the worst of my childhood wounds. Sam was and is the smartest one. My sister is the nicest. I am the divorced black sheep who works at her mother’s hair salon and will never amount to anything.
Also, I’m the only cousin with motion sickness. “Could you stop the car? I think I’m going to puke.”
After spewing a putrid Egg McNasty on the side of the highway, I convince my captor to keep my hands untied. Face heated, I stare out the window and resolve never to speak to him again.
Crossing the Hudson River, the sun sparkles on a lone tugboat pushing a barge. Was it there the day Captain Sully used the water as a runway? From up here, I can’t help but think a miracle happened that day and if God does exist, perhaps he can send one my way.
My head aches but I’ll be damned if I’ll let the bodyguard have the satisfaction of hearing me complain. Hoisting me over his shoulder was a shitty move. Spanking me on the ass was unforgivable.
“My mom will be expecting me in church. She’s going to ring and when I don’t pick up, she’ll call out the dogs.”
“I’ve already asked Sam to give her a heads up.” His smug face makes me want to scratch his eyes out.
I picture all the disappointed blue-haired ladies who won’t get their fix of holiday gossip. “How long are we going to be gone for?”
“As long as it takes.”
“So, you’re willing to put my mom out of business, right before Christmas?”
“You should’ve thought of her before you ordered the drug-laced Muppet.”
“What? Oh my God.” I swallow back the bitter stomach acids, again threatening to spew all over his car.
“Maybe if you could remember the zoom meeting, we could end this sooner.” He glares over. “People could die, Rose.”
“You keep asking but the answer is still the same. I don’t know. A man said ever-something. The last half had only one syllable.”
Trying to trigger my obstinate brain, he offers up choices. “Everafter? Everglades? Evermore?”
“Quoth the raven…” In high school, I never understood Poe’s bird. Only now do I relate to his complete sense of hopelessness.
“He said nevermore, not evermore. Was that what you heard?” The bodyguard raises his brows, but I shake my head.
“No, no. No ravens.
“Rose, concentrate. There aren’t that many words that start with ever.”
“Well, if you’d let me turn on my damned phone, I could search the internet.”
“Here, use mine.” When he reaches into his pocket, the image of me unzipping his fly and searching for his keys comes to mind.
Apparently, I have selective memory loss. Maybe looking at a dictionary will help. “Aren’t you worried about someone tracking us?”
