This time it was Rhett who chuckled. “Do you have a secret pirate ship that we’re not aware of, Thorn?”
Yeah, okay, he made a good point. “Look, there’s probably a decent chance I have an aunt who’s a pirate that could pop into the picture at any time.” I had a father who’d returned from the dead, so it wasn’t that farfetched. “But for now, I have no known contacts for travel on the open seas.”
“I could get us on a cargo ship too,” Grayson added, “but that’s not going to help Angelo. If anything, it will be worse for us to arrive after him. Instead, we now have the chance to make a real plan to save his stupid ass.”
That had all of my attention, and I sat again, this time in the armchair near Gray. I wanted everyone completely focused on the next part of this conversation. “How do we save him?” I asked.
“Our plane is ready and waiting,” Grayson replied. “We should pack our shit and get back home ASAP. Vee and Giana are coming with us; the rest of their people will take commercial flights, if they can easily get into the US, while those with shadier pasts will be on another cargo ship leaving tomorrow. Eventually, Vee will have a veritable army on American soil.”
“They’re going to help with Angel?” Jace confirmed.
“They are.” Gray nodded. “Vee loves our mafia prince and will literally slit throats to save him. Trust me, Wilson has very few members of his organization left in Europe after we got through with them.”
For once, I loved that we had bloodthirsty allies with questionable pasts on our side.
Rhett leaned back in his chair, hands resting on his flat stomach. “So, we return home and start building our army to intercept Wilson before they can get to Angelo when he docks.”
“Bingo,” Grayson said with a nod. “We know the route this cargo ship is taking; we just have to track it the best we can and wait for its arrival. They won’t get Angelo without a fight.”
Thewithout a fightpart was truly terrifying. At this point I hadoneof my loves in danger, but when that ship docked, I’d most probably have four. None of them would stay behind, but they’d definitely try and make me.
There was not a fucking chance.
As I sat in the living room of our swanky hotel, I formed my own secret plan to work on until we rescued Angelo. A plan to ensure I could be at the docks that night.
Which meant I needed to get really good with guns.
Like, yesterday.
eight
BILLIE
The next few hours were decidedly less somber than the last three days had been. We finally had a plan of action. We knew where Angelo was and that he should arrive alive in America.
Alive was the word of the day for me.
After Grayson’s return, we spent our time packing and dealing with calls from Brenda. At one point, Jace just put her on speaker.
“Big Noise is spinning this as a crazed vendetta against Bellerose,” Brenda said bluntly, “by a disgruntled musician wanting to be part of your fame.” She sounded like she was reading from written notes. “They found Hannah’s body, along with most of your security, which was included in the press release as an example of the danger you’re in. We want your fans to understand that there was no other option but to cancel the remaining tour.”
Jace’s face was stonelike as he stared off into the distance, the phone held tightly in his right hand as we all listened in.
“Have they mentioned Angelo?” Grayson asked from his spot near the doorway.
Brenda paused, releasing a long breath, and her tone returned to normal. “No. Giovanni made it very clear that there was to be no mention of his missing son. That’s, according to him, an internal matter he’s dealing with.” Another pause. “Is he alive?”
Grayson grunted, so I answered the question. “He’s alive.”
No way would we give more information over an unsecured line.
“Good.” She paused when her baby cried, then added, “Your plane is ready and waiting. I’ve had three different safety and security companies check it over, but I suggest using your own as well if you can find someone.”
“We’ll find someone,” Jace bit out, and then he hit the hang-up button, clearly done with the conversation.
It wasn’t Brenda’s fault, but she wasn’t part of this inner circle and couldn’t truly understand what was happening. All of this business talk when we were in the middle of a mafia war was frustrating.
“We should head to the private airport,” Grayson growled, seeming at the end of his patience for the day. “Vee texted to say she’s there and that her people are going over the plane. We’ll ensure it’s as safe as we can possibly make it to fly out of here today.”
