I threw the note down and stormed back into the bedroom. I slammed my laptop open, fingers flying across the keys. I’d slipped micro-trackers into her belongings weeks ago. A precaution. One I was grateful for now.
A map loaded. A small red dot pulsed, moving fast north toward the interstate.
“I see you, sweetheart.”
I grabbed the burner and dialed Bael.
It rang once.
“Yo. Vinny, what’s up?”
“Bael,” I said, voice flat and cold. “The girl left. She took the guns. She’s about to walk into a war she can’t win alone.”
A heavy silence stretched.
“I need help. Transportation. Pull whatever strings you have left. I’m going after her, and I’m killing anyone who stands between me and her. If your mother gets in the way… I won’t hesitate. Not this time.”
Bael exhaled. “Give me the location. I’m sending my people. Don’t die before we get there, brother.”
I hung up, already moving.
Jamie told me to stop living in the past.
She was right.
Sophia was gone.
But Jamie was alive.
And I wasn’t losing her too.
Chapter Twenty Eight — Jamie
I watched from the backseat of Moses's armored Suburban, my forehead pressed against the cool glass, counting mile markers like rosary beads. My eyes were locked on the black asphalt as it bled into the gray sky. The Suburban reeked of gun oil, stale coffee, and the cheap cologne Moses bathed in.
One hundred and thirty-two miles to Tampa.
One hundred and thirty-one.
Moses sat up front, his massive frame spilling over the edges of the driver's seat. Two similar SUVs flanked us—manned by Ant and Rico. They were the type of men who were down for absolutely anything if you offered enough green. Luckily, I had enough hidden away to buy their loyalty for a few hours.
One hundred and twenty-eight.
"You've been quiet since we left," Moses said, keeping his eyes glued to the road. "That ain't like you, Brownie."
I didn't answer.
"Something happen with that pretty boy back at the cabin?"
My jaw tightened. "Don't."
"Don't what? Don't ask why you look like somebody killed your dog?" He caught my gaze in the rearview mirror. "You leftwithout him knowing, right? That's why you called me at five in the morning like the devil was snapping at your heels."
"Change the subject. I called you because I needed bodies and bullets, not a therapist."
Moses chuckled, the deep sound vibrating through the front seats. "Same thing, sweetheart. Same thing."
"There are several distinct differences."
