“I never told a soul,” I said, thinking back to all that occurred before Ruby’s birth. “No one but Kristine knew you were the father of my baby.”
Patrick’s forehead furrowed and eyebrows came together. “Kristine?”
“Pastor Roberto’s wife at the mission.”
“I’d forgotten her name.”
Even the thought of the woman turned my stomach. “I never will,” I said.
“She knew you were pregnant?”
“You said not to talk about this, not yet,” I reminded Patrick as the plane began its descent for the second time.
Patrick looked down at his phone. “It turns out that Hillman landed in Dallas before Ivanov.”
“That man gave me a weird feeling.”
“He’s a snake and I need to learn why they’d both fly to Dallas.”
The cabin was silent for a moment. The closer we came to the coast, the sparser the clouds became as the sun continued to rise. Through the window the Gulf of Mexico shimmered beneath us. I was about to ask where we were landing when I had a thought. I turned to Patrick. “Marion Elliott lives in Dallas.”
Patrick
Marion Elliott. He had to be a piece to this puzzle. I stood. “Madeline, I need to go to the front and talk to my men.”
“We’re about to land.”
“This can’t wait.”
“Patrick,” Madeline said as she reached into the purse she’d been given. “Here’s my phone. I don’t know how to check after your people did what they did, but there may be messages. I’m being totally transparent with you. I feel like I have seen Antonio Hillman before. I don’t know, but it may have been in Detroit.”
“With Ivanov?”
I shrugged. “Like I said, I tried to remain unseen. It’s been easier of late; however, there are always exceptions.”
Listening to her tone and seeing her sullen expression sent a chill through me. Memories of what she was saying overflowed with pain, regret, and sadness.
The latter was an overused term that was often said flippantly. Its overuse didn’t lessen the impact of the much deeper-rooted emotion. Hearing her anguish made me want to pull Madeline into my arms and uncover every last stimulus for her sudden change in mood, expose them to light so bright that it evicted them forever from the dark recesses of her mind. I would. Not now.
Now we needed to concentrate on Ivanov, Hillman, and Ruby. “You’re saying Hillman may have been in the bratva in Detroit?”
“Not as a regular—a visitor. There were...I guess you could call them parties. Large rooms with lots of food, alcohol, smoke, music...” She shrugged. “I suppose it’s the same with the Sparrows.”
It wasn’t.
Sterling Sparrow was a private man. From what I’d seen, Andros Ivanov enjoyed showboating and splashing his name and the names of wealthy associates all over social media.
“You’d be surprised,” I replied. “Under the veneered surface, those of us at the top of the Sparrow outfit are just regular people.”
She smirked. “That would surprise me. To be people is to be human.” Her head shook. “That doesn’t describe Andros or his top men.”
I reached for the phone that she’d now dropped to her lap. “Maddie, you gave me an idea. I’ll let you know when I have more.”
“Patrick.”
“Maddie, I need to—”
“I don’t want to say this, but I have to.” She unfastened her seat belt and stood, her gaze meeting mine. “If what you say is true. If Mr. Sparrow and others—like the men up there...” She tilted her chin toward the partition. “If they’re people, if they have a semblance of human qualities and decency...” Her lips thinned as her head shook. “They won’t defeat Andros. He has no affiliation that supersedes his ambition. None. I’d like to think that Ruby could be the exception, but I can’t be confident. Andros would sell his mother...” She huffed. “...or give her to his men if it would help his cause.”
“What about the woman at his side?” The question came out before I could stop it.
She stood taller and lifted her chin. “Without batting an eye.”
Yes, I was human.
I could also kill or maim. I had and would again.
I was fucking human because at this moment I knew I wouldn’t rest until Andros Ivanov was no longer on this earth. I could blame myself for not searching harder or blame Madeline for her ending up with such a cruel man, but that wouldn’t help us or Ruby. My blame, my hatred, my seething rage was only good if it spurred results, if it helped a cause. Otherwise it was a useless emotion that would be detrimental rather than advantageous.
It was my turn to lift my chin and square my shoulders. “Thank you for the warning, but you’re wrong.”
“You don’t know him.”
“No, I don’t. I do know my men—my family. I know that right now the human qualities within me vying for supremacy are unadulterated rage and at the same time, overpowering love. I can’t right the wrongs of the past. I can’t erase memories. I can set the future straight, and if I have to burn down the entire Ivanov bratva to do that, I will.”
“I don’t want you to.”
My head tilted in question.
“I don’t want to lose you again. Let’s get Ruby and let the rest work itself out.”
“That’s not an option, Madeline. The rest is a war. The rest threatens everyone and everything I love and have worked for.”
“I never loved him,” she said as she retook her seat. “Besides Ruby, I’ve never loved anyone...anyone but you.”
“I have to get up front,” I said, unable to face more of this conversation. Turning, I left Madeline alone with her thoughts and memories. It was a shitty thing to do; however, on the list of shitty things she’d experienced, I doubted it came close to the top. One day I’d put her first. Now was about rescuing Ruby and ending this war.
Two goals.
I wouldn’t sacrifice one for the other.
I pushed open the partition and stepped into the anterior cabin. As I did, three sets of eyes came my way. “Marion Elliott,” I said as I closed the door behind me.
Garrett nodded. “We’ve been watching. He landed in Dallas during the night. Traffic cams have him entering his ranch around three this morning.”
“Why did Hillman and Ivanov both come to Dallas? I’m betting it has to do with Elliott,” I replied, happy that they’d been watching Elliott.
“That’s what we—”
“Sir,” Romero said, interrupting Garrett, “there’s a transmission coming through from Mr. Murray.”
We all turned to the screens before us.
“Reid,” I said, looking at his face on the computer. “There are four of us here.” I wanted him to know I wasn’t listening alone. Then again, if these men weren’t trustworthy, we were already fucked.
Reid nodded. “First things first. There seems to be a fucking convention in Texas.”
“Could they have found out where we were headed?” I asked.
“I don’t believe they know you’re there. Listen to this: we thought Hillman and Ivanov were waiting for a signal from Madeline. Instead, they both received a call from Elliott while he was on his way to Dallas.”
“I would like to know what they discussed.”
“I can only see the calls,” Reid said. “If I could get closer to their networks or phones, I could add malware to hear future conversations. In the meantime, Elliott called both men and their flight plans suddenly diverted to Dallas.”
“Tell me that we know more,” I said.
The table and screens rattled as the airplane’s wheels found the landing strip.
“We just landed in Corpus Christi,” I informed Reid.
Reid began, “We know that no one has come or gone from Ivanov’s island retreat since Friday morning when he left for Chicago.”
“You found it?” I asked. “Madeline said it was on the north end.”
“It is. It’s a fucking small castle behind
a wall. To locals, it’s off-limits. They probably think it is a private hotel and resort. It’s also well guarded.”
The small hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention. “Madeline said that Ruby is familiar with the retreat. She seems confident that Ruby’s safe there.”
“Then it’s our opinion...” The our would be comprised of Reid, Mason, and Sparrow. “...that before you storm his castle on the beach, your attention should be on this meeting of the minds from the poker tournament.” Before I could speak, Reid went on. “Marianne has been instructed to refuel and fly back to Dallas.”
I bristled. “I want off this plane. If they’re in Dallas, now is the chance to get Ruby.”
“Or walk into another ambush,” Reid replied. “If Madeline says Ruby is safe, take care of Ivanov and Hillman. If we want to kill this snake, then we need to cut off its head. I’ll see what I can learn. Mason and a few more men plan to board one of the planes and head down in a few hours.”
“No,” I replied. “Mason can’t leave Sparrow.”
“I’m here,” Reid said.
“And you’re capable of protecting him, but we need you doing what you’re doing. What about the money that was stolen? Any indication of who reaped the benefit of a fifteen-million-dollar infusion?”
“No, I’m watching transfers.”
“What about Beckman? Standish was found by the police. It would look suspicious if he was found too, even with the fake suicide note.”
“He won’t be found,” Reid said. “Mason took care of that. Club Regal is closed until further notice, and we have men working on finding new management.” He shrugged. “Sparrow said to do an unplanned remodel to make the closure seem more legit.”
“That seems like a priority,” I said.
“Remodel with cameras.”
A smile came to my lips. “See, Reid, you’re needed there doing what you do. We all know Sparrow won’t stay put in the glass tower. Lockdowns don’t work on him. The four of us and Madeline will fly to Dallas. Get us a safe place to stay. See if we can gather Sparrows from the area. We need to know that whoever is contacted is one hundred percent behind us.”
“Speaking of that, Mason spent a good part of the night with the top capos. He learned that Hillman has spent the last month reconnecting.”
“Why the fuck are we just learning about this now?” I asked.
“You’re asking nicer than Mason did. Our ranks will be cleaned.”
I didn’t like learning that we’d be losing men. We needed every one. Then again, one trusted man was worth a hundred traitors.
“Look at that,” Reid said, his attention diverted.
“Talk to me.”
“Ivanov and three of his men were just picked up by two of Elliott’s cars. I don’t know who is flaunting this, Ivanov or Elliott.”
I shrugged. “Not sure what Elliott gains, but Ivanov gets to be seen around wealth. From what I’ve heard, he likes that.”
“Heard? Are you learning anything from Madeline? Can you trust her?”
My neck straightened. “Yes, from her and I do.” I remembered her phone. “Did Mason say that any calls to her phone would go to voicemail?”
“Yeah.”
I pulled the phone from my pocket. “I have it. Can you access it to see if she has messages?”
“Sorry,” Reid said, “I should have thought of that. I don’t need her phone. I can access it from here.”
“Glad to know I’m still good for something,” I replied. “Get back to us if there’s more news.”
The plane began to move slowly over the tarmac. As it did, the door to the cockpit opened. “Sir,” Marianne said, “we’re being tugged to the fueling area. We should be back up in the air in twenty minutes.”
“Are you still good to fly?” I asked, seeing her for the first time since we left Chicago. It had been a longer night than planned.
“Yes, sir. Dallas is only an hour and a half flight. My flight time hasn’t been exceeded.”
“We’ll get you and Millie each a room so you can rest. Our schedule is unclear.”
She nodded and turned back to the cockpit. Marianne had been with the Sparrows for many years and knew the drill. She wasn’t our only pilot, but she was one of our most trusted. That job came with responsibility, uncertain schedules, and worthy compensation. It didn’t matter if this detour was in her plans or not; she and everyone else aboard would conform to our schedule.
“I’ll look into her voicemail,” Reid said.
We all waited as Reid typed away on his computer. It was early Sunday morning and to look at my friend and associate, I couldn’t tell he’d been awake all night. We were used to these hours, but I would guess along with Marianne and Millie, Madeline wasn’t.
The plane came to a stop. Garrett rose from his seat and moved to one of the windows. “We’re being refueled.”
“Here we go,” Reid said through the computer, garnering all of our attention. “Apparently, Elliott didn’t call only Ivanov and Hillman.”
“Madeline?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Tell me you can access the message.”
Reid’s smile filled the screen. “I can.”
Taking a deep breath, I sat back against the seat, my gaze meeting Garrett’s, Christian’s, and Romero’s as Elliott’s voice came through the speaker.
“Madeline, I have been thinking...”
A few minutes later, I opened the partition to the rear cabin. Madeline was no longer seated. Her green eyes met mine.
“Why haven’t we disembarked?” She scoffed, gesturing toward the long wool coat, gloves, and headband. “I guess I don’t need those.”
“No, but you need to sit back down. We’re about to take off again.”
“No. We’re so close to Ruby.” Her eyes widened. “I know where she is. If you activate my phone, I’ll call her.” She looked at the watch she must have found amongst the clothes. “I don’t suppose she’s even awake.”
“You said she’s safe,” I reminded her.
Her face fell slack as she collapsed back into the seat. “Patrick, please. We’re here and I figured out a way to get her. Can you get us a boat?”
Madeline
“I fucking hate this,” Patrick said. “There has to be another way than by putting you in danger.” His complaint ended with a resigning sigh as he bent his long legs and perched on the edge of the large bed within the hotel suite’s bedroom.
I watched him through the mirror, his reflection behind me as I secured the platinum earrings in place. “We talked about it since we left Corpus Christi. Marion mentioned Ruby in his message. I have to go.”
Patrick stood and paced to the floor-to-ceiling windows and back. “You don’t think he knows that? You don’t think Elliott knows your Achilles’ heel? He invited you to his ranch. He didn’t mention that Ivanov and Hillman were also there. You’re walking into a setup.”
I spun on the high heels, the skirt of the green dress I wore pitching in kind. It wasn’t as formal as the clothes I’d wear for a tournament. I’d found it among the clothes on the airplane. It was flattering yet not pushy, accentuating my womanly curves while keeping my assets covered. This may be winter, but this was also Texas, not Detroit. I had a lightweight wrap to keep my arms covered and my pumps were tall. Wearing them flattered my legs.
This wasn’t my first attempt at flirting, and not even my first with Marion Elliott. He was an older man with more wealth than common sense. I’d done far less respectable things to protect Ruby. Meeting with a rich Texas oil baron wouldn’t even make the front page of my list.
“What kind of a setup, Patrick? You can argue all day, but Elliott won’t stand there and let Andros or Antonio kill me. The men poised with guns in Ann Arbor were there for you and your men, not me.”
“And you know that?”
“I don’t. I’m making an assumption just as you did. I wouldn’t be as confident if this meeting was alone with Andros.” I inhale
d, refusing to allow that chilling thought to register. “Elliott said on his message that he heard my distress at Club Regal and wants to help.”
Patrick came closer. Seizing my waist, he pulled me flush against his wide chest. “That’s my job.”
“I’m not the center of a pissing contest. This isn’t about your ego. It’s for Ruby.”
“Don’t go. We’ll send a decoy.”
I took a step back. “A decoy? I’m certain they would know it’s not me.”
“Not until it’s too late. We implode the ranch. Tragic. A gas main break. Hillman and Ivanov are gone. Problem solved. We go back to Padre Island and retrieve Ruby, by force if necessary. I know how these chains of command work. They’re all behind Ivanov until he’s gone, and then it’s a dogfight to see who can take control. The bratva will be so concerned about the next king they won’t notice Ruby.”
I stood taller. “Or they will see her for the asset she is and her future will be even more unclear. I can hate him and so can you, but Andros has accepted responsibility for Ruby since before she was born. That’s afforded her his protection. I don’t know what the future holds, but I want to believe that he moved her to Padre Island not only to hide her from me, but also to hide her from others.”
“Others?” Patrick asked.
“That power struggle you describe. Only Andros or I could have officially checked her out of the academy, but that doesn’t mean people who work for him didn’t know where she was. She isn’t his daughter, but he treated her like the bratva’s princess. I’m sure his men heard about what happened at Club Regal. A part of me wants to believe he moved her to keep her safe.”
Patrick’s hand cupped my cheek. The fresh scent of bodywash and cologne filled my senses, reminding me of the time we’d shared under the sprays of warm water within the large shower in the hotel suite. The water refreshed us while we allowed passion to momentarily replace our anxiety. Staying true to his promise on the plane, we didn’t have sex—not intercourse—but that didn’t mean either of us went unsatisfied. Fingers and tongues provided pleasure, as for a few minutes our cares were replaced by moans and whimpers of satiation.
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