“Before we finalize anything, we need to make sure that Kayla is not only covered from head to toe with mics, but that every detail is worked out down to the shoes she’s going to wear,” Miles pointed out.
I nodded my head in complete agreement. “Absolutely,” I concurred. “Micah is a genius with electronics and anything pertaining to undercover shit.”
Miles’ look went skeptical again.
“He knows everything,” I confirmed, “and I would trust him with my life.”
“All right,” he said. “He can work alongside Stewart with those details. Let’s have him over tomorrow evening and we can go through everything. Sunday will be here before we know it, and everything needs to be concrete by then.”
I nodded my head before he and Kayla stood.
“Hey, Miles,” Amelia called out before he turned to leave.
“Yes?”
“Do you have any information on my father—where he is? The funeral arrangements?”
Miles’ body visibly went limp as his eyes changed from scheming to sympathetic. “Last I checked, he was in the hospital mortuary,” he started then paused. “It wouldn’t be wise, however, to be at the funeral. It’s very likely Antonio will at least have one of his men there, waiting for your appearance.”
Immediately the tears fell from Amelia’s eyes.
“Is there any way she can see him before or something?” I asked, knowing that she needed that closure. When my mom died, regardless of my feelings towards her, I needed to see her. I wanted Amelia to have that too.
Miles rubbed his head and it was like I could really see the wheels turning in his head—he wanted to make it happen just as much as I did. “Let me make some phone calls,” he answered with a tight smile.
Amelia swallowed hard and looked at Miles with appreciation. “Thank you.”
He nodded before taking Kayla’s hand. “We’ll see you guys tomorrow—same time,” he added.
Amelia and I both nodded our heads.
“Thanks, Miles,” I stood and shook his hand, then hugged Kayla, whispering, “Thanks, babe,” into her ear before kissing the side of her head.
“I’m glad I can finally help,” she said with a smile.
After seeing them out, I pulled Amelia, who was standing behind me, hard into my chest before scooping her up in my arms. The tired lines under her eyes were unmistakable; she looked like she was going to pass out at any second. Her arms draped around my neck while her head rested on my shoulder. I kissed her forehead gently and walked her to our bedroom. She was already in sweats so I placed her comfortably in bed then pulled the covers up to her chest.
“I love you, baby,” I whispered, running my hand over her cheek. “We’ll figure this out, don’t you worry.”
Her face nuzzled into my hand, eating up the comfort as a peaceful smile spread across her face. “I love you,” she mumbled. She could barely speak, sleep already taking over her body.
I didn’t respond, just sat beside her and watched as she fell asleep. My heart hurt with the pain that was inside hers. My girl had been through such hell and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it … yet.
As soon as I knew she was lost in dreams, I walked back out to the living room. I had to call Micah and make sure he was down to help. I doubted that he wouldn’t be, but we were also dealing with the mob, so I wouldn’t hold it against anyone not wanting to get involved.
He picked up on the second ring. “Merrick?” he answered, almost in a panic.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Are you good?”
“At the moment, yeah.”
I could hear him relax, his sigh loud and long. “Dude, I’m like a pussy over here worrying about you guys.”
I snickered. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
“How was Amelia today? Did she like your surprise?”
“Up until I told her.”
He sighed. “Fucking sucks.”
“You ain’t kidding,” I agreed. “But hey, I got something to ask you.”
“Yeah, sure,” he responded in the willing tone that I knew he’d have, the one that said he was ready to help in any way possible. We’d always had each other’s backs—it didn’t matter what the favor entailed, we did it.
I continued to go over the details and what we needed from him.
“Shit, dude, Kayla’s doing it?”
“She was all about it; wouldn’t let us say no.”
I could hear him whisper something—most likely “Maddy.”
“Tell her we’ve got her covered. Nothing will happen,” I told him, knowing how close Kayla was with her sister and that Maddy was probably starting to freak.
Micah laughed. “She said she’d be perfect.”
Although he couldn’t see me, my face went surprised. “Really?”
“Yeah, dude, these chicks know a lot about this shit. Maddy’s been filling my ear about the whole gambling ring and what they do—why’d you think I’ve been freaking about you guys?”
Like I always said, don’t fuck with or underestimate those Reynolds girls—they knew their shit.
“I think we’re all gonna have to learn a thing or two from them,” I joked.
“It’s crazy shit, man.”
“That I know.” I agreed one hundred percent; he didn’t even know the half of it. “So you wanna meet here tomorrow with us, so we can get everything figured out?”
“Yeah, yeah. Totally.”
“You know, obviously look as cool as a fucking cucumber when you walk in, okay? We haven’t noticed anything around here, but you never know.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“Thanks, man, I’ll see ya tomorrow.”
“Later.”
It was then, when I hung up, that the adrenaline started building again. My knees were bouncing and everything in me was ready to finish this bastard off.
“We’re coming for you, asshole,” I whispered maliciously. “You’re gonna get what you fucking deserve.”
A little after nine in the morning, Miles called with some good news for Amelia. He’d spoken with the hospital personnel and arranged for Amelia to visit her dad in the mortuary. It was kind of strange if you thought about it, but it was the only way Amelia could say her goodbyes.
Once I told her the news, she jumped from the bed and got dressed faster than I’d ever seen a girl move. Even though Amelia was a laid back, cool chick, she was just like any other female when getting ready—she took fucking forever.
Just like yesterday, we took the black Tahoe from the underground garage. This time, though, there were a whole lot more nerves soaring through our veins. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and no control of the situation. Miles assured us that the woman he spoke to over the phone was one he could trust and would keep everything quiet, but I was still uneasy. You never knew who the mob worked with, who they paid off, what people would do for the right dollar amount. When it came to money, people did some fucked up shit, maybe even turning over a beautiful girl that just wanted to see her dead father. Already, Ken’s murder had been hushed up—no police coverage, no detective work … nothing. It was brushed under the table like it never even happened. And the worst part of all—we couldn’t do a damn thing about it because the motherfuckers paid off every fucking person involved.
Luckily, since we were in New York City, home of celebrities, the hospital had secret entries in and out where the media or, in our case, manhunters, wouldn’t be able to see. Again, all this information could easily be leaked to Antonio, but for once, I had to trust the man above, hoping that even with all the screwed up shit I’d done in my life, he wasn’t ready to brush me aside just yet.
Once I had the car parked next to the private entrance, I looked over at Amelia to see if she was ready. She was gnawing on her nails uncontrollably, like a squirrel with a nut, obviously freaking the fuck out.
I rested my hand on her leg. “We don’t have to do this if you’re not ready. I can tur
n around and—”
“No,” she cut me off, looking at me before taking a deep breath. “I have to do this. I just …” She looked out the window before looking back at me. “I just hope this doesn’t cost us, you know?”
“We’re good, baby. You saw how anal-retentive Miles is. If he said it’s cool and safe, then we’re good to go.”
I hated that I was lying through my teeth, because I didn’t have a damn clue if we were completely safe or not. Though, I had a point about Miles; he was an anal fuck, so that showed me some promise in the whole situation. I was still uneasy, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let her see that.
She swallowed hard. “All right,” she started nodding her head like she was trying to convince herself, “let’s go.”
As soon as we stepped foot out of the car, a woman greeted us. She had a no bullshit look and attitude, demanding to see our IDs. Immediately, I started rocking back and forth. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the feeling I was already getting. Amelia looked at me, confused, but I smiled. Dammit. I had to get a handle on myself. I was supposed to be keeping her calm, not making her more panicky.
Once she had our identifications confirmed, she opened the door, ushering us in first. I felt like I was entering a haunted museum set up like a hospital, complete with medical tools and shit all around me. It was fucking creepy as hell and the fact that she had us going in first freaked me out even more.
Apparently Amelia was getting the same feeling because she grabbed my hand, gripping it so tightly I was sure the circulation wasn’t flowing like it should.
“Take a right at the end of the hall,” the woman said behind me, almost making me jump.
Jesus fucking Christ! I was acting like a damn pussy and I couldn’t fucking control it.
“Not a big haunted house fan?” Amelia asked, leaning into my side.
“Well, Jesus Christ, can’t they turn on the fucking lights?” They weren’t completely off but they were definitely dimmed. I didn’t understand it. It was like some psycho was going to jump out at any second.
She chuckled again. “Don’t worry, babe, I’ll protect you from the scary monsters,” she joked, nudging my side.
I gave her an evil glare and let go of her hand, acting pissed, making her laugh again.
“Oh come here, baby, I was just kidding,” she said through an amused tone, grabbing my hand back.
“You’re lucky I love you.” I continued to glare at her.
“I am.” She smiled.
“It’s right here,” the woman said from behind us, making us move to the side to let her pass us.
She opened the door just to the right. As soon as we entered, I got that cold, dead feeling, and a weird musky-but-somehow-sterile scent. There was a metal table in the middle with a white sheet covering a body.
I swallowed hard, knowing who it was, while gripping Amelia’s hand tighter. Damn, it was crazy being in there and facing the truth of it all. It was surreal—everything just how I’d pictured- how it always looked on TV shows.
The woman stood to the side of the table, facing us. “It is up to you if you would like to look. You can keep the drape covering him if you’d rather. I can’t let you be in here long, so I’ll be back in just a couple of minutes.”
“Does … does he look … normal?” Amelia asked, her words shaky.
“He’ll be pale and cold from having no blood flow. The wound to his head is visible, though.”
Amelia nodded her head. “Okay, thanks.”
The woman smiled before she left us alone. I could tell that she dealt with death and lifeless bodies on a regular basis. She talked like it was no big deal and had a blank face like one that worked among the dead would.
We stood hand in hand for a moment at the end of the table, just looking from afar. I didn’t know what she had planned to do, so I just stood there and let her lead the way. This was all about her and what she needed to accomplish by being here. I was just support.
Taking a deep breath first, she slowly walked towards his side, releasing my hand before she did, sliding her hand slowly along the metal beside him. She stood for a moment by his head before her hand rested on his chest, still above the sheet.
A tear slowly faded down her cheek. I didn’t know what she was thinking, but I stayed where I was.
“I’m so sorry, Daddy,” she quietly whispered. “I should have told you. I should have let you help me.” The tears started to drop quicker. I wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her fault—that she couldn’t have prevented this even if she tried, but deep down I think she already knew that, so I just watched, and listened … letting her get what she needed to off her chest.
Slowly she pealed back the sheet from his face, gasping when he came into view. I bit my lip, trying to control my urge to jump to her side. Immediately, her hand went to his forehead where the hole from the bullet was, sliding her thumb over it. I wasn’t sure if it was to hide it or offer comfort.
“I’m so sorry, Daddy!” she cried to him again, making the emotion inside of me rise. I hated seeing her like that. I hated seeing her blame herself. She didn’t deserve this anymore than he did.
Before she could say or do anything else, the door opened, making us both jump. I rushed to Amelia’s side, not knowing who the man entering was.
“Oh, geez, sorry,” he said, shocked to see us. “I didn’t know anyone was in here,” he continued, walking backwards. “My apologies,” he added before rushing out the door.
I exhaled in relief. “Jesus Christ, that scared the shit out of me,” I said through heavy breaths, my chest still rising and falling quicker than normal.
“Yeah … we should go,” Amelia replied somberly.
“Take your time,” I told her before kissing the top of her head, and then moved myself behind her.
She took a deep breath before returning her attention back to her dad, pulling the cloth back up, kissing his forehead first. “Goodbye, Daddy. Sweet dreams,” were her last words before she looked up at me, giving me a soft smile so I knew she was finished.
I brushed my hand over her cheek, looking deep into her beautiful green eyes. She stared back with her tear-stricken face.
“I love you,” I said softly before kissing her forehead.
“Thank you.”
I looked at her, confused. Thank you?
“Thank you for being here,” she clarified.
I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, hugging her tight to my body, kissing her head over and over because I was close to losing it, too. I didn’t cry—I never showed emotion like that—but standing there, feeling the truth behind her words … the emotion engulfing my body was almost too much to handle.
I loosened my grip, sliding my finger under my eyes to remove any wetness that may have escaped. I cupped her cheeks in my hands so that she was looking straight at me. “I will always be here,” I murmured, sniffing, the emotion climbing again. “I love you more …” I exhaled, fighting the knot in my throat down, “more than you will ever know.”
The tears fell from her eyes again as she bit down on her lip. She didn’t respond, and she didn’t have to—I knew. I’d always known with Amelia.
“Do you want anything, babe?” I asked Amelia once we got home.
She shook her head while pushing her hair back out of her face. “No,” she sniffled, “I’m just gonna go lay down.”
I didn’t respond, just smiled. She stared back, her frown slowly growing to a smile too before walking away. We had a mutual understanding of how deep our feelings went. My heart melted right then and there.
It was just after 6:30 when Kayla and Miles came strolling in. I could see the apprehension on Miles’ face—he still wasn’t thrilled about Kayla being our girl to get in touch with Joey, but by the confident way Kayla was walking and the smile that was always present on her face, she was blissfully unaffected. If anything, I think she was excited at the prospect of a covert operation.
I still couldn’t believ
e that she was going to do it, but when I thought about it, I’d do anything for that girl too. She may not be someone I was attracted to or felt anything physical with, but I loved Kayla—she was my girl … my person. She was doing this for me, for us, and she knew I would do the same damn thing for her if necessary. I smiled at the fact. She was one tough bitch—the female version of me.
“What’s cookin’, good lookin’?” I said but quietly enough that only she could hear. Kayla and I had a very loose verbal relationship; we joked with each other all the time, but kept it on the down-low when Miles was around. Not that he thought there was anything between us (at one point, of course he did), but it was just a courtesy thing regardless of whether we were joking or not, which of course we were. Always.
“Same old, same old.” She grinned before picking up the Italian bread on my plate and taking a big bite. “Where’s Amelia?”
“Sleeping still,” I said, grabbing my bread back.
She snarled.
“Don’t you have your own damn cook?”
“Yeah, but I’m on a no carb diet, so she doesn’t make any of this yummy stuff.”
I raised an eyebrow, looking at her confused. “Isn’t that the point then—no carbs anywhere?”
She rolled her eyes as she buttered her own piece of bread. “I can’t help it when it’s staring at me in the face …”
I opened my mouth to give her a wiseass remark but she cut me off.
“Zip it!”
I laughed as she indulged into her guilty pleasure, the look of pure bliss on her face as she savored the bread making me almost snort with laughter. “Hey!” I held up my hands, claiming my innocence. “I don’t get why you need to diet when you’re a twig—stuff that bread in your mouth, sweetheart!”
She smiled, her cheeks full of food, making me chuckle. She cracked me up sometimes.
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