He shakes his head, taking another step forward, his eyes narrowing at me. God, he looks just like our dad when he does this shit. “You’re an idiot, Joseph. I simply wanted to —”
“Oh no, you’re not about to make me look like the dumbass here. Not this time,” I snarl at him, wondering just how easy it would be to get a good punch in on him before the pain reverberates back up my arm and down my back. It might just be worth it.
“I think you just need to go cool off. Stop thinking with your dick, and start using your damn brain again.”
I suck in a breath of air through my teeth, clenching my fists behind my back. As much as I want to take a swing at him and his self-righteous smug look, I remind myself that Mom probably wouldn’t have been too thrilled. Pushing past Michael, I slam my office door shuts and leave him to it.
Needing to push up the momentum inside of me, I take the stairs halfway down before I get to the top of the parking garage where we keep our collectibles. Next to the Maserati, is my baby, the Shelby GT, powder blue. I steady myself as I place a hand on the hood of it, taking in a deep breath before getting in.
It’s weird but as I start up the engine, revving it, I feel something click into place, some kind of soothing that I can only find under the hood of a car. The same kind of soothing I found with Lana in my arms.
If my own brother is too chicken-shit to tell her just how he feels, well, then I guess it means I’ll have to handle things. Michael can just thank me later.
20
LANA
After heating up my lunch, I check my watch, wondering if maybe I should just go ahead and call Mrs. Heston and check on her to see if I need to come on in. I’m sure Nomie would be okay with Olivia coming over for a little while.
I blow on the leftover spaghetti, the steaming hissing from the plastic container, and sigh to myself as I shove it back and grab my phone. I’ll get to it in a few minutes, anyway. “Hi, Mrs. Heston, it’s Lana. I wanted to see if you would be needing me tonight.”
“Oh, hello, dear. I’m entertaining at the moment, but I don’t think I’ll need you to visit today. Why don’t you…” but the phone beeps in my ear, and I see Nomie’s name scrolling across the screen.
“Sure,” I say to Mrs. Heston, not entirely sure of what she’s just said. “Sounds good. I will go ahead and let you get back to your guests, then. Thank you.” I quickly click over to Nomie. I suppose I can always just call Mrs. Heston back later and see what it was she said.
“Lana? Where are you?” Nomie asks, the tone of her voice instantly prickling my skin.
I shake off the goosebumps. “I’m at home, why?”
There’s someone whispering in the background—Katie maybe? “Did you pick up Olivia from school?”
The blood drains from my face. “No. Where is she?”
“All right, um, okay. Lana, I don’t want you to freak out but… I went up there to pick her up and they said she’d already been picked up. They had her marked off as having left early. I tried to ask them who it was that picked her up, but they were adamant they couldn’t tell me which just makes no sense.”
I’m breathing hard into the phone, everything in me screaming for this not to be happening.
“Lana, can you hear me?” She sounds miles away.
“I… I…”
“Listen, we’ll find her, okay? He can’t have gotten very far with her. Maybe he just wanted to take her out to lunch or something?”
But we both know she’s only trying to comfort me. Because Javier is not the ‘take my kid out for lunch and bring them back’ kind of guy. I force myself to stand up, I need to…
“I need to call…shit. Let me call you back, Nomie,” I manage to say, not even bothering to wait for her goodbye before I end the call, quickly pulling up Michael’s phone number from the recent list. “Michael?” I wheeze, the room feeling as though the air has been completely sucked out of it.
His voice urgent on the end of the line. “What’s wrong?”
“Did you…please tell me you surprised Olivia and had someone sent to pick her up today from school. That you’re taking her to Disneyland. Please,” I moan, the tears slipping down my cheeks as the desperation inside of my stomach builds up. I already know the answer but can’t help but let out a sob when he tells me no.
“I’ll be there soon. I’m already on my way,” he says. The phone line goes dead in my hand, my mind racing.
I throw open the door to the apartment, looking around before knocking on apartment A. “Hello?” I shout.
My neighbor, Rick, I remind myself, answers looking agitated until he sees the panic on my face. “I was worried you’d be coming over here.”
I brace myself. “Why’s that?”
“That man was here again. I saw him coming up the sidewalk there earlier today. I stopped him before he started banging on your door again. He looked like a smug bastard if I ever saw one. He’s lucky I let him go, the way he was leering at me.”
“Did he have my daughter with him? Did he have Olivia?’
But Rick just shook his head. “Nope, I’m afraid not. It was just him, and then he peeled off out of here, lickety-split. Is there anything I can help you with, though?”
I wave him off, panic threading through every thought of mine as I race to the sidewalk. I hate having to do it, but I call Javier, hoping I’m just jumping to conclusions here.
The line rings. And rings. And rings. I call him again, but nothing. I call him and let it go to voicemail. My hands are shaking. I can’t breathe. I can’t fucking breathe.
Leaning over, a sob wracks my whole body, and I gasp for air, all of the thoughts swirling around my head violently, desperately wanting Olivia to be safe in my arms. Someone pulls at my arm and I lash out, screeching for them to let me go.
“Whoa, whoa. Lana, what’s wrong?”
It’s Joseph, alarm very clear on his face. Everything in me crumbles and I don’t care at all as I fold myself against him, sobbing. Joseph buckles under my weight, but holds me steady, pulling me tightly against his chest as he tries his best to console me.
“He’s got her! He’s got my baby…Javier has Olivia and she’s gone!”
21
MICHAEL
The lobby is full of the usual tourists, patrons of the gambling gods if you will, but it takes no time at all to recognize Joseph and Lana as they rush up into the casino, both of them looking flushed. I don’t know why they’re together, and part of me wants to find out, but none of that is bigger than what’s happening with Olivia.
“Have you found her?” I ask as I meet up with them.
Lana quickly shakes her head, about thirty seconds away from a complete and total breakdown. “No. Javier’s got her, I just know he does. That bastard took her away!”
I share a glance with Joseph, whose solemn expression centers me. “I’ve already contacted our legal team. Banks is filing the restraining order right this second, and I’ve got the best private investigators on your ex’s tracks. They can find a needle in a haystack—I’m telling you. Why don’t we get you upstairs, while we wait for them to stop by? It shouldn’t take very long.”
Lana pulls at Joseph, taking a step backward. “I think maybe I should be out looking, maybe if I could borrow the car…”
“I don’t think that’s going to help any. Especially if Javier doesn’t want to be found. I think it’s best if we all just go inside, just to try and get a grasp on things. Will that be okay with you?” I ask, trying to keep calm in light of everything. It’s harder than I realize, considering how worried I am about Olivia. I know nothing about this Javier guy, but from the way Lana makes it sound, he’s not the kind of person anyone would want Olivia around.
Her eyes darting all over the place, she finally focuses back on me. “Okay, I guess so. But just until your people show up. After that, I need to be out there. Looking for her.”
--
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve paced the floor, waitin
g to hear from someone, but when the buzzer finally goes off to the front door, I storm toward it, adrenaline coursing through my veins. If they’re here, that means we can finally do something — anything to not feel so helpless in this situation is better than nothing. “Yes?”
“Mr. Wright, I have Mr. Harris and Mr. Gorman here to see you, as well as Mr. Gerome Banks. Shall I send them up?”
“Absolutely, thank you.” I glance over at Lana who was fidgeting with her hands in her lap, and nod. “They’re here.”
Checking to make sure it’s them, I throw open the door and thank them all for coming on such short notice. Without much preamble, both of the PIs walk over to Lana who’s just stood up, looking rather ashen, while Banks pulls me aside.
“I’ve already got my team at the office looking into everything they can find on the guy. Just give us a couple hours and we’ll know everything we need to know. It’ll probably help if we can get some more information from the mother, though.” He looks over at Lana who’s silently crying, staring straight ahead as she talks to, I’m assuming, Mr. Harris and Mr. Gorman.
“You know where he might have taken your daughter? Anywhere, in particular, he’s mentioned before?” The taller man asks Lana, his tone devoid of emotion.
She swallows hard. “I…not really. The only thing I can think of is probably…the worst-case scenario. Javier he, he was born and raised in Colombia and I’m terrified that he might’ve actually tried to take her there.”
Both Joseph and I exchanged a look. “Columbia? Ohio, or…?”
“No, I mean Colombia. The country.” She slumps forward, her eyes shining. “Olivia doesn’t have a passport though, but I wouldn’t put it past him to find a way around that. He has… pull with that kind of thing.”
I raise a brow. “What do you mean? Why would he take her to Colombia?”
“Because of his family. Javier…he’s the son of the head of a wealthy drug cartel there. It’s always been my biggest fear, that he would somehow get his hands on her and never look back. This is the whole reason why I’ve been trying to keep her away from him, even though I wasn’t sure he would actually try it. I didn’t want to find out…oh God.”
Joseph pulls Lana tightly against him, and I motion for Mr. Harris Mr. Gorman to follow me around the corner. “Whatever you have to do, gentlemen. No stone unturned, understood?”
“Absolutely, Mr. Wright,” the shorter one says with a brief nod. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ll get right to it.”
Behind me, our attorney, Banks, is muttering something about no-fly orders into his cell phone, pointing to the front door. Once he hangs up he claps me on the back. “We’ve got a judge on our side, and he’s already issuing the orders.”
“I can’t thank you enough, Banks. Please let me know if you hear anything, and I’ll do the same.”
The three men leave almost as fast as they came, and I quietly shut the door behind them. The soft sobs coming from Lana bring me to my knees quite literally in front of her, and I lean my forehead against her as Joseph rubs her back.
Being this close to Lana, with Joseph no less, brings back our night together, but I push all of those thoughts down. As much as I want to kiss her, to make her feel better and soothe her, it’s not the time for doing anything other than trying to find Olivia.
“We won’t stop until we find her, Lana,” Joseph says brusquely, something flashing in his eyes. There’s a determination there I’ve only seen when I witnessed him working through his physical therapy.
She sniffs, wiping at her wet face, unable to say anything.
“We won’t stop until she’s home safe, in your arms,” I add.
22
JOSEPH
I don’t care what anyone says—if I see this motherfucker, he’s going down. What kind of ball-less, shitty-ass douchebag would kidnap their kid like that? If only we had tracked him down before he bounced out of here, then we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Michael’s driving me crazy with all his pacing back and forth. It’s making my back hurt, and I’m not even the one doing it. All I can do is hold Lana, begging her to get some sleep. She refuses, of course, her eyes wide open and alert.
The light coming in through the windows dims until we’re bathed in moonlight, by the time my phone rings. I pull it out, staring at it as though it’s alive before I answer it. “Yeah?”
“Mr. Wright, it’s Mr. Gorman. I’ve got an update for you,” the PI says, his voice low. Wherever he is, it’s loud as hell, voices shouting, music going.
I sit upright, letting my arm fall from around Lana’s shoulders. “Tell me.”
“I had to grease a lot of hands, I’ll warn you.”
“I don’t give a fuck where the money goes, as long as we bring her back. What did you find out?”
Mr. Gorman mutters something to someone else before answering. “Javier Escobar. Son of Julio Escobar, noted Escobar family drug cartel. Javier works for his father mainly, basically the middle man on their deals. Keeps the peace between them and the other cartels. My sources tell me that he booked a private flight to Venezuela for two passengers. The plane landed at approximately 1:00, where both passengers immediately got on a commercial flight to Colombia. The plane tickets are for a John and an Amber, both of these people matching the descriptions of Javier and Olivia. We believe Javier is trying to mask where he’s going, hence the hoops he’s jumping through. A passport for a young Amber Escobar was produced in Colombia only hours ago. I’m sending you the picture of it, now.”
The phone buzzes, and on the screen, I see an attachment of a face. It’s Olivia, for sure. “Yeah, that’s her.”
Beside me, Lana sucks in a breath, leaning against Michael as he takes a seat.
“It sounds like he was already on the plane with her before anyone even knew she was missing. The bastard must have had this all planned out,” I mutter, pure rage boiling underneath my skin.
“It appears to be the case, sir. I will, of course, let you know if anything else is found,” Mr. Gorman replies.
I nod. “Thank you. Please keep in touch.” Slipping the phone back into my pocket, I run my hand over my face. “Javier has her, all right. And you were right, Lana, he took her down to Colombia. Apparently, he took a private flight to Venezuela for some reason, before getting a commercial flight to Colombia for him and Olivia, under aliases. He even had a fake Colombian passport made up for her,” I tell them.
Michael’s nostrils flare. I can see the anger that I feel reflected in his eyes. “You call Riggs and have him fuel up the jet. It shouldn’t take more than an hour. We’ll be ready to go by then. I’m going to call up Paolo and let him know we’re coming down his way tonight. He’ll help us out, I’m willing to bet.”
--
I lean back on the bench seat, running my fingers through Lana’s curls, not even the slightest surprised at the soft, deep breathing coming from her nose as her chest slowly rises and falls. Poor thing is utterly fucking exhausted and stressed out of her goddamn mind. I know I am, and Olivia isn’t even my kid. Michael’s rubbing her feet, hunched over them as if making her feel better is the only thing keeping him going. Maybe it is.
It’s quiet here, with only the sounds of her breathing, the rain pounding away at the outside of our jet. If I wasn’t about to jump out of my skin, ready to launch myself at Javier the moment I see him, maybe I could get some sleep too. I hate seeing the way the lines crease on her forehead as if she’s still thinking about everything, even in her sleep. We’ll get Olivia back—I’m not about to think of any other alternative.
“You know… I don’t care what you say,” I begin, talking quietly enough to not wake her, but loud enough for my brother to hear me. “I don’t care what your plan might be, because the moment we get back with Olivia and Lana safe, I’m never letting her go again. No way, no how.”
Instead of fighting me on the issue like I expect him to, Michael just nods, looking somewhat resigned. “I have to agree with you. I
don’t see how we can let go of her, either.” He looks down at Lana. “I just wonder what she’ll think about that.”
And I get it, I mean, I wouldn’t want to force myself on anyone in any kind of way, much less her, but no matter what comes from this, I will be making sure she’s completely taken care of from here on in. “We’ll just have to make it clear how we feel about her. Let her know that we don’t want some fling with her—that this means way more to us than that. Right? Tell me I’m not the only one thinking like this.”
He nods again. “Lana was never just some fling. I think we both care way too much for it to be something like that,” he says softly.
I’m glad to know it’s not just my imagination. It’s a weird situation to be in, no doubt, but oddly enough it feels right. Like this is exactly how it’s supposed to be between the three of us. Inhaling the scent of her curls, I’m completely awake, with no sleep in sight.
It looks like it’s going to be a long night for us.
23
LANA
Everything is a blur past me. I see colors and shapes, but don’t recognize them. My heart, instead of racing, is pumping so slow that I internally check myself for other symptoms of going into neurogenic shock. I swallow hard, trying to calm myself even though it’s impossible. Not when my baby is out there all alone, with her psychotic father keeping her under lock and key.
I’m vaguely aware that someone pulling my hand to follow them, and even though I know it’s Michael or Joseph… I still can’t seem to focus. I’m going to need to pull myself together if I expect to get anywhere.
“Okay. Here’s the deal. You have to let me and Michael do all the talking, okay? Let us handle it, Paolo’s people know us at least,” Joseph whispers hurriedly in my ear as we round the main corridor.
BILLIONAIRE BROTHERS: A MFM MENAGE ROMANCE Page 11