Chapter 26
Cash, we need help.
Those words rattled around in his brain as urgency filled him. He got off the sofa in his living room and gestured to Ralen as he rushed outside.
“Just breathe, baby. Just breathe. Can you tell me what’s happened or hand the phone to someone who can?”
“What is it? What’s going on?” Ralen asked, running after him.
They jumped into Crystal and he put the phone on speaker.
“Baby, you’re on speaker. It’s Addie,” he said to Ralen. “She just called and said she needs help.”
There was a noise, some voices in the background who were yelling. Somebody was asking them if they were all right and what they needed.
What the fuck had happened? Why weren’t they on the plane?
“What is going on? Why aren’t they on the plane?” Ralen asked, echoing his thoughts.
Cash shook his head. It wasn’t like he knew the answer to that.
“Hello? Cash? This is Monroe,” Monroe said into the phone.
“Monroe, tell us what’s going on. Why is Addie so upset? What does she need? Where are you guys?” Cash shot the questions down the phone.
“We’re still at the airport,” Monroe told them, her voice shaky. “The plane was delayed, something about adverse weather in Las Vegas. We were going to take a plane to Los Angeles instead and drive down, but then Addie spotted these guys heading our way.”
What the fuck? Why hadn’t Addie contacted him when she’d learned that the plane was going to be delayed? He would’ve come back and got them.
But he pushed that thought out of his head. That wasn’t going to help anything right now.
“Are you guys all right?” Ralen asked.
Shit, he should’ve asked that himself.
“Yeah, we’re okay, just a bit shaken. We ran into the women’s bathroom, and they followed us. They pushed some women down to try and get to us, but one of them called in their husband, and security came too.”
“Where are the men now?” Cash asked.
“I don’t know, but security wants to call the police. They’re taking us to a private room.”
He wanted to ask her how Addie was, to demand that she put Addie back on the phone.
“Let them call the cops,” Ralen told them. “This needs to be reported. We’re going to be there in about ten minutes, and we need to be able to get to you guys.”
“I’ll let them know you’re coming,” Monroe said. “Why would they come after us, though? I don’t get it. We did what they wanted. We were leaving.”
Yeah, he had no idea.
But one thing was clear. Leaving wasn’t going to make them safe.
“Contact Ink,” he told Ralen. “They’re going to need a safe house when we get them out of the airport.”
Ralen nodded and drew out his phone. Cash took his phone off speaker and put it to his ear. “We’re on our way, Monroe. Just stay with security.”
He wanted to ask to speak to Addie but held back.
“You’re sure no one is hurt, right?” he asked. He could hear Dotty in the background, so he thought she was all right.
“No, no one was hurt. Just scared.”
“We’ll be there soon,” he promised.
And then everything would be all right, because he would see to it.