Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
One week later
She’s been gone for a week. I’ve buried myself in work, trying to forget about her. Not an easy task, especially when I spend the night watching the CCTV footage I have of her in Carlo’s apartment, in the stairwell at my hotel, while my mind is repeating every conversation we’ve ever had.
I was so fucking stupid. She played me like a fool, and I fell for her act.
Hook, line and sinker. No one has gotten the better of me until her.
And the fucked-up thing is that I fucking miss her.
She said she’d be back in town in a few weeks.
I’m hoping that by then, I won’t care a single fucking bit.
I’ve had a closed-off heart my whole life. I can go back to that. It was a lot fucking easier.
I jump to grab my phone when it rings. There’s a small part of me that wants it to be her. Okay, a large fucking part of me wants it to be her. It’s not, though. No, it’s the other woman in my life I really don’t want to hear from.
“Mom, what can I do for you?”
“You haven’t responded to my invitation. I don’t need you to RSVP, Sammie, because I know you’ll be there. But the least you could do is acknowledge the day.” My mother’s voice sounds calm. She’s not. It’s just the calm before the storm.
“I really don’t have time for this right now,” I tell her.
“Then make time. Because I’m the only mother you have, the only one you’ve ever had, and the only one you will ever have. I’ll be gone one day and then you’ll regret not making the time,” she says. “Besides, don’t think for a second I won’t follow through on what I said I’d do.”
Her threat to Lailani. I didn’t know who she really was back then. Now that I do, I know that whatever my mother tried to do to her wouldn’t have any impact. Lailani is strong. She can handle whatever is thrown her way.
Does that mean I want her to be subjected to my mother’s shit? Absolutely not.
“I’ll be there,” I grunt into the receiver, cut the call, and throw my phone down before diving for it again and opening my text thread with Louie.
Me:
I need you to be my plus-one for my mother’s wedding.
Louie:
Is this your way of coming out? Because if it is, I’m a married man. A very happily married man with the most beautiful wife in the world. You don’t stand a chance at taking her spot as my queen.
Me:
Funny. I need you to make sure I don’t kill my mother.
Louie:
Sure, there’s nothing better I could be doing with my weekend than babysitting a grown-ass man child.
Me:
Thanks. I’ll send you the details.
I don’t really need anyone with me. It just helps to have someone around I can vent to. Also, I’ve done more than my fair share of weekends babysitting my friends. It’s their turn.
After another thirty minutes of doing everything I can to not think about her, I cave and put Lailani’s cell number into a locator app. It takes five minutes for the app to spit out the closest cell tower ping. Kingman, Arizona.
What the fuck is Lailani doing in Arizona?
My phone flips through my hand. I can’t call her. That would be showing my cards. I’d be admitting that I’m a fucking fool who can be played. On the other hand, I’d be able to talk to her, find out where she is, what she’s doing. If she’s safe…
I hate that I fucking care. I know she was right. Me asking her not to go out with the intention of killing a mob boss was a little sexist. Although my need for her to not put herself in danger had nothing to do with the fact she’s female. It’s because I don’t want to lose her.
That’s exactly what I’ve done, though. I’ve lost her. Because I was so hung up on the lie. I still am but my need to have her is stronger. I want to get to know her, the real her.
You know what? You never win by not playing.
I cave and press the green dial button next to her contact.
The phone rings and rings and rings. Just when I’ve accepted that she’s not going to pick up, the ringing stops and is replaced with Lailani’s sleepy voice.
I look up at the clock on my office wall and curse myself.
I should have checked the time before I called her. It’s two in the morning.
“Sammie, what’s wrong?” Lailani asks.
“Nothing. I’m sorry I woke you. Go back to sleep,” I tell her.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen now. What’s wrong?” she asks again.
“I just wanted to talk. I didn’t realize how late it was,” I admit.
“It’s okay. Kind of reminds me of when you used to break into my apartment.”
“I didn’t break anything. I just let myself in. Where are you?”
“I’m visiting my dad.” I can hear her fumbling with the phone and then her voice gets closer again. Like she’s lying on it.
“How’s that going?”
“Good. One of his old work colleagues is getting hitched and he wanted me to be his plus-one. I just thought I’d come a little earlier to give us time,” she says.
“I think it’s been enough time. I want you to come back,” I tell her. “We can’t work anything out if you’re not here.”
“I’m coming back, after this wedding next weekend,” she says.
That has my eyes flicking towards the invitation on my desk. I pick it up and actually read it for the first time. “What did you say your dad did again?” I ask Lailani. It can’t be a coincidence that my mother’s wedding is in Arizona. Next weekend.
“I didn’t,” she answers. “He was a cop, well, a detective. He’s retired.”
“Was he dirty?”
“No.” Lailani sounds offended.
“Does he know what you do?”
“He does. It’s kind of why our relationship is strained,” she says.
“Yeah, I can see how that would cause issues.” I laugh. Her father is a cop. Well. A retired cop, and she’s a fucking assassin. Why do I feel like I’ve stepped into a Hollywood movie? “This friend of his, his name wouldn’t be John by any chance, would it?”
“It is. Why?”
“John is marrying my mother,” I groan.
“Your mother? Oh god, no. Wait… Do you know John?” Lailani whispers.
“Never met him.”
“He’s… How did your mother meet him? He’s not a good person, Sammie.”
My back straightens. “What do you mean?”
“My dad wasn’t dirty, but John sure as fuck was.” It’s still odd to hear Lailani curse. How she managed to go so long without doing it or being her real self around me really is a sign of just how good she is at her job.
“How dirty? What do you know about him?”
“I know that I wouldn’t want him marrying my mother,” she tells me.
“I can’t stop my mother once she gets her mind on something. She wants me at this wedding.”
“I’ll be there. You’ll be okay,” Lailani says, more to herself than to me. “Okay, John doesn’t know I know he’s dirty. But I’ve looked into him once during a stake out. After that, I went on a deep dive. He’s got an in with the Santiagos.”
“The Santiagos?”
Fucking hell, they’re a mob family from California. A family that has tried and failed to creep their way onto The Strip. We’ve stopped them every time, but the fact that this dirty cop is marrying my mother isn’t a coincidence. He’s planning something. I just need to figure out what it is.
“I’ll figure out a way to stop the wedding,” I say. Even if I have to kidnap my own mother and lock her in a room.
“Want me to do anything?” Lailani asks.
“Just turn up. I’ll see you there,” I tell her.
“Okay.”
“Oh, and after next weekend, you are coming home with me.” It’s not a question.
“Okay,” she repeats before ending the call.
I lean back in my chair and look up at the ceiling. My mother is marrying a dirty fucking cop. It’s worse than if she were marrying a clean one. Then again, at least it makes sense now. A dirty cop using her to get to me—I understand that. I could never wrap my head around the other scenario.