20. Cole
COLE
“We got nothing from the guard.”
That was Nash’s voice in my ear. My hand clenched on the phone as I stared out the window at the golf course.
“My gut says it’s not loyalty holding him back, but fear. He knows if he talks, it paints a target on his back that Goodyear will want to hit.”
“Okay. Then we keep searching.” Frustration bubbled.
“I’m pissed too. Those women…” Nash blew out a breath. “It’s hitting close to home for Georgie, because of her sister. And she’s worried for Lili.”
Georgie’s sister had been the victim of a rich club owner who had gotten her addicted to drugs and shared her around, before he’d killed her.
My gaze shifted to Lili.
She was currently wearing that tiny slip of a nightie and humming to herself as she cleaned the kitchen. She’d made us pancakes for breakfast. She had stubble burn on her neck, a few smudges of bruises from my fingers on her arms, and she’d never looked happier.
I’d been a beast. I hadn’t let her get much sleep. I’d fucked her four times, and each time she’d cried out my name, clutching at me like she was worried I’d slip away.
The only time she’d gotten out of bed was to get the first aid kit and clean my cut from the fight. I’d managed to convince her that it didn’t need a bandage. It wasn’t deep and probably wouldn’t even leave a scar.
She caught me looking at her and smiled. When I didn’t smile back, I watched her happiness dim.
“Thanks, Nash.”
“I’ll keep you posted the moment we have something.”
I set the phone on the counter, pushed off the stool, and her way.
“What’s wrong now?” Lili tossed the towel she was using on the counter. “Because I’m sure everything is going to go wrong. Whenever I actually feel happy, life likes to yank the ground out from beneath me.”
I wrapped my arms around her. “Nothing’s wrong, but Nash didn’t get any more info out of Goodyear’s man.”
She huffed out a breath, fiddling with the buttons on my shirt. “No news on where Ava-Jane is?”
“No, sunshine. I’m sorry.”
She nodded, then pulled away and stalked to the windows. She wrapped her arms around herself, and I knew she was thinking about her friend.
I couldn’t take her being upset. Everything inside me wanted to comfort her.
Coming up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her off her feet. Then I sank onto an armchair and settled her on my lap.
She snuggled in, like a kitten, pressing her face to my neck. “I feel so guilty.”
I ran a hand down her hair. “You have nothing to be guilty about.”
“Ava-Jane and those other poor women are out there, somewhere, having horrible things done to them.” She hugged me tighter. “And I spent the night with you, having the best sex of my life.”
Tipping her head back, I kissed her. Soon, she was clinging, pressing into me as she kissed me back.
“You’re doing what you can for your friend. We will find her. That doesn’t mean you don’t get to live your life, okay?”
She nodded.
“Now, I have something for you.”
Her face brightened. “A gift?”
“Yes.” Rising, I set her on the couch, trying not to notice the length of her bare legs. She really needed to get out of that nightie before I fucked her on the couch.
I went to the bookshelf where I’d left the box of things I’d had delivered yesterday. I handed it to Lili.
She studied the brown box with bemusement, then opened it.
She gasped. “Cole…”
I watched as she opened the kit inside. It was packed with semi-precious stones of all shapes and colors, coiled lengths of delicate wires, and lots of tools that were way too small for my big hands.
She stared at me. “You got me a jewelry making kit.”
I shrugged a shoulder. “You’ve got time now, and you told me how much you liked it. I thought you could make some stuff.”
She flew at me. I caught her, then she wrapped her legs around my waist and peppered kisses over my face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
My chest swelled. Fuck, you’d think I’d given her a new car. “You’re welcome, sunshine.”
“I can’t wait to get started.”
“Good.” I set her down and tucked a loose strand of her red-brown hair behind her ear. I realized just how much I’d do in order to put that look on her face every day.
“I’m going to order us some dinner.”
“Mmm.”
I leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed my arms. Lili had claimed my dining table as her workspace and it was now covered in jewelry making stuff.
She’d put some old newspaper down, had beads grouped across the surface of the table, and her head was bent over where she was carefully making… I wasn’t sure. A necklace? A bracelet?
She’d been busy working all day. I’d forced her to stop for lunch, but she’d instantly returned to her work, losing herself in it.
“You want Italian or seafood?”
“Sounds good.”
My lips quirked. I’d order seafood.
There was a knock at the door. I headed over and opened it to see Nash and Landon.
“Hey.”
The guys walked in, both wearing serious faces.
“You found something,” I said.
At the table, Lili set her tools down and rose.
“Facial recognition got a hit on Ava-Jane,” Nash said.
I glanced at Lili. She hurried over, twisting her hands together.
“Where?” she demanded.
“At the Aurora Casino. She’s there now. Or she was twenty minutes ago.” He pulled out his phone and held it out.
The photo showed a crowd. It looked like a party. Ava-Jane was in a very short, red dress with a plunging neckline. An older man in a suit had his arm around her as he smoked a cigar. There were several other men and women in the shot.
“Let me guess,” I said. “It’s Goodyear’s party.”
“Yeah,” Nash confirmed. “A private party with an eclectic guest list. My guess, people he wants on his side when he makes his play for governor. There are local businessmen, some politicians, and some of Vegas’ more colorful residents.”
I cocked my head.
“He means those with links to organized crime,” Landon said. “Goodyear clearly isn’t shy about cultivating those relationships.”
“He just doesn’t care,” Lili whispered. “He just takes whatever he wants, and he runs over whoever’s in his way, with no consequences. I don’t understand why he isn’t in jail. I don’t understand how anyone wants anything to do with him.”
“Greed,” I said.
She threw an arm in the air. “And people like me, like Ava-Jane, like anyone he deems beneath him, get screwed over.”
They did. Like Delta Team.
I gripped her shoulders and forced her to face me. “I am going to stop him.”
She nodded, but the pain was etched deeply on her face.
“First, we need to get Ava-Jane free.”
Lili’s head whipped up.
Nash nodded. “Got an SUV ready. Alessio left on a job today, Rafe has something on, but Bastian is in. The four of us can deal with this. We need to change so we blend into the party.” He paused. “And make sure your weapons are discreet.”
“I’m coming,” Lili said.
My heart fucking nearly exploded. “You are not.”
“Cole—”
“We need to sneak in without making a scene and get her out. This is a private party, but it’s in a public place.
” As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t put a bullet in Goodyear’s brain in the middle of a party at the Aurora attended by the who’s who of Las Vegas society.
“And Goodyear will have his army of goons there.”
“Plus, he knows his top guard is missing,” Nash said. “He was already tweaked after Cole’s visit to his house, but his missing guy has likely put him on higher alert.”
“If you were there, I’d worry about you being in danger,” I told her. “Which would throw me off my game.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Okay.”
I kissed her nose. “Good.”
“Lark and Georgie are on their way over to stay with you,” Nash said.
“You wait here.” I kissed her again. “I’ll be back as soon as I can with your friend.”