Chapter 29—Willow
“She good?” one of the two men who escorted us onto the plane asks.
I think his name is Liam. He’s with the group that Tommy mentioned back at Bobby’s place, the Strays or something like that.
I’m honestly only getting pieces of information that stick in my head, too focused on my girls.
I’m refusing to think their father is doing something to them.
He could barely hug them, so hopefully the idea of putting his hands on them in any other way is out of his mind right now.
Hopefully.
“She doesn’t fly much” is all Bobby says.
Not that I’m terrified of it. Not that I had a huge panic attack last time I was in the air for less than twenty minutes. But compared to the panic I’m going through at the idea of not seeing my girls again, flying seems easy.
I’ll do anything for my girls. Anything. Hike Everest. Kill a man. Even fly in a damn plane if it allows me to have them alive and in my arms once again.
Bobby tightens his arms around me as the other man walks to the front where everyone else is.
The plane is huge, but we’re the only ones on it.
Just the people Bobby and his family wanted to bring and the two people from the Strays’ organization.
And the pilots. Men Liam swore by, which was good enough for Danny to get on board.
I can’t believe they’re all here. That each of them came. I don’t know what I thought was going to happen when I called Cynthia, but she was the only person I knew I could trust when no one else answered. Something about our small interactions makes me feel safe with her. Like I do with Bobby.
I’ve put all my faith in him. And through him, his family by extension.
Once Tommy made the call to get us another plane, things seemed to move at a snail’s pace, even though half the group was on the phone with someone else while Cynthia and Bobby kept me as calm as possible. I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do.
But when Vinny said it was time, things moved quickly.
An entirely new team of men showed up in military gear and escorted all of us, except Cynthia, down to the basement and into tunnels.
Tunnels! Cars were waiting for us, and we got in them and drove for what felt like seconds but must have been longer.
By the time we pulled out of the tunnel, we were on the Upper East Side, blocks away from where we were before.
I didn’t ask questions. It didn’t matter why there were tunnels or why we were taking them. I can only assume they were being cautious, like they were about not using a plane tied to the Leone family.
When we stopped at a large airfield, Vinny and Tommy got out of the cars and spoke to four men, but of those four, only two got on the plane with us.
The other two left in the car they came in, as did Vinny.
I was introduced to them both when I boarded, but I just nodded and found a seat farther back.
Bobby followed me, and we’ve been here ever since.
The rest have huddled together over a table and are talking quietly. A few have looked back at us, but no one has gotten close enough until Liam walked by on his way to the bathroom and asked about me.
Movement catches my eye, and I see Tommy and Danny approach, sitting in the chairs that face us on the opposite side of the table between us.
I never knew planes could be so luxurious, and I doubt I would ever have known this in my life if it weren’t for Bobby.
Even if I wasn’t afraid to fly, I doubt a life before Bobby would have included private air travel.
“Willow, we want to talk to you about what we’re planning. You up for that?” Danny asks with an even voice. Not one filled with pity. None of them have given me that, and I refuse to cower even now.
“Yes.” I clear my throat and sit up. I’ve been leaning against Bobby’s shoulder for what feels like hours as we’ve been flying.
“Here.” I look up to see Liam once more, back from the restroom and holding out a bottle of water for me.
“Thank you,” I say quietly as Bobby takes it from him, uncaps it, and hands it to me to drink.
Liam crosses his arms and leans back against the chair on the other side of the plane. He’s not showing any signs of leaving, and none of the men I trust seem to care that he’s there.
I nod at Danny to indicate I’m ready to listen, even if my mouth can’t seem to say it out loud.
I’m too afraid to keep my mouth open for long in fear that I’ll start screaming and crying and won’t be able to stop.
I’m a hairbreadth away from a full freak-out, and I don’t know how much longer I can last. So for now, I’ll keep my lips sealed shut for as long as I can.
Danny nods at me, accepting me for what I can do right now, and starts talking.
“You said he would contact you at eight, right? Probably expecting you to be at the office by then and transferring him the money.”
I nod.
“What we want you to do is, when he calls, say you’ll come and get the girls. Tell him you quit. Keep him talking for as long as you can and get him to tell you where he is.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“We expect he’ll tell you a lie,” Tommy says as he crosses his ankle over the other knee. “Which will force you to not make a random rendezvous time wherever he actually is, then make it so you have to give him the money in some fashion or another.”
My breath hitches, but before I can hyperventilate, Danny reaches out and touches my hand that’s holding the water bottle. The one that’s shaking until he steadies it. Then Bobby moves an arm around my waist and kisses my temple.
“Breathe, Wildflower. Breathe,” Bobby whispers in my ear, and I close my eyes for a second to steady myself before opening them to a soft smile from Danny.
“Good girl.” When Danny says it, I know he doesn’t mean anything other than he’s happy to see me not freaking out. That doesn’t mean Bobby doesn’t growl a bit, but he keeps his comments to himself. But it’s enough for Danny to move his hand off mine before he keeps talking.
“When he tells you where to meet, Payton will be the one his people, if he has any, will follow to the airport.”
“No! She can’t. She—”
Tommy cuts me off with a shake of his head. “Too late. She already volunteered. She cares for your girls just as much as the rest of us. It’s what families do.”
“But what if she gets hurt?”
Tommy snorts. “You really think a Leone would let his woman go anywhere without at least a dozen men following? You really think he doesn’t already have a team watching out for you?” He nods to Bobby.
I look at Bobby, who shrugs but then shakes his head. “Only mistake I made was thinking the girls would be safe with their father. I won’t make that mistake again.”
I shake my head. “He won’t be their father any longer.”
I don’t say more or explain my words. These men get it. He’ll be dead to the girls after this. Figuratively or not, I won’t let them know him anymore. And I doubt they’ll shed a tear over it once I get them back.
I should be terrified by those thoughts. I should be terrified that I’m after blood, that I’m allowing them to take a life, but I’m not. Not if it gets me my girls.
If you get them back.
I push that thought down and curse it to hell. I don’t need that in my head right now.
“Why Payton? Even if she volunteered, can’t someone else do it?”
The brothers look at one another before Danny shrugs, drawing my eye. “You look alike.”
I shake my head. “We look nothing alike.”
He leans closer and rests his elbows on the table.
“You both have blonde hair. The women who work for me have darker roots. For anyone who might be watching the place, that’s what they’ll be looking for.
The details beyond that won’t be the focus.
And yes”—he gives me an almost bored look as he speaks again—“I get that it’s a different blonde, but to a man who’s just being paid to look for someone with blonde hair, they won’t know the difference between your hair and hers. ”
I don’t know if I should be offended or not. Either way, now isn’t the time to focus on that. “What about us? What will we be doing while Payton’s flying to wherever he says?”
“We’ll be tracing the call. Once we get a location, we’ll head for the closest airport and land. He’ll be thinking he still has time before he calls you back—”
I cut Danny off quickly, speaking over him as a fresh fear comes to mind. “How do you know he’ll call again?”
“He’ll need to claim you aren’t at the right spot,” Tommy says with a shrug.
I look at them all, and they nod at what their brother said. “Right. Of course.” I should have figured that out. I feel like a shell of my former self, catching only a few things at a time and not seeing it all at once. I feel so out of my depth that I want to cry, but I’ve cried enough already.
“Hey.” Liam puts his hands on the table and leans on it. “We live for this shit. You don’t. It’s okay that you aren’t seeing all the possibilities like we are. You’re one person. We’ve got over two dozen men on here coming up with the plan.”
I hate that I’m so easy to read that he saw my doubt but also elated that he’s right. I need to remember to accept what I know and what I don’t know. Which is turning out to be a lot today.
I smile softly at Liam’s reassurance, and he gives me a smile and a wink before walking away.
Bobby lets out a huff of breath as he adjusts in his seat.
“I might not trust the Strays, but he’s right.
” He looks over at me and runs the backs of his fingers along my cheek.
“Don’t beat yourself up about not seeing the details in this.
Your only job is to stay positive and keep Trevor talking when you need to.
Then, when the time comes, the boys will go in and get the girls. ”
“I’ll go too,” I say with more conviction than I feel.