Chapter Sixteen
Last night was far too close for comfort. I”m furious with myself for letting things get this far out of my control, and even more frustrated by Adrian”s continued defiance. The boy has no idea what he”s doing or what kind of danger he”s in now that he”s proven his disloyalty beyond a shadow of a doubt.
I rub my temples to ease the headache building up behind my eyes. All the stress and worry have given me a splitting migraine, and I haven”t been able to shake it all day. Between the robbery, Adrian”s rebellion, and Lola”s kidnapping, I”m ready to tear my hair out. I”ve never had this much to worry about in so many different directions, and I don”t like it one bit.
”Are you okay?” Lola asks me as she shrugs on her robe. Her hair is still messy from last night, and her cheeks are flushed from our lovemaking. She”s so beautiful that it makes my chest ache.
”I”m fine,” I assure her with a forced smile. ”Just a little headache.”
She frowns as she crosses the room to stand beside me. ”Do you need anything?” she asks as she rubs my shoulders. ”Painkillers? Water?”
”No, thank you,” I reply, shaking my head. ”He”s avoiding me.”
”Who is avoiding you?” she questions, tilting her head to look at me.
”Adrian,” I mutter. At some point, he slipped out of Marina”s house line of sight and went into hiding. He”s not been answering my calls, and since his phone appears to be off, there”s no tracking him.
”I need answers, and he”s playing games.”
Her brow furrows, and she leans forward. ”What are you going to do?”
A deep breath escapes me as I contemplate the next move. ”I can”t let this slide. He”s crossed a line, and I won”t let him jeopardize you or our plans.”
She nods her head. ”I trust you.”
The words bring a smile to my lips, but they also cause a pang of guilt to shoot through me. I know that she trusts me, but I”m not sure that I deserve her trust. She”s only in this situation because of me. I”m the one who plucked her from her life and brought her into this world.
”I”m afraid I need to make a few calls,” I tell her. ”Go ahead and get ready, and we”ll leave as soon as I”m done. I”ll be right back.”
I step out onto the balcony and close the sliding glass door behind me. The air is cool and crisp, and the sun is just beginning to set over the horizon. I take a deep breath as I dial Marlon”s number and hold the phone up to my ear.
”Hello?” Marlon answers on the third ring.
”It”s Drake,” I tell him curtly. ”Any word from Adrian?”
”Not since last night,” he replies, sounding equally annoyed. ”I sent a few of our guys out to look for him, but he”s nowhere to be found.”
”Keep looking,” I order him. ”He can”t have gone far.”
”What are you going to do when you find him?” he asks curiously.
”Whatever I have to,” I answer honestly. ”I”ll deal with him once this is all over. As much as I”d love to catch the next plane home and hunt him down myself, I still have things I need to do here. So, I”m leaving it to you and the others to find him and contain him until I return.”
”Understood,” he agrees. ”I”ll call you as soon as we find him.”
”Thanks,” I tell him. ”I appreciate it.”
”Don”t mention it,” he replies before hanging up.
I let out a sigh as I run my hands through my hair, trying to figure out how I”m going to handle Adrian when I get back to New York. I can”t let him get away with this. He”s put everyone at risk, not just Lola, and he needs to be dealt with accordingly.
As I step back in the room, I hear the bathroom door open, and I turn to see Lola emerging from inside. She”s dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She smiles at me as she approaches, and I feel a lump forming in my throat.
”Everything okay?” she asks gently.
”Yeah,” I lie with a nod of my head.
She wraps her arms around me and rests her head on my chest. ”I hope so,” she murmurs softly.
I pull her in closer and hug her tightly, wanting nothing more than to protect her from everything that”s happening around us. But I know that I can”t shield her from the truth, no matter how much I want to. And the truth is, she”s officially a target, just as I dreaded she would become.
”Are you ready to go?” I ask after a moment of silence passes between us.
She nods her head, but I notice that she looks pale.
”Is something wrong?” I ask her with a raised eyebrow.
”No,” she replies quickly. ”I just... I have a bad feeling about this, that”s all.”
”There”s nothing to worry about,” I assure her as I grab her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. ”I promise that I”ll keep you safe.”
She gives me a weak smile and squeezes my hand in return. ”I know you will,” she says softly. ”I trust you.”
I lean down and kiss her tenderly on the lips, savoring the taste of her mouth against mine. She sighs as she melts into my embrace, and I feel her body relax against mine. When I pull back, I look into her eyes and see fear reflected back at me.
”Hey,” I murmur as I cup her cheek in my hand. ”It”s going to be okay.”
She nods her head and forces another smile onto her face, but I can tell that she”s not convinced.
I lean in and press my forehead against hers, inhaling deeply as I take in her scent.
”Come on,” I whisper as I take her hand in mine again. ”Let”s go.”
We head out of the hotel, and my driver is waiting for us just outside. The last time I saw the poor guy, I”d shoved him aside and jumped in the driver”s seat, intend on rescuing Lola. To apologize, I slip a hundred dollar bill into his breast pocket as he opens the door for Lola and I to climb inside.
Once we”re settled in, we pull away from the curb and begin our journey to the warehouse to meet King. Lola is quiet as we drive, staring out the window with a vacant expression on her face. I reach over and take her hand in mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
”These guys are professionals, as I understand it. They know what they”re doing,” I say softly. ”They”ll help us through getting the knife so we can get back home and finish this business.”
Lola glances at me briefly before nodding her head. ”Yeah,” she whispers. ”I just... I”m nervous.”
”I know,” I reply. ”But we can”t back out now. We”ve come too far to turn around.”
She chews on her bottom lip as she continues staring out the window at the passing scenery. After a moment, she turns to me with a serious look on her face.
”I don”t think Adrian is going to back down,” she states quietly.
”Which is why I decided you should come with me instead of staying at the hotel. I don”t want to risk him showing up and putting you in danger while I”m not there to protect you.”
She nods her head as she returns her gaze out the window. We fall silent as the car continues to race down the street toward our destination. My thoughts drift to Adrian, and I wonder how he could do this to me. I took him into my clan, gave him a second chance when he needed one the most. How can he repay me by betraying me like this?
”I”m sorry,” I tell her suddenly.
She looks at me with a confused expression. ”For what?” she asks curiously.
”For dragging you into this mess,” I reply solemnly. ”If I hadn”t brought you into my life, none of this would be happening right now.”
”Maybe,” she concedes, ”but at least I know who I am now. Before, I was just drifting through life with no direction or purpose. Now, I finally know what I”m meant to do.”
I smile at her words as I pull her closer to me and press a kiss to the side of her head.
”You”re amazing,” I murmur softly against her skin.
She grins up at me, and the car slows as we approach the warehouse district. The sun has nearly set, and darkness is beginning to settle in around us as we make our way toward our destination. My stomach twists into knots as we draw closer to the rendezvous point. I”m not sure if it”s from nerves or excitement, but either way, I feel on edge as we arrive.
King and his men are already waiting for us when we pull up outside the warehouse. When I step out of the car, he greets me with a firm handshake before turning to Lola and offering her his hand. She hesitates for a moment before shaking it.
”Pleasure to meet you, ma”am,” he tells her politely. ”I”m King.”
”Nice to meet you,” Lola replies with a shaky voice.
He smiles at her as he motions for us to follow him into the warehouse. Once inside, he leads us to a table set up in the middle of the room where a map of the museum has been laid out.
The warehouse is a cavernous expanse of darkness, only broken by the sporadic glow of dim overhead lights. Metal beams crisscross overhead, supporting the ceiling above our heads. A musty smell permeates the air, mixed with the acrid stench of motor oil and gasoline.
The table at the center is illuminated by a single hanging bulb, casting long shadows that dance across the blueprints and plans.
”Welcome to the heart of our operation,” King declares, his voice echoing through the empty space.
”It”s impressive,” I remark, taking in the rows of storage containers lined up along the walls.
”We”ve got everything we need here,” King explains, gesturing to the various supplies stacked neatly nearby. ”Weapons, tools, vehicles—you name it, and we can provide it.”
”I can see that,” Drake responds with an appreciative nod.
”Shall we get started?” King suggests, motioning to the table. ”The sooner we get this show on the road, the better.”
I nod my agreement and walk over to examine the maps spread out in front of us. I study the layout of the museum carefully, noting all entrances and exits as well as any potential obstacles they might encounter. ”Since the fire wiped most everything electrical out, we don”t have to worry about cameras and the like. Lola, you”ve been inside, right? You know where the knife is?”
She nods her head and steps closer to the table, pointing out the different sections of the building. ”It”s in this room here,” she explains as she traces her finger along a corridor.
”There are a few security guards stationed throughout the building, but they shouldn”t pose too much of a problem,” King explains.
”How many guards are usually posted at night?” I question.
”Four or five, depending on the night,” King replies with a shrug. ”Nothing we can”t handle.”
”What about the locks?” I ask.
”There”s a gaping hole in the side of the building,” King reminds me with a chuckle. ”We don”t need to worry about locks.”
I laugh and shake my head. ”Right,” I agree. ”Adrian may have inadvertently made this a bit easier for us when he set off that explosion.”
”You know the guy who did that?”
”Unfortunately, I do. He was after Lola here and used that as a distraction. If it hadn”t been for his blunder, this would be a hell of a lot more difficult.”
”Well, then I suppose we should be grateful for his incompetence,” King remarks with a smirk.
”Indeed,” I agree with a chuckle. ”So, what”s our next move?”
King reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a small black device. ”The museum security is weakened after the fire, but we can”t underestimate them. This is a jammer,” he explains as he holds it up for me to inspect. ”It will disable any temporary battery-operated alarms they may have set up inside the building so that we can move freely without being detected.”
”Clever,” I comment, impressed by his resourcefulness.
”Once we”re inside, we”ll head to the room where the knife is kept. My team will handle taking out anyone who steps in the way, and you and your friend can focus on retrieving the knife. The sooner we get in and out, the better.”
”Sounds good to me,” I reply with a nod of my head. ”What do you say, Lola? Are you ready to do this?”
Lola takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders. ”Yes,” she answers confidently. ”I”m ready.”
”Excellent,” King responds with a grin. ”Then let”s get to work.”