“If you pack quickly, I’m sure we could make better use of our time.” He teased.
I was up on my feet within seconds, knowing full well I would be the fastest packer the world had ever known, for one undeniable reason.
I felt happy. Despite everything else going on around us, I was happy and safe, and I didn’t want it to change.
I didn’t want to waste a second of it with something as lame as packing.
Chapter Twenty Six
“I’ve never been on a plane.” Price drawled, as we waited on the slightly windy tarmac for Mo to drive the car away, and for the pilot to finish giving the rundown of whatever ridiculous security questions Lincoln was drilling her about.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved how serious my bunny was and his desire to keep me safe was sweet. But I was tired and hungry and had missed dinner. Which wasn’t my fault. It was his. His and Kody’s, specifically seeing as they had been taking it in turns to do thoroughly debasing things that had been far too fun. And now we had run out of time for Kody’s food, so I was going to have to eat on the plane. But in order to eat on the plane, I had tobeon the plane. And I couldn’t get aboard until dictator Lincoln had given mepermission. So sure, he was sweet and all, but if he didn’t hurry up, I would junk punch him or kneecap him or something.
I may or may not have been just a tiny bit hangry. Just a little.
“Never, ever?” I asked Price, as I tried to bask in the last of the dark but clear sky before we headed off to dreary England and no doubt got rained on all the time we were there and lived in a mess of gray.
That’s what the internet had told me, anyway. It had said the top three things I needed to know about England, where that they drank a lot of tea, it always rained, even when it was hot, and that they did not have the patience for people who dawdled or got into other people’s business. The biggest pet hate of Londoners was when people walked in their way or hovered on the street like idiots. So I refused to do any of that. I would sprint through the city, drink enough tea to drown the country, and I would mind my own business.
Well, I’d mind my business to an extent. I was there to find Shannon O’Malley at the house she supposedly lived in with her family, in her generically normal life.
The one I only felt the slightest bit guilty about crashing.
“Well, I did once when I was like six months old when my parents had to go to a random cousin’s wedding in Florida. But as it didn’t take me out of the country, nor was I aware of it, I don’t count it. Which means today is the first legit time I had ever been on a plane.” Price carried on talking as he grabbed my hand.
It was fucking terrifying going on a plane; he said. And as much as I disagreed, I coddled him and held him until we were situated inside and had taken off into the sky after a quick rundown of what was what from the pilot – a beautiful blonde woman called Heather, who’d been in a cute, crisp white suit.
My plane was fancy and comfortable. It was all white and cream, leather, and smelled expensive. There were seats for ten people, a bedroom with a super king bed and an ensuite. Plus,there was a kitchen and bar on board, which could only mean one thing. A giant buffet within fifteen minutes of us taking off and the seatbelt sign letting us know we were free to move.
Fuckingfinally.
“I could live here.” I commented as I grabbed another tiny sandwich triangle; this one was salmon and cream cheese on fancy seeded bread. “These foods are so cute and if Kody made them all, I think we could spend forever on the plane seeing pretty clouds and eating.”
Plus, nobody could shoot me with a rifle on the plane. Nor could they take a shot at one of my loved ones. The only one who was even a slight danger with a gun was Lincoln, but I knew I could beat his ass in a fight if I wanted to. I was sure of it.
“Same.” Price sighed as he leaned back against my shoulder, using me as a pillow – one of my favorite things he did. “Tiny sandwiches are so good because they make me feel like a giant, but eating them in the air is even better.”
“Exactly.” I nodded. “We should do this more.”
Even Kody seemed happy about the food and within the hour we had eaten most of the buffet and everyone but me and Price had fallen asleep. All my boys were in their chairs, snuggled under blankets and softly snoring, and Widow and Delilah, who were sharing the two-seater couch on the opposite wall to me as they watched some sort of cartoon together.
Nobody else knew where we were going – aside from the rest of the Jester boys and Retta – as I thought it was safer. If Misha and Darius were right about Cassidy Bruins being Shannon O’Malley, then it meant their other theory about someone hacking my company, phones, and whatever else was potentially true too. And if I was under surveillance, it seemed smart to keep my plans and outings secret. Kellan, Darius, and Retta had been given strict instructions to keep the house and its inhabitants safe, but to also lie through their teeth and telleveryone we were helping Delilah do something to do with her father. Not that it would be hard. Retta insisted she would keep everyone on a strict, no messing around, schedule.
Even Beau had no idea I was going to England, even if he was aware I had asked for the plane. Not that I didn’t trust him, of course I did, but again, he was a risk I couldn’t afford to take. If someone was monitoring the Red Diamonds, it meant they were watching him, too. And until Misha and Darius could figure out who had been in my servers, and who was a potential threat, then I would keep my mouth shut wherever needed.
There were even secrets I kept from my men. Parts of my plan that none but my own mind were aware of with the exception of a few of the girls, mostly Rika.
I had to tell her – I needed her help for something that nobody else could do.
“You okay, gorgeous?” Price kissed along my throat, distracting me from my worrying and the animated movie playing through on the TV in front of us. “You seem off.”
“Price.” I sighed.
“Yeah?”
“Are you sure you are willing to risk so much to play bait? I worry about this engagement we plan; I think it could go bad for you.” Sure, I had assurances in place and a plan ready and raring to go. But there was still a chance that everything went wrong. There was a possibility that the things I wanted to play out didn’t happen – either because of external circumstances or because my stalker somehow wised up.
They may have been mentally unwell, but they were not foolish. Cassie O’Malley had been working against my family for decades and there was no way a stupid woman could have achieved that.
