He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his voice low. “Let him try. He’s gonna find out real quick… I won't lose the people I care about.”
Back in Idaho, Jake was pissed. He wasn’t pissed because he loved Kylee. That’s why he fucked Rachel. He was pissed that he lost all control of her. He didn’t like the thought of her being happy or some other man
Playing daddy to Jake Jr. He wasn’t worried about the girls. Jake Jr was his prized possession. The only reason he continued to stay with Kylee was to paint this perfect picture. Jake's jaw started ticking as he was staring at a glowing map on his laptop. The map was set to Rio’s Mansion in a well-to-do neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills.
He didn’t find this on his own .The credit belonged to Darren, his “old buddy” from college who never managed to crawl out of the gutter. Darren wasn’t clean, wasn’t respectable, but he knew how to get information that wasn’t meant to be found.
Now Darren’s voice crackled over the speakerphone. “You want eyes on her? I can get you to L.A. in under 4 hours. Commercial’s too risky, you'll be seen. We take a private charter outta Boise. My guy owes me a favor. He’ll keep your name off the manifest.”
Jake leaned back, smirking. “And you’ll come with me.”
“You sure you want me that close to your family drama?” Darren asked, though Jake could hear the thrill in his voice.
“I need someone who can get in places without being noticed,” Jake said coldly. “You’ve got that gift.”
The next afternoon, at a quiet rural airstrip, a sleek black jet waited with its engines idling. Jake wore dark jeans, a fitted black Henley, and sunglasses looking less like a suburban doctor and more like a man on a mission. Darren, lanky and wiry, strolled beside him with a backpack slung over one shoulder.
“No weapons on the plane,” the pilot warned, eyes flicking to Darren. Jake said nothing, just slid an envelope of cash into the pilot’s hand. “Get us there fast.”
The jet lifted into the sky, cutting through clouds, carrying Jake closer to Rio’s world. Darren sat across from him, grinning like a kid on Christmas.
“What’s the plan when we land?” Darren asked.
Jake’s eyes darkened. “First, I find where she sleeps. Then… I will make sure she knows I was there.”
The jet touched down at Van Nuys Airport just after sunset, the sky bleeding orange into purple over Los Angeles. Heat rolled up from the tarmac even this late, sticking to Jake’s skin.
A matte-black car waited for them at the edge of the runway, windows tinted to near-black. Darren whistled low when he saw it. “Damn, your guy knows how to pick ‘em.”
Jake slid into the passenger seat without a word, eyes fixed forward. Darren tossed his backpack in the back and hopped behind the wheel.
“Rio’s place is about twenty minutes up in the Hills,” Darren said, tapping the steering wheel as they pulled out. “You’re not gonna believe this spread. The place looks like a damn fortress with high gates, cameras, guards at the drive.”
“Then we don’t use the driveway,” Jake replied coldly. “We go where they’re not looking.”
Darren smirked. “Thought you might say that.”
They wove through LA’s glittering streets before climbing into the winding roads of the Hollywood Hills. Mansions clung to the mountainside, their lights glowing like beacons. Finally, they rounded a curve and there it was. Rio’s mansion.
It was even bigger than Darren had described sprawling Black walls, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, a massive pool visible from the hillside. Security patrolled the gates, their black uniforms blending into the shadows.
Darren cut the engine and coasted into a darker patch of road. They sat in silence, watching.
Jake’s jaw tightened as he spotted movement inside Kylee. She was in the living room, hair down, wearing shorts and Rio’s T-shirt, holding Kayla on her hip. She looked happy. It made him sick.
“She doesn’t even look scared,” Jake muttered, his voice low, venomous.
“She’s in a damn castle with a rock star,” Darren said with a shrug. “Why would she be?”
Jake’s glare snapped to him. “Don’t push it.”
They waited until the security guard looped around the opposite side of the property before Jake stepped out of the SUV. Darren followed, pulling a small black duffel from the back.
“Won’t take long,” Jake said.
They slipped along the tree line until they found a break in the landscaping, a steep slope leading to the back corner of the property. Jake climbed it easily, heart pounding, until he reached the fence. A low section, hidden from the street. Darren gave him a boost.
Jake didn’t go inside. Not yet. Instead, he pulled a small object from his pocket, a pink pacifier. The one Kayla used to keep in her crib at home. He’d swiped it before she left.
