“He won’t be found,” Reid said. “Mason took care of that. Club Regal is closed until further notice, and we have men working on finding new management.” He shrugged. “Sparrow said to do an unplanned remodel to make the closure seem more legit.”
“That seems like a priority,” I said.
“Remodel with cameras.”
A smile came to my lips. “See, Reid, you’re needed there doing what you do. We all know Sparrow won’t stay put in the glass tower. Lockdowns don’t work on him. The four of us and Madeline will fly to Dallas. Get us a safe place to stay. See if we can gather Sparrows from the area. We need to know that whoever is contacted is one hundred percent behind us.”
“Speaking of that, Mason spent a good part of the night with the top capos. He learned that Hillman has spent the last month reconnecting.”
“Why the fuck are we just learning about this now?” I asked.
“You’re asking nicer than Mason did. Our ranks will be cleaned.”
I didn’t like learning that we’d be losing men. We needed every one. Then again, one trusted man was worth a hundred traitors.
“Look at that,” Reid said, his attention diverted.
“Talk to me.”
“Ivanov and three of his men were just picked up by two of Elliott’s cars. I don’t know who is flaunting this, Ivanov or Elliott.”
I shrugged. “Not sure what Elliott gains, but Ivanov gets to be seen around wealth. From what I’ve heard, he likes that.”
“Heard? Are you learning anything from Madeline? Can you trust her?”
My neck straightened. “Yes, from her and I do.” I remembered her phone. “Did Mason say that any calls to her phone would go to voicemail?”
“Yeah.”
I pulled the phone from my pocket. “I have it. Can you access it to see if she has messages?”
“Sorry,” Reid said, “I should have thought of that. I don’t need her phone. I can access it from here.”
“Glad to know I’m still good for something,” I replied. “Get back to us if there’s more news.”
The plane began to move slowly over the tarmac. As it did, the door to the cockpit opened. “Sir,” Marianne said, “we’re being tugged to the fueling area. We should be back up in the air in twenty minutes.”
“Are you still good to fly?” I asked, seeing her for the first time since we left Chicago. It had been a longer night than planned.
“Yes, sir. Dallas is only an hour and a half flight. My flight time hasn’t been exceeded.”
“We’ll get you and Millie each a room so you can rest. Our schedule is unclear.”
She nodded and turned back to the cockpit. Marianne had been with the Sparrows for many years and knew the drill. She wasn’t our only pilot, but she was one of our most trusted. That job came with responsibility, uncertain schedules, and worthy compensation. It didn’t matter if this detour was in her plans or not; she and everyone else aboard would conform to our schedule.
“I’ll look into her voicemail,” Reid said.
We all waited as Reid typed away on his computer. It was early Sunday morning and to look at my friend and associate, I couldn’t tell he’d been awake all night. We were used to these hours, but I would guess along with Marianne and Millie, Madeline wasn’t.
The plane came to a stop. Garrett rose from his seat and moved to one of the windows. “We’re being refueled.”
“Here we go,” Reid said through the computer, garnering all of our attention. “Apparently, Elliott didn’t call only Ivanov and Hillman.”
“Madeline?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Tell me you can access the message.”
Reid’s smile filled the screen. “I can.”
Taking a deep breath, I sat back against the seat, my gaze meeting Garrett’s, Christian’s, and Romero’s as Elliott’s voice came through the speaker.
“Madeline, I have been thinking...”
A few minutes later, I opened the partition to the rear cabin. Madeline was no longer seated. Her green eyes met mine.
“Why haven’t we disembarked?” She scoffed, gesturing toward the long wool coat, gloves, and headband. “I guess I don’t need those.”
“No, but you need to sit back down. We’re about to take off again.”
“No. We’re so close to Ruby.” Her eyes widened. “I know where she is. If you activate my phone, I’ll call her.” She looked at the watch she must have found amongst the clothes. “I don’t suppose she’s even awake.”
“You said she’s safe,” I reminded her.
Her face fell slack as she collapsed back into the seat. “Patrick, please. We’re here and I figured out a way to get her. Can you get us a boat?”
Madeline
“I fucking hate this,” Patrick said. “There has to be another way than by putting you in danger.” His complaint ended with a resigning sigh as he bent his long legs and perched on the edge of the large bed within the hotel suite’s bedroom.
I watched him through the mirror, his reflection behind me as I secured the platinum earrings in place. “We talked about it since we left Corpus Christi. Marion mentioned Ruby in his message. I have to go.”
Patrick stood and paced to the floor-to-ceiling windows and back. “You don’t think he knows that? You don’t think Elliott knows your Achilles’ heel? He invited you to his ranch. He didn’t mention that Ivanov and Hillman were also there. You’re walking into a setup.”
I spun on the high heels, the skirt of the green dress I wore pitching in kind. It wasn’t as formal as the clothes I’d wear for a tournament. I’d found it among the clothes on the airplane. It was flattering yet not pushy, accentuating my womanly curves while keeping my assets covered. This may be winter, but this was also Texas, not Detroit. I had a lightweight wrap to keep my arms covered and my pumps were tall. Wearing them flattered my legs.
This wasn’t my first attempt at flirting, and not even my first with Marion Elliott. He was an older man with more wealth than common sense. I’d done far less respectable things to protect Ruby. Meeting with a rich Texas oil baron wouldn’t even make the front page of my list.
“What kind of a setup, Patrick? You can argue all day, but Elliott won’t stand there and let Andros or Antonio kill me. The men poised with guns in Ann Arbor were there for you and your men, not me.”
“And you know that?”
“I don’t. I’m making an assumption just as you did. I wouldn’t be as confident if this meeting was alone with Andros.” I inhaled, refusing to allow that chilling thought to register. “Elliott said on his message that he heard my distress at Club Regal and wants to help.”
Patrick came closer. Seizing my waist, he pulled me flush against his wide chest. “That’s my job.”
“I’m not the center of a pissing contest. This isn’t about your ego. It’s for Ruby.”
“Don’t go. We’ll send a decoy.”
I took a step back. “A decoy? I’m certain they would know it’s not me.”