giggle, but Lily is different.” A self-conscious smile appeared so he nodded, encouraging her to continue. “Okay, I know it sounds silly, but I swear when I ask her questions, she yatters on in her own language answering me. It’s hilarious and cute as hell.”
“I’ll try it with her myself and see if it only works for you.” Kai hoped his reference to the future let her know he wouldn’t stop until they had Lily back safe and sound.
Nodding, she seemed to understand. “Her worst habit is sucking her thumb. No matter how much I try and stop her, she just grins and pops it back in whenever she wants, especially while she sleeps.”
Remorse grabbed hold, tightening the muscles of his stomach. “Oh boy! Guess in one area she takes after her old man.” He felt the heat in his cheeks before he saw her eyes focus and narrow.
“Figures!”
One word from her and he’d have given anything to be able to retract the comment. Unfortunately, his mother had scads of proof in all the baby pictures she loved to share.
He grinned, couldn’t help himself and then held up his glass and drained it. She did the same. When she reached to put the glass on the bedside table, he moved fast and had the cuff linked around her wrist and the other around the post.
“You bastard!”
“Sorry, Darlin’. I really am. But you need to rest before you pass out and so do I. Cory or Ham will call if there’s any break. Until then, we need to use common sense.”
“Just shut up. How the hell do you expect me to rest when Lily needs me? You’re insane.”
“No. Listen. They aren’t crazy enough to harm a very expensive commodity. Those babies represent a great deal of profit. You know that Ray, your IT guy, inveigled himself onto their website as a potential buyer for a white baby and the price quoted was five hundred thousand for certain characteristics, hair color, eye color, etc.”
“How come I didn’t know?” Obviously, her interest superseded her anger.
“Cory told us. In the car. Guess you didn’t hear the first part of our conversation.” My poor, poor darling .
He leaned back on his hands to stop himself from reaching for her. The love blistering inside made it one of the toughest things he’d ever had to do.
“In other words, you figure the babies are safe because of their worth. What a fucking sick world!”
“Yeah! They’re safe and still in Vegas. Now all we have to do is find them and with all the departments looking, it’s just a matter of time. Now sleep. We’ll need to be ready.”
He turned the light down and settled himself back against the pillow. The sigh that escaped held a quivering note and he’d have given anything to draw it back.
Instead he listened and heard Aurora lay back. Now he could rest. Sleep hit him fast. He slipped deep at first and then deeper, right into hell.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kai had warned Sonny that he needed to be ready to roll at precisely midnight. That the trucks would be arriving at the warehouse with their goods and his Mexican counterpart, Señor Andres, would be expecting payment and a personal meeting.
After the death of Dominic, Andres wished to ascertain whether they would continue to do business. Not aware that Sonny had actually killed his stepfather in cold blood (at least Kai didn’t believe Andres knew) the fact that the connection would now be with Sonny, an enigma, posed a problem.
Unknown to both those parties, Kai had arranged for another contingent to show up that would thwart both men and put an end to their underground activities. Cold heartedly and with total righteousness, Kai had made the arrangements for a raid by a task force that would take them all down. Now he just had to make sure it went according to plan.
Both parties had to be there at midnight and the human cargo had to be safe. Then he’d give the signal.
Finally he heard Sonny arrive. Shit! What the hell was that blonde whore doing here? Maylene preened, her blouse cut low,
“I’ll try it with her myself and see if it only works for you.” Kai hoped his reference to the future let her know he wouldn’t stop until they had Lily back safe and sound.
Nodding, she seemed to understand. “Her worst habit is sucking her thumb. No matter how much I try and stop her, she just grins and pops it back in whenever she wants, especially while she sleeps.”
Remorse grabbed hold, tightening the muscles of his stomach. “Oh boy! Guess in one area she takes after her old man.” He felt the heat in his cheeks before he saw her eyes focus and narrow.
“Figures!”
One word from her and he’d have given anything to be able to retract the comment. Unfortunately, his mother had scads of proof in all the baby pictures she loved to share.
He grinned, couldn’t help himself and then held up his glass and drained it. She did the same. When she reached to put the glass on the bedside table, he moved fast and had the cuff linked around her wrist and the other around the post.
“You bastard!”
“Sorry, Darlin’. I really am. But you need to rest before you pass out and so do I. Cory or Ham will call if there’s any break. Until then, we need to use common sense.”
“Just shut up. How the hell do you expect me to rest when Lily needs me? You’re insane.”
“No. Listen. They aren’t crazy enough to harm a very expensive commodity. Those babies represent a great deal of profit. You know that Ray, your IT guy, inveigled himself onto their website as a potential buyer for a white baby and the price quoted was five hundred thousand for certain characteristics, hair color, eye color, etc.”
“How come I didn’t know?” Obviously, her interest superseded her anger.
“Cory told us. In the car. Guess you didn’t hear the first part of our conversation.” My poor, poor darling .
He leaned back on his hands to stop himself from reaching for her. The love blistering inside made it one of the toughest things he’d ever had to do.
“In other words, you figure the babies are safe because of their worth. What a fucking sick world!”
“Yeah! They’re safe and still in Vegas. Now all we have to do is find them and with all the departments looking, it’s just a matter of time. Now sleep. We’ll need to be ready.”
He turned the light down and settled himself back against the pillow. The sigh that escaped held a quivering note and he’d have given anything to draw it back.
Instead he listened and heard Aurora lay back. Now he could rest. Sleep hit him fast. He slipped deep at first and then deeper, right into hell.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kai had warned Sonny that he needed to be ready to roll at precisely midnight. That the trucks would be arriving at the warehouse with their goods and his Mexican counterpart, Señor Andres, would be expecting payment and a personal meeting.
After the death of Dominic, Andres wished to ascertain whether they would continue to do business. Not aware that Sonny had actually killed his stepfather in cold blood (at least Kai didn’t believe Andres knew) the fact that the connection would now be with Sonny, an enigma, posed a problem.
Unknown to both those parties, Kai had arranged for another contingent to show up that would thwart both men and put an end to their underground activities. Cold heartedly and with total righteousness, Kai had made the arrangements for a raid by a task force that would take them all down. Now he just had to make sure it went according to plan.
Both parties had to be there at midnight and the human cargo had to be safe. Then he’d give the signal.
Finally he heard Sonny arrive. Shit! What the hell was that blonde whore doing here? Maylene preened, her blouse cut low,
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