“I’m goin’ in with him,” Z continued. “We’ll distract Thurston while the rest of you find a way to get Amit.”
“What if he’s got Amit with him?” Courtney inquired.
Ashlynn had no idea who Amit was, or what trouble he was in, but she assumed he was the guy who’d been kidnapped.
“Doesn’t matter. The objective is still the same. We get Amit out unharmed.” RT was obviously the leader of this group.
“Hold up a minute,” Courtney’s brother said. “What’s to keep this guy from goin’ after Amit again once this is over? We can’t just hand over a fake painting and expect this guy to shrug it off. He paid Amit two mil up front—half of what he’d been intending to pay. That’s a lotta fuckin’ cash.”
Yeah, it was. Two mil for a painting? And that was half?
“And he’s cautious,” the voice on the phone added. “The reason he hadn’t paid Amit the remaining money was because he was having the painting assessed. I hacked his email and found an email thread between him and some expert. One week after taking possession of the painting, Thurston was informed it was a fake. He’s been hunting Amit ever since.”
“That explains why Amit went to his mother’s house.”
“Regardless,” RT inserted, “I’m not handin’ over the original. Four mil ain’t shit compared to what’ll happen if this painting gets in the wrong hands.”
Ashlynn couldn’t help but wonder what the story was there.
“I’ve got an idea.” Courtney waved her hand to get everyone’s attention. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Talk?” the guy Ashlynn didn’t recognize huffed. “You think that’s gonna make him forget the fact he lost two mil?”
Courtney’s eyes narrowed on the unknown guy, but the voice that sounded did not belong to her.
“He will if I talk to him.”
Ashlynn’s attention turned to Max as he moved across the room, coming to stand behind Courtney.
RT shook his head. “Your help always comes with a price.”
Ashlynn couldn’t help but laugh. He was right about that.
“Thanksgiving dinner,” Courtney inserted.
RT frowned, making Ashlynn smile.
“Huh?”
“Thanksgiving dinner. Here. At our house. That’s the price.”
Ashlynn was now looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner, that was for sure. Like a modern-day version of the Montagues and Capulets. Surely she wouldn’t be bored then.
“You want me to spend Thanksgiving at your place? That’s what it’ll cost me?” RT asked.
“Not just you. Everyone,” Courtney clarified.
“Fine,” Trace stated. “Done. Can we get on with this?”
“How do you propose we do this then?” Z asked Max directly.
For the next few minutes, Ashlynn listened to Max explain his plan while she did her best not to focus all her attention on Leyton, who was standing in the corner, thick arms crossed over his massive chest. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was stealing glances of her, as well. Unlike him, she wasn’t trying to hide her interest. Never had.
“You in?” Max asked, and Ashlynn realized he was talking to her.
“What do you need?”
“Jase.”
Ashlynn nodded.
From the sound of things, they were looking for some backup, and she was willing to do whatever her brother needed. Especially if it meant she didn’t have to sit around and do nothing for the rest of the night.
Max turned to Leyton. “If we need Jase to help, I want you to keep an eye on my sister.”
Leyton’s grunt was affirmation, although he didn’t sound too happy about that plan.
No way. Nuh-uh. If Leyton stuck around, she would be twiddling her thumbs while he glared at her from across the room.
“Take him with you,” Ashlynn told Max. “We’ll be fine here. This place is a fortress.”
Her brother didn’t look thrilled with the suggestion, but Ashlynn wasn’t going to back down. “I’ve got Leo and Teddy. I don’t need him, too.”
Ashlynn spared Leyton a look, saw the way his eyes burned with something akin to frustration, possibly anger. When she turned back to Max, she was happy to see his nod of acceptance.
Now that that was over, it was time for another drink.
Chapter Four
Helping the good guys. Can you say ‘ironic’?
“Where the fuck is Max?” Courtney yelled into the communication device she’d been outfitted with before the others had disappeared twenty minutes ago.
Jase had been informed that he would be needed as backup, and though helping out with situations like this weren’t in his job description, he’d learned that when Max said jump, he jumped. Well, technically, when Ashlynn gave the order, he followed. But tonight, Max had been the one needing help, and Ashlynn had offered his assistance.
So here he was.
“I want all four of you to check in right now, dammit,” Courtney declared, looking at no one in particular as she spoke.
Jase had no idea what was happening on the other end of that comm link, but he waited patiently for Courtney to tell him what she needed him to do. Had he been in charge, he would’ve grabbed the M4 hidden in the back panel of the SUV, waltzed right in, and made his presence known. But according to what he’d heard, the S1S team preferred stealth, which meant his plan was out.
So instead of offering a solution, Jase had piled into the back of Max’s armored Escalade along with Sal, Dane, and Leyton a short while ago while Rock got behind the wheel and Courtney joined them in the passenger seat.
“I’m bringin’ backup with me,” Courtney declared. “Be there in two.” Courtney twisted in her seat and glanced back at them. “They’ve got an army of twelve, or so I’m told. Most of them are in the house, so I’m gonna try to distract them.” Courtney looked directly at Jase. “I’m gonna lure them to the Escalade, and I want this done as quietly as possible. So you be ready.”
Jase nodded. Something else he was good at, aside from protecting the life of one of the most wanted women in the state of Texas, was mixed martial arts. It’d been a means of survival in his younger days, something he’d found he was quite good at. Thanks to the teacher he’d had, who had been willing to train a worthless kid with no hope for a future, Jase had come out the other side with a skill he’d honed over the years.
When the Escalade came to a stop, he got out, checked his Sig, then took a spot behind the armored vehicle while Courtney ventured up to the house with Rock in tow. To his surprise, Leyton joined him.
“What’re you doin’?” he asked Leyton, keeping his eyes on Courtney and Rock as they made their way up the intricate walkway toward the front door.
“Backup,” Leyton grumbled.
For whatever reason, Leyton didn’t speak much to Jase these days. Why that was, he couldn’t figure out, other than the man was clearly in denial. It was evident that Leyton was attracted to him, and had been for quite some time. And yes, Jase returned that attraction, had even attempted to get Leyton to see it, to no avail. The man was rather stubborn, that was for damn sure.
Even now, as the two of them stood side by side, shielded from view by the Escalade, Jase got the impression Leyton was trying to keep his distance. Hell, the man should’ve just stayed in the SUV for all the good it was doing to have him there.
Not that Jase had time to worry about Leyton at the moment. He was there for a job, and he took that seriously.
He’d been kept in the dark for most of what this mission was about, but he didn’t really need to know the logistics. He was focused, but mostly because he needed to get back to the house and check on Ashlynn. He hated leaving her, didn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe, but they’d all agreed that bringing her with them would only be an added liability. Which was how she’d ended up staying back with Teddy and Leo.
Before he’d left, Ashlynn had told him how she’d insisted that Leyton go along with them because she didn’t particularly care to have him glaring at her. The thought made him smile, followed by an assortment of dirty thoughts that ran amuck in his oversexed brain. He was surprised that Ashlynn hadn’t taken advantage of the situation and worked her magic on Leyton. The guy was pretending not to be interested, but Jase knew better, knew it was only a matter of time before they cracked that tough exterior and convinced Leyton to take a walk on the wild side.