Scarlett came barreling in the house like Leatherface was chasing after her with a chainsaw in his hands. She didn’t stop to say anything to me; she just ran upstairs and slammed her door shut. The bitch has some serious issues, I thought from my usual spot on the sofa in front of the TV. It was about two minutes later when she hurried back down wearing a sweat suit and flip-flops, not really appropriate attire for the bitter-ass cold outside, but they were her toes, not mine. Then I realized that she must be going for a run. I thought about going with her. Maybe that was what I needed to shake the boredom from my body.
If only Avery were here, I definitely wouldn’t be so sexually frustrated. Sure, I could convince Becca to spread her legs at any given moment. She’d been all over me since we got here, but if Avery ever found out, she’d probably beat Becca within an inch of her life, give her time to heal, and then do it again. And I would very likely lose my favorite appendage. Best I just stay bored.
Scarlett stopped in front of the sofa, blocking my view of the TV. “Drew, I need to ask you a question. And I need you to be honest.”
This sounds promising, I thought. “You know honesty isn’t my strong suit, but go ahead, ask away.”
“Did we have anything to do with Luke’s dad disappearing?”
Here was where my semester of drama in high school would pay off. I shot up to a sitting position and widened my eyes in shock. “What? He’s missing? What happened?”
“He never came home. The last time Luke saw him was New Year’s Eve. Please tell me that my dad wasn’t responsible for that,” she pleaded, looking very suspicious. “I know we’re trying to cause issues here, but we’re not kidnappers. Surely you wouldn’t go that far, right?”
I stood up and, channeling my inner Johnny Depp, I placed my hands on her shoulders and vowed, “I swear I don’t know anything about Luke’s dad. If we had anything to do with it, someone would have told me.”
Scarlett chewed on her bottom lip, obviously trying to decide if I was lying. The minute I felt her shoulders relax, I knew she’d bought it.
Just then, Brian walked through the front door and instantly shot me a look that screamed, get your hands off my daughter! What the hell had gotten into him? It was perfectly acceptable to pimp your own daughter out to Luke, but I wasn’t allowed to touch her? To prove I didn’t give a shit what he thought, I tugged Scarlett closer to me and wrapped my arms around her in a big hug, and not a brother/sister-type hug either. Turning my head to Brian, I said, “Scarlett just told me that Mr. Stanton is missing.”
“I heard. Marcus called and asked me to help with the search.”
I released Scarlett from our embrace but kept one hand on the small of her back. “I was just reassuring Scar that we had nothing to do with it when you walked in,” I explained.
Brian, who was an even better actor than I was, walked over to us, and looking his daughter straight in the eyes promised, “Honey, I swear to you we were not involved. When Marcus called me, that was the first I’d heard about it.”
Scarlett’s face paled as her eyes studied both her father’s and my own, surely searching for some sign that we were lying. Her attention was diverted when her phone buzzed, and Brian and I both watched as she read the text. “That was Luke. I’m heading over there now. Do you want me to wait for you?” Scarlett asked her father as she squirmed out of my reach.
Brian, shaking his head, told her to go ahead and to tell them that he would be there soon. Scarlett nodded her head and took off out the door.
Brian stood by the window and watched until Scarlett was far enough away before turning his attention to me. “Everything went exactly as planned.”
I followed Brian as he turned on his heel and marched into the kitchen.
“My men followed Phillip from the Marriott in Santa Fe to the ski resort in Red Ridge. After he dropped the domestic off, my guys forced Phillip’s Mercedes off the road. Once they took in his imposing size, they decided to go ahead and tranq him and just be done with it. When I left our land, he was still unconscious. They will most likely need to keep him drugged while he is there just to be on the safe side,” Brian explained.
“I don’t understand. Why didn’t they just kill him? It could have easily been made to look like a car accident. Why keep him alive?” I asked.
“Leverage. Your dad wants to make sure that things with Marcus are handled. Once he’s out of the picture, we’ll dispose of Phillip. We might need him if our cover is blown or my plan for Marcus falls apart. So we’re keeping him alive until then. Don’t worry. Phillip doesn’t pose a threat. He is sedated and locked in the jail cell beneath our meeting room.”
“Sounds too risky to me. A guy like Phillip is dangerous.”
“Not my call. That’s the way your dad wants it,” he said as he shrugged. “I just do what I’m told and don’t ask any questions. You know how your father is. He’s never been one to take advice from anyone.”
“All right, you have a point there. Should I go with you and help with the search?” I asked.
“Nah, stay here. I’m going to make sure they don’t stumble upon any scents or evidence that could lead them to us.”
I felt an anxious tick start up in my jaw. “I thought your guys handled it. Why would there be anything to stumble upon?”
“There isn’t,” Brian stated defensively. “We covered our tracks very well since we expected that there’d be a search once they realized Phillip wasn’t coming home. We should be fine but it won’t hurt to get out there with them and see what they find. It’s just a precaution, and it’s not like I can tell Marcus no, right?” Brain stopped for a moment and looked around the kitchen. “If you need something to do, how about you clean this mess up?”
I chuckled at the thought. “Yeah, right!” I hadn’t cleaned a day in my life and certainly didn’t plan to start now. I pushed off the counter and headed back to the couch.
Five minutes later, Brian left and I was flipping through the TV channels in search of something decent to watch. Man, this sucked. I could be home right now buried between Avery’s hot thighs. Hmmm, maybe she’d be up for a little fun. I grabbed my phone and shot off a text.
Baby, I hate it here. And I miss you so bad.
Tell me what you’re wearing and then take it off and send me a pic.
Seconds later, my phone dinged, and I looked down at the message and smiled. Oh yeah, I could work with that.