Accidental Shield (Marriage Mistake #6)(92)

Fuck.

She’s right about the dreadful part. Only question is whether it’s bad news for him, or more ugly shit he’s cooking up for us.

More importantly, my gut tells me Mrs. Gerard isn’t safe.

Not anymore.

Rushing over, I grab Valerie’s hand as I whisper, “Is this a landline?”

She looks up, her eyes wide, and nods.

I hold a finger to my lips. The line’s bugged. I’m sure of it.

They can’t trace the location of Val’s phone, but they can hear every damn word. “Does she have a cell phone? Do you know the number?”

She nods slowly.

“Valerie! Did you hear me?” Mrs. Gerard cuts in again. “We have to go to the police and—”

“I heard you, but I’m picking up a lot of static. Hold on, call you right back.” Valerie hits the end button. “She sounds scared out of her mind, Flint. I don’t think it’s some kind of trick...even by Ray.”

“Do you know a place where we can meet her? One she’ll know without you saying the name and tipping off anybody else on the line. Somewhere public with plenty of people?” I have no doubt Lorelei will probably be followed, but at least we could get there first, and find a way to get her out unseen.

“Yes. This little bakery in Honolulu. It’s the only place she can buy the cookies she likes. She usually sends her maid to get them, but...she’ll know what I’m talking about without even mentioning the name.”

“Perfect. Call her back. Tell her to meet us there in an hour,” I say, while texting my own mother, telling her I need her to come back and take Bryce to her house.

The stakes are too fucking high to risk anyone else getting hurt.

Val dials another number, and once again puts the call on speaker.

“Mother, it’s me,” she says as soon as Lorelei picks up.

“Why—”

“Mom, just listen. We’re going to buy cookies. Big honking chocolate macadamia nut monster cookies, your fave. Meet me there.”

“Cookies?! Oh, Valerie, didn’t you hear what I said about—”

“I heard you, loud and clear. Now, you hear. Cookies, Mother. Meet me there right away!” Val hangs up.

“Beautiful,” I tell her, then go to the back door and holler for Bryce.

He’s not happy to hear he’s going away with my mom again and possibly missing a swim lesson tomorrow, but he agrees when he finds out it’s so I can help Valerie.

My ma arrives shortly, and with a glowing smile, she doesn’t ask questions.

I know what she’s thinking.

We’re still celebrating our engagement and going at it like monkeys—I wish—but now’s not the time to explain how wrong she is. And there’s no sense in tipping her off.

Val thanks me for the quick thinking. She asks if I think Ray’s truly missing, or just with those men again, as we travel back across the island.

I admit that I’m not sure.

All signs point to him working with the Outfit. Hell, a few even hint there was some falling out. I remember what she said about her fateful trip on the yacht, how the goons thought he was double-crossing them.

Only thing certain is we’ve got a fucking mess on our hands. It pisses me off all over again that she’s been put in this place, betrayed by her brother.

“The bakery is over that way.” She points to the right as soon as we’re along one of the main busy arteries of downtown Honolulu. It’s a busy afternoon, plenty of tourists, and for once I’m grateful for the congestion.

“We’ll park near the back,” I say.

Val nods. “Good thinking.”

I park, and before we climb out, she puts on the oversized shades and hat, her usual disguise. The whole street swarms with people, surfers still in their swimsuits and beach bums carrying guitars, plenty of tourists from the mainland and Japan just starting to get their first taste of Aloha.

Val goes on ahead of me into the shop while I scan the area, texting the location to my crew.

Catching up with her later, we buy a few boxes of cookies, and then, handing the girl at the register several extra bills, I describe Lorelei Gerard in detail and ask her to let the woman cut in line when she shows up. I also tell her to make sure Lorelei knows to meet us at ABC Store next door after she’s got her cookies.

I’m pulling no punches, doing everything to throw off anyone we haven’t noticed who’s got one eye on us.

The girl agrees, then Val and I go browse around the touristy trinkets and cheap shirts next door.

It takes another twenty minutes before she spots her mother. Val taps me on the shoulder and we watch as a confused Lorelei makes her way through the door.

“What’s going on here?” she asks as soon as she’s found us.

“Shhh,” Valerie whispers, looking up at me. “Flint?”

“You aren’t safe right now, Mrs. Gerard.” I say, leading them through the back door to the employee lot where I’d parked.

“Safe?” Lorelei asks. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Listen to him, Mother,” Valerie says. “If it wasn’t for him, I’d be dead.”

“Dead?” Lorelei chokes on the word like it’s rotten meat.

“Dead, Mother. Finished. Or just 'missing,' like Ray. But Flint knows what he’s doing. He’s a professional. He’ll get to the bottom of it, you just have to trust him.”