“Never saw a thing,” Suz promised, hesitating for a beat before throwing her arms around a surprised Dana and giving her a quick squeeze. “Watch your back, girl. Revenge can get messy.”
Parker was tempted to take the stairs to the parking level, to avoid the slowest elevator on the face of the earth. He hesitated for Suz’s sake, only to have her blast past him into the stairwell, moving fast enough in her high heels to make him have to work.
Dean and Jack were leaning on the hood of Lynn’s car. “You got info for us? Because someone sabotaged her car.”
“I’ll give you one guess who.” Parker quickly snapped out orders. “We’re headed south. Jack, you drive. Dean, call in a few favors. We need an airlift.”
“I call shotgun.” Suz planted her fists on her hips, daring Parker to contradict her. “Don’t even try to leave me behind.”
Suz
“For fuck’s sake, Jonesy, stop distracting our pilot,” Dean grumbled over the headset.
Suz was quick to voice a protest. “Stop whining, Colter. He asked a question and I answered. It was the polite thing to do.”
“He asked if you’ve ever flown in a small aircraft before—”
“—and I said, yes, I have, but I prefer them big. In fact, the bigger the better. What’s wrong with that?” It wasn’t her fault Stu the pilot had broken into a coughing fit that made the helicopter lurch for one stomach-dropping moment.
“One of these days I’m gonna think up a very creative way to shut that smart mouth of yours,” Dean warned.
“Promises, promises.”
They exchanged grins, though Suz’s promptly faded when she glanced at the seat across from her and noticed Parker still wore an expression of pure doom. He was worried. Hell, so was she. But she and Dean had been trying hard to keep the mood lighthearted.
Lynn would be okay. She was smart and resourceful, and she knew how to take care of herself—Suz’s eldest brother Matt had ensured it when he’d personally trained Lynn and Suz in self-defense several years back.
But Suz doubted Lynn would need to utilize any of those deadly skills. Phil was an ass, but he wasn’t a violent ass, or at least he hadn’t been in the past. She didn’t know what kind of game he was playing, but she was holding on to hope he’d simply talked Lynn into spending the weekend with him. She loved her BFF to death, but it was no secret Lynn Davidson was too nice for her own good. Wouldn’t be much of a stretch to believe Lynn had agreed to help out an ex, even if said ex happened to be a boring, undeserving jerk.
Suz’s gaze drifted to the window, though it was hard to admire the view with the waves of tension Parker was radiating. She stared at the Pacific Ocean. At the calm ripples on its blue surface stretching into eternity. Today the water was so pretty and peaceful but its hidden depths and currents remained, and suddenly it all made sense. This was why she had to be there—why she’d insisted on coming along.
She turned to give Parker a firm look. “Lynn’s going to be fine,” Suz said, the absolute belief in her statement ringing convincingly. “She knows how to handle Phil. I mean, she seems all soft and squishy, but she’s got a will of iron. If she has to lie to stay safe, she’ll do it. If she needs to run, she’ll do that. My BFF is a damn smart cookie, and she’s going to use every tool she’s got to the best of her ability. You know she will. You know.”
The anguish in Parker’s green eyes hardened to ice. “You’re right. But if that bastard hurts her…”
“Then we hurt him back,” Jack commented coldly. “Don’t worry, bro. I don’t travel anywhere without my brass knuckles.”
Suz thought he was kidding, but with three former Rangers, who knew?
The one other thing she knew with utter conviction—Phil Shotelle had better have kept his hands to himself. Parker wasn’t the only one willing to kick his ass to next week. Susanna Jones had never shied away from a fight in her life, and if she found out Philandering Phil had so much as touched a hair on Lynn’s head?
Lights fucking out.
Chapter Sixteen
Dread seized every muscle in her body as Phil sped off the highway. It wasn’t long before they were driving along the coastline, the road rising in elevation as the two-lane pavement hugged a cliff overlooking the ocean.
Her imagination was working overtime. Maybe they weren’t going to Bigelows’ house at all. Maybe Phil planned on taking her to the top of a cliff and pushing her off.
Oh sweet Jesus. Was he going to murder her?
The over-the-top fear that erupted inside her faded when she began to pick out houses in the landscape. Massive, luxurious mansions hidden away in the trees, long driveways and wrought-iron gates providing the utmost privacy to the wealthy residents in the cliff-side neighborhood.
“It should be right up ahead,” Phil mumbled, slowing the minivan as the road curved.