Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 146392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 732(@200wpm)___ 586(@250wpm)___ 488(@300wpm)
“Yeah…wait, what?” It wasn’t busy work.
His mom ignored him. “Be polite and sweet and talk a lot about dogs. I’ll work this from another angle because we have to deal with Boomer.”
“I can’t imagine having Boomer as an in-law. You know I’ve had to feed the man at Thanksgiving,” Liam complained. “My poor Avery had to buy out a Kentucky Fried Chicken after the man ate a whole turkey.”
“Oh, I’m too smart to offer to cook. I’ve learned your lessons,” his mom countered. “Theo and I are taking him to a buffet for lunch. We’ll get him in a good mood so you can tell him what’s going on.”
There was a problem with that plan. “I promised Lou I wouldn’t.”
“You’re not going to tell her father you’re together?” Liam sounded confused. “I know Boomer doesn’t have a reputation as a philosopher, but he’s going to figure something’s up when you’re suddenly sleeping in Lou’s bed.”
“He’s going to find out,” his mom agreed. “Are you or are you not planning on playing with her tonight at your club?”
She really did know everything. “Yes.”
“And who works with Lou’s mother every day?” His mom seemed determined to poke holes in his plan. “Who is Daphne’s prized apprentice?”
He sighed because once again she was right and proved his mom played chess and not checkers. Damn it. She was right. She was always right. “Marley Brighton, and she’s going to be at the club tonight.”
“Thank god my own sweet Daisy doesn’t believe in gossip,” Liam muttered under his breath.
No. Daisy believed in making as much of it as possible. “I can talk to her. Even better, I could have Kala talk to her.”
“Won’t happen,” his mom argued. “Kala loves Marley’s mom. She’ll tell you to suck it up and be a man, though she’ll use way rougher language. So you and Lou need to understand that everyone will know after tonight, and that includes her parents. Be forthright with Boomer. He’ll appreciate it. If Boomer’s happy and Daphne believes you’re going to take care of Lou this time, everything will be fine. If not, one of Big Tag’s kids will pull some serious shit and you two can have cover for a while. We can always count on the twins, though the boys turned out to be more trouble than I would have imagined. I’ll never forget the moment Big Tag realized his son was singing to the lunch crowd at a Pot-Bellied Pig.”
Liam snorted. “Serves him right after all the hell he gave that boy.”
Somehow he thought Travis having a kid out of wedlock at the ripe old age of twenty-three was a bigger scandal than Seth following his musical dreams, but apparently his Aunt Charlotte couldn’t cuddle a guitar. He glanced over and was surprised to see the blinds to the café were down. Shouldn’t they be open? They weren’t facing east, so it wasn’t a sun problem.
“Hey. Have you ever been to this café before?” TJ asked, unbuckling his seat belt.
“No, but they pop up all the time in this neighborhood. It looks like every other froufrou brunch place,” his mom said. “Why? You getting a weird feeling?”
It was good that he didn’t have to explain. His parents had taught him to trust his instincts. “I don’t like the fact that the blinds are down. It’s a beautiful day. Places like this value stuff like natural lighting. I’m going to go in. Do you mind waiting for a minute?”
“Not at all. I’ll keep the car running. If you think she’s in trouble, forget everything I said and hustle her out here. I’ll deal with the fallout with Charlotte.”
Liam leaned over. “And if they have a breakfast sandwich, I’ll take one of those.”
He should have known he would end up running errands. He eased out of the car, checking the area around him. It was pretty normal for this part of town. Oak Lawn wasn’t known for its towering buildings. Most of the businesses here were small and independently owned and operated. So there weren’t a lot of sniper positions. Still.
He moved in and frowned. The Open signed was turned off and the door was shielded by another set of blinds.
This was wrong. He felt it in his bones. He reached out and tested the door. Locked.
Fuck.
He pulled his cell and called Lou again. She hadn’t answered before and he’d thought it was pure stubbornness, but now he had to wonder. Nothing.
He punched in another number.
“McKay-Taggart Security Services, how can I help you?”
Even though he couldn’t see her face, that bouncy answer told him Kenzie had the phone she and Kala used exclusively for emergencies. It was one they used for cover and the only one he could be absolutely certain they would answer without fail. “I think Lou’s in trouble. I need you to activate her locator.”