tie this up really fast.”
“Doin’ my best,” he replies. “Swear I am.”
“Is Sophia helping you?”
“Yeah. I was talking to her just before I called you. She said she’s tugging on some threads. Fuck knows what that means, but—”
“Just trust her,” Jamie inserts. “She’s your ticket outta this mess. So whatever it is she’s doing, she’s doing it to help you. She’s a genius, and she doesn’t miss. Follow her instructions, and she’ll fix it.”
“Yeah,” Will murmurs. “I barely know the chick, but I don’t have a lot of choice at this point. So I’ll listen, I’ll let her lead me around like a fuckin’ puppet. And at the end…”
“She’ll keep you alive,” Jamie says firmly. “I’m certain of it. Not one single person she intended to keep has died on the job. And that includes a guy who took a bullet in the brain.”
“Wait.” My heart stops. “What?”
“Yeah,” Will repeats. “What? Because I’m not sure I’m willing to test if the first time was a fluke.”
“Ask Soph about her man John D. Hamilton,” Jamie says. “Ask her about the muscle she had, and how he took a bullet to the brain. He’s a little weird these days, but he’s still kicking.”
“A little weird?” Will screeches. “I’m not willing to be a little weird, Kincaid!”
“Relax,” Jamie chuckles. “I doubt that’ll happen twice. It was once-in-a-lifetime type stuff. Just…” He pulls my hand to his thigh and relaxes into his seat. “Just chill, follow Soph’s instructions, and finish this shit. Whoever is fucking with you has stolen a massive chunk of your life already. Are you really willing to give them more?”
“No,” Will declares on a low growl. “No, we’re done letting this fucker waste our time.” He pauses a moment, purposely works on changing his tone. “How long until you get back to town?”
Jamie glances at the GPS screen embedded in the middle of the dash, then out to a large, brown road sign telling us what town is next. “Tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow night at the latest.”
“And your family knows you’re incoming? They know you’re bringing Bubbles back?”
“Yeah. Don’t sweat them. No one is gonna snitch.”
“You have cops for uncles,” Will barks. “It’s literally their job to snitch.”
“They’re not gonna be a problem for you,” Jamie promises. “My family knows we’re coming, and they know what’s at stake. That’s all that matters. No one is gonna snitch. What’s happening on your end?”
Will makes a sound in the back of his throat. A type of garbled ‘dunno’. “Soph says she’s planning something for tomorrow night. Some meet at the docks.”
“Wait.” I push closer to the dash. “A meet? You’re just gonna go to the docks in the dark and meet people who may or may not be there to put a bullet in your brain?”
“I really hope they don’t have guns,” Will chuckles dryly. “Weirdness aside, I bet a bullet hole doesn’t tickle.”
“Dammit, Will! This isn’t funny.”
He snorts. “I don’t think it’s funny at all, Bubbles. This is the least funny thing I’ve ever fuckin’ experienced. Listen,” he sighs. “I’ve gotta go. Someone’s calling me, and if it’s Soph, she’s gonna be mad that I missed her contact.”
“Don’t go to that meet,” I rush out in a panic. “Don’t go to the docks in the middle of the night. That’s a suicide mission if I ever heard one.”
“I’m gonna do what Soph tells me to do, unless it sounds really stupid. For now, I’m listening.” His voice turns faster, more insistent. “I’ve gotta go. But I’ll call again tomorrow.”
“Will!”
“I love you, Bubbles. Be good, and stop trying to get Kincaid arrested.”
“Probably tell her to stop kicking me, too.”
“Nah.” Will jokes. “I’m gonna let her make that decision for herself. But hey, Kincaid?”
He grunts. “Yeah?”
“Kick her back, and you’re a dead man.”
“Yeah,” he replies on another grunt. “Can’t say it’s not tempting. I know I’m not supposed to hurt girls, but I swear, sometimes a special someone deserves a kick in the face just so she can feel the pain she inflicts on others.”
Will chuckles. “I don’t disagree. But I’ll kill you if you give in to that urge. Lock it down, get her home, lock her up until I come for her. See ya, Bubbles. Love you.”
“Will! No!” I cry out when the call goes dead and music once again fills the car “Will!”
“He’s gone.” Jamie presses a button on the steering wheel to turn the music down. “But you heard him. Sit down, shut up, behave. He’s taking care of business.”
“He’s