Play Mine (Brooklyn Dawn #3) - Cari Quinn Page 0,93

panic attack. At least I wasn’t the only one who was feeling the stress.

“As if you could keep me away from you.” Nash looped his arm around her waist and dragged her back against him. “I just hate this.”

She sighed and relaxed against him. “Yeah, well, I don’t think any of us are happy about it.”

Hoping to change the subject, I cleared my throat. “Where’s the bus?” I craned my neck to take in the sheer massive size of the sleek silver and black monstrosity. “What the heck is going on there? Did we get a bigger lighting setup?”

“Nope.” Jamie picked at her black nail polish. “That’s our future jail.”

“What?” I frowned at Lindsey. “What’s she talking about? That is not a bus.”

Lindsey tucked herself along Nash’s side and leisurely looped her arm around his back. So at ease with the fact that they needed to touch all the time. Angry one minute and melting against him like chocolate the next.

Kind of like Cooper and I. I’d never thought I would find anyone who would fit me like he did. Never expected to find it with him, especially. Knowing that he didn’t find me clingy or too demonstrative was a major plus. In fact, he might’ve even outdone me on the touching and sexy times part sometimes.

Maybe.

Lindsey glanced up at the truck. “I’m not sure what the heck this thing is. Knowing Ripper it’s going to be more than we expect.”

“Ah, in the business for so long, and you’re still so quick to assume the best, love.”

Lindsey elbowed Nash. “Not everyone assumes the worst.”

Jamie gave a meh face. “It looks like a big rig truck to me. How impressive can it be? Are they going to put us in little Styrofoam slots like my guitars? Strap us in like our soldier boys. The security dudes are used to it, right? It’s our time now.”

“Thank you, Jamie.” Nash dropped his arm to link his fingers with Lindsey. “She is of a like mind.”

“You two deserve one another.” Lindsey rolled her eyes.

“We’d kill each other.” Jamie walked the length of the trailer attached to the black truck cab. She quickly posed beside the wheel that came to her chest. “Take a vid for TikTok. People will be so jealous.”

“No one is taking any sort of video for any social media until you’re on the road.” Lila’s crisp voice came from behind me.

I spun around. “Hi.”

“Ms. Daly.” From her chilly demeanor, she was not exactly over our duck-and-run from Cole yesterday.

Lila’s ever present iPad was tucked against her chest. As usual, she was in a spotless and unwrinkled suit—this one lavender linen in deference to the heat. Even Lila was human enough to sweat. At least I was pretty sure.

Oz and Daisy crossed the parking lot from their bodyguard’s car. Sarah, their bodyguard, followed at a brisk pace, her no-nonsense blond ponytail swishing behind her as she scanned the parking lot.

Daisy attack-hugged me. “I’m so glad to see you. And you liked what I sent?” She pushed me away with both hands on my shoulders to look at my outfit. “I love shopping for you. These dresses are the cutest.” She flicked her fingers over the tiny cap sleeves of my summery black sundress covered in poppies.

I flushed. “Thanks. I love it.” I’d mostly been living in Cooper’s shirts for days—or nothing at all. It felt good to be a bit girly again.

Daisy dabbed at the corner of her eye where a few tears had formed. “Were you able to salvage anything at the house?”

“Not as much as I’d like.”

“I’m sure Daisy would like to catch up more, Ms. Daly, but we have a schedule to keep. You can discuss what’s happened in the last few days when you’re on the road.”

Daisy gave Lila a stiff smile. “Sorry.” She backed up and sniffed into Oz’s chest as he looped one of his long arms around her neck to bring her in tighter.

“Thank you all for being prompt.” Lila nodded toward Cooper and Zane, who’d finally joined the group.

Cooper came up behind me and brushed his hand along mine. “What’s that thing?”

I shrugged. “We’re trying to figure it out.”

“And I’ll explain that. As you can see, we’ve made the best of this…unusual situation. Our current security situation required a little creativity. Luckily, Donovan has contacts just about everywhere. He paid handsomely to camouflage your residence on wheels.”

“In a truck?” Oz snorted.

“No one would think this is actually a state of the art tour bus.”