“I could find out if the private jet is available, and we could take a family trip up there together.”
Allie’s eyes widen, and her mouth hangs agape. “You have a private jet?”
“Dmitri,” Sadie warns, “that’s too much.”
“I can’t make any promises, but if it’s available, I can request the flight and time off from work.”
Sadie sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “I’m not sure that I can get time off. I just started my new job, Allie.”
“Dmitri could take me.” Allie glances with wide eyes from me to her mother.
“I don’t think that’s what Dmitri wants to do on his vacation,” Sadie says.
She’s right. Spending time with the two of them would be fine, but shuttling Allie to Canada doesn’t sound exciting. But at least she’s not suggesting that we go in the middle of winter.
“Ask your boss for time off,” Allie says. “Do the flirty thing.”
“The flirty thing?” I ask, pinning Sadie with my stare. What the hell is she doing around Antonio? The man is married and one of the most vicious and ruthless men I know.
Sadie’s cheeks redden as she plays with her hair, twirling a strand around her finger as she stares into my gaze. There’s more to it, but she’s not showing all her secrets to her thirteen-year-old daughter.
“I don’t flirt with just anyone,” she says, pinning me with her stare.
My mouth is dry, and I reach for my nearly empty water glass, taking a swig.
“You two are gross,” Allie says, pushing the chair out from the table. She grabs her plate, taking it to the sink to clean before heading for the living room.
I’m relieved when it’s finally just the two of us.
From the table, I get a decent view of Allie. She grabs her virtual reality headset and straps it on, securing it. At least now she can’t see us and probably can’t hear us, either, with the volume turned up.
“You should really keep an eye on her when she’s playing online with other people,” I say.
“I still can’t believe that you’re Bearded Bad Boy,” Sadie says with a genuine laugh.
“How’d you figure it out?”
“The star tattoo,” she says, gesturing at my chest. “It’s the same one on your profile picture.”
I reach for my glass of water, wishing it was something a bit stronger. I finish the last few sips. I don’t tell her how the tattoo symbolizes being a member of the bratva. If she hasn’t discovered that secret, then I don’t want to be the one to tell her.
“You should bring your headset over sometime. We could play together,” she says.
I don’t answer her comment. It’s not that doing something together wouldn’t be nice. The reality is that I only have the headset to make connections with shady businessmen. The actual time that I’ve spent gaming is minimal.
“We could, but I have a few other ideas that might be a little more fun.”
Sadie chuckles under her breath. “Careful, Allie is in the next room over.”
I doubt she can hear anything we’re saying with our voices low and the audio on her VR headset turned up.
“I brought dessert,” I say, standing to retrieve the chocolate-covered strawberries and cherries. I wasn’t sure which she’d prefer, so I opted for both.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I grab it and answer the call on the burner phone.
“Hello,” I say. There’s only one person with the number.
“I’ve got good news. I tracked down Savannah’s sister to a small town in Montana. They are in a remote cabin in Breckenridge.”