Jake’s help. She still wasn’t sure why—aside from the obvious—Jake had flown all the way down here, but there was one thing for sure she knew about the man. He had a strong personal code that wouldn’t let him walk away from someone in need. Ironically, that code was something she’d always admired and respected about him, but right now it was about to make her life hell.
She blew out a long breath and dropped her arms. “My friend is in trouble. He asked me to come down and get him. He’s supposed to call anytime to let me know where to meet him.”
“He who?”
Marley pursed her lips. This was so going to get sticky. There was a reason she kept her personal life private from Jake. Because she didn’t need his disapproving looks or snarky comments about the men she chose to see. “Grayson McKnight.”
The waiter set their plates in front of them. Marley’s stomach rolled when she saw the fish, complete with fins and eyeball, staring up at her.
Jake reached for a biscuit, cut it open, and slathered jam inside. “That looks appetizing. Keep going.”
Appetite gone, Marley pushed the plate away and draped her napkin over the fish so it couldn’t stare her down. “He worked for my father.”
“Worked? As in past tense?”
“Yes.” She picked up her coffee and took a large sip.
“So, why did he call you?”
“Because we’re friends. Were you listening, Ryder?”
“I meant, why not call your father?”
She shrugged while he ate his breakfast and she tried not to get sick. “I don’t know.”
“Here.” He shoved the biscuit at her. “Eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You’re hung over. Eat it, Addison.”
Reluctantly, she reached for the biscuit and took a tentative bite.
“Better yet,” he went on, cutting into his eggs, “why didn’t you call your father? If the guy worked for Mason, and something happened to him down here, which, let’s get real, must have if he needs help getting out of the country, then Omega’s responsible for him as his employer.”
Jake was right. And that feeling that there was so much more to the story settled hard in Marley’s stomach again. She swallowed the bite. “I’m not sure. I just know he called me.”
Jake’s fork hovered over his plate, and he looked up with pinpoint focus. The same focus Marley saw whenever he was in black ops mode. A shiver rushed down her spine. “Just who is this guy to you besides a friend? Because random citizens don’t take off without notice and go searching for people in dangerous countries. They call people like me to do it.”
“No,” Marley clarified. “They call you and you order your team to take care of it.”
He tipped his head. “That’s not exactly accurate and you know it.”
Marley did know it. But she wasn’t in the mood to be agreeable with him. He’d shown up unannounced, intimidated her brother, and wormed his way into something that didn’t involve him.
Pushing the biscuit away that really didn’t do anything but make her feel more queasy, she lifted her coffee, took another large sip, and told herself to play nice.
“So who is this guy, really?” Jake asked again.
Every instinct she had screamed not to divulge her relationship with Gray to Jake. The last thing she needed was any more of his judgment and disapproving looks.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket before she could think of an answer. Reaching for it, she glanced at the number but didn’t recognize it. Heart beating hard against her ribs, she hit Answer. “This is Marley.”
“Are you in Puerto Asis, Freckles?”
A relieved breath escaped Marley’s lungs. “Yeah, I’m here. Tell me how to get to you, Gray.”
“Do you have something to write on?”
“Yeah, hold on.” Marley reached for a napkin and signaled the waiter, holding her thumb and forefinger together as if writing in the air. The waiter nodded and rushed over with a pen. “Okay, go ahead.”
“I’m in Bruhia on the border of Colombia and
She blew out a long breath and dropped her arms. “My friend is in trouble. He asked me to come down and get him. He’s supposed to call anytime to let me know where to meet him.”
“He who?”
Marley pursed her lips. This was so going to get sticky. There was a reason she kept her personal life private from Jake. Because she didn’t need his disapproving looks or snarky comments about the men she chose to see. “Grayson McKnight.”
The waiter set their plates in front of them. Marley’s stomach rolled when she saw the fish, complete with fins and eyeball, staring up at her.
Jake reached for a biscuit, cut it open, and slathered jam inside. “That looks appetizing. Keep going.”
Appetite gone, Marley pushed the plate away and draped her napkin over the fish so it couldn’t stare her down. “He worked for my father.”
“Worked? As in past tense?”
“Yes.” She picked up her coffee and took a large sip.
“So, why did he call you?”
“Because we’re friends. Were you listening, Ryder?”
“I meant, why not call your father?”
She shrugged while he ate his breakfast and she tried not to get sick. “I don’t know.”
“Here.” He shoved the biscuit at her. “Eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“You’re hung over. Eat it, Addison.”
Reluctantly, she reached for the biscuit and took a tentative bite.
“Better yet,” he went on, cutting into his eggs, “why didn’t you call your father? If the guy worked for Mason, and something happened to him down here, which, let’s get real, must have if he needs help getting out of the country, then Omega’s responsible for him as his employer.”
Jake was right. And that feeling that there was so much more to the story settled hard in Marley’s stomach again. She swallowed the bite. “I’m not sure. I just know he called me.”
Jake’s fork hovered over his plate, and he looked up with pinpoint focus. The same focus Marley saw whenever he was in black ops mode. A shiver rushed down her spine. “Just who is this guy to you besides a friend? Because random citizens don’t take off without notice and go searching for people in dangerous countries. They call people like me to do it.”
“No,” Marley clarified. “They call you and you order your team to take care of it.”
He tipped his head. “That’s not exactly accurate and you know it.”
Marley did know it. But she wasn’t in the mood to be agreeable with him. He’d shown up unannounced, intimidated her brother, and wormed his way into something that didn’t involve him.
Pushing the biscuit away that really didn’t do anything but make her feel more queasy, she lifted her coffee, took another large sip, and told herself to play nice.
“So who is this guy, really?” Jake asked again.
Every instinct she had screamed not to divulge her relationship with Gray to Jake. The last thing she needed was any more of his judgment and disapproving looks.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket before she could think of an answer. Reaching for it, she glanced at the number but didn’t recognize it. Heart beating hard against her ribs, she hit Answer. “This is Marley.”
“Are you in Puerto Asis, Freckles?”
A relieved breath escaped Marley’s lungs. “Yeah, I’m here. Tell me how to get to you, Gray.”
“Do you have something to write on?”
“Yeah, hold on.” Marley reached for a napkin and signaled the waiter, holding her thumb and forefinger together as if writing in the air. The waiter nodded and rushed over with a pen. “Okay, go ahead.”
“I’m in Bruhia on the border of Colombia and
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