protector.
I took a deep breath. “You’re right.” And I knew he was,
but the mere thought of Lori Ann being out of my grasp again was strangling
me. “What the hell are we going to do?”
“We wait. I’m looking online now for what is around here,
around this hotel. You and I don’t have a good lay of the land, and we’re
going to desperately need it if we’re to get to the airport safely.”
“What time is our flight?”
“8:45 am. I think our only option is to just go for it.
Take our chances on just bolting from this place. We can call a private car,
have them pick us up in a few hours, hall ass to the airport, and get through
security as fast as possible. Maybe you and Lori Ann could go ahead, get her
safely through to the gate, and I’ll check the backpacks with our weapons. I’d
feel better once we’re in a very public place where, unless The Italian buys a
ticket, he can’t go through security.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him to do just that. This whole
situation makes me uneasy. The last thing we need is some international
incident at the airport between a couple of US cops who look like they’re
stealing away with the Italian playboy’s wife. Doesn’t matter if she says
otherwise. We will look like the bullies, not him.”
“I think you’re right. This could get uglier if we aren’t
careful.”
“So, it’s what…” I looked at the clock and saw it was a
little after four in the morning. “We need to leave in a few hours, maybe
about six? Shit. Okay, let’s call the same car service we used yesterday.”
“I’m on it.” I was so grateful I’d forced Craig to come
with me. Every step, he kept me from doing something stupid, like trying to
beat the shit out of Antonio at the house and here at the hotel. Craig picked
up his cell phone and made the call to the car company. “I’m not using the
hotel phone, just in case.”
“Good idea.”
“Go sleep. I’ll wake you in an hour.”
“Thanks, man. You know I would’ve fucked this up had you
not come with me.”
“Not true. But I’m glad I’m here with you. It would’ve
driven me nuts waiting to hear that Lori Ann was okay and you’d gotten her out.”
I didn’t know what else to say. So, I shook Craig’s hand,
nodded, and walked back to the bedroom and Lori Ann. When I quietly slipped
through the door, I stopped and stared at the beautiful woman laying in the
bed. She looked small, fragile with her arm in a cast and her legs tucked
under her as she lay on her side. As much as I hated to admit it, I was still
in love with my best friend. But there was nothing I could do about it. I’d
never mentioned my feelings again after that Spring day back in college when we
both realized “friendship” was all we were going to have. Yes, I’d dated
plenty and had a few long-term relationships, one that I thought I wanted to
marry, but when it came right down to it, I never popped the question. She got
bored with my shit and left. I didn’t blame her either.
Here and now, though, my Lori Ann needed me to keep her safe
and get her home. That was my focus. Had to be my only focus. So
instead of crawling into bed next to her like I wanted, I picked up the thin blanket
at the end of the bed and tried my best to sleep for a while in the wing chair
that sat in the corner of the room. And it sucked because the hardest thing in
the world was to love someone that was off limits. I needed to rein in my
feelings.
Chapter 6
Lori Ann
I’d heard the whole conversation between Craig and Jason.
They were worried about what I might do. Hell, Jason thought I was going to go
running back to Antonio. That was not happening. Yes, I wanted to leave, but
I wasn’t going back to my old life with him. I was going to run…find a way out
of Italy on my own and protect the two men in the other room from any shit my
husband was planning. Yes,
I took a deep breath. “You’re right.” And I knew he was,
but the mere thought of Lori Ann being out of my grasp again was strangling
me. “What the hell are we going to do?”
“We wait. I’m looking online now for what is around here,
around this hotel. You and I don’t have a good lay of the land, and we’re
going to desperately need it if we’re to get to the airport safely.”
“What time is our flight?”
“8:45 am. I think our only option is to just go for it.
Take our chances on just bolting from this place. We can call a private car,
have them pick us up in a few hours, hall ass to the airport, and get through
security as fast as possible. Maybe you and Lori Ann could go ahead, get her
safely through to the gate, and I’ll check the backpacks with our weapons. I’d
feel better once we’re in a very public place where, unless The Italian buys a
ticket, he can’t go through security.”
“I wouldn’t put it past him to do just that. This whole
situation makes me uneasy. The last thing we need is some international
incident at the airport between a couple of US cops who look like they’re
stealing away with the Italian playboy’s wife. Doesn’t matter if she says
otherwise. We will look like the bullies, not him.”
“I think you’re right. This could get uglier if we aren’t
careful.”
“So, it’s what…” I looked at the clock and saw it was a
little after four in the morning. “We need to leave in a few hours, maybe
about six? Shit. Okay, let’s call the same car service we used yesterday.”
“I’m on it.” I was so grateful I’d forced Craig to come
with me. Every step, he kept me from doing something stupid, like trying to
beat the shit out of Antonio at the house and here at the hotel. Craig picked
up his cell phone and made the call to the car company. “I’m not using the
hotel phone, just in case.”
“Good idea.”
“Go sleep. I’ll wake you in an hour.”
“Thanks, man. You know I would’ve fucked this up had you
not come with me.”
“Not true. But I’m glad I’m here with you. It would’ve
driven me nuts waiting to hear that Lori Ann was okay and you’d gotten her out.”
I didn’t know what else to say. So, I shook Craig’s hand,
nodded, and walked back to the bedroom and Lori Ann. When I quietly slipped
through the door, I stopped and stared at the beautiful woman laying in the
bed. She looked small, fragile with her arm in a cast and her legs tucked
under her as she lay on her side. As much as I hated to admit it, I was still
in love with my best friend. But there was nothing I could do about it. I’d
never mentioned my feelings again after that Spring day back in college when we
both realized “friendship” was all we were going to have. Yes, I’d dated
plenty and had a few long-term relationships, one that I thought I wanted to
marry, but when it came right down to it, I never popped the question. She got
bored with my shit and left. I didn’t blame her either.
Here and now, though, my Lori Ann needed me to keep her safe
and get her home. That was my focus. Had to be my only focus. So
instead of crawling into bed next to her like I wanted, I picked up the thin blanket
at the end of the bed and tried my best to sleep for a while in the wing chair
that sat in the corner of the room. And it sucked because the hardest thing in
the world was to love someone that was off limits. I needed to rein in my
feelings.
Chapter 6
Lori Ann
I’d heard the whole conversation between Craig and Jason.
They were worried about what I might do. Hell, Jason thought I was going to go
running back to Antonio. That was not happening. Yes, I wanted to leave, but
I wasn’t going back to my old life with him. I was going to run…find a way out
of Italy on my own and protect the two men in the other room from any shit my
husband was planning. Yes,
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