"If you hang up you'll never see your family again."
"The police are already on the case. I don't have to participate in these stupid games to get what I want. I'm not getting involved in whatever you have to offer."
A dark chuckle made my...
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"Mom said she would meet us at the casino. She's closer to it than I thought." Mike informed me as we waited for a green light.
"Jamie, do you understand the gravity of what you have done? You have been more harm than help." I scolded.
"I said I was sorry. I wasn't thinking that far ahead. I wanted Jacklynn out of our house and saw an opportunity to get her to leave that didn't involve chloroform."
"Jamie!" Lacey turned towards her.
"I'm kidding."
"Good."
"Kind of."
"Well, I hope you're happy with yourself. Not only did you possibly jeopardize our safety, but now we have to waste time cleaning your mess." I scolded.
"Why don't you let me do it myself then?"
"Because you're not to be trusted."
"A right up here," Lacey instructed Alex before turning towards the rest of us.
"Jamie, you fucked up in more ways than I can count. But your intentions are clear. Henry lay off. Scolding her isn't going to bring Jacklynn back quicker. What it will do is elevate your blood pressure and give you a heart attack at twenty-four. Calm down. You can only repeat yourself so many times." Lacey, the residential peacekeeper and voice of reason, ordered.
"I'm still cross with you," I muttered.
"I'm still not sorry." Jamie shot back.
"Shut it." Lacey barked.
We pulled into the parking lot of the casino Jamie had taken Jacklynn. The location was notorious for shady deals. But because it was on neutral ground, no one could ever find a means to uproot the activity. The police turned a blind eye to the action that went down here.
"Hey, mom!" Mike called out of the window at his mother.
"Son." Melinda acknowledged him with a nod before we all climbed out of the car.
Mike was the spitting image of his mother. They had the same black hair and tan skin, but Melinda had her hair cut into a pixie cut.
"I hear you're in a pickle with Vendetta." Melinda nodded towards the casino.
"Yeah, one of Vendetta's members came after someone in our custody. They currently have her in their custody, and we need to get that person back before they finish the job." I filled her in as much as I thought necessary.
"I'll help where I can. What do you need us to do?"
"Right now, we need you in the background. We don't know what to expect from Vendetta. Considering the severity of the situation, I can confidently say we may be in for a fight."
"Yikes, well, I'll be right behind you."
"Alright, Mike and Lacey, you come with Melinda and me. The rest of you stay out here. If Alex has not heard back from me in an hour, something has gone wrong, so send back up." I instructed.
