Page 61 of Crossed Up

The tears make a reappearance as she rests her cheek on his head. “Love you more, little raptor.”

Copeland clears his throat from the stove next to a ridiculously large stack of pancakes. “Maybe we could eat in the living room today so the little dinosaur can watch a movie?” His unspoken words hang in the air between us, and I nod in agreement, forcing a smile on my face when Crew looks at me in question.

Lyla gets our boy settled at the oversized coffee table with his breakfast and Tarzan, and then the three of us open the sliding doors so we can see and hear Crew while we talk.

As soon as we reach the swing, I pull Lyla down so she’s sitting sideways in my lap, desperately needing the contact for whatever Cope has to tell us. She doesn’t fight me or seem uncomfortable at all, letting me know she probably needs it as much as I do.

He watches us with a smile until we’re settled, and then the expression slides off his face, replaced with something much more grave. “I’m not a baker, so I’m not about to sugarcoat this for you. The feds managed to arrest Sebastian Sr., but they lost his son.”

My girl goes stiff as a board, her whole face draining of color, and I barely manage to stop myself from lurching forward. “What do you mean they lost him?” I snap.

He sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face. “That’s exactly what I mean. The feds had eyes on him twenty-four-seven. When he was at home, work, clubs, parties. They always had someone on him. But then, one day, Sebastian went home after an evening event and just… didn’t come out again. He’s been MIA for almost a week. He just vanished. His car is at home, there’s no charges on his credit cards, all of their planes and cars are accounted for, and his father is vehemently denying any knowledge of his son’s whereabouts.”

Lyla is shaking in my lap, but her eyes are determined. “Mike… sorry, Sebastian Senior, knows every detail about Bas’s life. Has tracking on all of his vehicles and accounts. He was grooming Bas to take over the family business, but he didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him. I don’t know for sure if he knew what his son was doing to me, but all I can say is Senior’s wife wears a lot of long-sleeved clothing.”

Cope nods like this isn’t new information. “From what my contact has been able to tell me, Mrs. Pennington has a concierge doctor on call, and he’s made numerous trips out to the house for a variety of injuries. The man’s NDA is so airtight you could use it to explore the Mariana Trench, which is why nothing has ever made it to the press.”

“I didn’t see the signs until well after we had gotten engaged, but Bas is just like his father. They’re both controlling, calculating, and downright cruel if they don’t get their way. During our time together, I’m pretty sure I heard ‘That’s how you run a billion-dollar business’ more than I heard anything else.”

“Tiny, I want you to be careful until they can find this bastard. If you have to go somewhere, be aware of your surroundings, and try to make sure you’re always in a crowded place if you can.”

My hand squeezes the back of my neck, anxiety spiking at the thought of Lyla or Crew in danger. “Should we hire security? How worried do we need to be, Cope?”

His eyes dart to the side, a tell he’s had for years that what he’s about to say isn’t the full truth. “Nah, man. I think just being extra vigilant and not giving him the chance to catch you alone is the safest bet.”

“Lyly, I’m done! Can you help me wash my hands?”

A smile lights up my girl’s face as she goes to get Crew cleaned up, and I allow myself to watch her for a moment before turning a stern look to my best friend. “What aren’t you saying?”

He sighs heavily, raking his hands through his hair. It’s then I notice how… exhausted he looks. “Everything go okay during your trip home, Cope? You seem kinda run down.”

His brow furrows in frustration. “For the most part, just more shit with my sister. You know how it goes.”

I nod in understanding. Copeland’s youngest sister, Olivia, is a junior in high school and has been acting out since their dad died last year. Cope’s been home as often as possible to help his mom out, but they live in Charlotte, so it’s a bit of a drive, especially during the season when we rarely have more than a day or two off at a time.

He visibly shakes off the stress and steers the conversation back to Sebastian. “This guy is dangerous, Aidan. The feds found some majorly fucked up stuff in his house and office. Multiple restraining orders and assault allegations against him were all swept under the rug because Daddy threw money at the problems until they went away. You should probably hire security but don’t tell Lyla. Have him follow her and hang back, just as a precaution. Because I don’t see this guy going away quietly now that the feds are after him.”

The idea of another man protecting Ly makes me nauseous, but her safety is undoubtedly in question, and I’m not willing to risk her or Crew over a bit of male pride. Now that the season is starting, it’s even more important that we have someone around who can protect my family, even if it means hiding it from her.

If Sebastian tries to fuck with my girl, there’ll be hell to pay. I’ve been fighting for what I want my whole life, and I’m sure as hell not going to stop now.

27

LYLA

Unknown:

I warned you, little bunny.

You chose not to come home, so you’ve forced my hand.

Just remember, I didn’t want it to come to this. If you’d behaved like a good little wife, we’d be honeymooning on a beach in Italy somewhere, but you had to go and be a whore.

See you soon, darling.

Shivers race down my spine at the blatant threat in Sebastian’s texts, and I once again forward them to Copeland. Hearing that the feds couldn’t find Bas threw me for a loop and threatened to send me spiraling, but Aidan’s warm body underneath mine kept me from completely losing it.

We spent the rest of the day together after Cope left, and after we read Crew his stories, Aidan dragged me to his bed and held me all night long, stroking my hair and whispering assurances that everything would be okay. I know Copeland said we didn’t need security, but I’ve considered dipping into my trust fund to hire someone anyway.

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