Page 73 of Flyboy
The rattle of glass opened his eyes and drew his gaze across the room where Keaton stood beside the credenza where he kept a few bottles of alcohol and glassware.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Getting you a drink." Keaton unscrewed the cap on a bottle of eighteen-year-old Macallan.
"I'm not going to drink before I fly."
"You won't be flying for at least twelve hours." Keaton placed a half-filled glass in front of him. "Drink it."
"Keaton."
"Jackson."
"I'm not—"
"You are. And you're doing it because you need to smooth that edge before you get on a video call with either of your girls. They don't need to see you freaking out right now; they're probably freaking out enough for the lot of us. I don't even want to think about what Roark's doing."
"I'm surprised he didn't take her out," Dash murmured. "He's had a hard-on, and not the good kind, for that woman since you guys were in Vegas last month."
"He's bonded with Penny," Maryn added. "It kind of reminds me of you and me, Jack."
"Yeah? Then she's in safe hands." Jack knew if anything happened to him or Lys, he could rely on Roark to take care of Penny. He'd have to make him her guardian in their wills…
Fuck. He was getting ahead of himself. They'd worry about that after he'd seen, in the flesh, Lys and Penny were okay and Gina was locked up.
Giving in, he picked up the glass and slammed the amber liquor down in one swallow. Keaton held out the bottle, offering a refill. Jack shook his head. He'd agree on one. Two was just asking for trouble. He didn't need to dull his senses right now.
He had a whole day of bullshit to get through when all he wanted to do was fly home so he could hold his wife.
16
Alyssa was nervous as hell. If it wasn't for Maryn she would have locked herself in the bathroom, but Jack's sister had talked her into believing everything would be fine. Well, not completely fine.
There was no hiding the bandage on her forehead, or the bruises that peeked out below her three-quarter sleeves whenever she moved her arms. Luckily the dress covered her torso, because nobody needed to see the black and blue splotches decorating her ribs.
Bio-Monster had done a number on her. It pissed her off that Gina had done so much damage before Alyssa even realized what was happening. She didn't know how Gina had gotten in the house. Or why she'd chosen today to confront her and Penny in such a violent way. There had been weeks where she could have attacked either of them.
The day in the parking lot had been the perfect opportunity to do her harm.
She shuddered. The whole encounter had left her shaky and uneasy, jumping at the slightest noise, but she needed to pull it together.
She'd be making her first appearance at Jack's side. She didn't have a clue how he intended to introduce her except he'd asked her to make sure her rings were on her finger not the chain around her neck.
But that was before.
Before Gina had broken into their house and assaulted her.
She sucked in a breath and pressed a hand to her belly, hoping she could squish the nerves churning her empty stomach.
What would Jack say when he saw her?
He'd told her not to come to Vegas—to the ball—to stay in Sunnyville with her sister. Then he'd reassured them both he'd fly home right after the ball instead of waiting until morning, except Alyssa couldn't wait that long to see him. With Roark's help, she'd been planning to ignore Jack's directive.
The video call Jack had demanded had been a poor substitute for an in-person conversation and comfort. There was no way to wrap your arms around someone when all you had was an image on a screen; it was no better than a photograph and a phone to the ear.
And while hugging Penny had done a good job of settling her nerves and calming her anxiety, Alyssa had to admit she needed to see Jack. Face to face. So, when the time came, she boarded the private jet with Roark and flew to Vegas.
Penny had stayed at home with a couple of Roark's men, along with Ry, Maz, Mrs. Alverez, and the full contingent of Malones, and yes that included the senior Malones.
