Player (A Secret Baby Sports Romance)(272)

Right where they fucking were the last time you were here. Or the time before that. Or that, or- fuck it.

“Third cabinet to the left.”

She shoots me a quick look over her shoulder before she moves to the cupboard.

Major Lawson steps forward; “Preliminary intel has Benson and his crew in Istanbul.”

I frown at the Major, standing where I am behind everyone else; “I thought you weren't helping.”

He clears his throat; “The U.S. State Department does not officially recognize the missing person known as Logan Dempsey,” His face hardens and he turns to a very quiet Quinn; “But I Goddamn sure as hell do.”

Quinn looks at him and nods somberly. Her father was good to have this man as a friend. He’s saved our asses more than I can count at this point, and here he is probably putting his entire career on the line to feed us intel.

“So, guess I'm going to Turkey then.” I say, nodding curtly at the Major

“I can do you one better, actually.”

“Oh?”

He nods slowly; “There’s a contact there, someone the State Department has- well, we've been in contact before. They’re a disenfranchised Blackriver operative, apparently, and they’re looking to turn informant.” He shrugs; “Honestly, I don’t know how much I trust it, but she’s your contact and she wants to help.”

She? I frown; Jesus it better not be-

“So when do we leave?”

I look up sharply at Peyton, seeing that ever-present defiant look in her eyes as she purposefully narrows them at me, as if daring me to say something here in front of everyone.

Thankfully, Lawson steps in; “I’m afraid there’s no way I could condone that, Peyton. Bryce simply has training and experience you don’t have. It’s far too dangerous.”

I mean, I’m hardly in the place to do this. I’m not mentally where I was before and I’ve been in a fucking city behind a Goddamn desk for five years, not in the jungle, not in the desert, and not in the MC before that back in California. But I’m the only shot. And Peyton might be way more equipped to do something like this than any of them know, but I’m sure as hell not going to be the one that says something.

“He’s my brother.” Again, she’s directing her words at me, like I’m the one saying no here.

“And we're going to get him back.”

Her eyes blaze at me, that same fiery passion that drew me in before. She’s stubborn, and strong, and really, a lot like me. That fire inside is born of pain and healing; it’s earned through being broken by the world and putting yourself back together piece by fucking piece.

It’s also infuriating when it’s directed at say, me, right now.

I mean, I get it. Of course she wants to go help Logan; fuck, we all do. But if there wasn’t enough of a reason for that guy to want me dead what with me sleeping with his damn sister, bringing that same girl into the crosshairs of danger sure as hell would do it. And again, she’s stronger than any of them know, and she’s seen more than anyone in this room but me knows, but now’s certainly not the time to bring that up.

“Peyton, they’re right, you’re not ready for something like this.”

She glares at me, shaking her head at me with that fierce look on her face, and it stings worse because I know she probably could handle herself just fine. But I’m sure a shit not bringing her into this.

I set my jaw and meet her angry stare with my own even look. She hisses and whirls, storming towards the kitchen like some sort of rogue tornado. I swallow the lump in my throat before turning back to Lawson and hoping no one was paying attention enough to get the subtext of that exchange; “So, Istanbul.”

“Your Blackriver contact will be able to give you better specifics about where he’s being held and what we’re up against.” He shakes his head; “I’m sorry I can’t do more here, son.”

I nod; yeah, me too.

I turn to see Quinn, standing silently by the window watching the rain trickle down; “We’re going to get him ba-”

“I thought my Dad was going around sowing seeds of peace?” Her eyes are red as she turns towards us, her mouth a hard line.

“He was.”

She starts to break then; “Then why do things like this keep happening to us?” She crumbles, and her sisters are right there to catch her, stroking her back and holding her close, and I can feel the rage roaring inside of me at the karmic injustice of this all.

I grit my teeth; “Because you've gotta tend those seeds, and sometimes you need to rip out the weeds. I am going to bring him back, Quinn.”

She looks up and nods at me through tear-streaked eyes.