“I consider my band to be family and I pretty much lived with them for years. I love those guys. I’ll miss seeing them on the road.”
“A change of heart already?”
“No,” he says firmly. “They’re family. That won’t change because we aren’t touring anymore. You’ll see why tomorrow in Austin.” He cuts down yet another street and glances over at me. “What am I sensing when you talk about your brother?”
“That obvious, is it?”
“To me, baby, but we’ve spent enough time together now that I might not know what’s beneath your surface, but I know it’s messing with you.”
“I’m just not happy with him right now. He’s not just gone. He’s not communicating at all.”
“And he normally communicates?”
“Unless he believes what he hunts puts him at odds with me. And by that, I don’t mean something illegal, but high value, yes. And high value comes with danger at times. He’s driven. If a client wants something and it’s worth a big payday, he takes risks.”
“And what does he want right now?”
“I don’t know his exact obsession,” I say, “but in this case, I’m not sure it’s an object. I’m fairly certain her name is Sofia.”
He cast me a sideways look. “Ah,” he says. “That’s why you asked me about Sofia. Is she a client?”
“All I know is not much,” I say, biting back my urge to say much more. I’ve only known Kace for a few weeks. I don’t know him well enough to trust him. Not with this. Not yet.
“You said she told him about the auction.”
“Or maybe he told her. I could have it backwards. I know they communicated about the violin. I know they’re romantically involved.”
“Perhaps she’s associated with the seller.”
“Who sold a fake instrument? That doesn’t make me feel better about him and her.”
“Obviously you’re worried about him with her. I’ll ask around and see what I can find out about her.”
“No,” I say quickly, aware now that I’ve said too much, I’m afraid of bringing attention to us we both don’t need. “No,” I repeat, “I don’t want Gio to feel that I don’t trust him, but thank you. And I admit to being a bit protective, but if you knew Gio, you’d think that was silly. He’s a player who is off doing what players do. And if anyone can take care of himself, it’s my brother.”
“For now,” he says, pulling us into a small airport, “you can get on a chopper with me and forget all that worry.” He pulls us into a parking spot and kills the engine. “Our adventure begins. You can tell Gio all the G rated moments when you both get home.”
My mind shifts in rapid speed from worry over Gio to me, the control freak, about to get in a helicopter. Nerves flutter in my belly and by the time he’s at my door, I’ve already opened it and I’m standing up. “I’ve never been on a chopper. I’m suddenly very nervous.”
He catches my hip and walks me to him. “Don’t be nervous. I’ve been on hundreds of choppers. We’ll be perfectly safe. Trust me, baby. I’ll take good care of you.” There is that crazy mix of wicked tenderness to those words that pool heat low in my belly and stir emotions in my chest.
He’ll take care of me. On some level, I crave someone to take care of me and I believe that stems from memories of my father taking care of us. But then he was gone and my mother was alone. It’s a dangerous thing to allow someone to take care of you, to love them and depend on them. As Kace and I walk into the airport, this feeling of being together, of being a couple, is in the air, I remind myself that he’s not a forever guy. I’m not a forever girl. And nothing is forever anyway.
This is just a weekend.
I’m going to enjoy it.
Then I’ll go back to reality, and I can figure out what that means.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Once we’re inside the airport building, it’s clear the entire crew knows Kace, and knows him well. It’s also clear that they like him and he likes them. The only person I’ve found to hold Kace in negative regard is Alexander, and I can’t help but wonder what that’s all about. For now, Kace introduces me to everyone we come in contact with, and it seems there is never a moment that he’s not touching me.
It’s not long before Kace is helping me into my seat inside the massive chopper and leaning across me to latch my seatbelt protectively. Everything about him right now is protective, and that I can’t help but welcome. There is a warmth between us that expands each moment, a pull like nothing I have ever known. The chopper roars to life, and all that is forgotten. There is only the control freak in me that my mother created, that now has no control. I am freaking out. Kace grabs my hand and speaks to me through the headset I’m now wearing.