Page 38

“Don't get sassy with me, Randi,” T growls. “You're my responsibility—”

“And Taeler is mine!”

“We can't just go running—”

“She's in danger, T. What else is there to do but go after her?”

“Her agents are with her now. She’s no longer in trouble.”

I snort in annoyance, then cross my arms over my chest and shoot him a death glare.

Trey stands with a groan, his knees popping as he shakes out his legs. “Listen, kids, break it up. Tensions are high, and we all need sleep. You need food,” he says, pointing to me. Turning to face T, he bends forward and rummages through his duffel bag. “You need a Snickers.” Still bent over, Trey pulls something from the bag and tosses it to T, who catches it midair. “You're not yourself when you're hungry.”

I huff, knowing full well that won't end this fight.

Wait, what?

My jaw slacks as I watch T devour the king-size candy bar in less than three bites. Did he even chew, or is he some form of chipmunk where he stores food in his jaw for later? I tilt my head, brows furrowed, trying to figure out what kind of twilight zone I've stepped into.

After licking his fingers, T nods to Trey and relaxes back into his seat, shuffling papers around the desk while murmuring to the few team members sitting nearby.

My seat jostles, snapping my attention from the now-subdued T to Trey as he situates in the seat beside me once again.

“Works every time,” Trey whispers in my ear.

Still staring, I give my head a small shake. “Seriously? How many of those do you have in there?” I ask, hitching my chin toward his still-open duffel.

“I keep the bag stocked. Don't worry, I have enough to keep you two from killing each other.” Leaning across the aisle, he thrusts a hand into his bag and pulls out another candy bar. “Here. You need one too if you won’t eat real people food.”

Gripping the edge of the brown wrapper, I split it open, revealing the delicious chocolate, peanut, and caramel creation. Normally at this point my mouth would be watering and a huge chunk would already be missing from the end, but even this is unappetizing. But if eating a few bites will get Trey off my ass, then this is the lesser of two evils. There’s no way I could choke down real food right now, no matter how good it is on this plane.

Taking a quick nibble, I wrap it back up and set it on the side table. Trey's lips dip, his eyes following the mostly untouched candy bar.

“Thanks,” I say, dusting off my hands. “Just not really hungry right now. Too worried. The fact that tonight is even happening….” Reaching over, I press the Home button on my phone, making sure I haven't missed a call or text from Taeler.

A large, rough hand wraps around my own, pulling it back to my lap. “She's safe, Randi. We can't do anything until we land, and once we do, it's our job to keep you safe and get you to her. Relax, think about something else.”

I blow out a hard breath. “Like what?”

“I don't know.” His gaze flicks around the plane before landing on the uneaten candy bar. “What's your favorite candy? Obviously not Snickers.”

A small smile pulls at my lips. “I do love a good candy bar. I’m not sure you'd call that one my favorite, but it was one I bought a lot when we had the money.”

“Why did you buy it, then, if it's not your favorite?”

Leaning back in the seat, I allow my eyes to flutter closed. The memories shift through of those rare times Mom was coherent and had some spending money. As a kid, I didn’t think about where the extra money came from, but now I do. Maybe the revolving door of men in and out of our trailer weren’t just boyfriends. My stomach churns at the thought.

“It might be hard for someone like you to understand, but when you get stuff like that from Dollar General, you want to make your money stretches. I learned quickly which candy was the biggest bang for your buck, and a Snickers was just that. Protein, caramel, chocolate. So I typically chose that one, though it was less out of it being my favorite and more out of need.”

I peel my lids open, cutting my gaze to Trey at the long pause to monitor his reaction.

“Well, that's just fucking sad, Mess.”

I can't hold back my obnoxious snort. Trey's eyes crinkle at the edges, displaying the laugh lines I like so much. The other men pause their whispered conversation to stare at me.

“Sorry,” I mutter, still smiling. “Yeah, I guess it is, Trouble. I guess it is.” Chewing on my thumbnail, I think over his original question. “I don't know if I have a favorite though. Maybe hard candy, but I like chocolate too. Especially holiday chocolate.”

“Like chocolate bunnies and Santas?”