Page 131 of The Moments You Were Mine

Dad picked up on the first ring. “That was quick.”

As I caught him up to speed, his swearing got worse and worse.

Fallon pulled out her phone and dialed her dad. It was hard to hear with both of us talking, so I stepped out into the hundred-degree heat.

“This explains the timing to some degree,” Dad said. “Meeting Ace in prison encouraged him to act. They had eighteen months to hatch their plan together, and the timing was perfect with Tony coming up for parole.”

“Someone inside let this happen,” I snapped, looking back at the prison.

“It isn’t necessarily someone dirty, Park,” Dad replied. “Even with today’s technology, there are still prisoners who escape using someone else as a cover. It’s a real thing. It doesn’t happen often, but once every few years, it occurs.”

“Or he paid someone—maybe that weasel of an administrator who tried to stop us from leaving.”

Dad’s voice turned dark and protective. “They tried to stop you?”

“Not with violence. They didn’t cuff us, but you could tell the shithead wanted to cover his ass before we screamed from the rooftops what happened.”

“No way this gets covered up,” Dad growled.

“Ace might be Ike’s connection on the outside, but Ike wouldneed to offer the cartel something in return for the cash and fake IDs he would have needed to pull this off. Especially once Tony was supposedly killed, and Ike could no longer use his IDs.”

“Lorenzo was pissed that Tony was working for Lopez, dragging the family name back in with drug dealers. That’s why we assumed he offed Cantori. But...”

Another round of fear hit my gut as Dad’s voice faded away. Another possibility slithered out of the dark recess. “Do you think Lorenzo is really orchestrating this? Has he gone into business with the cartel?”

Dad didn’t respond right away, carefully considering. “I don’t think so. Everything about Lorenzo Puzo is legit these days. But if Ike is on the loose, Lorenzo is in just as much danger as Rafe and Fallon. Ike hates everything his cousin has done. He blames him almost as much as he blames Rafe for what happened.”

I opened the car door. “We’re on our way to him. He can answer our questions face-to-face.”

“I’ll call Lance and the team at the ranch as well as Sheriff Wylee,” Dad said. “You want me to tell Lorenzo you’re coming to see him?”

“No. I want to see his reaction when I give him the news that Ike has escaped.”

Fallon hung up with her dad as I slid in behind the wheel.

“Dad is making arrangements to come home.” The fear that had taken back seat to her anger was at the forefront now, and it stoked my rage another notch. “God, Parker, Dad will make himself a target. He’s trying to leave Sadie behind, but I heard her in the background, yelling at him. You know she won’t let him come by himself.”

She shook, tremors rattling her entire body.

I pulled her into my arms, the center console biting into us. I hated that I kept fucking failing her, hated she was experiencing any of this because we’d missed a crucial piece of information. I kissed her forehead, running a soothing hand over her hair. “We’ll find and stop Ike before your dad even lands.”

She pulled back and glared at me. “How? No one has even caught a whiff of him. No one even knew he was out. Only Chuck has seen him.” Her eyes went wide, more terror filling in. “He’llkill Chuck. He’s the only one who saw him at the ranch.”

“Chuck couldn’t ID him. The only thing he could say for certain was the guy had sunglasses, a hat, and a bushy beard.” It was an attempt to reassure her, but I wasn’t sure it worked.

Reluctantly, I let her go. I wanted to hold her until I could smooth away all her fears and trembling nerves, but we needed to move, needed to see Lorenzo and get back to Rivers.

“Dad is calling Lance, but call Kurt and Teddy. Make sure they keep an eye on Chuck too.”

She did as I’d asked as we exited the prison lot. I put my pedal to the floor, speeding down the highway toward Vegas and Lorenzo Puzo with fury fueling me.

Chapter Thirty-five

Fallon

NOT READY TO BE NICE

Performed by Sasha Allen, The Voice