Life of a Fool (London Brothers Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

and truthfully, I didn’t know who would win.  We were both
hot-headed, macho adrenaline junkies who were right in our element when we
served in the Army together. 
    The sound of a phone buzzing caused all three of us to
freeze for a second before we all started scrambling to see which of our phones
was going off.  I already knew. 
    “Lori Ann, if that’s him , don’t answer it.  Got it?” 
I tried to sound calm, but I was anything but calm.  Even the fact of having
her right beside me, keeping her safe, didn’t diminish the huge task of getting
us all out of the country in one piece.  I had no idea what kind of connections
the dude might have that could easily stop us. 
    I watched her face closely, reading her reaction to the name
and number dancing across her phone.  She blinked slowly, took a breath, and
hit “ignore” on the screen.  “It was him .”  A single tear escaped Lori
Ann’s eye before she put her phone away and laid her head back on the car seat.
    “You okay?”  I asked.
    “No.”  She didn’t look at me…didn’t open her eyes.  She just
let a few more tears drain down her face as we continued toward the airport. 
    “Jace?”  I snapped my head toward Craig at the sound of his
concerned voice.
    “Yeah?” 
    “Are you sure we can catch a flight back right away?  I’m
looking here, and we might have to wait until morning to fly out.”
    “Keep trying, man.  We don’t need to stay here even one more
minute longer than necessary.”
    “Sure thing.”  Craig turned back around in his chair and
continued the search on his phone.  I peeked at Lori Ann to see her reaction,
but she hadn’t moved.  Her stillness and silence were unnerving.  I couldn’t
tell what was going through her mind. 
    “Hey,” I said as I touched her arm.  She flinched and jerked
her head up off the seat to look at me.  I kept my arm where it was, but saw
fear flash through her eyes for a split second before her brain registered it
was me touching her.  “Talk to me.”
    “I just want to get away from here, that’s all.”  She was
lying.  Or at least telling a half-truth.
    The telltale sign of a text coming through on her phone had
Lori Ann reaching into her purse to see who had messaged her.  I held my breath
and watched her face again.
    “It’s Antonio.  I didn’t think one call would be all I would
get.  This is just the beginning, Jason.  You have no idea.”  With a slight
shake of her head, she stared into her lap and tossed me the phone.
    Antonio:  WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?  You will return if
you know what’s good for you.  Who are you with?  Were those men I saw you
leaving with?  You know better than to not answer when I call, amore mio.  My
love.   Don’t make me remind you again.  I will find you.
    I fought like hell not to tell the driver to turn around so
Craig and I could have a little chat with The Italian.  This sick, twisted
thrill passed through my body at the thought of tearing his body apart.  Craig
was looking back at me, watching my face.  When I made eye contact, his
eyebrows shot up and a smirk crossed his lips.  He knew exactly what I was
thinking. 
    I handed Lori Ann’s phone to him and waited until he
finished reading the text.  I heard him growl the word “fuck” right before he
handed me back the phone.  We just stared at each other having one of our
silent conversations.
    “If she weren’t in this car, we’d be turning around.”
    “You’re damn right, Craig.”
    “Let me have the first hit.”
    “Nope.” My head shook slightly. “But you can have the
second.”
    “He’s a dead man.”
    “Agreed.”
    I waited another minute before I spoke out loud.  I needed
to control the anger that was seeping out of every pore of my body.  “I’m not
going to ask you to explain what all of that meant right now.  I know a threat
when I see one.  But you will tell me soon.  I needed to know what kind
of bastard we’re