“Yeah, Dad?”
“Be careful. I want Maddy back, but I want my boy back too. You understand?”
I sighed. “Dad, I’m going to do whatever is necessary for her to?—”
“That’s an order—from one alpha to another and from a father to a son. You get your ass back here. That’s final.”
“Yes, sir. Will do,” I said with agrin. “Love you, Dad. Tell Mom I love her.”
“I will, and we love you too.”
I hung up just as Luis joined us. He beamed at me. “We’re good.”
“He can do what you said?” I asked. Marcus and Darren walked up with the keys and paperwork for the rental. Marcus handed my credit card back.
Luis nodded. “Passports and the plane. Thing is, his price is pretty steep. He did, however, cut fifty percent off because he owes me.”
“I don’t care,” I said. “I’d happily go bankrupt if it means getting Maddy back. I’ll pay whatever.”
“All right, let’s go,” Luis said.
Marcus held up the keys. “Got us a Mustang!”
“Seriously?” I asked.
Marcus shrugged. “What? All we have are a couple of backpacks, and you said we needed to get there fast. I call front seat, though.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Then I get to drive.”
70
MADDY
Ispent the rest of the flight napping and trying to ignore Viola. She continued asking probing questions about my wolf, my family, and anything else she was curious about. Duncan brought out food at one point when we were directly above the Atlantic. I was used to peanuts, and maybe a sandwich wrapped in plastic but Duncan placed a tray in front of me and lifted a steel dome. “For the lady, butter-poached cod, asparagus with balsamic glaze and garlic, along with pureed potato and celery root. Enjoy.”
He disappeared to the small attendant station. I looked at the food. It looked like something that would be served in a five-star restaurant. I glanced back at the tiny station. How the hell had he cooked this? He returned with more dishes and served Viola, then he served the guards. I noticed the guards got the typical airline food I was used to. It looked like six-inch sub sandwiches wrapped in foil. Viola had some type of steak with vegetables.
As much as I didn’t want to take anything from these people, my stomach ached with hunger. I hadn’t eaten anything in almost twenty-four hours. Grudgingly, I grabbed my fork and dug in. The fact that the food was delicious annoyed me. I feltlike I was betraying my conscience by enjoying the food, so I told myself I was using it for fuel. There was no way I’d have the strength to escape if I didn’t eat.
“Seems you enjoy some things money can buy,” Viola cooed as I finished and wiped my mouth with the linen napkin. The sound of her voice made my skin crawl.
“I enjoy not starving to death,” I said, biting back a sneer.
Viola raised an eyebrow. “Whatever you say.”
I turned away from her and looked out the window for the rest of the flight. Soon, the ocean gave way to beaches, then land. For the second time in a month, I was back in Europe. When I’d imagined globetrotting and traveling, I never really anticipated this.
Twenty minutes later, one of the pilots turned in his chair. “Miss Monroe?”
Viola turned her head lazily toward him. “Yes?”
“We’ll be landing just outside Hamburg in five minutes. We’re preparing for the final descent.”
“Very well. Thank you, Todd.” She interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on her knuckles as she looked at me. “Well, Maddy? I hope you enjoy Germany as much as I do. I’m sure this will be very educational.”
I curled my lip in disgust and refused to answer. The landing was smooth, and within minutes we’d come to a stop on a small airstrip that looked like it was in the middle of the woods. One of the guards got up and stood in front of me. He produced another set of zip ties.
“Really?” I asked. “This again?”
