I swallow hard around the lump forming in my throat, and I hold back my tears as I take the empty suitcase and walk to my room to begin packing.
I thought I knew where I stood with Jax, but I couldn't have been any more wrong.
I have no idea where I stand now that Adeline is going to be back in his life.
* * * * * * *
ONCE THE SMALL, private jet was loaded with our luggage and cargo, it took off for our destination…and maybe my final resting place.
I try not to dwell on the fact that leaving the island could very well be like signing my death warrant. TheBratvaare everywhere. And it will only take one of them to recognize me or catch wind of me arriving in the States. Then, it will all be over for me.
My hands grip the armrests until my knuckles turn white. I hate flying, especially in a small plane. Every dip or jarring movement has me on edge, like we're going to fall to earth in a fiery tangled mess of metal and flesh.
"Something's not right," I hear Jax announce from his seat beside me and across from Lucien. He's been watching the data on Adeline nonstop ever since we left, even though not much has changed…until now obviously.
Lucien opens his laptop and narrows his eyes as he stares at the screen. "It looks exactly the same," he grumbles. "She's in the same exact location that she was hours ago."
"Not the GPS. I'm talking about her vitals," he says in a panicked tone.
His words send Lucien into a frenzy, and I watch his fingers fly over the keyboard as he checks more data. Cursing under his breath, I realize he must have found what Jax is looking at.
"Do you think something is happening to her?" Jax asks, his face etched with worry lines.
Lucien stares at Jax for a long time, and I can almost hear the cogs in his brain turning. He's figuring out exactly what I figured out a long time ago — Jackson is infatuated with Adeline, obsessed even. And it goes beyond just a friendship. I'd venture to say that Jackson is in love with this girl.
Lucien closes his eyes and clenches his hands into fists, and I know he's trying to rein in his anger at his cousin. Jackson just stares at him, oblivious to it all. His brain is too muddled with emotion right now.
In an attempt to pacify the situation, I lean over and place my hand over Jackson's. "Jax, she will be okay," I whisper soothingly.
Jax turns his attention to me, and for a moment I can see something in his eyes as we share an unspoken connection.
Does he love me as much as I love him?I ask myself.
Wait…love? Do I love Jax?
I didn't think it was even possible for someone like me with what I've suffered through in my past. But as I stare into his steel-gray eyes, I realize that yes, I do love Jax. More than I ever thought imaginable.
Our connection is broken, however, at the sound of a beeping coming from Lucien's laptop. He quickly keys in something and stares at the screen.
"Adeline's moving.Quickly. She must be in a car," Lucien says hurriedly, his voice thick with trepidation. "And it's heading towards New York City."
CHAPTER 35
JACKSON
ONCE WE LAND in New York City, Lucien manages to make contact with his connection in the FBI, Henry Wepner. Lucien has been working with the FBI for quite some time now. He gives the U.S. government information to take the biggest fish in the underbelly of the world out — arms dealers, drug cartels and human trafficking scum.
And in exchange for that vital data, Lucien earns protection from being prosecuted and is allowed to keep his island a secret and continue on with his work, which isn't legal in any sense of the word.
Agent Wepner had to pull some strings, but he managed to scrounge up some of his best FBI agents for us to use as backup for our mission to get Adeline back. No questions asked since Salvatore Valenti, Adeline's father, and half of the Italian mafia is currently behind bars, all thanks to Lucien.
The only one not behind bars and still on the run is Adeline's ex-fiancé, Giovanni Morello, who is currently holding her captive at one of the Valenti's many properties.
Once we figured out her GPS coordinates, it wasn't hard to figure out who owned the house and who was holding her hostage. Giovanni is the only fish left in the very large pond that the FBI hasn't been able to catch yet. And so they are mainly helping us in this mission to catch that particular fish and call it a day.
We're currently stationed on the outskirts of New York City in an abandoned warehouse. Wraith brought in a handful of his own contacts — several tattooed and mean-looking dudes with more muscles than me and Lucien combined.
Even with all our backup, it's still not going to be easy to break into the house; however, because the intel Lucien's gathered so far has informed us that it would be easier to break into Fort Knox.
