Again, my heart skips a beat. “Did you wipe the flight logs?”
Melody’s eyes widen. “No, it didn’t even cross my mind.”
“FUCKING HELL!”
I stand up abruptly, eager to get to Dani. Jaxon stands up just as quickly and places himself between Melody and myself with a warning in his gaze.
“Choose your next words carefully, Kayden.”
“I’m not going to touch her, you ass. That’s my fucking sister-in-law. What’s your problem?” I respond, taking a step forward and seethe at his audacity.
Jaxon doesn’t back down. I’ve always known Jaxon as a defensive asshole when it comes to Melody, but this is a whole other level.
His eyes darken, the threat clear. I hold up my hands and make my way out of the living room.
“Text me the address, I’m going to ready my pilot on the way to the airport. I’m also going to need the number to the phone you gave her, Melody.”
“Sending now,” Melody murmurs, her head downcast as she worries her bottom lip. A second later my phone dings with the information.
They follow me to the front door where I pause with the door open and look back. “Good, I’m going to call her as soon as I get in the car. Andrei knows who I am. Which means he’s probably pieced together who my family is. I’ll call Emilia and James on my way letting them know to expect you. I want you both to leavenow. You’ll be safe with them until this is over.”
Melody looks up at Jaxon, a hand on her stomach as worry and fear shine in her eyes.
Stalking to my truck, I peel out of the driveway with enough ammunition and rifles to fuel a small army. I have no idea what to expect, but I know I’m not going to take any chances.
Not when it comes to Dani.
Twenty-Three
Dani
My flight hadn't been all that bad, surprisingly. I have never been one to enjoy flying, but if all flights are as easy as that one, maybe I could get used to it.
The jet landed in a tiny airport—or maybe it’s technically an airstrip? Either way, once I exited the jet, I was taken back by the sheer beauty that greeted me. The surrounding fields were green and gold and rippling with the wind while the edges were bordered by vast evergreens. This was exactly the change of scenery I needed.
Not long after I picked my jaw up off the floor, I was greeted by Henry, the driver that Melody arranged to take me to the house. He’s an older gentleman, maybe late sixties, and very quiet. But not a rude type of quiet, more like he enjoys the comfort of silence and doesn’t need to muddle it up with boring small talk. Which was perfect for me, because on the drive over, my mind wasn’t running a mile a minute for once, and I was able to just enjoy the scenic drive to the house.
I say house very loosely because the home we approached from a long, dark, winding gravel road is actually a real log cabin. It’s as though this cabin was built specifically to blend into the surrounding forest.The landscape and seclusion remindsme of the Cullen’s house, I thought to myself when I stepped out of the SUV. The thought of vampires and werewolves running through the trees gave me goosebumps, so I wasted no time grabbing my rolling suitcase from Henry and making my way into the house.
5239. Once the code was entered into the keypad, a green light flashed and the click of the lock signaled my ability to enter the house. Once Henry saw that I was safely inside, he wrote down his number on a piece of paper in case I needed to make a trip into town and said his goodbyes.
Since then, I’ve been sitting at the kitchen island downing a bottle of wine, playing with the piece of paper with Henry’s number. Because once the door shut and I was left alone in the house, my thoughts wouldn’t stop racing. Derek, Kayden, Andrei. All my problems on a never ending loop, racing through my mind. A part of me wanted to snatch Henry’s number and call him back to the house to bring me back to the jet and fly home right away. That part of me was on the verge of panicking, thinking of how big of a mistake I made in leaving Kayden. The other part of me—the angry part—grabbed all the sweet red wine and parked her temperamental ass on the stool and started drinking.
I take another sip of wine straight from the bottle, the tip of my nose already feeling numb. Well, I am here for at least a week. If I pass out drunk tonight, I still have at least six more days to actually do some thought processing about my situation. Tonight was my time to unwind and to keep thoughts of Kayden far from my mind—which I am currently failing miserably at. The man and his audacity, I think to myself as I pull the new cell phone Melody gave me from my pocket. I texted her that I was taking a nap about two hours ago, but it took a while for my text to even go through due to the shitty reception. Looking down at the screen, I tap the contacts app and snort when the list comesup. There’s literally only three contacts in this phone. Melody, Jaxon, and Kayden.Go figure.
Before I do anything rash, I set the phone down and grab the half-empty bottle of wine and make my way into the living room. I eye up the entertainment center in hopes of finding the wifi router so I can at least get some messages out to Melody. She reassured me that this phone was equipped with anti-tracking software, the kind that would make my use of the internet and social media apps untraceable. So while my goal here is to come to a decision, I am going to come to my decision rotting in bed doom scrolling.
What the hell kind of wifi password was yellowcupcake265? Rolling my eyes, I repeat the password over and over in my head until I get back to the kitchen. After the third attempt, I finally access the wifi and take another swig of wine. I immediately open the music app and search for my favorite band to play my favorite song, “Granite.” With the wine buzzing through my head my thoughts are jumbled, but I keep coming back to Kayden.
He would have chained me just to keep me. The rational part of me thinks I made the right choice by escaping here, but the part that is head over heels for this man, that irrational side of me, panics that I made a huge mistake.I was going to accept him and everything about him. So why does it matter what hewouldhave done if I had decided to walk away?It’s the principle.
Who gives two flying shits!?I toss my hands up, confusing myself all over again. I want Kayden, dammit, I really do. I can accept his darkness, I can maybe forgive the fact he wanted to chain me up… but I’m not sure I can lead this life with him. I get it’s his mission to save these women, and for fuck’s sake if it’s not a noble cause, but I don’t think I can sit on the edge of my seat every night praying he makes it home alive. I can admit that Iam just not strong enough mentally for that sort of torture every time he leaves. A part of me thinks I could never ask him to stop, either. If it gives him purpose, a way to reign in that darkness, who the hell am I to ask him to stop? It would feel incredibly selfish, and I don’t know if I could live with myself knowing there are women and children out there living through my worst nightmare with no one to save them.
Maybe… maybe I could be strong for him. For these women. For these children. If I keep up with therapy, take my medications, maybe I could grow to handle it—to be strong. Fuck, I don’t know. All I know is I’m still mad at him and there is comfort in the anger. It’s easy to hold onto; it’s safe. Safer than all the other emotions that are starting to claw their way up and out of my chest.
I haven’t even been here for two hours and I’m already ready to go back to him. But maybe I should let him sweat it out a bit.
The phone rings and I jump, scrambling to catch it before it plummets to the hard ground. The name on the screen has me wiping my hands on my jeans from the sudden clamminess that erupts on my palms as my stomach plummets.
