With a dismal grunt, Aria stepped down over the ledge and sank into the soft snow. Without her hands for balance, she fell forward. Jay gripped her arm, steadied her, and then proceeded down the embankment. His hand firm on her arm, she followed. When she reached the water’s edge, she searched for signs of life. Nothing stirred except for the howling, biting cold, and the fall of snow that had increased in speed. She hung back a little while Jay stepped up onto the gangplank that led to the plane.
“Don’t bother.” He caught her searching gaze. “There’s nothing out here except us, sweetheart. Pretty boy has no idea the cave exists. By the time he figures it out, we’ll be long gone.” Happy with himself, the man’s smile depicted a frightening resemblance of‘Pennywise’in the movie‘IT.’She hated clowns.
With a mumbled groan, Aria heaved her exhausted body and stepped up onto the gangplank. A final glance behind her proved futile. She followed Jay with slumped shoulders. When they reached the plane, he opened the door, stood back, and gestured for her to enter. Aria looked up. The pilot, a large man with beady black eyes filled with pure evil, sniggered when he caught Aria’s gaze.
“Jackpot, boss?”
Behind her, Jay chuckled. “Yeah, Luke.” He stepped up into the plane, shoved Aria down onto a seat, then strapped her in and removed the tape from her mouth. “As much as I’d like to keep you awake, I don’t want you privy to my plans.”
“What are you doing?” Aria caught sight of the needle in his hand, shook her head, and shrank back into the seat. “Please, don’t.” Jay ignored her and took hold of her hand. Without removing her jacket, he plunged the needle into her arm. His grin as he double-checked her seatbelt then stepped away and took his seat, frustrated her to the point of rage. “Bastard.” The single expletive wasted on the man as he chuckled and secured his seatbelt.
Barely seconds passed before her vision blurred. A sudden floating awareness usurped her senses. Despite the tight grip on her thighs, her body became weightless. The sensation expanded with alarming speed. Aria doubled over in fear. Only, the belt held her firmly in place and prevented her from falling to the floor. As darkness sneaked in, the rumble of the engine caught her ear. “Please, God,” she whispered and sank fully into oblivion.
Chapter Twenty Five
Unable to sleep, Reecetook a walk. Twenty minutes later, he exited the other side of the mountain. He gazed at nothing in particular and miserably unsure why he’d come back. Together with Banes’ team, he’d checked, and triple checked the area. His mind whirled. The fact Jay took Aria through the mountain ate at his insides.
He cupped the back of his neck in a resolute sigh and stared out at the emptiness filled only with white-capped trees. Despite the deep breathing, the intense tightness in his chest persisted, followed by tears. He let them fall and ignored Cody’s warning that men never cried—this was one time even his brother, in all his arrogance, might allow him to cry. Reece finally understood the need for seriousness—to accept life as an adult with responsibility, to accept love had changed him, for the better.
With another dismal sigh, he raked a hand through his hair in frustration. “Please, babe. Give me a sign.” His whispered words vanished into the wind as quickly as Aria had disappeared from his life. He searched the horizon. In a few hours, the sun would tint the water the palest silver-gray, a flawless bay the precise color of her eyes. God, he wanted a glimpse of those enigmatic spheres of perfection once more. To take her in his arms, and protect her with every breath against that bastard.Fanfuckingtastic job you’ve done so far.With a curse, he turned and sprinted back toward the cabin. Another day dawned. He needed to do something, anything.
Reece entered the cabin just as Prisha came down the passage with her cat cuddled in her arms. She set the animal down, rubbed her sleep filled eyes then glanced up.
With a deep breath, he forced cheerfulness into his voice. “Hey, sweetheart.”
“Where’s Mommy?”
Luck favored him the previous night. Caught up in the concert celebration, Prisha had asked for Aria once then fell off to sleep on her way home. Reece neared the child and knelt while his frazzled mind tossed around ideas of what he should or shouldn’t say.
He had to tread lightly or risked scaring her. “Pri, your mommy has gone away for a few days. She has some important work.”
Prisha cocked her head and stared at him. “Why didn’t she say goodbye?”
“B-because she had to rush off.”
Prisha eyed him intently. Reece read the suspicion in her gaze. If he’d learned one thing since meeting her, no one could fool the child.
