She stares at me. Hard. And I get a sick feeling in my stomach. “Who sent me?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
We unbuckle our seatbelts at the same time and she’s standing in the aisle before I’m done. She’s a quick little f**ker. I get up slowly and take a step towards her. It’s a stalk, complete with narrowed eyes, like she’s my prey and I’m about to take care of business.
She holds her ground. “You wanna know how long I was really out there, Six? Or do you want to keep walking through life pretending you’re a good guy and all the evil you represent is normal?”
I stop a few feet away and clench my jaw. I hate this f**king kid right now and I don’t think I gave her my number, but she sure the f**k knows who I am. “Whatever happened to you, that has nothing to do with me.”
“No?” She swallows down her fear. And I know that’s fear. I specialize in fear. And everything about her body—from her face, to her tense muscles, to her stance—all of it says fear. “And yet here you are. With me. In a plane. Going to the wrong place. Working for the wrong man. You’ve been set up. This is a big joke and everyone but you is laughing.”
I grab her by the throat and push her to the floor.
“Hey!” Harrison calls. “Not here, Tet. No kids get hurt on my ride.”
I let her go, walk back to my seat, and pick up my orange juice. “How long then?” She’ll answer this question. She wants me to ask. It’s a long time, I realize now. That’s why she’s so wild. It was a long time and she’s dying for someone to know how long she’s been out there living like a savage.
Sasha picks herself up from the floor and takes her seat across from me again. “Three months.”
I make no move. I make no sound. I do not acknowledge her in any way. She wants accolades for surviving. And I’m not gonna hand them out for a few months of camping.
She holds my stare and then looks away. I wonder if Harper is wild like this? I’ve been able to control Harper, but she’s mine. I’m using sex to rein her in and make her submit.
This one is not mine. Plus she’s way too young. She doesn’t think I’ll beat her. Kill her, maybe. But beat her, no. Kids who come from loving families are dumb like that. She’s got no fear of my fists because from what I know of her father, she was well-loved before they killed him. I’m not interested in changing that. So I won’t be hitting her. And now I can’t kill her. Because Merc was not the sender of that text. She’s not lying about that. She knows who sent me and she’s not gonna tell me if she’s dead.
“I got a message too, James.”
Did I tell her my name? “What’d it say?”
She stares at me for a few seconds. I hold her stare. “GPS coordinates.”
“Yeah, and?” I wave her on with my hand.
“When I got there, there was a bunch of gear waiting. And a new phone with a text message.”
She stares at me again, waiting. And I swear to God, if this kid was a man, I’d punch his face in right now. I’d break a finger for every second he made me wait. I take a deep breath. “And the message said?”
“It said, I’ll send him soon. That’s it.”
She’s lying. She is f**king lying. I know it. But I nod at her. Because she’s not gonna tell me shit right now. She hates my guts. “Then how’d you know I’m being set up?”
“Because I got another text last night. And that one said, Tell Six she left.”
The blood rushes out of my face. I get up and walk to the cockpit. “Harrison, I’m using my phone.”
“I got a satellite phone right there,” he says, pointing to the bag of gear on the seat next to him.
“Sorry,” I tell him as I go back to the cabin. “I need a secure line.” I punch in Harper’s number.
It rings. And rings.
“Hello?”
God, my whole body fills up with relief. “Harp, baby, where are you?” Silence. “Harper? Can you hear me?” I get the disconnect beeps and lose the call. Shit. I redial and she picks up on the first ring. “Harper, where are you?”
“Why?” she growls.
Fucking girls. I change tactics, because clearly she is not happy with me. “I’m on my way back. I just want to make sure you’re OK. Safe at home.”
Silence.
“Harper. Tell me you’re at home.”
“I’m at someone’s home. But not mine.”
Fuck. I look over at Sasha and she’s smiling. Enjoying the show. “Just tell me where you are. I’ll be there soon to pick you up.”
Harper hesitates and then gives in. “I’m in the desert. In front of a green house. Is that your house? The address that was sent to your phone the other night. You know, that night you left me.”
“Calm down, soldier.” I’m the one smiling at Sasha now. Brat. “Fuck, I’m so relieved. You’re sneaky and I’m not happy that you didn’t stay put. But I’m glad you’re there because at least you’re safe.”
“I’m not there and I’m not safe,” she snaps. “I’m lying under a bush across the street, watching for people. I’m so paranoid, my heart feels like it’s beating out of my chest.” She takes a breath and I realize she’s scared. “And I went for my pills and do you know what I found?”