Risky Romance (Wolf Security #4)

29. Whisper

CHAPTER 29

Whisper

I caught Cody’s gaze. “You okay?” I asked.

He nodded, then shrugged.

Marty leaned into my open door. “You guys want a lift somewhere?”

I blew out a rushed breath. “Yes, please. Could we trouble you to take us to Port Douglas?”

“Sure can, that’s where we’re going anyway,” Marty said.

Sarah offered a packet of Tim Tam biscuits. “You want something to eat?”

“Thank you,” I said, taking one and handing her the phone.

“Take the whole packet.” She offered a sympathetic grin.

“Thank you.” I took another and held them toward Cody. He plucked a biscuit and put the whole Tim Tam into his mouth.

Marty and Sarah climbed into the front and as he started the car, I placed my hand over the back of Cody’s. “Are you okay?”

He shrugged and slipped his hand away. “Yep.” He ate another biscuit. “I’m great.”

“No need for sarcasm.”

“Then stop asking me if I’m okay.”

I nodded. I deserved that. But my mind was like a ninja, tossing questions like poisonous darts through every thought. Cody’s dark expression drilled into me. “Cody, talk to me.”

He clenched his jaw, and the weight of frustration and uncertainty pressed down on me like a dense fog.

As Marty drove along winding roads, my thoughts clashed over what to do next to find Dane. Ryder and Lacey had both told me not to get involved, but I was already involved. To hell with that. I needed to search for my brother. But how?

Tory!

“I have an idea,” I said to Cody. “We’re going to search for Dane’s truck with my friend’s seaplane.”

“Your boss told you to stay put.”

“I’m not going to sit around and do nothing while Dane is still missing. And you’re coming with me.”

“So you don’t let me out of your sight, right?”

“Exactly.” I winked at him and eased forward on my seat. “Excuse me, Sarah, could you look up the number for Border Force at Port Douglas, so I can call them please?”

She tapped a few buttons. “Here you go. It’s ringing.”

“Thanks.” I held the phone to my ear.

“This is Border Force, how can I help?”

“Tory, is that you?”

“You got me. Who’s that?”

“Whisper.”

“Oh, my fucking god, sista. Where the hell have you been? Everyone is freaking out.”

“It’s a long story.”

“Don’t give me that long story bullsh?—”

“Tory! Sorry, it really is a long story. But I need your help.”

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Distress laced her tone.

“I’m fine, but my brother Dane is in serious trouble. Do you think you could pick me up in Ladybeetle and we can search for him?”

“Only if you tell me everything.”

“You got it. I can meet you where you dropped me off. How long would it take for you to get there?”

“Give me thirty minutes.”

I sighed with relief. “Great. Thank you.”

“Okay, babe. See you soon.”

I ended the call and handed the phone back to Sarah. “Would you be able to drive us to the Port Douglas marina?”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”

“No. We’re fine,” I answered for both of us.

During the drive, Sarah and Marty asked a heap more questions. They’d heard me mention Scorpion Industries and they had obviously seen news reports about the criminal empire.

Cody was once again quiet, and when I wrapped my hand over his wrist, he jolted like I’d tasered him.

“Cody, you don’t have to come with me.”

“Like hell. You heard that woman on the phone.”

“Lacey doesn’t know you like I do.”

“You don’t know me, Jewel.”

“I know you enough and that’s why I need to help you.”

“You don’t need to do anything.”

“Wrong. Now stop being a hard ass. We’re in this together.”

His twisted expression was a bundle of confusion.

He also didn’t know me, because if he did, he would know that I fight for my beliefs, and I believed he was innocent. I would do whatever it took to prove it.

Marcus pulled into the main street of town, and I leaned forward in my seat. “Hey, Sarah and Marty, can I ask another huge favor?”

“Sure, name it,” Marty said.

“Could you please keep everything you overheard to yourselves?”

They shared a glance, and I knew keeping this contained was bordering on impossible.

“Okay, tell your friends, but please don’t talk to any reporters. Last thing we need is for the men who did this to us knowing that the cops are on the way to the plantation.”

“Sure, no probs,” Sarah said.

Marty drove into the marina parking lot and pulled into a spot. Everyone climbed out.

“Thank you for everything,” I said to Marty and Sarah. “We were so lucky to find you. Sorry we ruined your getaway.”

“Are you kidding? We’ll be talking about this forever. Hug?” Sarah opened her arms.

We hugged.

“Let us know if you need any help,” she said. “You know, corroborating the end of your story or anything.”

I chuckled. She wants her fifteen minutes of fame. “Absolutely.”

As Cody and I stood at the front of the car while Marty reversed away, he seemed calm, yet turmoil brewed in his eyes.

I grabbed his hand and swung him toward the clanging ropes coming from the marina berths, so he had to walk with me. “Cut out the sad-sack demeanor. We made it out of that fucking jungle. We should be celebrating with beer and wine.”

He groaned. “I’d say yes to a beer, that’s for sure.”

A plane engine drifted into the other sounds around us, and I searched over the ocean.

“Here she comes.”

The yellow Border Force plane swooped down from the clouds with its pontoons glinting in the sunlight. Cody squinted up at the aircraft and his muscles bunched in his jaw.

“That’s Ladybeetle ,” I said, studying his bewildered expression.

“It’s small.”

“It’s fast. We need fast right now.”

The aircraft banked gracefully, descending toward the marina in a smooth arc. The steady drone of its engine grew louder and as it approached, stirring the calm waters into ripples, I caught Cody’s stunned expression.

“Have you flown before?”

“Nope.” He didn’t show any fear though.

I loved that I was going to share this moment with him.

I would love to share a whole lot more moments with him.

“Come on.” I grabbed his hand, and as we strode toward the dock, Ladybeetle touched down on the water with a gentle splash, sending a V-shaped wake spreading behind her as she taxied toward us. Tory’s blonde wavy hair danced in the breeze of her open cockpit window as she maneuvered the plane toward us.

As I gripped Cody’s hand, guiding him along the wooden boardwalk, Tory waved at us and the engine noise dropped down to a low hum.

I pulled open the passenger door.

“You look like crap. Get up here!” She lunged forward. “I need to squeeze you half to death.”

“First, meet Cody.” I stepped aside, revealing him.

She cast her eyes over him, lingering on the cuts and bruises and sweeping down to his mud-caked feet. I could already hear the questions forming.

“Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand, voice rough with exhaustion.

Tory clasped his palm, and I didn’t miss the intrigue in her eyes.

“Cody rescued me and saved my life a few times,” I said quickly. “And before you ask—yes, I trust him.”

Tory raised an eyebrow. “Rightyho. Then you two better get in and start talking. We’re burning daylight, and I want to know everything. Cody, you’re in the back.”

He climbed up without hesitation, ducking his head to fit through the door, and as he squeezed between the two front seats, Tory grinned at me and mouthed, ‘Holy smokes, he’s hot.’ She blew on her fingers like her hands were burning.

Trying not to giggle, I climbed into the passenger seat.

Tory leaned toward me, and we crushed each other in a hug.

“Jesus, you had me worried.” She pulled back and scanned me. “You sure you’re okay? Those bites look nasty.”

Frowning, I followed her gaze to the red dots over my arms. I’d forgotten all about getting attacked my ants on that log. “I’m fine, just tired and hungry. But we need to keep moving. If I stop now, I’ll sleep for a week.”

“Roger that.” She flicked a few switches on the dashboard. “You okay back there?”

Cody wrestled to get his harness in position. “I think so.”

I leaned through the front seats to show him how to clip the five-piece brace together.

He nodded. “Thanks.”

I squeezed above his knee. “Thank you.”

The engine noise increased as we eased back from the pontoon, and I gave Tory a summary of what Dane had done, and the truck we were looking for.

“Why would Dane get mixed up in that?” she asked.

“He’s being used,” I said. “I’m really worried about him, Tory. I’m worried they’ll kill him.”

She eased back on the throttle, and as we lifted off, I focused on the horizon rather than looking down at the water.

“What direction do you want to go?” she asked.

“Dane was told to take the truck back to Rosebud Wharf, but he never arrived. So, let’s start along the main highway.”

“Rightyho.” Tory increased the engine speed and turned the plane in the direction of the open ocean. “Okay, sista. Start talking. I want to hear everything.”

The engine roared and I gripped the armrest until my knuckles turned white.

“Jewel doesn’t like flying,” Tory said to Cody through the rear-view mirror. “Do you?”

“We’re about to find out,” he said.

“Wait. What? You’ve never been in a plane before?”

“First time.”

“Awesome. You’re going to love it.” Tory winked at me, tilting her head toward Cody. She was itching for more info on my secret man.

Well, she’ll have to wait.

“I already do,” Cody said.

I turned to him with a weak smile. “I’ll try not to scream too much.”

“I’ve heard you scream before,” he said deadpan.

Tory whipped her gaze to me, then burst out laughing. “Now I really want to know what you two got up to.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop grinning at her.

The plane lurched forward, picking up speed across the water, and as we lifted into the air, I closed my eyes.

“Holy shit,” Cody said. “This is awesome.”

The plane leveled out. I forced my eyes open, turning to Cody’s divine grin, and smiled with him. He really was enjoying it.

“Okay, let’s check out this highway.” Tory banked the plane gently westward. “Now spill the beans before I torture you with a freefall.”

I shot her a look, but as the engine thrummed and miles and miles of land crossed beneath us, Cody and I unraveled our story, starting with Bruce’s ambush. As we took turns detailing the last couple of days, each mile we flew over felt like a countdown. Vast stretches of pine trees and sugarcane farms flanking the highway blurred beneath us, offering so many places to hide a truck, and yet giving us absolutely nothing.

With each passing moment, my heart grew heavier. The sun sank toward the horizon, casting elongated shadows that stretched across the landscape. I was torn between my gnawing worry for Dane and stealing glances at Cody to watch his sheer exhilaration over his first flight. His joy was unfiltered and infectious, revealing another layer of this remarkable man who had been forced to live a sheltered life.

Static crackled through the cabin as Tory’s radio came alive. She toggled a switch, listening to voices we couldn’t hear through her headset.

“Roger that.” She turned to me and wrinkled her nose. “Ryder’s livid.”

Dammit! “He figured out you took me up?”

“Yeah. Nothing gets past him. He’s got eyes everywhere.”

“What’s the damage?”

“He’s on his way, in a chopper with Lacey, Aria and her team. They’re thirty minutes from the plantation.”

“Thirty minutes?” Bloody hell! We still had sunlight to search for Dane.

“Want me to take you there?” she asked.

I shook my head. “You can’t. It’s inland. Nowhere to land.”

Her grin grew wicked. “Did you forget this baby is a Twin Otter. We can land on water or land. I just need to find a place to put her down.”

She banked the plane, swinging the nose back toward Port Douglas.

“Oh jeez.”

“Trust me. This’ll be fun.”

I twisted to the back where Cody’s forehead was pressed against the window as he scanned the patchwork world below. “Think you can guide us to the corn plantation?”

“Reckon so. I can see for miles from up here.” His eyes dazzled.

Grinning, I eased back to the front. “Head toward the Daintree. Cody can navigate from there.”

“Sure.” Tory caught my eye and mouthed, ‘He’s fun.’

My heart skipped a beat. He was more than fun. He was spectacular.

As we veered toward the rainforest, the dense canopy unfolded beneath us as a vast sea of green that stretched to eternity. Tory piloted the plane over the southern expanse, and I was taken aback by how dark and creepy it appeared.

“Wow, it’s incredible,” Cody said, not getting the same negative vibes I was. “I can’t believe how dense it is. No wonder people go missing down there.”

I turned to him, catching his lopsided shrug.

“Yeah, we got really lucky,” I said.

“You sure did get lucky,” Tory said, winking at me.

‘Stop it,’ I mouthed.

“The Daintree is beautiful,” Tory said, grinning at me, “but plenty of bodies have been pulled out of there.”

“And plenty have been left behind,” I said.

Tory banked the plane, giving us a clearer view of the rainforest below.

As we soared over the treetops, a new level of dread gripped me.

Ryder was furious at me. Again.

He’d better not pull me off this case, or I’ll quit.