Chapter 13 #2
My nostrils flared as I clenched my fists. If only we’d had a few minutes more, maybe I’d have a better idea of what has happening with her. Right now, we were driving in the dark, following her phone signal. If anything happened to that…
I shoved the thought from my mind. No, we’d be able to follow her signal.
We had to be able to follow her signal because if we couldn’t…
I shook my head. I couldn’t let myself go there. I couldn’t lose this connection.
My mind wandered to the next family get-together. I imagined Sierra across the table from me, her nose wrinkled. “OMG, you’re even more insane than I thought. I bet this woman paid someone to pretend to kidnap her so she could get away from you.”
I heaved a sigh, letting my head sink into my hands.
“We’re almost there,” Alex said, flicking his gaze into the backseat.
“It’s not that…I’m just imagining the reaction from my sister if we never find her. She’ll probably tell me I made the whole thing up.”
“We all saw her, Doc,” Ava answered. “We’ll vouch for you. And even the fact that you two had a connection.”
I shifted in my seat as the airport came into view. “Really? Did you actually notice that we had a connection?”
Ava shrugged as Alex veered toward the hangar containing his private plane. “Yeah. I mean, you two seemed sort of into each other while we were playing video games. She was definitely into it when you helped her.”
My heart sped up as we came to a stop. “Really? She was?”
“Definitely,” Ava answered.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” I asked as we left the car behind, hurrying toward the plane.
“Why would I tell you?”
I scoffed, climbing aboard the plane behind my friends. “Because I needed the confidence and reassurance. Honestly, Ava, I need constant reassurance.”
She dropped onto the leather couch next to Alex as the pilot appeared, letting us know we’d be underway soon, though the orders were very odd.
“I’m patching the route as we know it through to your phone. Sorry, but that’s all we have.”
“If we need to stop and refuel–“
“I get it. Just try your hardest to follow her, okay?” Alex asked.
I strapped into my seat, my muscles tight as I drummed my fingers against the arm of the chair, eager to be underway.
As the engines fired to life and the door closed, Ava glanced at me. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but she’s totally into you. I just didn’t want you to get your hopes up in case…”
“There’s something wrong with her,” I said with a sigh.
“I don’t think there’s something wrong with her,” Alex said as he slouched down in his seat. “But what if there’s more going on that you realize?”
“Alex is right. What if whatever she’s running from, whatever caught up to her is something you can’t handle?”
I bit into my lower lip as the words rolled over me. I’d been through a lot. I’d run both from and toward things. And I carried some heavy baggage with me. Was there really anything that she could be going through that I couldn’t handle–and top?
“I think we should be more concerned about her not being able to handle what I’m bringing to the table.”
I couldn’t shake the memory of her smile, the way she’d looked at me with such trust. Did I deserve it? Would she still look at me like that when she found out about my past? Worse, would I still feel the same way about her when I knew the full truth about hers?
“What, the weird war you had with Grant?” Ava asked.
I scrubbed my face. “Yeah. And my overall line-crossing behavior. I mean, I’m not subtle, you know?”
“And the woman who is perfect for you will be totally okay with all the line-crossing, not subtle version of you.”
I let my head smack against the headrest in the back. That woman did not exist. I didn’t care what Ava said.
“Don’t settle, Doc,” she said with a wag of her finger.
I ignored the statement, scrubbing my face as we finally reached a cruising altitude. “Where is she now?”
Alex toggled on his phone. “Over the ocean.”
I bit my lower lip, settling back into the seat. We had a long flight in store, and no idea where we were going. My stomach twisted into a tighter and tighter knot as we continued our journey.
After hours of flying, Alex’s phone chimed. My heart skipped a beat as he dug it from his pocket.
I didn’t know what it meant, but I prepared myself for bad news. “What is it?”
“Looks like she’s stopped. Or at least slowed significantly,” Alex answered, narrowing his eyes at his screen.
“Where?” was the only word I could croak out.
Alex wrinkled his nose. “Some tiny speck of a country close to Russia.”
“Can you be more specific, babe? I’d like to do a little recon.”
“Uhhh, hold on.” Alex tapped on his screen a few times before he puckered his lips. “Belvaria.”
“Belvaria,” Ava murmured as she typed it into her phone.
“Uh, Belvaria is an Eastern European constitutional monarchy located at the crossroads of Eastern and Central Europe, bordered by Drakovia, Morscana, and Eldoria.
Known for its rich history, royal traditions, and a complex political landscape, Belvaria is a nation where modernity and heritage coexist.
“Its capital city, Lyonestra, is renowned for its ornate architecture, vibrant cultural scene, and its historic palace, which serves as the official residence of the royal family—"
The communication system in the plane dinged before the pilot spoke. “It appears the other plane landed in Lyonestra. We’re requesting permission to land there as soon as we’re in Belvarian airspace.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, my mind spiraling out of control. “What is she doing in Belvaria?”
“That’s a good question, Doc,” Ava answered. “Hopefully, we’ll have the answer in less than an hour.”
I slouched down, settling into my seat for what would be far too long of a wait for my taste. I bit into my thumbnail until I finally felt us descending.
I glanced out the window at the landscape below and the buildings of what I assumed to be Lyonestra in the distance.
We raced toward them as the pilots told us to buckle in for our landing.
My knee bobbed up and down until the wheels smacked against the ground, bouncing before we finally touched down and slowed.
I unbuckled my seat belt. “Please tell me you are still able to follow her phone here and find her.”
“Yeah, I should be able to,” Alex said. “We need to call for a car or something so we can follow her.”
As the engines wound down, I leapt from my seat, ready to race into the world of Belvaria.
The flight attendant scurried to open the door for us, but we never made it out of the plane.
Before we could take a step, a loud thud echoed through the plane as boots pounded up the steps.
My stomach turned as I caught the glint of sunlight off polished rifles.
The officers moved with precision, their faces unreadable as their dark uniforms blended into the shadows of the cabin.
“Hands up,” they said, their accents almost sounding Russian or at least Eastern European.
“Whoa,” Alex said, raising his hands in the air, “what’s going on here?”
“That’s the question we have for you, Mr. Stone. Now, on your knees, hands behind your head. You are all under arrest.”
I dropped to my knees, my hands shaking as I laced them behind my head. What had we walked into? Were we trespassing, or was this something worse? My mind spun with possibilities, each one darker than the last. And Nattie—was she in on this? Or was she in even more trouble than I realized?