Chapter Forty-Four Audrey
Chapter Forty-Four
Audrey
Queenstown, New Zealand
Now I understood what time travel must be like.
It was Wednesday night here, but still Tuesday in Colorado.
After nearly twenty hours on a jumbo jet and skipping eighteen ahead, I felt like I had two left hands.
Not ideal for playing piano—not that I planned to.
Or sleep. The other thing my brother kept insisting I do.
The last “day” had blurred together. Mission prep, theories, cyber-something-or-other stuff that flew over my head, and betrayal. Complex layers of it.
Eden was out there because of me. And Mitch had done exactly what we’d feared: offered her as a trade, demanding we fly to New Zealand. He’d texted proof of life of her on a plane, along with a threat and his Hell signature. Then the usual: Wait for next steps.
And because Hollis apparently had a Rolodex that rivaled some legend named Carter Dominick, she had four SUVs waiting at a private hangar for us when we touched down.
Three were decoys, and we packed into just one to play a game of Follow the Wrong Suburban.
The team didn’t want to risk going to the hotel where the auction was being held until Friday, so we were currently holed up in the penthouse suite of a resort and spa on Hollis’s dime, and I couldn’t seem to breathe despite the size and luxuriousness of it.
“I need a minute.” I rushed from the living room, where everyone had gathered to talk mission stuff, and into my bedroom.
Out on the balcony, I went to the railing and braced my forearms over it, trying to slow my breathing, to calm down before Trevor arrived.
After Echo Team had confirmed Eden and Rhett were truly gone and went to Buckley, Trevor had worked on convincing them to catch a ride with them here. He’d even had their team dog, Bear, offer a paw as the tiebreaker vote in letting him join.
Based on my conversations with Chase while I’d been on the plane, he was excited for his dad to suit up again. And he was also excited Bear would be hanging back with him at base instead of joining Echo here.
Chase had proclaimed he now wanted to be a SEAL, not a hockey player. “Just like Daddy,” he’d told me. “But only if I get my own Bear.”
Chase is safe; everything is okay. I needed to keep beating that mantra into my brain. Right along with Eden will be soon, too.
A chill slid up my arms as I stared out over Lake Wakatipu, the moonlight shimmering on the water. I needed the scenery to quiet the noise in my head.
If it doesn’t work soon . . . champagne again it is.
“What are you doing out there?” Alejandro came up behind me, gently reaching for my arm. “I’m sorry, getting fresh air is not worth the risk.” He guided me back inside, then shut and locked the door.
“I wasn’t thinking clearly. Just couldn’t breathe.” I hung back by the door, keeping my eye on the scenery outside. “No one knows we’re here, though, right?”
“They’re not supposed to, no.” He shifted to the side, blocking me from the view as if also offering himself as a just-in-case shield. “Not taking chances with you after what happened last time you were outside.”
We were shot at. How could I forget? “Sorry.” I peeked around him at the view. The outside reminded me of one of those thousand-piece puzzles. Too beautiful for the chaos surrounding us.
“Sounds like you guys are making progress in there.” I stepped away from the glass doors. “Almost like this is your job.”
“I’m feeling more and more out of my element by the second, to be honest.” He pulled the floor-to-ceiling curtains closed and turned to face me.
“Jet lag can do that.” My hands fell to my sides as I resisted setting them where they ached to be. On him. His face. Pretty much anywhere, as long as we were connected.
“I might feel off for another reason.” His husky words settled between us.
“Have anything to do with something or someone I know?” I lifted one innocent shoulder, a much better pianist than actress.
He sent me a lopsided smile, his dimple on display. “Maybe.” He reached for my waist and took me by surprise by hauling me against him. “It was taking everything inside me not to do this before. Not to hold you on that plane aside from one quick hug.”
I set my hands on his chest. His heart was beating as fast as my own.
“Are we erasing the word after from our minds for the time being?” I slid my hands up to the sides of his neck, brushing the pads of my thumbs along his stubbled jawline. “Hanging out in the moment?”
“May not be a good idea. Not sure I can go back to waiting until after if we do.” His fingertips tightened where he held my waist. Desperation to draw me even closer burned from his skin to mine, right through our clothes.
“The world is on fire,” I whispered, breathing him in. Absorbing every second of every moment with him while we had it. “All around us. And we’re standing in the middle of it.” And as it turned out, I didn’t need air outside—just air with him.
His gaze flicked from my lips back to my eyes. “I won’t let it touch you. You know that, right? I’ll put out every fire to keep you safe.” His voice hitched.
“Just not the fire burning between us, okay?” I swallowed. “I like that one.”
He brought his mouth to my ear. “And I like that one, too,” he whispered just as a voice called out from the living room, letting us know Trevor had arrived.