Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
RILEY
When the trailer came to a stop, I prepared myself for a fight. I was stronger than I was before, and it would catch my kidnappers off guard. I didn't know how to throw a punch to save my life, but how hard could it be? Tuck the thumb... or was it leave the thumb out?
Crap. I was going to end up with a broken thumb.
Buttercup flicked her tail and gave me a look that made me think she was calling me stupid.
"Don't give me that look. You're the one that got me into this mess," I whispered.
There wasn't anything in the trailer, so I had no weapon besides my fists. I prepared myself by the door, which also happened to be behind the horse. I hoped she didn't kick me.
Instead of the back opening, one of the side windows opened a crack and something was sprayed inside. I covered my face with my hands, but it was too late.
Ten Years Ago
"Are you really sure this is what you want to do, Nat? It might not even work or could even accelerate it." A man's hushed voice floated up the stairs as I peeked around the corner, trying to get a glimpse. I couldn't see a thing.
My mom had given me a new book and told me to stay in my room while she met with the contractor who was remodeling our townhouse. It was outdated and needed some updates. I thought it looked fine, but I was only seven and didn't know anything about houses.
"I don't want either of us to be forced to make a choice like my mother had to. There's only one knife, Travis. This is for the best." My mom sounded sad, and I resisted the urge to run down the stairs and hug her.
"I understand. I don't think you'll be able to avoid the inevitable forever. It's in her blood." The man got farther away, like he was headed to the door.
I had no clue what they were talking about. My mom did have a lot of knives. Maybe she was discussing how to best organize them in the new kitchen.
"If we could just get them out of there, we wouldn't have to worry anymore." My mom sniffled. "Did I give you enough money?"
"Yes. I wish I didn't have to take any at all, but the price to get people to turn a blind eye has gone up."
The door shut and I tiptoed back to my room before my mom caught me.
I woke up handcuffed to a plane seat across from my mom. Her hair fell in a wave of glossy brown over her shoulder as she studied what looked like a map that was on the table in front of us.
We weren't just in any plane. I could already tell we were on a private jet and were seated in an area with four seats clustered together with a table folded out from the wall.
"Mom?" I was disoriented and wasn't sure if I was hallucinating.
My mom looked up and smiled. "Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?"
"How am I feeling?" I wanted to rub at my eyes, but my wrists were handcuffed to the seat. "What's going on?"
She sat back in her seat and looked out the window. "Freeing our people is the right thing to do."
"What? Whose plane is this?" I looked around again, not really understanding what the hell was going on. "Why am I cuffed to the seat?"
"I wasn't sure how you'd take it." She had to have lost her mind again.
A curtain by the wall was pushed aside and Dylan walked through, a grin spreading across his face as his eyes landed on me. "Good, you're awake."
He sat down in the seat next to my mom and kissed her cheek. I was so confused. I stared at the two of them. My mom looked sheepish, and I narrowed my eyes. What the hell was she doing and what happened to her being in love with Finn?
"Is someone going to tell me what's going on here?" I gripped the armrests of the seat, trying to calm myself down. Although, if I got angry enough, I could probably break the armrests and free myself, but then what? We were on a plane going who knows where.
"We need your help." I waited for Dylan to continue. If my mom was in the mix now, there was no reason he needed me. She could use the knife. "Your mom is going to be the distraction and you're going to help me get what I need."
I took a calming breath to tamp down my rising anger. Knowing we were far away from my guys made me nervous that I would lose control. "And why would I help you?"
He began swiping on a tablet before placing it on the table in front of me. A video was playing from what looked like a body cam. At first, I didn't see much besides shoppers at a mall, but then he entered a store.
"Who's following them?" Them being Aiden and Ivy, who were none the wiser about the danger that lurked right behind them.
Dylan reached forward and swiped, and another camera angle showed them. "Just some friends of mine. Right now, they're keeping their distance, but they are on standby if needed."
I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn't need to ask what he meant by standby if needed. My friends were in danger and I was the only one who could keep them safe.
"What do you need me to do?"
Coming to terms with the fact that my mom was working with Dylan was hard. She hadn't said much on the plane ride, and Dylan was always so close that I couldn't ask her why she'd join forces with a lunatic.
If he was holding leverage over me, it was possible he was doing the same to her. I really couldn't get a good read on what was going through her head.
We were headed to Greece and the flight was long. We stopped for fuel after crossing the Pacific and were right back in the sky again. We were headed to the Aegean Sea, which was East of Greece.
We were about to land, and Dylan finally left the sitting area we were in to make sure the landing went as planned. He had left a few times to go to the bathroom or grab us food but chose when I was napping to leave. We had been stuck with him the entire flight, not giving us any privacy to talk.
"Are we really doing this?" I whispered.
My mom moved to the seat next to me and buckled her seat belt. "They are our family, Riley. We need to get them out. It's what your grandma would have wanted."
She sounded like she was telling the truth. "But what about Finn?"
She bit her lip, and it was the first-time uncertainty flashed in her eyes. "It’ll be fine. I'm doing this for him too."
I wanted to ask her what that meant but the plane touched down, and before the seatbelt light went off, Dylan was back. "Let's go. We don't have much time before they figure out what I'm up to and come for us."
I was uncuffed with a warning not to try anything and we exited the plane as soon as it came to a stop. The sun nearly blinded me, and I shielded my eyes as we waited for an SUV that had just turned onto the tarmac. We were at a small airstrip in the middle of nowhere.
I looked around, contemplating making a run for it, but my mom looped her arm through mine and gave my arm a pat. She leaned close to me so only I would hear her. "It's going to be fine, Riley. Don't do anything rash and piss him off."
I gave her a slight nod as the car pulled up, and Dylan opened the back door for us. We climbed in and buckled up as the driver took off. He was a burly-looking guy who had a permanent frown on his face. I was sure he'd snap my neck with no problem if I tried to run.
About ten minutes later, the ocean came into view, and it took my breath away. I wanted to rip off my clothes and dive into the tranquil blue waters.
"So, we're just going to swim down to this castle and take the trident from Poseidon?" I had been given a vague description of what we were doing, but I really didn't see how we'd get something so important away from a powerful god, or how we'd go undetected.
Dylan dug around in a backpack he had and pulled out a small pouch. "That's exactly what we're doing."
"But won't he know you're up to something?" I furrowed my brows as he pulled out a syringe and stuck it in his arm, extracting some of his blood. "What the hell are you doing?"
The car came to a stop in a secluded area. The ocean was just a drop off the side of the area we were parked. The driver came to my side and guided me out by my elbow. I tried pulling away, but that just made him grip it harder.
My mom was already stripping out of her clothes and gave me a small smile. If it was supposed to be reassuring, it wasn't. She was going to lead the tritons protecting the palace away so Dylan and I could get in. I'd then use the knife to break in and get the trident.
"Everything is going to be fine, sweetie." She kissed my cheek, climbed onto the cement ledge, then dove into the water, leaving me alone with two men that scared the shit out of me.
I'd never forgive her for this.
"Now, before you freak out, know that this is only temporary, unless you want to make it permanent and then we can arrange for a blood transfusion."
I didn't understand what he was talking about until he stabbed me in the arm with the syringe that had his blood in it and pressed the plunger. He nodded to the guy holding me, who immediately let me go and I fell to my knees.
Dizziness hit me first, then an overwhelming need to follow Dylan, who was stripping out of his clothes as he walked to the water. The knife was strapped to him in a sheath that wasn't that much different from the one the guys had made me.
I stood and followed him, peeling off my clothes as I went, vaguely aware he was controlling me in some way. I dove in after him, my body instantly shifting. I looked down at myself and gasped; I was now the same coloring as the tritons.
"We don't have much time. Let's go." I followed Dylan, who was also blue.
"How is this possible?" I wanted to stare at my tail because in the light it glistened like the inside of an abalone shell.
"Does it matter? I'm the son of a god; anything is possible." I couldn't see his face, but he sounded annoyed with my questioning, so I didn't ask any more.