Chapter 27 Allie
ALLIE
Mass doesn’t come home.
I keep waiting for him to appear on that elevator. I imagine him striding into the kitchen, pulling me against him, and burying my mouth with his.
Instead, it’s silence. No movement, no sound. I force myself to focus on giving Rosie dinner and putting her down for bedtime, but I keep thinking about him.
Even when I don’t want to.
He knew who I was from the start. I can’t help but wonder what else he’s keeping from me. My grandfather’s been locked in the bowels of this place since the day I came here, and Mass never once thought to mention it.
I understand why he didn’t. A part of me knows he probably made the right choice. He’s doing what it takes to protect my grandfather.
I’m extremely sympathetic to that.
But all these revelations are weighing on me.
“Do we miss Mass, little baby girl?” I whisper to Rosie as I rock her before putting her down into her crib.
“Papa,” she says sleepily.
That one word nearly breaks me.
I sit alone in the living room with a glass of wine and the baby monitor. I stare at my daughter fitfully tossing and turning. She’s not crying out, but I can tell she’s having a hard time getting into deep sleep.
Maybe she knows how stressful things are for me right now. She’s always been perceptive.
I want Mass to come home. I want him to explain everything. I need him to apologize. I’m angry and hurt, and I feel like I’m some pawn in a much bigger game, but I still want him. That’s the messed-up part. I need him to make me feel better.
He doesn’t show up.
Eventually, I get desperate. I call down to staff services and ask if they can locate Mass for me. Some random girl I’ve never spoken to before informs me that my husband is currently in an important meeting, but she would gladly pass along a message.
I hang up, feeling stupid.
Only for the phone to start ringing again.
Except it’s not the house phone. I look around, panic hitting my chest, when I realize it’s the couch ringing.
I dig the hidden cell out and raise it up.
“Hello?” I shouldn’t answer. It’s just going to be some mysterious bullshit again. Although the man on the other end was right the last time he called.
“Hey, Allie. It’s good to hear your voice.”
I freeze. I can’t believe what’s happening. “Gabriel?” I whisper, unable to actually accept that it’s my oldest brother on the other end.
“The one and only.” There’s noise in the background. It sounds like something sloshing against a wall. Wind blows through the receiver, and his voice is patchy and distant. “Service is shit right now. We’re on some fancy scrambled satellite, so I can’t talk long. How fast can you pack?”
Adrenaline slams into me. I have to stand and start pacing. “What are you talking about? Where are you right now?”
“I’m nearby. Get Rosie. Grab your things. There’s a beach near the Fortress, just a patch of sand between where you are and where the guests stay. You need to meet me out there in fifteen minutes.”
“Fifteen minutes? Are you insane, Gabe? This island is surveilled at all times.”
“We have a window. Trust me, I’m working with people, and we’re going to bring you home. What Cardone did at the wedding was fucking wrong, Allie.”
“Who sent you here? How did you even do this?”
“Just trust me, okay? I swear, Allie, if you leave right now and head to the west side of the island, we’ll bring you home. Everything will be fine.”
I open my mouth to argue. There’s no way Mass would ever let me go. He’d chase me forever if it meant keeping me. Running isn’t really an option.
But this is my brother.
It’s not some random guy sneaking around the Fortress.
This is Gabe.
There are so few people I trust more than I trust myself, and my oldest brother happens to be one of them.
“I don’t know if I can make it. I mean, there are so many people watching—”
“Just get moving. The window’s closing. Western side, halfway down, right on the beach. Cardone and his people are distracted, so you have to move. Do you understand? Get going.”
I try to argue, but the line goes dead.
I stare at the phone. I’m tempted to call that number back.
If he gets caught trying to sneak me out of here, Mass will kill him without hesitation.
But this is my chance at freedom.
“Shit,” I whisper, hurrying into the bedroom. I find a duffel bag in the closet and start shoving clothing into it. “Shit, shit, shit.” I don’t want to do this. No part of me thinks this is a good idea.
There are a thousand reasons to run away.
But none of them seem to matter.
Still, I run into Rosie’s room and grab her diaper bag. There should be enough supplies in there for a few days, but I grab some extra things. She stirs as I make noise, and eventually, I pluck her from the crib. “Shush, baby, I’ve got you. We’re just going for a walk, alright?”
She glares at me blearily.
But she doesn’t start crying. Instead, she curls up against me as I hurry from her room and down to the elevator.
Stupid. So stupid. So, so, so stupid.
I need to stay and give Mass a chance to explain himself.
I’ve been making a life for myself here. I’m starting to feel like the Fortress could be our home.
And Grandfather’s here too. I want to get to know him and maybe let him know Rosie while he can.
The elevator doors open and I step out onto the bottom floor.
I get some looks from the staff, but nobody stops me. I’m the Dragon’s wife, after all. So what if I’m carrying bags and looking suspicious as hell?
I practically run through the halls and find one of the doors that leads out toward the gardens.
The paths out here are twisty and dark. I nearly stumble a few times but manage to keep my footing.
There’s a strip of jungle between the main building and the beach, and I eventually find a sandy path that leads toward the water.
I smell and hear it before I see the ocean.
I should turn back. It isn’t too late. Gabe will wait, and when I don’t show up, he’ll assume something happened.
But what if that means he tries something even stupider?
My oldest brother isn’t emotional. He doesn’t rush into bad situations without at least thinking about them first.
But he’s also extremely loyal.
I hate this. I hate being put in this situation. I want to go back inside, but I also don’t want Gabe to get hurt.
And a part of me wants to go home to New York.
I hurry down the sand. The lights of the Fortress loom over everything. The Resort is a smaller, much more beautiful stretch of buildings behind it.
I start to hope that maybe the call was some kind of elaborate prank until I spot shapes in the near distance. I pick up my pace, feeling sick.
How’s Mass going to feel when he hears I ran away from him?
The shapes resolve into two people and a black outrigger boat with a simple motor. I stare at my brother, wearing a black wetsuit with a rifle on his shoulder. He grins at me as I approach, smiling broadly.
But I stop before I get too close.
“What are you waiting for?” he calls out, waving for me to hurry. “We need to get moving. We don’t have much time.”
“What’s she doing here?”
The woman standing beside him is Satya.
I try to understand what’s going on, but my brain refuses to make sense of it.
Gabe glances at her and shrugs. “She’s my insider. That’s all I know.”
Satya’s wearing all black: slacks, sweatshirt, and a cap pulled over her head. Her usual warmth is completely missing. “Someone had to arrange for all this, Allie. Come now, hand me that little one and we’ll be on our way.”
I stare at her. Satya’s been taking care of Rosie ever since I came here. I began to like her, mostly because Mass thinks so highly of her.
“He trusts you,” I call out, still not moving.
Satya’s face tightens. “That’s his mistake. Come now, Allie. This place isn’t good for you.”
“What’s the matter?” Gabe moves toward me, reaching out. “Come on, we need to run.”
“She shouldn’t be here.” I back away, my head whirling. Satya is a part of Mass’s inner circle and now she’s betraying him. I look at her, struggling to stay composed. “Why would you do this to him?”
Her face twists, just for a moment, before she calms herself. “My reasons aren’t important. Massimo isn’t the man you seem to think he is. There are other people, stronger people—”
“Who sent you two?” I keep backing away, feeling sick.
Gabe’s clearly frustrated. “Why does that matter? I’m here to rescue you, Allie. Would you just get in the damn boat so we don’t end up killed out here?”
“Tell me who.” I clutch Rosie tighter. “Tell me right now.”
Satya laughs bitterly, her nose wrinkled in disgust. “You already know who’s helping us.”
I turn and run.
It’s hard as hell. I’m burdened by two bags and a baby, plus it’s not easy in the sand.
I’m winded almost right away, but I force myself to keep going, angling back to the Fortress and the path into the garden.
I glance over my shoulder, hoping to see them recede into the distance, but there’s a figure chasing.
It’s Satya.
The old woman’s surprisingly spry. She starts to make up some distance on me and I’m forced to toss the bags aside. Without those, I can move faster.
“You’re making a mistake!” she yells after me. “You don’t know what he’s really like!”
She’s probably right.
I’m sure about one thing though.
Mass might be a monster, but Medved’s worse.