11. CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER TEN
SASHA
“ I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I was safe. I left my old life behind and only sometimes spoke to Alice, Reece, and Leo. I had been very careful all this time, but something obviously went wrong along the way.
“Oh, really, Miss Lunara Badem?” He dropped his head but raised his eyes at me. “You have no clue what I’m talking about?”
My bottom lip trembled but I had to keep it together. Zeke knew who I was and probably had since I met him. “Who are you and why are you doing this to me?”
“I’m not doing anything to you.” His face relaxed and he took a deep breath but it did nothing to calm my nerves. “I’m trying to stop you from going out there and possibly making the biggest mistake of your life.”
“What mistake might that be?” I questioned his sincerity. “Trusting you?”
“Nick is not on your side,” he muttered under his breath. “I will tie you down if you try to go to him.”
I knew Nick. He’d been so kind to me ever since we met. Sure, he may have had a crush on me at some point or another, but it never changed the way he treated me. “Nick would never hurt me.” I really believed that to be the truth.
“He already has,” Zeke said. “You just refuse to see it.”
“I won’t go out there if you promise to tell me the truth.” I stood my ground and pushed back against the wooden frame to distance myself. “Who are you?”
“I’ll tell you what you want, sweetheart, but this isn’t the time or place.”
“Sasha!” Nick yelled. His voice sounded like it was closer and came from behind me. “Zeke! Are you in here?”
There was a knock on the door and I felt the vibrations on my back. All I needed to do was push Zeke away and run into Nick’s arms. I needed to feel safe again but standing in front of Zeke caused a wedge in my throat and my heart to race.
I wanted the truth from him but did I trust him enough to believe what he was telling me was the truth? It’s only because he’d saved me that I was willing to hear him out when he was ready to talk.
“I need to know, Zeke.” I kept my hands beside me with tightened fists. “Are you a cop? FBI agent?” My voice remained low so Nick couldn’t hear us. Perhaps there was a slight chance he was there to protect me. If he had a legitimate reason why he didn’t trust Nick, I wanted to know what that reason was.
“No, I’m not a cop,” he answered. “Not an FBI agent.”
Well, there went that theory. If he wasn’t there to protect me then there was another more sinister reason. He may have saved my life on the plane but I needed to know why. “Are you someone from my past?”
“Yes, but not in the way you think.”
If he was truly from my past then there was only one reason why he wanted to keep me at arm’s length as well as still breathing. He was going to bring me to someone else. “So, you’re keeping me alive only to kill me later?”
“That’s where your head’s going with this?” Zeke grunted. “I could have had you killed a long time ago if I wanted to.”
I hated the way he said that. It made the hairs on the back of my neck pop up. “I can’t trust you right now, Zeke.”
“I’m the only one you can trust.”
My thinking might have been irrational, and I might have even been way off base, but something didn’t make sense. He knew who I was. When did he find out? How long had he been watching me for? What did he want from me and why was he trying to hide who he was? And most importantly, who was the person he was charged with taking me to? It could only be bad.
My hand automatically reached the door knob but I had no intention of opening it. It just made me feel a little safer to know that if I needed to run out of there at any moment, I could have. Depending on how truthful he was to me at that point.
But Zeke noticed my movement and thought I was trying to escape. He lunged forward and his arm slammed the door in an attempt to stop me.
“Ahh!” I screamed, turned my neck and closed my eyes at the same time there was a loud thump. When I opened my eyelids again, Zeke’s face was dangerously close to mine as was his hand. My heart skipped a beat and I no longer felt like I wanted to be near him.
There was no denying that the two of us were in the cabin because Nick obviously heard my wail.
The vibrations in my back came at full force when Nick tried to barge down the door. I was compelled to move forward and was glad I did. Nick managed to break the hinges and the door fell to the floor. Dirt and dust flew through the air and I coughed as some of it went straight down my throat.
“What the hell is going on?” Nick said, staring between me and Zeke.
Zeke’s eyes zoned in on Nick. His jaw tensed and his teeth grinded. He pushed forward, clutched Nick by the collar, dragged him down a few steps, and slammed him into the dirt. Zeke kept his fists tight around his shirt. “Did you set this up? Did you try to have us killed?”
“Zeke, what are you doing?” I tried to push him off Nick but he was too strong so I stood back and watched cautiously.
“Are you crazy?” Nick frowned but his face was red. “Someone tried to kill me too.”
Zeke leaned forward. “I don’t believe you,” he spat.
Nick swiped Zeke’s arm before he staggered backward, dragging some mud and sticks under him. He finally managed to get onto his feet. “What’s your fucking damage, bro? It’s me, Nick, man.”
“I swear to God if I find out you had something to do with this, I’ll kill you.”
My hand clasped over my mouth and my eyes burned with tears. These two used to be friends. Pretty good friends, actually. My trust in both of them had now come into question.
Nick swallowed hard and ignored Zeke. “What happened to you?” He pointed at my bandaged wrist.
“Travis stabbed the pilot and tried to kill us.”
“The pilot’s dead?” Nick’s jaw fell. “Why the fuck would they kill him?”
“We’re trying to figure that out,” I said.
“We need to get the fuck out of here and find our way back.” Nick wiped the sweat on his forehead away with his forearm. “I have no clue where the fuck I’m going.”
“How did you get away from Wayne?” Zeke questioned. It sounded accusatory.
“Huh?” Nick’s brows furrowed.
“Wayne. How did you manage to get away?”
“The guy is a psycho.” Nick hung his head low. “Once we landed he unclipped our harness and started to fight me. I fucking hate fighting. He clocked my jaw and the side of my head. I knocked out and when I woke up he was gone.” Nick sported a bruise on the side of his face, not to mention some dried blood still plastered on his forehead. “Are you guys okay? I’m desperate for a feed.”
My stomach grumbled and I briefly forgot the pain from my struggle with Zeke. Right then I would have settled for even a few drops of water or just simple bread and butter.
“If we’re gonna leave then we should leave now.” Zeke focused on me. “Remember what I said.”
I didn’t want Zeke blabbing to Nick about who I really was. I just wanted to figure out how he knew the damn truth. I’d told lies before. Lots of them to all my friends. Not only did they think my name was Sasha but they thought my parents lived in Greece and were dairy farmers. They also thought my boyfriend had died in a plane crash. How fitting was it that I’d just survived one.
Nick slung his arm around my shoulder. “Seriously, are you okay? You were stuck here with Zeke for so long. Alone. And you hate him.”
Hate was a strong word. I side-eyed Zeke who watched us cautiously. He was ready to seize Nick by the throat if he tried anything. He had done a sudden one-eighty and couldn’t even trust his friend. I started to wonder if I could as well.
“It’s been okay; Zeke’s fine,” I told him. “We’re fine.”
“I don’t know if I can trust him anymore,” Nick whispered. “It was my idea to go skydiving but he was the one who picked the company. He’s gone skydiving in Brazil before. I haven’t.”
Nick’s voice was so low when he spoke to me, Zeke couldn’t hear thankfully. If he did, he’d want to kill Nick for slipping him under the bus. And now there was just one problem... Who the hell did I believe? The two were blaming each other but only one of them knew who I really was.
“What do we do?” I muttered back.
“We need to call the cops the moment we’re safe.”
That was the smart thing to do but then I’d have to explain the situation to them. It was more tempting to get in touch with my handler from the FBI.
“Are you two going to keep chit-chatting or are you ready to get out of here?”
I was ready to escape. A sudden urge of energy burst through me, igniting my bones with strength. I was glad Nick was okay and that he had found us, but I started to question everything. In fact, I now had more motivation to get the fuck away from both of them, than to stick with either of them.
“Sasha, why don’t you walk ahead,” Zeke suggested. “Nick and I can stay behind to make sure you’re safe.”
My wrist was sore and the more I walked the heavier it felt. Pain radiated just above my wrist and that was probably because the inflammation had worsened.
As we continued our walk, Zeke and Nick followed my steps, but Zeke directed me on where to go. I didn’t want to be stuck in the forest with them arguing about what had happened on the plane. Thankfully, they were quiet. I wondered if they had their own plans in their heads once we were safe. Was Zeke going to tell me the truth? Did Nick know who I was too?
My headache and strained body made me delirious and the mistrust made me shiver. I kept wondering which of the two of them had lesser evils linked to him.
Once the cabin was fully out of view, we were surrounded by more greenery. The sky had darkened again even though it was still early morning. If we were back on the cruise it would be breakfast time.
I took a deep whiff and imagined the smell of bacon, eggs, and hash browns. I salivated at the imagery. Instead, all I could smell were trees, dirt, and wildlife feces.
“We’re heading in the right direction, aren’t we, Zeke?” Nick asked.
I looked over my shoulder and Zeke checked out his watch. “Yeah, we are.”
“Do you think they’re looking for us?” Nick’s voice was suddenly loud.
“Who?” I questioned.
“The authorities,” Nick replied. “You know. Rescue team. Cops. The ones who’ll save us.”
“The assholes might find us first if we don’t hurry up.” Zeke tried to light a fire under our feet so we could walk faster.
But all it did was make me want to slow down. The fear of being caught by other than any authorities had a chokehold on me.
Another hour had passed. Nick caught up and started to walk alongside me. “We can’t stay with him for much longer.”
“He’s leading us back to the airport, I think.”
“Are you sure?”
I wasn’t sure. Not really. Zeke could have been leading us into a trap for all I knew. “I don’t want to think anymore,” I muttered. “I’m just scared as hell.”
Nick wrapped his arm around me as tight as he did when we were on top of Christ the Redeemer. He planted a gentle kiss on my head and I felt safe again, even if only for a moment, but it could have all been pretend for all I knew.
Suddenly, the engine of a plane roared overhead. It flew above us in the direction we were walking. That gave me confidence that not only were we close but going the right way too.
I let out a sigh of relief and Nick laughed. I glanced back at Zeke and his expression was nonchalant.
It was another boost of adrenaline to keep moving forward. A sign of life. Light filtered ahead through the trees exposing some grasslands. We were close.
“What’s the first thing you’re going to eat when we get back?” Nick asked.
As hungry as I was, food wasn’t my top priority. It was getting my hand checked out by a doctor and gulping down some pain meds. Then I’ll be shoving my face with whatever the hell I wanted. “I’m having every single thing on the damn menus in every restaurant on the ship.”
It wasn’t like we were starved for weeks but my stomach sure felt like it had been. Then I remembered, I probably wouldn’t be able to go back onto the cruise considering the people who tried to kill us may have been there too.
Once the three of us made it to a clearing, I collapsed on the grass out of pure joy. I’d gone camping before once but it was nothing like this. The fear that loomed over my head of being hunted was not something I ever wanted to experience again.
Zeke and Nick grabbed an arm each and lifted me to my feet.
“We gotta get something in you,” Zeke said.
Yes. I definitely needed something in me.
It took me a whole minute to notice a building that looked like a warehouse just up ahead. The paint on the outside was peeled and the metal looked slightly rusted. But there had to be a working sink and faucet in there, right?
Neither one of us said anything at first. We all just headed straight toward the building.
“You think there’s food in there?” Nick finally asked with a gleam of hope in his eyes.
I hoped to god they had a toilet. Usually, I’d take an early dump in the mornings but since I hadn’t had much to eat, thankfully, I didn’t need to. Being stuck in the forest was bad enough. Being stuck in the forest, needing to do a shit, and having to wipe your ass with some leaves? That was worse. Thankfully after the breakfast I had the day before, I’d already been to the bathroom on the cruise before getting on the plane.
Zeke went ahead of Nick and I. He pushed the silver handle down and it squeaked. Once the door was opened we waited to take a look at what was inside.
There were cars. Rows and rows of cars, engines, and parts scattered around.
“Hello?” Nick yelled out. “Anyone here?”
I shushed Nick and slapped him on the arm. “Do you have to be so loud?”
“No one’s here,” Zeke said, taking a few steps inside. “Let’s look around.”
Our footsteps gave the warehouse some life.
Most of the cars were write-offs and being used for spare parts. There were a few that appeared to be road-worthy.
“If I can fix one of them, we might be able to drive outta here.” Zeke looked confident standing in front of a black Sedan. Couldn’t see the brand as the label was damaged.
“Do you know how to?” I questioned.
Zeke popped the hood and toyed with some of the cables. “Yeah, I’m sure I can.” It must have been his engineering degree that he was able to. Zeke eyed around the joint trying to search for something. “Just gotta see if there’s a gas tank anywhere here. Nick can help me, can’t you, bro?”
“Sure.” Nick nodded. “Whatever you need.”
Nick wasn’t a car guy. There was no way he’d be able to help Zeke but he didn’t want to appear incompetent.
The two started working. Zeke barked orders while Nick tried his best to help. “I’m gonna see if I can find something to eat or drink.”
“Search for some gas while you’re at it,” Zeke asked not so politely. His head was under the hood and there was some clinking going on while he fixed the car.
This place was massive and filled with junk. Apart from some of the cars that were probably in good condition, there was crap everywhere. Scrap metal, broken down parts, bonnets, and trunks not even attached to anything. Their paint was scratched and some looked like plain old tin. Toward the back of the building, I spotted a separate office. I headed straight toward it. There was mess everywhere too. Papers unfiled and dumped on the desk. It looked completely abandoned like it hadn’t been used in a while.
I gasped when I noticed a tiny bar fridge tucked under the desk and a small buzzing sound coming from the back. It was on. I quickly opened the door and smelt the foulest scent I’d ever had the displeasure of smelling. Holy shit. Inside were rotten apples and peaches. Rancid juices flowed from them onto the bottom of the fridge. A wrapped sandwich covered with mold sat on top of the shelf and beside that were two bottles of water that hadn’t been opened.
I didn’t care to stick my hand inside and grab them because we were all desperate for something to drink. Thankfully, when I pulled them out, they didn’t smell as bad as the entire fridge and its contents. They hadn’t expired either when I checked the dates on the bottlenecks.
“Hey, guys. I found water,” I yelled. Zeke and Nick lifted their heads from the car.
“Was there anything to eat?” Nick asked when I reached the two of them.
“Nothing either of you would want. Trust me.”
I handed over one of the bottles to Nick and the other to Zeke. Nick opened his first and sculled almost the entire contents down his throat. Zeke shook his head, twisted the bottle open, and handed it over to me.
“Thanks.” I took slow sips to allow the cool water to coat my tongue and extinguish my thirst and dehydration. I passed the bottle to Zeke who took some sips after me.
“God, that’s refreshing.” Nick groaned and then tossed the bottle aside along with the other trash.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Zeke offered me a drink first but I sure as hell was surprised Nick didn’t.
“Why don’t you get some rest in one of the cars?” Zeke said. “It’ll be a while before I get this going.”
It sounded like a perfect idea, to be honest.
I found a car with seats still intact. It felt plush as soon as I lay down against the leather and my body immediately went limp. It wasn’t long before my eyes felt heavy and closed.
I woke up from the sound of an engine coming to life. After sitting up and stretching my aching muscles, I noticed Zeke as he walked right up to me.
“Come on,” he said, taking my elbow in his hands. He nudged me out of the car. “We’ve gotta go.”
“Has someone found us?” My heart thumped like heavy drums and reverberated in my ears. “Are we caught?”
He scurried off to the car that was still running and opened the front seat before gently shoving me in. “No time to explain, we gotta go.” He closed the door and ran to the driver’s side before getting in.
I craned my neck and looked in the passenger seats behind me. “Where’s Nick?”
He stared at me with anger in his eyes before slamming his door shut. “He won’t be joining us.”