21. Chapter 21
Chapter twenty-one
Pony
Two hours later, QRF picks us up in a convoy of Humvees, and we make it back to the plane without further incident.
Ricochet and Remi are placed on gurneys and attended to by the medical personnel on board. IVs are inserted, and they’re given more pain meds. Remi’s arm is left alone to be dealt with once she’s transferred to a hospital.
As I cut across the plane, I notice Hawk standing next to the stretcher, talking to her. They’re both smiling, and that irrational jealousy spikes again.
When Hawk sees me approaching, he tells her, “Talk to you later, RJ.”
I can’t stand the way she smiles and nods at him. Hawk gives me a chin lift and a smirk as he strolls past.
He can be such an ass sometimes.
When I reach her, I want to ask what they were talking about, but I don’t have the right, so I keep my mouth shut.
“This is an enormous airplane,” Remi says by way of greeting.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better.” She grins. “They gave me some good drugs. I’m super high right now. This is the first time in days my arm doesn’t hurt, and I’m not scared.” Her brow furrows. “What day is it?”
“Tuesday the seventeenth.”
“They only had me for a few days? It felt so much longer.” She grabs my hand with a firm grip, her expression turning serious and her voice dropping so no one else can hear. “He tried to get me to tell, but I didn’t. I didn’t tell him anything, Colton.”
“Who? Who tried to get you to tell?”
“The man in the suit,” she whispers, as if saying the words might summon him.
“Who’s the man in the suit?”
“I don’t know.” She looks devastated by that information.
“What did he want you to tell him?”
She blinks a few times, her eyes darting around. It’s clear she’s thinking about it, but she doesn’t answer. Instead, she deflects, “I thought about you a lot. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. Then there you were, like a superhero.”
“I thought about you too.”
More than I should have.
Her smile widens. “You did?”
I nod.
“I think you ruined me for other men.”
“That’s the drugs talking.”
She shoots me a cheeky grin. “No, it isn’t. So, how have you been?”
“Good. How about you?”
“You mean besides the whole kidnapping-and-torture thing?”
I brush my knuckles over her bruised, swollen cheek. “Yeah, besides that.”
“Okay.”
Curiosity gets the better of me. I have to know. “I texted you, but you didn’t respond.”
“You did? I didn’t know. Two days after I left, I broke my phone, and I was in places where replacing it wasn’t possible. I would’ve called from a landline, but I didn’t know your number.”
Her response hits me like a kick to the gut. I have a sick feeling I may have royally fucked up by misjudging her. Disappointment washes over me. If I’d only waited a little longer, had faith in her, things might’ve turned out differently.
Before this goes any further, I need to come clean with her. “Remi…I’m…I’m seeing someone,” I confess. “When I didn’t hear from you, I figured you weren’t interested and were blowing me off.”
Her face falls, and her hand drops away. “Oh.” She plasters a fake smile on her face. “Um, that’s great. I’m happy for you, Colton. I guess this is goodbye then.”
She’s saying the words, but her expression tells a different story. One of sadness and regret. I’m sure I’m wearing a similar look.
“It’s inadequate, but thank you—all of you—for saving me. I’m so grateful to you guys. I’m really tired. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get some sleep.”
She’s dismissing me. Not that I can blame her. It’s probably for the best. There’s nothing more to say anyway.
“Of course.”
I retreat to one of the long bench seats lining the fuselage, away from everyone.
I did try to contact her, but it felt like chasing a ghost. I had no way of knowing she didn’t have a phone.
Still, I feel like I fucked up. I’m wracked with guilt for doubting her and dating someone else.
I scrub a weary hand over my face and chastise myself.
It doesn’t matter anymore. I need to stop thinking about Remington James.
She’s safe and I’ve moved on. Leaning back, I let my eyes close and release a heavy sigh.
Remington sleeps for the remainder of the eight-hour flight home. When we land, medical personnel roll her gurney off the aircraft and into a waiting ambulance. From the back of the plane, I watch it drive her away from me for the last time.