The Jeep starts up with a loud roar. It’s a sound I relish. A sound that I’m used to. But now I’m terrified of where I’m going to be tossed next. Is this my last ride? Am I finally meeting my maker? Will I finally be put out of my misery?
I’m hurled from side to side as we bounce over the rough terrain. I don’t know where I am, or where they could possibly be taking me, but fear of the unknown is debilitating.
The person sitting closest to me is speaking in another language. A language I know nothing about, so I can’t even pick up one or two words and piece it together. I feel like I’m living in a strange nightmare, but I can’t wake up to get out of it. I’m stuck; until someone either rescues me or I take my last breath. And the way things are going, the latter option seems more likely.
The vehicle comes to a sudden stop. We can’t have travelled far from where I was, because I haven’t been in the Jeep for longer than five minutes if my perception is still on point.
“Get her out!” A voice booms around me and I jump.
The voice is harsh and deep. A voice that would stick in your memory for many years.
I’m dragged out of the bed of the Jeep by my feet. The man grabs my arm when I start falling out. I’m glad he did, because it would have been a hit to my head that I didn’t need.
Arms tighten around my biceps and I’m on the move again. I try to focus my attention on my surroundings, anything that will tell me who is here or what they’re up to, but we’re moving so fast and my eyes can’t focus quickly enough. I feel drunk.
“Look at the state she’s in,” booms an American accent.
I try to see where the voice is coming from, but they remain out of sight.
“Who are you?” I ask croakily.
“You don’t need to concern yourself with that. Just listen to me and listen carefully.”
I nod, but I could be nodding to anything.
“When you get out of here, you remember nothing, you heard nothing, and you want to forget it all. Do you hear me? If Clay Shawland doesn’t stop his quest to find out what happened to you, I will put a bullet between the eyes of everyone you care about and leave you with nothing. Do I make myself clear?”
I nod. I feel like it’s the only thing I can do.
“I said, do I make myself clear?” My hair is yanked back from behind me, but I still can’t see who the hand belongs to. I’m startled, but I won’t show it. I won’t give them the satisfaction to know that they’ve rattled me.
“Yes, sir.” I grind out through clenched teeth.
“Now, do what you need to in order to get her out of here without too much of a scene.”
What?
He lets go of my hair and my head springs back up. I come face to face with a punch that knocks me nearly unconscious. My head swings back and forth, I can’t see a thing, and my body is hanging like a dead thing.
I’m dropped onto the floor and my body curls into a fetal position to protect itself. A sharp prick in my neck is the only thing I feel before everything drifts away from me and I’m propelled into darkness.
Chapter 15
Clay
“Clay! Wake up!”
I lift my head off my desk, disoriented. I can’t believe I fell asleep at all, never mind in my office. I’ve been awake every minute of the day since I found out that Shay was alive seventy-two hours ago, possibly longer. I don’t even know what day or time I’m on anymore.
“What is it? What’s happened?” I ask Caleb.
“Come on. We need to go.”
I start to stand up before my brain registers what I’m doing. “Where?”
“Shay’s on her way back to Chicago by helicopter. That’s all I know. She’ll be arriving on the helipad of the hospital, but I thought you’d want to be there when she arrives. A friendly face and all.”
“She’s awake?”
Caleb shrugs. “You know as much as I do, buddy.”
I rush around my office like a headless chicken, collecting my wallet, cell, and keys. I look at my hands like they’re about to eat me. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve dreamt of this day for so long that I thought that’s where it would remain – in my dreams.
“You’ve got this, Clay.” Caleb clasps his hand on my shoulder and squeezes it hard.
I nod, but I don’t think I have got this. Every emotion is running through my head. Emotions I didn’t know I could feel at the same time. Emotions that render me weak and out of control.
“Ready?”
I stare at my brother. Caleb walks up to me and pulls me into a man-hug and pats my back several times.
“I don’t know if I can do this, Caleb.”
“Yes, you can, because you’re Clay Shawland. That is your woman, and trust me, you’ll want to do everything to protect her, love her, and show her how much she has been missed.”
I straighten my back, take in a few deep breaths, and nod my head like one of those fucking nodding dogs you see on television ads.
“I can do this. Let’s go. I need to see her with my own two eyes.”
And just like that, I rush out of the office and into Caleb’s SUV. I can’t drive. The way I feel, I’d end up wrapping us around a tree before we even make it to the hospital.
All the years I worked in the army, fear never consumed me. I never once showed nerves. I was there for my team every step of the way, through bombings, gas attacks, earthquakes. You name it, we faced it. Now, here in Chicago, wondering what state Shay is going to show up in terrifies me. What if she’s never the same again? What if she blames me for not getting to her sooner?
I growl out my frustration and run my hands through my hair.
Now I can understand the turmoil Caleb went through with Aria’s ordeal.
I need to get a grip and just take each minute as it comes.
***
I’ve sat in the hospital waiting room for over three hours. We’ve had no word about Shay’s arrival. I don’t even know if she’s in the hospital yet. Caleb and I have been here, waiting, twiddling our thumbs. Carrick drove home to tell his parents that Shay has been found alive. He didn’t want them to hear it over the phone, or via the press, and I agreed. We don’t even know what state Shay is in yet. I’m hoping by the time I hear from Carrick, we’ll know exactly how Shay is, what treatment she needs, and we’ll have something good to pass on to her parents before they make the trek here. Her parents have been beside themselves since the day they got the call to say she was MIA. They did well to remain sane throughout it all.
“Chris just text. He’s going to bring us some food. I think we’re going to have a long night ahead of us.”
I hate agreeing with my brother, but I have a feeling he’s right on this one. No one seems in any hurry to inform us about what’s happening. I’m not good with not knowing every damn detail.
“Who called you about Shay’s arrival?”
“Michael somebody. He said he thought you’d like to know as soon as he found out.”
Michael. I wonder if it was the same Michael that told me there was nothing they could do?
I lean my head back against the wall. “Something doesn’t sit well with me, Caleb.”