*
I nodded my head as if answering her written question. The initial hurt subsided and a newfound hope sparked within. The nickname was pretty clever. It would grow on me, especially after hearing the meaning behind it. The Flame to her Sunshine. I could live with that.
Stella concluded her letter with an updated itinerary and then signed off by telling me she loved me and couldn’t wait to hear my voice.
Sheer happiness made my heart pound in my chest when I envisioned how I’d be able to one-up her request to speak on the phone by showing up at her mother’s house tonight. I couldn’t wait to surprise her, and then yell at her for making me think the worst.
But there was no time to waste on mindless thinking. I had my own plane to catch. In a few hours my girl would be welcomed on new turf by her family. A few hours after that, I’d be right there alongside them, ready to map out a new future. This one would include both of our plans, our dreams, and an iron-clad promise to do whatever it took to be together.
Jack
I fucking hated flying. No. Scratch that. I didn’t actually mind the flying part. It was the unknown, vulnerable, unconnected to the ground feeling that I fucking hated.
I’d checked the time at least nine hundred seventy five times since I boarded this plane and had to put my phone on Airplane Mode. According to the flight info from her letter, Stella would be landing just about now and here I was still up in the air. For a while. With no way to contact her and let her know I was on the way.
Of course, that’s exactly how surprises were supposed to go. But on top of being an anxious flyer, I was also not the biggest fan of surprises.
“Sir?” I was interrupted by the flight attendant and her bulky cart. “Anything to drink?”
The passenger next to me seemed just dandy with his ginger-ale, but I needed something a drop stronger to help me through the next few hours. “Scotch. On the rocks. Two of them.” I wiggled my pointer and middle fingers in the air and then handed her a wad of cash before she could even start pouring my request. “Keep the change,” I added with a fake smile to rush her along.
Her brows furrowed as she focused on the man next to me, probably looking for some sign that he too thought I was nuts, but she continued to prepare my drink—both of them—and then handed them to me with a half-smirk/half-smile. Before I could flip her off for being a very misunderstanding stewardess, she moved on to the row behind me. My seatmate took one more sip of his lame ass soda fucking pop and then closed his eyes, ignoring me. That’s right. Go to sleep. Take your judgment and suck on it.
I gulped down the first scotch, trying to pay attention to the inflight movie. No such luck. By the time I moved on to drink number two, I was feeling a little groggy and a lot less anxious. See, I knew what I was doing. I almost wanted to wake the fucker next to me and tell him I was a genius. Scotch should be complimentary on every flight for every passenger. It would make for a stress-free, quiet experience for all.
Before long, my eyes became heavy and the Christmas movie that reminded me of Stella and our Hallmark channel binge became blurry. My body relaxed, my lids fell shut, and I was out for the count. My last thought before drifting off to la la land was, Thank you, John Dewar for your master distillery skills.
“Sir? Sir! We’ve landed.” The same flight attendant who served my magic sleep potion was tapping my shoulder to wake me. When I came to, I noticed I was the only passenger still seated. The rest were piling out in a line to get their belongings and be on their way. That exact thought of getting to my destination—Stella—was what revived me from my woozy haze and lit a fire under my ass.
“Sorry. Thanks for a wonderful flight.” In one fluid motion, I stood, grabbed my carry-on from the overhead and nodded at the stewardess. I didn’t give her or her disapproving stare a second thought, but I bet she wouldn’t forget me for a while. I liked being the kind of guy to leave a lasting impression. It was fucking fun.
All fun aside, though, it was time to get to my girl. I turned on my phone as soon as I exited the jetway and waited for it to do it’s tormenting search thing. Why was it that when you were in a rush the fucking loading-circle seemed to taunt you? I shook the phone, waved it around in different directions as if that would help. When it finally updated, I ignored all the incoming messages and immediately hit the call button to reach Stella.
As I rushed to baggage claim, the phone rang over and over again with no answer. It was late, people were annoyed by my sloppy maneuvering, and I even managed to trip over a toddler who’d scurried a few feet from his mother. “Sorry, little guy. Watch where you’re going.” It was the nice way of telling him to get the fuck out of my way.
Finally at the luggage carousel and out of breath, I ended the call as it went to voicemail—again—and decided to actually check the messages I’d ignored. As far as I knew, her flight was on time, but while I was up in the air and out of reach I could have missed a million different phone calls and various scenarios for why she wasn’t answering. That was to be expected. Traveling during the holidays was complicated to say the least. Delays, layovers, bumps, you name it. Best laid plans were never my specialty. I almost expected to open my messages to find Nina, Gabriella, or Caleb telling me to stay put at the airport because Stella’s plane was right behind mine. Total possibility.
But what I didn’t expect was to be bombarded with tons of missed calls and almost a hundred text messages, all alerting me that no one had heard from Stella yet.
Panic coursed through my veins like wildfire scorching a forest. With my phone in a vise-like grip and my brain running a mile a minute, I searched for the nearest airport personnel to ask about Stella’s flight.
While I waited for the man to be helpful and point me in the right direction, I called Caleb.
“Thank God.” My best friend answered even before a complete ring. “Are you here?”
“Yes,” I barked. “Where’s Stella? Have you found her?” In the one second that passed before he answered, I said God’s name more than I ever have in my entire twenty seven years on this earth.
“No. We’re on our way to the airport to get you and try to figure things out. Relax. I’m sure it’s just a mix up. She’s probably still in flight and can’t answer her phone.”
“Caleb, this is crazy.” With my free hand, I raked my fingers through my unruly hair. “I’m fucking freaking out. What if—”
“Don’t even think like that. We would have heard if something awful—never mind. Don’t go there. Gabriella and I are on our way to JFK. Nina and Ryan are at our place making calls and waiting in case she pops up. Just . . . remain calm.”
How could he even suggest that? My gut told me something was wrong and I knew deep down it wasn’t just one of those moments when you allowed yourself to think the very worst and then it all washed away with a happy ending. No. I felt it. In my marrow, in the hollow hole that was my heart. Something wasn’t fucking right.
Three hours later
“What do you mean, she has to be missing for twenty four hours before you can put out an APB?” Gabriella screamed at the police officer who’d just showed up at their apartment.
The last few hours had been a nightmare, progressively turning into the most horrific, traumatic experience of my life.
She was missing. It didn’t matter that it hadn’t been a full twenty four hours. She was fucking missing. Gone. No trace of her. Her flight had landed on schedule. We were waiting for any information we could get on whether she actually boarded the plane, but everyone was so fucking uncooperative. In the time these assholes had to wait it out to do things by the book, my girlfriend, my beautiful, wonderful Stella, could have been chopped up into little pieces and floating down a river somewhere.
It was morbid. Fucking hyperbolic. Yes, I knew that. But my mind couldn’t go anywhere else. I hadn’t sat since I got out of the car almost three hours ago. My legs paced, aimlessly, my body attached to the limbs but only going with the motions. I was
a goddamn wreck. We all were. There was no rhyme or reason for any of this.
A tap on my shoulder startled me from my diabolical thinking. “Hey, can I ask you a few things?”
Nina rested her hand on my shoulder and gave me a faint smile. There was nothing to smile about. She knew that. I knew that. She was probably trying to offer a glimmer of hope when all I could focus on was the darkness. It’s always dark when the sun doesn’t shine.
Taking a deep, agonizing breath, I nodded. “Of course. What do you need to know?” I didn’t want to come off irritated, but I was. This wasn’t my fault. I wouldn’t be questioned like some suspect in her disappearance. I was just as worried as everyone in this apartment. If not more.
She pulled me into the kitchen, away from the mayhem. The cup of coffee she handed me had the aroma of pity. I didn’t care. I sipped that fucking mercy like it was salvation. No matter that it was way after midnight and coffee had no right to be served at this ungodly hour. I drank it knowing it would help keep me awake until Stella was back in my arms. Found. Not missing. This is fucking crazy!
“Hey, calm down.” Nina must’ve sensed my mental breakdown. She rubbed her hand up and down the length of my arm. It did nothing to soothe me, but I took a deep breath anyway. “Can you tell me about your last few days together?” she asked on a condescending whisper.
“Don’t.” I winced.
She flinched away, confusion written all over her tired features.
“Don’t interrogate me, Nina. I’m not a criminal. I’m fucking worried sick. This shit today has taken years off my fucking life. Where the hell can she be, Nina? Where!” My voice cracked when I screamed. Warmth choked me; a lump of fear clogged my throat.
“Jack, I’m not—you think I’m accusing you?” Her hand flew to her chest, guarding her heart or her pride or whatever the fuck.
“That’s what it sounds like,” I snarled. “Was that your intention?”
“Of course not!” She threw her hands up in surrender. “I’m just trying to—I want answers just like you, Jack. I need to wrap my head around this. That’s all.” Tears rimmed her eyes. They were nothing like Stella’s. In fact, this was the first time I’d noticed how different this set of twins was. To the naked eye, they were identical. But not to me. To me, Nina paled in comparison to her sister. It wasn’t that Nina wasn’t a beautiful girl. She was. But no one was as stunning as my Sunshine.
Before the tears tornadoed into something worse, I yielded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a dick. Ask whatever you want. Whatever will help. We both have the same goal in mind. She needs to be found. Bottom line.”
Nina swiped the fallen tears from her face and cleared her throat. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but . . . did you two fight at all?”
What kind of question is that? I ignored the stabbing sensation in my gut and tried to understand her motive. It wasn’t clear yet. My last nerve was being tested. “No, we never fought.” It was the truth. With limited time, it was a waste to argue over anything.
“Okay.” She seemed to mark that off her mental list and continued. “And you said she had no idea about you surprising her?”
“Nope. Positive she had no clue.” We’d beaten that to a pulp. Where was she going with this?
“Jack, is there any possibility that she ran away?” Her expression was pained as she asked it. I wasn’t sure if her show of discomfort was for fear of my reaction or hurt over not knowing her twin’s deepest thoughts.
Leaning closer to her, I placed my mug on the table with a loud thud. “Listen to me. She had no reason to run. Forget that idea and move on to the next so we can figure out where the hell she is.” I wouldn’t take one more second of her doubt. I couldn’t imagine what had changed in the last few weeks. Nina was my head cheerleader when it came to booking my surprise flight to New York. Now, her sister was missing and I was the enemy? “Can you get to the point, Nina? I can be of better use with the cop out there.” Frustration was building inside me like a boiling pot of poison. No one wanted to be around when it bubbled over. “She was scared, Jack. This was so fast and new and so different from everything she wanted. She never actually came out and mentioned doubts, but—I know her. Every intricate particle of her brain. I know you love her and I believe that she loves you deeply, too. But—”
“But nothing!” I stood from my chair and slammed the table with my hand. “Here. Look at this! Does this sound like a woman who’s scared? Do you still think she ran from me? That I’m the reason she’s missing? That I had anything to do with this fucking mess?” I thrust the crumpled piece of paper at Nina, watching her nose turn up and her lips curl. It was the letter Stella had left me. I’d held onto it as if it were the last piece of her I’d ever own. I prayed over and over again that it wouldn’t be, that I’d get her back. But if I never did—God, don’t fucking do that to me—at least I had this proof that she was happy, she loved me, she was ready to be with me forever. I was her fucking Flame!
Upon unfolding the letter and reading it, Nina sobbed. “I’m so, so sorry, Jack. I didn’t mean to—” Her words became lost in garbles and wails. She rocked back and forth as she clutched Stella’s note to her chest. It was a lifeline. My lifeline had become hers too.
Bending down to stroke her back, I sympathized with her brokenness and offered the support she should have offered me. “Now that you have proof that we’re on the same team—are you ready to find your sister?” I ignored her excruciating moans because if I listened hard enough, let them creep inside, I’d crumble. I couldn’t do that. Not now. Not when Stella needed me to find her.
Before you can see the light you have to deal with the darkness. I’d never felt so blinded by lack of brightness. But I couldn’t give up hope. I never would.
Stella
I’d been so engrossed in the music from my iPod since I left the apartment, I hadn’t paid much notice to my whereabouts. Rain fell from the sky without apology and pelted against the window. Great. I just love flying in the rain. I gazed out the window and watched strangers pass me by, and finally I noticed the direction we were headed. Hmm, that’s weird. Maybe the driver was taking a short cut? Or avoiding traffic? Couldn’t be. I’d traveled back and forth to the airport more times than I could count and nothing about this route seemed familiar.
Inching forward in my seat I spoke up. “Hey, sir.” Oops. I think it’s actually a she under that baseball cap. “I mean, er, ma’am. This isn’t the way to—” Shock and confusion overcame me when the driver jerked the wheel to the right with extreme hostility.
Skid! Screech! Bang!
“What the . . .” I tried to scream but nothing came out. My head was pounding. I reached up to sooth the ache and felt something wet. Blood! What? Huh?
Through fuzzy vision, I tried to make out where I was and what just happened.
Back seat of a car.
Blood on the window. On my hands. Dripping into my eyes.
My phone. 9–1-1. Where was it?
Where were we?
The driver.
And then it all faded to black.
I startled awake to a pain that could only be described as hell. Hell on earth and I was experiencing it. On a tile floor. In a strange bathroom. Nothing familiar, just . . . strange.
Where the hell am I? I didn’t realize I’d asked it out loud until a voice answered me.
“You’re safe. Don’t worry.” The voice was unconvincing. Cold. Terse. Familiar.
Finally something familiar in this weird twist of . . . what? Luck? Chance? Fate?
“Where am I? Who are you?” I asked, squinting to see through the darkness of what seemed to be a grand en suite bathroom.
“You’re here and I’m me. That’s all you need to know for now.”
Was she kidding? Was I dreaming? I wanted to fight, to stand up and demand an answer, but I was too weak to even try. And—I was handcuffed to a goddamn pipe.
“Hey! What’s going on? I’m—” Holy shit! Gl
impses of reality sped past me like a train on a one-way track to get-the-fuck-with-it-Stella.
The so called Uber.
The accident.
My flight.
Jack!
“Am I in New York? Did I make my flight?”
“Nope. Still in good old Cali.” The unknown voice sent chills up and down my spine. The spine that was crooked and aching from lying on the cold floor, in a room of a house that I’d never been in.
“Where am I?” I demanded. “Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?” I was a hostage, but why? I mean, unless I misconstrued the whole situation. Maybe I was in a terrible accident and this stranger took me in to nurse me back to health out of the kindness of her heart.
No. That didn’t make sense. Any normal person would’ve taken me to the hospital. Not here. And the handcuffs. “If you don’t show your face. I’ll . . . I’ll scream!” And that’s what I did. I screamed bloody murder. “Help! Help me! Please!”
Mere moments felt like hours of futility. My throat burned raw as hot tears fell from my eyes. I jangled the cuffs and banged them against the pipe, fighting to break free of the restraint. It was no use. I was trapped. I let my breathing calm to a slow pant and my heartbeat simmer to a gentle gallop.
When it was silent, she filled the large adjoining room with her laughter.
Why was this girl laughing at my misery? What had I done to her? Why me?
And then it clicked.
That voice.
That laugh.
That girl.
It was revenge.
Aubrey
Halloween—three weeks earlier
Me: Hey, you and Stella want to join me at a costume party tonight?
Jack: Thanks for the offer, but already have plans.
Same answer. Every time.
I was trying. I really was. I didn’t want to beg or give half a shit about any of the Edwards girls, but after coming home and spending so much time alone, I figured playing nice was my best bet. As much as it grated on every last nerve in my petite body, I put myself out there to be Stella’s friend, and searched for forgiveness. Or something like that. The girl didn’t have to like me, I just wanted her to tolerate me long enough to be allowed in her presence.
Freeing Destiny (Fate #2) Page 19
