“I got a message too, James.”
Did I tell her my name? “What’d it say?”
She stares at me for a few seconds. I hold her stare. “GPS coordinates.”
“Yeah, and?” I wave her on with my hand.
“When I got there, there was a bunch of gear waiting. And a new phone with a text message.”
She stares at me again, waiting. And I swear to God, if this kid was a man, I’d punch his face in right now. I’d break a finger for every second he made me wait. I take a deep breath. “And the message said?”
“It said, I’ll send him soon. That’s it.”
She’s lying. She is f**king lying. I know it. But I nod at her. Because she’s not gonna tell me shit right now. She hates my guts. “Then how’d you know I’m being set up?”
“Because I got another text last night. And that one said, Tell Six she left.”
The blood rushes out of my face. I get up and walk to the cockpit. “Harrison, I’m using my phone.”
“I got a satellite phone right there,” he says, pointing to the bag of gear on the seat next to him.
“Sorry,” I tell him as I go back to the cabin. “I need a secure line.” I punch in Harper’s number.
It rings. And rings.
“Hello?”
God, my whole body fills up with relief. “Harp, baby, where are you?” Silence. “Harper? Can you hear me?” I get the disconnect beeps and lose the call. Shit. I redial and she picks up on the first ring. “Harper, where are you?”
“Why?” she growls.
Fucking girls. I change tactics, because clearly she is not happy with me. “I’m on my way back. I just want to make sure you’re OK. Safe at home.”
Silence.
“Harper. Tell me you’re at home.”
“I’m at someone’s home. But not mine.”
Fuck. I look over at Sasha and she’s smiling. Enjoying the show. “Just tell me where you are. I’ll be there soon to pick you up.”
Harper hesitates and then gives in. “I’m in the desert. In front of a green house. Is that your house? The address that was sent to your phone the other night. You know, that night you left me.”
“Calm down, soldier.” I’m the one smiling at Sasha now. Brat. “Fuck, I’m so relieved. You’re sneaky and I’m not happy that you didn’t stay put. But I’m glad you’re there because at least you’re safe.”
“I’m not there and I’m not safe,” she snaps. “I’m lying under a bush across the street, watching for people. I’m so paranoid, my heart feels like it’s beating out of my chest.” She takes a breath and I realize she’s scared. “And I went for my pills and do you know what I found?”
Fuck.
“Candy!” she screams. “You changed my pills out with candy! You ass**le!”
I hold the phone away from my ear and look over at Sasha. She’s back to being the smiling one now. “Harper,” I say calmly. “No one is coming to that house, OK? It’s a safe place and I want you inside. So get up off the ground.” I wait but I don’t hear movement. “Are you getting up?”
There’s some shuffling and then she says, “I’m up.”
“OK, now walk across the street, open the gate, and go into the garage.” I give her a few minutes to walk up the long driveaway. The gate closes, then the side door to the garage squeaks as she opens it.
“OK.”
“There’s a key in the tailpipe of the car. A small silver one. Use it to go inside the house and wait for me. If you’re scared or you have trouble there’s guns in the trunk. They’re all loaded with a cartridge in the chamber. So be mindful.”
Silence.
“Harper?”
“Got the key,” she says with a trembling voice. “How soon will you be here?”
Oh, she’s so scared. I feel terrible but I do not want her getting any ideas about taking those pills again. “Soon, OK? I’m only a few hours away. So very soon. You gonna be OK?”
She sniffs. “Yes.”
“I miss you,” I say, turning away from Sasha’s sneer. “I can’t wait to see you again. And I’m glad you’re not back at the beach. You’re fine right where you are, it’s no big deal.”
She’s silent on the other end.
“You sure you’re OK?” I prod her. It’s weird to think of her as vulnerable. The Company has done nothing but talk up how dangerous she is. And yeah, if she really applied herself, she’d give me a good fight. But she doesn’t seem all that interested in fighting. I glance over at a smirking Sasha. Unlike that wild thing. She’s out looking for an excuse to brawl. “Just take a few deep breaths. Were you followed?”
“I don’t see how. There is no one out here for miles and I walked here from town. But—I’m so afraid they can see me. It’s so open out here.”
“You walked?”
“You’re breaking up, I’ll—”
And then the line cuts us off. Fucking airplanes.
I go back to the cockpit. “We’re getting off in Vegas.” Harrison grunts, so I just walk back to Sasha and take my seat.
“You owe me now, James.”
“I don’t owe you shit.”
She smiles her I win smile and crosses her arms. “I could’ve let you go all the way back to California only to find her missing. But I didn’t. I helped you. And that means when I need it, you have to help me.”
I glare at her. “Who sent me?”
“I’ll give you one guess.”
I don’t need one guess, because I already know. And that means he’s been watching me this whole time. But she’s wrong about one thing. I have not been set up. I made a deal and I’m seeing it through.
“I’ve been set up too,” Sasha says like we’re in this together. “I’m not a player, I’m just a pawn.”
“Do you know for sure who sent you out there?”
“I don’t need to know who, Six. The only thing that matters is why.”
“Why then?”
“You,” she says. “I was sent out there for you. And where did you just come from?”
Did I tell her my name? “What’d it say?”
She stares at me for a few seconds. I hold her stare. “GPS coordinates.”
“Yeah, and?” I wave her on with my hand.
“When I got there, there was a bunch of gear waiting. And a new phone with a text message.”
She stares at me again, waiting. And I swear to God, if this kid was a man, I’d punch his face in right now. I’d break a finger for every second he made me wait. I take a deep breath. “And the message said?”
“It said, I’ll send him soon. That’s it.”
She’s lying. She is f**king lying. I know it. But I nod at her. Because she’s not gonna tell me shit right now. She hates my guts. “Then how’d you know I’m being set up?”
“Because I got another text last night. And that one said, Tell Six she left.”
The blood rushes out of my face. I get up and walk to the cockpit. “Harrison, I’m using my phone.”
“I got a satellite phone right there,” he says, pointing to the bag of gear on the seat next to him.
“Sorry,” I tell him as I go back to the cabin. “I need a secure line.” I punch in Harper’s number.
It rings. And rings.
“Hello?”
God, my whole body fills up with relief. “Harp, baby, where are you?” Silence. “Harper? Can you hear me?” I get the disconnect beeps and lose the call. Shit. I redial and she picks up on the first ring. “Harper, where are you?”
“Why?” she growls.
Fucking girls. I change tactics, because clearly she is not happy with me. “I’m on my way back. I just want to make sure you’re OK. Safe at home.”
Silence.
“Harper. Tell me you’re at home.”
“I’m at someone’s home. But not mine.”
Fuck. I look over at Sasha and she’s smiling. Enjoying the show. “Just tell me where you are. I’ll be there soon to pick you up.”
Harper hesitates and then gives in. “I’m in the desert. In front of a green house. Is that your house? The address that was sent to your phone the other night. You know, that night you left me.”
“Calm down, soldier.” I’m the one smiling at Sasha now. Brat. “Fuck, I’m so relieved. You’re sneaky and I’m not happy that you didn’t stay put. But I’m glad you’re there because at least you’re safe.”
“I’m not there and I’m not safe,” she snaps. “I’m lying under a bush across the street, watching for people. I’m so paranoid, my heart feels like it’s beating out of my chest.” She takes a breath and I realize she’s scared. “And I went for my pills and do you know what I found?”
Fuck.
“Candy!” she screams. “You changed my pills out with candy! You ass**le!”
I hold the phone away from my ear and look over at Sasha. She’s back to being the smiling one now. “Harper,” I say calmly. “No one is coming to that house, OK? It’s a safe place and I want you inside. So get up off the ground.” I wait but I don’t hear movement. “Are you getting up?”
There’s some shuffling and then she says, “I’m up.”
“OK, now walk across the street, open the gate, and go into the garage.” I give her a few minutes to walk up the long driveaway. The gate closes, then the side door to the garage squeaks as she opens it.
“OK.”
“There’s a key in the tailpipe of the car. A small silver one. Use it to go inside the house and wait for me. If you’re scared or you have trouble there’s guns in the trunk. They’re all loaded with a cartridge in the chamber. So be mindful.”
Silence.
“Harper?”
“Got the key,” she says with a trembling voice. “How soon will you be here?”
Oh, she’s so scared. I feel terrible but I do not want her getting any ideas about taking those pills again. “Soon, OK? I’m only a few hours away. So very soon. You gonna be OK?”
She sniffs. “Yes.”
“I miss you,” I say, turning away from Sasha’s sneer. “I can’t wait to see you again. And I’m glad you’re not back at the beach. You’re fine right where you are, it’s no big deal.”
She’s silent on the other end.
“You sure you’re OK?” I prod her. It’s weird to think of her as vulnerable. The Company has done nothing but talk up how dangerous she is. And yeah, if she really applied herself, she’d give me a good fight. But she doesn’t seem all that interested in fighting. I glance over at a smirking Sasha. Unlike that wild thing. She’s out looking for an excuse to brawl. “Just take a few deep breaths. Were you followed?”
“I don’t see how. There is no one out here for miles and I walked here from town. But—I’m so afraid they can see me. It’s so open out here.”
“You walked?”
“You’re breaking up, I’ll—”
And then the line cuts us off. Fucking airplanes.
I go back to the cockpit. “We’re getting off in Vegas.” Harrison grunts, so I just walk back to Sasha and take my seat.
“You owe me now, James.”
“I don’t owe you shit.”
She smiles her I win smile and crosses her arms. “I could’ve let you go all the way back to California only to find her missing. But I didn’t. I helped you. And that means when I need it, you have to help me.”
I glare at her. “Who sent me?”
“I’ll give you one guess.”
I don’t need one guess, because I already know. And that means he’s been watching me this whole time. But she’s wrong about one thing. I have not been set up. I made a deal and I’m seeing it through.
“I’ve been set up too,” Sasha says like we’re in this together. “I’m not a player, I’m just a pawn.”
“Do you know for sure who sent you out there?”
“I don’t need to know who, Six. The only thing that matters is why.”
“Why then?”
“You,” she says. “I was sent out there for you. And where did you just come from?”
