not questioning that. I’m saying you’re letting your emotions get the better of you. She’s fucking scared. I swear she doesn’t know what she’s doing apart from acting on instinct. And at the moment, the hope that comes with seeing you is obviously too much to take.”
He pauses, blinking slowly as his wrinkled forehead loses some of the tension.
“Stop thinking about what you want and what you need, and let her run this show,” I mutter. “Doesn’t she deserve that much?”
His jaw continues to tick, but eventually he takes a step back, raking a hand through his hair. “I want to help her. I can’t fucking stand being kept at arm’s length after thinking I’d lost her.”
“I get it. Anyone in their right mind would’ve expected your reunion to go down a lot fucking happier than this. But it didn’t and there’s nothing you can do about it. Give her space. And time. She’ll come around. Then you can beat the shit out of me.” I shrug. “Or at least you can try.”
He gives a breathy chuckle, the sound vicious. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. Delayed gratification will do just fine.” He shoves me again, the whiplash jolting my head and blinding me for an instant.
I close my eyes as his heavy steps leave the room, the sound barely heard over the ringing in my ears. I’m in deep shit here. Any minute now and I could keel over, no punch necessary.
Fuck.
I sway with the building weight bearing down on me. I mentally battle to remain conscious.
“I’m sorry he’s taking this out on you.” Penny’s whispered voice acts as a balm to my pain and a fucking trigger all at once.
I open my eyes. She stands in the doorway to the bathroom, Tobias at her side.
“I don’t blame him.” I squeeze the bridge of my nose and start for the hall. “You should get some rest while you can.”
I don’t pause for a reply, I stalk my ass out of there and into the living room, finding Keira, Hunt, Decker, and Torian seated around the dining table.
“Where’s Sarah?” I drag out a chair opposite Penny’s brother to keep an eye on the aggressive motherfucker.
“Escorting Anissa home.” Torian drinks from a steaming mug. “They should be halfway to the jet by now.”
“We’re stranded? Again?” Jesus fucking Christ. We got into this mess because these assholes called our jet back to Portland. Now, we’re stuck all over again. “Is that a good idea?”
“Another aircraft is on standby,” he growls, making it obvious he doesn’t appreciate my questioning. “We can fly out of here at a moment’s notice. Now, tell us what’s going on with her. What’s she playing at?”
“She’s not playing at anything. Her actions could be long-term PTSD. Or shock from today. Who the fuck knows? Only time will tell.”
“Time isn’t something we have a lot of. Especially not if you’re suggesting taking her back to Naxos.”
“Can we drop that line of thought right now?” Decker mutters. “She’s not going back there.”
“Protest all you like, but she’s our greatest asset in helping to retrieve the other women, along with whatever information we can get our hands on. God knows the shit Luther was up to. This might be our only chance to find out.”
Long moments of tension-filled silence pass. Nobody talks. Nobody moves. We all sit there, weighing our options or lack thereof. It’s a case of saving the other women or letting them die, which, to me, means there’s no option at all.
“Do you really think it’s necessary to take her?” Keira asks. “Can’t she just tell you everything she knows?”
“No, I think he’s right.” Torian leans back in his chair. “We’ve been to Luther’s house once already. And I can’t think how we’d get past the guarded gate without her. Those rifle-toting assholes won’t let us in without permission. She could be our ticket inside.”
“Fucking hell.” Decker wipes a hand down his face. “There’s gotta be another way.”
“There might be. The question is—do we have enough time to figure it out?” I return to massaging my temples. Then the back of my neck. I do everything and anything to try and relieve the pressure in my skull. “Penny has already said Luther’s men will start taking action if their boss doesn’t make contact within a certain amount of time.”
“How long is that?” Hunt asks.
“She doesn’t know.” I close my eyes, the lack of bright light helping to ease the pain in my head. “Our window for action might have