doing her a favor, because I’d pick being angry over this pain in my chest any day. I’ve fallen in love with the one woman I can’t have. I have to break the chain she has on my heart before the links fuse. This is hard, but it’d be almost impossible if I kept the hope that we could have a future. We can’t.
The regional airport is close, but the traffic has us stopped. “All right, Max. What’s going on?” I say to silence the voice.
“I don’t know, exactly.”
The seat belt locks up as I whip my body around. Shit! Yanking on it only makes it tighter. Frustrated, I click the buckle to unfasten the seatbelt and release the locked belt and then buckle it again.
“What is this then? Are we in some kind of trouble?”
His gaze jumps to the rearview mirror to Aspen and then back on the road. “I got a call from Harper. She said Addison ran into her office and told her to call me with a message. Right before a couple guys in suits came in and took Addison away.”
I do a double-take. I think Max has lost his shit. “What does that have to do with me? I’m the last friend to help Addison. Where is Aiden?”
He sighs. “The message was Dallas needs the island to see station nine. Stat.”
I repeat the message in my mind, breaking it down. Okay, so she told Max that me and Aspen needs to go to Max’s house. But why?
“What is station nine?” Aspen asks from the back seat.
Max replies, “It’s my house.”
“My flight leaves in a few hours for Tahiti. I don’t have time to fly somewhere else. I’m sure your house is lovely, though.” Even in the middle of chaos, she finds a way to be nice.
His stone expression breaks with a smile. “Aspen, I’m sorry for this. Not how I usually make introductions, but there’s something going on that has a good friend sending me encrypted messages that says to get you and Ryker out of town ASAP.”
She sighs and whispers, “This is crazy.”
I agree. I recall our week and a half together searching for anything off. Other than me acting like a prick, nothing felt wrong. We did nothing illegal. Bree hasn’t called to yell at me for something I did. She wasn’t happy with me bringing Aspen here, but that wasn’t her call.
“Grab her suitcases,” Max instructs me as soon as we pull up to the plane. I hop out of the car and open Aspen’s door. She stares at me with trepidation from the back seat.
“We’ll get answers soon.” And then you can leave me.
I hold my hand out and she slips hers in it, sending a buzz throughout my body reminding me of the chemistry we have. Fuck, this hurts.
As we’re stepping up the stairs, I murmur from behind her, “I’m sorry for being an asshole.”
Her shoulders lift and fall and she nods. Once on the plane, she looks around, not sure where to sit. Max points to a set of four chairs around a table. She sits in a chair by the window. I drop into the one across from her.
My hands itch to reach out to her, so I fist them in my lap. The craving to touch her is suffocating. I stare out the window focusing on the people on the tarmac finishing their inspection.
Max sits next to me and I glance over. He flashes a confused expression; I’m sure wondering why the silence. I do a sharp shake not to ask. The plane starts down the runway. I focus on the ground, getting further and further away.
I whip my head around when Max asks, “Aspen, you enjoy your time in the States?”
Her scoff is hollow. “I did.” She pins her pointed glare at me. “But I exceeded my welcome.”
I growl, tightening my fist. “No, you didn’t.”
“Then what the hell, Ryker?”
“Are we doing this right here?” I throw my skull against the seat and look up at the ceiling of the tube we’re stuck in.
“Well, it seems we have time,” she sneers, crossing her arms. “Someone mentions marriage and you shut down. I don’t even want to marry you.”
Ouch. The stabbing pain from her admission scars me. “Whiskey, I didn’t shut down. I haven’t ever felt this much before. I wish I could shut it down.”
Max gets up and moves to another part of the plane. Thanks, asshole. You started this and now you’re leaving me to hang