AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I can tell she isn’t going to let this go, and I guess I never expected her to. If I’ve learned one thing about Fallon during our time together, it’s that she cares and loves with her whole heart, and she is going to see this through whether I want her to or not.
“I’m only taking you if you’ll listen to every single thing I say. I can’t be worried about you following my commands while we’re doing shit like this.”
“I swear, I’ll do whatever you say.”
Giving up, I pull her back into my chest. “Fine. Pack some clothes, the essentials only. We’ll leave as soon as you’re ready.”
The smile that graces her lips makes me want to kiss her until the world around us fades away. “Okay…” Straight white teeth sink into her bottom lip. “Thank you for doing all of this.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Wait until we bring Amelie home.”
If we bring her home. I add in my head. Fuck, I really hope we bring her home. I hope that I can be Fallon’s hero for once, even if it will only ever be this one time.35FallonA few hours later, we are boarding the private plane Markus was able to charter at short notice. I take a seat in one of the large leather chairs, buckling up immediately.
Markus sits down across from me. I can feel his eyes on me, watching my leg bounce nervously. My gaze darts around the room as I try to locate an exit.
Would it be so bad to throw myself out of a moving plane?
“Are you scared of flying?” Markus asks while buckling up.
“A little, but more nervous about getting my sister back than anything.”
It’s much more than my fear of heights that’s got my gut twisting into worried knots. We’re on our way to get my sister, to rescue her. After all this time, it’s finally happening. I’m bringing her home. Everything worked out.
The joy I feel flips to fear when I think of all that my sister’s had to endure. She probably won’t be herself anymore. She’s probably a shell of herself. The more I think about how they hurt her and used her, the higher the panic becomes.
“Hey, you okay?” Markus’s deep voice reaches for me, but I’m already creeping toward the sky. My chest rises and falls, but it doesn’t seem like I’m taking in any air. I can’t breathe, can’t think. In my mind, I see my sister, beaten and broken. Used and abused.
“Once we take off, I’ll get you a drink. That will calm you a little, take the edge off, at least.” The plane is already moving, getting ready to take off, and my fear switches. I’m caught between a rock and a bolder.
I can feel Markus staring at me, watching me like I’m a crazed person. The plane picks up speed, the humming of the engine becomes loud, almost high-pitched, and the force of taking off pushes my body into the cushioned leather. I squeeze my eyes shut and grip onto the armrests to hold myself in place. A moment later, we’re in the air, light like a feather. I’m not so sure, though, so I remain with my eyes closed and a death grip on the armrests for a little while longer.
When the roar of the engine turns into a calming hum, I relax more.
After a few more minutes, Markus unbuckles and walks over to the bar. He moves bottles around before finding a decanter of whiskey and two glasses. He pours us each a small amount, but before he even steps away from the bar, he downs his like a shot. Placing his glass back down on the bar, he turns and returns to my side with a glass for me in his hand.
“It will help take the edge off.”
I take the glass with trembling fingers. “I’m afraid she’s going to look like Julie or worse, and I can’t…”
“Shhh, everything is going to be okay.” He tries to soothe me, but there is no soothing what my mind already knows. I don’t know the condition my sister is going to be in, but after two months, I would assume it’s not going to be much better than Julie.
“I’m also afraid of heights… and I just…” I’m spiraling.
Markus drops into the seat beside me and takes my hand into his.
“Breathe. It’s going to be okay…” He assures me.
But is it really? Is it really going to be okay?
Doubt clouds me. “What if it isn’t? What if everything is falling apart, and there is no way to fix it? What if my sister is dead?” The words hurt so much to speak aloud, and the panic closes in around me.
Oh god. I’m waiting for the moment I pass out, but it never comes. Instead, a different feeling encompasses me when I feel Markus’s lips against mine, kissing me with a feral need. He’s kissing me. His firm, gorgeous lips are on mine.
