Page 68 of A Wild Darkness

Her eyes widen with shock before turning to the pilot with a smile. “Wonderful to meet you, Captain Boone.”

“It’ll be a short flight down the coast and into the beautiful wine country that is Dupara County, California.”

“Wonderful,” I say.

As Captain Boone returns to the cockpit, I gesture for Stevie to take one of the eight spacious, reclining leather seats. This plane is smaller than the one we own—missing the private bedroom in the back and an eating area.

Stevie sits in the seat on the left, closest to the aisle, and I do the same, taking the one parallel to her. Once we’re in the air, she turns to me. “You introduced me as your girlfriend.”

The back of my neck heats with slight embarrassment. I’m not used to calling her my girlfriend yet. “I did.”

“Aren’t we only pretending for the Society?” she questions with a subtle grin.

I rest my elbow on the armrest, placing my chin in the palm of my hand. “This pilot doesn’t work for us, so I’d rather keep up appearances everywhere else.”

Her lips purse together, then she leans back against the seat. “Makes sense.”

“Does that bother you?”

“Of course not,” Stevie says. “It simply caught me off guard, that’s all.”

A little less than two hours later, and with little said between the two of us, we land at a small airport in Dupara County. We grab our things, touch base with the pilot about when we’re leaving, and then I receive the text I’ve been waiting for all morning.

“Hang on a minute,” I tell Stevie, then pull the burner phone from the Society from my front pocket.

Silas: 4700 E. Marybrook Dr.

Me: Got it.

I slide the phone back into my pocket, then glance back at Stevie, who’s standing only a few feet from me on the tarmac.

“Everything all right?” she asks, the wind whipping her hair around her face.

I rest my hand on top of hers as she clutches the handle of her suitcase. “Silas just sent us the address where we’ll be staying.”

She blinks rapidly. “Okay.”

I plug the address into the GPS on my phone as we both walk toward the black Expedition waiting for us only a short distance away.

“Looks like it’s about twenty minutes deep into the wine country vineyards.”

Stevie nods as the driver steps out of the car. “Mr. Thompson. Welcome to Dupara County. Are you here for business or pleasure?”

“Both,” I answer.

“The perfect mix.” The driver chuckles. “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.”

“Yes,” I say, then open the door for Stevie. Once she’s safely in the car, I hand our luggage to the driver, who puts it into the trunk, and then I walk around to the other side and slide in next to her. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine,” she says unconvincingly. “You don’t have to ask me that every minute.”

I reach over to the middle seat and grab her tiny hand. “You’re shaking.”

She flips her hand, threading her fingers through mine. “I’ll be okay. Just nerves.”

It’s normal for her to be uneasy. She’s kept it together with everything so far, but I can tell things continue to become more and more real for her.

With my opposite hand, I lean in, pinching her chin between two fingers. I gently tilt her face toward me. Her worried brown eyes meet mine. “I’ll take care of you, Stevie.”