Page 30 of Keeping Kara

“She’s okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. All right. I’m ready.”

“I’m proud of you, Kara. What you’ve been through, it would break most people. But not you.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” she muttered, not meeting his eye.

“I’m not saying you’re unaffected, just that you’re staying strong while dealing with it all.”

She just nodded.

Chaos decided not to push any further. “Ready?”

“Ready,” she confirmed.

He didn’t miss the way she tensed as they exited the treatment area, but she kept her head up and walked at his side as they headed to where Casper was standing next to one of the two choppers they’d flown down to North Carolina.

He had no idea what would happen in the future, but Chaos made a mental vow to do whatever it took to make the woman at his side safe to live her life without constantly looking over her shoulder.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The ride back up to Virginia was much less stressful than the one Kara had taken not too long ago. For one, she’d had something to eat and drink. Her hands had been cleaned and bandaged, and she was wearing fresh clothing. Edge had even found her a pair of flip-flops.

The flight wasn’t too long. It actually felt like almost as soon as she got settled in the back of the chopper, with Arrow by her side and Edge and Casper behind the controls, they were descending to land.

Kara felt a little bad that she was so dependent on Arrow and his friends. But she had nothing, and even if she did have money in the bank, she wouldn’t want to risk touching it because she had a feeling Nolan would be able to somehow track her if she did.

Thinking about the man who’d kidnapped her and locked her away made her shudder. He was evil down to his bones.

Her hand had been resting on Arrow’s thigh—he hadn’t wanted to hold her hand, which was still sore—and now he squeezed her forearm. Glancing up, she saw him looking at her with concern. He’d obviously felt her shudder.

“You good?”

“Yeah. Just thinking.”

“Thinking’s overrated,” Edge said from the front of the chopper.

Kara let out a small chuckle.

“I know it’s easy for me to say, but try to relax. Blackwood will contact me if he gets any word of Nolan’s whereabouts. In the meantime, your only task is to play things by ear.”

“Because around us, that’s probably best,” Casper said almost cheerily. His voice was loud and clear in the headphones they were all wearing.

The next few minutes were spent with the pilots communicating with air traffic controllers at the base. Shortly after, the chopper jerked gently as the skids hit the ground, and then Casper, Edge, and Arrow were busy getting the helicopter shut down. She assumed Buck and Obi-Wan were doing the same in their own chopper, which they’d landed a short distance away.

“Ready?” Arrow said, minutes later.

Kara swallowed hard. She was nervous and scared about what her future held, but also grateful that she was alive. She nodded.

Arrow helped her out of the chopper, took her arm in his, and she and all the pilots walked toward a large hangar not too far from where the helicopters landed.

As soon as they walked through the doors, a group of people hurried toward them. Mostly women, as well as a trio of dogs.

Smiling—because Kara already knew who these people were, even if she’d never met them—she watched as Buck, Obi-Wan, and Casper greeted their girlfriends.

Laryn—who was easy to pick out, as she wore a set of coveralls with grease stains—threw herself at Casper, and he caught her easily, spinning her in a circle before putting her back on her feet and kissing the hell out of her.