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The most I’m able to do is pull my long, wavy, blond hair back into a ponytail to get it out of my face and text my dad to tell him I’m on my way. It’s eight minutes before he texts back a Good.
“Where are we going?” I finally ask into the silence of the vehicle.
“Airport.”
I roll my eyes at this unhelpful response, but I’m not comfortable enough to press for more.
It’s not that I think this man will hurt me. My father doesn’t let anyone into our orbit without first vetting them within an inch of their life. Rather, it’s that Grant has given me no sign that he’s open to questions or conversations.
I’m not a shy person. My early years were spent interacting mostly with adults, and I’ve always been naturally outgoing. I can go up to anyone and have a conversation, and it helps that I’m used to being sought after because of my father’s wealth and position.
Most people I talk to want to be talking to me, but this fierce, silent man obviously doesn’t. He doesn’t even seem to acknowledge me.
I do manage to study him covertly. His age is hard to guess—somewhere in his twenties or thirties. He probably shaved this morning, but there’s already a hint of stubble on his square jaw. He’s got heavy, dark eyebrows. His thighs are thick and strong, molded by the fabric of his trousers. His eyes never stop moving, scanning the road in front of us but also behind and to the sides, as if he’s expecting us to be followed.
Or to be attacked.
There’s a kind of carnal power coiled inside his big, tense body. I’ve never experienced anything like it. In a different situation, I might have found it exciting, but I don’t have enough emotional bandwidth for that kind of response right now.
Fairfield Academy is located outside DC, and it takes about twenty minutes to reach a small local airport used mostly for shipping where my dad’s private jet is waiting. Grant isn’t any more talkative as we board the plane and take off. Once we’re in the air, I wander toward the cockpit, but it isn’t Rick, my father’s normal pilot, at the controls. The man isn’t any more forthcoming than Grant, so I give up and slump into my seat, glowering in Grant’s direction.
He appears oblivious to it, so the expression soon loses its appeal.
“Where are we heading now?” I ask after a while.
He lifts his eyes from his phone and just looks at me.
“Can’t you even tell me the state? The region? The country?”
“Kentucky,” he says at last.
I blink.
My father has property all over the globe, but I’ve never been aware of any holdings in Kentucky. “What’s there?”
“Nothing. That’s the point.”
I’d almost he rather say nothing than pronounce these confusing riddles and then provide no explanation or follow-up.
I really don’t like this man. Hopefully after he gets me to my destination, I’ll never have to see him again.
Deciding not to give him the satisfaction of recognizing my frustration, I pull out my favorite throw blanket and wrap it around me, folding my legs up and reclining my seat.
I’m not tired, but there’s something comforting about being covered to the chin by the soft fabric. And right now there’s no other comfort to be had.
* * *
We’re about two hours in the air, and by the time we land, I’m in a weird tense haze. I follow Grant off the jet and into the waiting vehicle—it also looks military grade—and don’t bother saying a word.
We drive for about an hour. He wasn’t kidding when he said there was nothing around here. It’s clearly a rural region with only the occasional small town off the highway. A lot of farmland and pastures and otherwise just rolling, wooded hills.
When the car slows down, I straighten up and peer around. A mechanized gate is opening in front of us, and we’re driving onto a piece of property surrounded by a high, electric fence. The road is gravel and runs through thick woods for several minutes until we reach an odd building.
It’s cylindrical and very large with a flat roof and no windows. There’s one enormous garage-style door, and it opens, allowing us to drive in.
“What the hell?” I breathe, staring around.
There are a lot of vehicles parked inside. Plus a couple of prop planes and what looks like a military tank.
