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Hyde and Lily’s wedding was a great day for the family. They’d married on the beach near Hyde’s southern California home and been able to keep the paparazzi out for the most part. Mack’s agent informed him there were some pictures circulating of him and Sariah from the wedding, but the publicity was good.
Scarlett Lily had returned from what most sources were claiming was an abduction. She declined commenting on her disappearance, no matter how much pressure the media put on her. Navy had sworn up and down that Griff was somehow involved, that Jasmine knew something too, but neither of them were talking. Griff wouldn’t admit anything to Mack when he tried to call him, telling him he was on an undercover job in Peru and couldn’t talk.
Mid-May on a Monday night, Mack was feeling the letdown of another five days before he saw Sariah again. His busy season was starting up soon. In June they’d be back to mandatory practices. Something had to change with him and Sariah. Soon he’d be too busy to fly to her. They’d been texting back and forth tonight and a few seconds ago she’d casually mentioned something about having vacation time from school. Mack pushed dial immediately after seeing the text.
“Just needed to hear my voice?” Sariah asked.
“Always.” He stood and paced his apartment, ideas forming in his mind. “You have vacation time?”
She hesitated then said, “Yes.”
“Would you go away with me somewhere?”
“Where?” Her voice squeaked. Why was she so nervous?
“Anywhere you want.” It hit him why she might be concerned. They’d kissed, but never anything more than that. “We’d get separate rooms.”
“I know, it’s not that.”
“What is it?”
No response.
His grip on the phone tightened. “Please, Sariah. I just want uninterrupted time with you. These past two months I’ve loved being with you, getting to know you and your family, but I … I really want more time than these short weekend trips. Just a few days. Please.”
“Okay,” she squeaked out.
“Yes!” he hollered.
“Calm down, you didn’t win the Super Bowl again.”
“It feels like it. Thank you.” He sank into his leather sofa. “Where do you want to go? We could fly anywhere. Is there a spot you’ve dreamed of seeing?” He didn’t care where, just as long as they were together. He usually flew commercial but he could charter a jet, or have Kaleb send his jet, or have Griff come fly them in a helicopter, if he wasn’t on some clandestine mission. Where to, though? He would love to get Sariah somewhere warm. Their trip to California with her family for the wedding was only for the day and they hadn’t had time to swim in the ocean. Kissing on the beach sounded too good to be true. But wait. She might not want to be in a swimsuit. Whatever she was hiding on her neck, she hid it well. He’d never seen her in anything that didn’t have a decent collar and long sleeves, even on warm days.
“Why don’t we drive to Crested Butte for a few days?” she suggested.
“Crested what?”
She laughed. “Crested Butte. It’s about fours away. It’s beautiful there. We could go on hikes and mountain bike rides and just chill and relax together.”
It wasn’t a tropical island but he really didn’t care. He’d get to be with Sariah. “When could you go?”
“Let’s go to church with my family on Sunday and then we can leave after dinner. I’ll get Tuesday and Wednesday off school.”
“I’ll get hotel rooms booked. Thank you.”
“Happy to serve,” she quipped.
He smiled.
“Truly, I’m like a puppy waiting to chew on your shoe. I can hardly wait.”
Mack chuckled at another one of her cute analogies. “Neither can I.”
They talked for a few more minutes then said goodnight. Mack thought this might be the weekend. Maybe she’d finally trust him enough to show him her neck, tell him about whatever happened, and maybe he’d finally get brave enough to tell her he loved her.
He was clutching his phone and jumped when it buzzed with an incoming text. He clicked on the text from Griff, but the phone kept buzzing. Griff must be sending a bunch of texts. It opened up to a picture. Mack squinted at it. He couldn’t see the woman’s face but wet, dark hair trailed along a neck and shoulder that were badly scarred. Maybe burns? Had Griff made a mistake and sent him something from an op that was meant for Sutton Smith, or one of his buddies?
He scrolled through as if watching a horror show. The pictures showed a misshapen ear and more angles of the burned neck, shoulder, and upper arm. It looked like someone was holding the person in place and had ripped their shirt off, as only the strap of a bra was visible. The seventh or eighth picture down showed the person’s face. The breath rushed out of him and Mack collapsed onto his sofa.
