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CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
Salem
Ajolt wakes me, and I open my eyes, ignoring my headache, and glance around. When I realize I’m on a plane, I roll over and fight back the urge to puke. This can’t be happening. I did not make it this far just for some asshole to kidnap me again.
I sit up and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. The room spins as dizziness consumes me for a moment. I ignore it as the vicious need to move claws at me. Kidnapping 101 says to never let them take you to a secondary location. For a smart girl, I sure keep failing. I stand up and look around for a weapon. The only thing in the room that might help is a lamp, but against a gun, I’m not liking my chances.
I stumble to the bag I see at the foot of the bed and open it, the zipper sounding excessively loud in the quiet room. I feel our speed begin to slow and realize whatever I’m going to do needs to happen now. Looking in the bag, I suck in a lungful of air and nearly choke. I can’t be that lucky.
Reaching inside, I almost expect it to disappear. But when my fingers clasp around the metal barrel of a gun, I whimper in relief. I pull it out, check that it’s loaded like Zig showed me, and creep toward the door. I crack it open and listen. When I don’t hear anything, I raise the gun and walk out.
A man I’ve never seen before spots me and raises his hands. “Now, I don’t think you want to do that, sweetheart.”
“With all due respect, you don’t know what the fuck I want, and don’t call me sweetheart.” I step closer to him, the gun shaking in my hand, as the plane slows even more. “Tell them to take off again. They’re going to take me back, or I’m going to shoot you and move to the co-pilot. I only need one of you alive, so piss me off, and it won’t be you.”
“Feisty. I see why they like you. Guys, little help here,” he calls out, making my heart thud in my chest.
Shit. The gun will only get me so far when I’m outnumbered, and they are probably all armed themselves.
A door opens behind the man. “What’s going on?” Oz asks, looking up at me.
“She wants to go back. Real persistent about it.”
“Oz,” I whisper before I take off running toward him.
The man between us quickly dodges out of the way as I jump into Oz’s arms. He catches me and holds me tightly to him as I wrap my arms and legs around his waist, and I burst into tears.
“Hey, what’s all this?” He moves us so he can sit down in one of the plush leather seats, maneuvering me so that I’m sitting sideways on his lap.
“I’ll just take this for you.” I hear someone say a moment before the gun is pulled from my hand.
“I thought…” I hiccup through my tears, my sob hitching painfully in my chest. “I thought Colonel Sanders had kidnapped me. I was coming back for you.” Okay, saying it out loud, I realize how stupid it all sounds. But I was acting purely on instinct, not logic.
“Colonel Sanders?” He chuckles.
“There was a man at the clinic. It doesn’t matter now,” I say, breathing him in.
“You don’t remember what happened?” Oz frowns.
I pull back and look at his face before turning to look at the other guy warily. “Where’s Zig?”
“Flying the plane. Hi, I’m Greg.”
“Salem,” I whisper, feeling confused.
I look up at Oz for answers. “What’s going on? What happened? Who is he?”
Oz reaches up and brushes away the tears from my face before pressing a kiss on my forehead. “Greg works with us at Apex.”
“Like Cooper?”
Oz growls, making me jump.
“Calm down, you overgrown ape. Seems like your girl has been through the wringer. Last thing she needs is you growling at her. Here, Salem, this is for you.”
I turn and see Greg holding out a bottle of water. I look at Oz, who nods, and I reach out and take it. “Thank you.”
“Anything for a pretty lady.”
