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It was after midnight, and Luke still hadn’t heard from Orly since her plane landed almost an hour ago. His friends had ordered pizzas, and it almost felt like an ordinary night with the guys, except it wasn’t. As much as having them here meant the world to him, the only person he really wanted right now was Orly.
He missed hearing her voice, and her laugh. He missed holding her hand, kissing her, being able to reassure her, and snuggle her. He missed the way she made his whole house smell heavenly from whatever she was cooking, and how she carefully tended to her garden every morning. He loved watching her water the flowers and cut a few stems to bring in to put in a small vase on the dining room table. He craved her touch, her sweet voice in his head. He just missed her so damn much, it felt like he could fall apart at any second.
“We’ll find her,” Blake said as Luke pulled out a chair and snagged a slice of pizza. The guys had already had their fill, but this was Luke’s first slice. He could hardly bring himself to eat when he had no idea if Orly had eaten anything, or if she was hungry or thirsty.
“Blake’s right,” Caden said, tossing his empty paper plate in the trash. “One word from her, and we’re moving.”
“Just need a damn location,” Garrett cursed under his breath.
Caden’s cell phone rang, and he answered it on the first ring. “Dobbs. Okay. Keep me posted.” He ended the call and turned to Luke. “We found the airport they took off from. There was a body, just like Orly said. Techs are processing the scene now.” His phone beeped with an incoming message, and Caden swiped at the screen to read it.
Luke glanced over to see a photo of the body, and the hairs on his neck stood on end. “Fuck, that’s him,” Luke breathed. He’d looked at thousands of mugshots, trying to identify the bastard he saw in that warehouse, and now here he was, lying dead, and likely the last person to see Orly.
Caden jerked his head in Luke’s direction. “That’s who?”
“The guy from the warehouse I couldn’t identify. That’s him,” Luke said, pointing at the screen. “I can’t believe the guy I saw was her twin brother. Shit, I hate when the world is that small.”
Caden swore under his breath and dialed a number on his phone. “It’s Dobbs. I want a full work up on this guy. Complete history. And tell the morgue to put a rush on it. Thanks.” Caden ended the call, and looked at Luke. “If we can connect him to Russell, we’ll have everything we need to put him away, and make sure he never comes near Orly again.”
Luke covered his face with his hands, rubbing at his tired eyes. This was like something out of a nightmare. The guy that had been in Orly’s head this whole time, torturing her, was the same guy Luke had seen at the warehouse. It was a crazy coincidence, but everything about him and Orly felt that way. The fact that this guy was her biological twin brother was even more insane, but they’d deal with that later. Right now, all that mattered was finding Orly. They still had no idea where the plane went or where Orly was now, but that information would come. Soon. It had to. He hadn’t spent his whole life feeling like something was missing, only to find it with Orly, and then lose it all in one night. Orly was his, dammit, and he wasn’t going to let anyone take her away from him.
Orly, where are you? Talk to me. Please. His thoughts were met with nothing. Just more of his own thoughts and muttered curses he did his best to keep to himself. He didn’t want his friends to see him falling apart, but he was so damn close to the edge, it was scaring him.
“Did he have a phone on him? One of those numbers could give us a clue as to where Orly is,” Blake said.
“There was nothing on the body, but they’re still looking for his vehicle. Maybe they’ll find something in there,” Caden said.
“Luke?” Tanner asked, getting his attention.
“You got something?” Luke asked Tanner. The man had been out in the yard on his phone for a while now.
Tanner sighed. “Not exactly, but I think I might be able to help once we do find her.”
“Whatcha got?” Caden asked.
“A plane,” Tanner said. When all eyes turned to him, he continued. “It’s not mine. As you guys know, my family owns and runs a ranch. My dad uses a Saratoga he bought a few years ago for business trips. I just talked to him, and he said we could use it ”
“Thanks,” Luke said, emotion clogging his throat. He knew Tanner’s family had money, but no one ever really talked about it.
“It’s the least I can do. And his pilot is great, too. He was in the navy before my dad hired him, so he’ll get you to wherever you need to go. All that matters is finding Orly,” Tanner said. “You’re not alone in this. We’ve all got your back.”
“Damn right we do,” Martin said.
Caden ran a hand over his face. “One word from her. One word about where she is, and we’ll be there.” It was easy to see the exhaustion on Caden’s face, on all their expressions, but no one was quitting or giving up, and that meant everything to Luke.
“Don’t give up on her yet,” Garrett said.
Luke shook his head. “Not a chance.” He remembered when Orly first slipped into his mind, refusing to give up on him. He couldn’t believe someone like her actually existed, and found himself wanting to talk to her again and again. And when she told him about her situation, he worried about her, checked in with her, and tried everything he could think of to get her to trust him. After three long months, she’d finally let him in, and from the moment he’d seen her standing in front of that motel room, he’d done everything in his power to keep her safe and make her happy. But when it counted the most, he’d been blindsided, and let her down. Now, she was gone, and he had no idea how he was going to find her.
***
When Orly regained consciousness, she was tied to yet another chair, only this one reminded her of a medical office or dentist chair. She was slightly reclined, with her legs out in front of her, but her limbs and torso were bound to the chair with medical restraints she’d only ever seen used on violent patients in television shows and movies.
A man with dark hair and eyes, with a small scar over his right eyebrow, stood over her, and she flinched when his hand came into view. He smirked and attached something sticky to her chest. The buttons on her shirt were open, exposing her bra and cleavage. Her pants were rolled up, and her sandals had been tossed aside.
“Who are you?” She asked. “What are you doing to me?” She wanted to cover herself from his piercing gaze, but there was no escape from the way he hungrily eyed her exposed chest.
The man shrugged as if he did this sort of thing every day. “Nothing.” He attached three electrodes to the soft skin just above her bra, followed by one on each arm and leg.
