“We’re on our way,” Hunter said, before moving to the front of the plane to knock on the door to the pilot’s area.
“Guys, could we talk to Arianna for a minute?”
Sean nodded, took me off speaker, and handed me the phone.”
“I’m here,” I said quietly.
“Are you okay?”
My breath hitched as I shook my head, trying to blink back the tears. “AmIokay? Jesus, Luke, I feel like I should be askingyouthat.”
“We’re fine, just…”
“We’re scared, Ari,” Jordan said quietly. “Look, the guys you’re with.” He paused. “Do you trust them?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t even think before the word came out, but it was true — utterly and completely.
“No hesitation,” Jordan mused. “I like it.”
“Look, I know they’re your competitors, but trust me when I—”
Luke barked out a laugh. “We don’t give a fuck about them beingbusinessrivals, Ari. The point is, you trust them, and that works for us. We only did a little research, but it seems they’re good men. And if you vouch for them—”
“I do.”
“Good,” Jordan finished. “Are they keeping you safe?”
“Definitely.”
“Look,” Luke whispered. “Truth be told, we’re going to break out of this fucking hotel and fly home right after we get off the phone with you. Fuck these guys. But you’re going to get there before us.”
Jordan sighed. “Put the guys on speaker again.”
I looked up at my three men, all staring at me with hurt and pain and fierceness in their faces. “They want to talk to you guys.”
I put the phone on speaker.
“Guys? We need to ask you something big—”
“We’re already on it,” Hunter said evenly. “We’ve already got parts mobilizing on the ground for when we land.
“Thank you, really,” Jordan said tensely. “Look, I don’t need to tell you—”
“You don’t need to explain a thing, we understand more than you know,” Damien growled, looking right at me.
“Donotlet him hurt her,” Luke said, his voice almost breaking.
“That’snotgoing to happen,” Sean said, looking right at me with the same intense look on his face as his two friends. “We swear it.”
14
It feltlike I was walking in a dream by the time we landed in the private airfield outside Albany in upstate New York. The magic of what I’d just experienced down on the island, the warmth and the swirling emotions — all of it was put aside for one thought.
My best friend was in mortal danger.
She had to be okay. Shehadto make it out of this okay, or I didn’t know what I’d do.