Page 121 of Black to Light

“No,” she said. “I can’t sleep, doc. I can’t.”

I bit my tongue, wanting to argue with her, but I caught the hard stare from Cowboy and wouldn’t let myself. I understood. More than I wanted to.

“You want some coffee?” I forced a smile. “There’s a shop right there. I’ll get you whatever crazy, heart-attack-inducing drink you want.”

She forced herself to smile back. I saw the tick in her cheek.

“Something with at least four shots of espresso would be great,” she said, smoothing her braids back with her fingers and glancing at Cowboy. She still wouldn’t let go of his hand. His eyes welled up again as soon as they were looking at one another, then he pulled her closer. She leaned into his chest and side, and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

I saw her close her eyes longer than a blink as she rested more of her weight against his body. I also saw her nod at something he’d said as he murmured quietly in her ear.

I fought my own emotions as I turned away, willfully not listening.

I walked straight over to the coffee shop near the seating area of the gate.

I glanced over the menu, ordered her a five shot mocha in their largest cup with 2% milk and extra foam, then, after a bare pause, I ordered a five-shot latte with oat milk for Javier. I had to hope the combination of sugar and caffeine would help, and not just make the two of them crash even harder in about forty minutes.

I brought both drinks back and handed each to their respective owner.

Angel, Javier, and Black were all talking now.

Nick had re-joined us, and was listening from next to Black.

His deep voice was the first I heard as I walked up on them.

“You’re sure there was no one else there?” Nick asked Angel, gruff. “Jem was alone with the three of you? The entire time?”

Angel shook her head slowly. “No, I can’t be sure of that,” she said bitterly. “But I don’t remember anyone else. On the commercial flight, I didn’t see him talk to anyone, or in theairport, apart from stewardesses and ticket salespersons and so forth. If anyone was with us on the flight, they didn’t sit in our row.”

Black stared at her, then at Nick.

“You think Brick might’ve actually traveled with them?” Black asked, blunt.

Nick stared flatly back. “I have no fucking idea, Quentin. I just would like to know, either way. Wouldn’t you?”

Black nodded, but he didn’t look satisfied.

Cowboy still held Angel tightly. I didn’t hear him say anything, but somehow his silence managed to speak volumes anyway. I definitely got the impression he would take Angel out of there, and likely out of the country, at the slightest provocation. For now, he simply listened to the rest of them talk, his jaw set.

I couldn’t blame him one bit, for any of those sentiments.

Hell, I might cheer if he took Angel away from this mess.

At the very least, I’d probably help him do it.

Black turned back to Angel and Javier.

“And neither of you have any idea where he might have gone with her?” Black asked, his voice gruff. He aimed the question mostly at Angel, but glanced at Javier after he asked. “You don’t remember anything he said in passing? Anything he might have said on the phone to someone else, any glimpse of him looking at maps, or at hotels, or––”

“No, Quentin,” Angel said, sounding a touch exasperated. “How many times are you going to try and re-word the same question? He didn’t even let uslookat him during the flight. If he was on the phone, he either erased it from my mind or he did it from the toilets. Javi and I were basically strapped to our chairs and forced to watch movies the entire flight. He had us put in headphones, crank up the sound, and find the loudest movies we could.”

I winced, then felt my jaw harden.

It was getting harder and harder to not make this personal against Jem.

Still, he could have hurt them. He didn’t.

He could have knocked them out instead of using his mind to keep them from following him once they got to the airport. He could have killed them.

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