Page 56 of Blind Prophet

When we were falling, I’d been afraid. Frightened. No…terrified. But I’d also been grateful to be with him. That’s something I should discuss with my therapist.

“You might not believe me, but my flight instructors would be impressed with that landing.”

I take in our surroundings. Much further in and we would have crashed into trees. The stream doesn’t appear deep, but it might be deeper in the center. If it was spring, that stream would rush rapids. This land we’re sitting on might be underwater with the snowmelt.

A deep shudder works its way through my body.

“Hey, you okay?” He’s concerned again, and he pulls me back up onto his lap.

I’m obviously okay, but I don’t have the strength to brush off his comfort. I burrow into him.

“I’d never let anything happen to you. You know that, right?”

I push away so I can give him an expression that calls him out on that, not to blame him but to make light of the situation, to alleviate the gravity of what we experienced. But he urges me back against his chest.

“I meant, I’d die before I let something happen to you. I wouldn’t let this be the end.”

His hold on me tightens, and we sit there like that, observing the mangled monstrosity before us.

“What happened?”

“I’m not sure. Hydraulic line…”

He trails off.

Unease settles into the pit of my stomach. The analytical part of my brain kicks into gear, despite the shock. Mechanical failure in a meticulously maintained aircraft. The timing, just as Sophia warned me about burner phones traced to this area.

“Do you think someone tampered with it on purpose?”

His jaw moves back and forth, considering. I read his microexpressions—the slight tension around his eyes, the controlled breathing pattern. He knows something.

The answer is in his troubled eyes. The answer is yes, this is sabotage, but he doesn’t want to admit the truth.

I sit up straighter with a flash of the Arrow conference room. Sophia, Ryan, Trevor, even Luke. I told them he couldn’t possibly be behind the plan, but someone tried to take him out. Why would someone try to kill him?

“Dorian, what’re you involved in?”

His gaze remains locked on the helicopter.

“Why would someone try to kill you?”

He’s quiet. Thoughtful. There’s a full conversation going on in that head of his, and, like always, he’s not letting me in.

If he’s involved in a global syndicate, as the Arrow team and an unknown source claims, then it could’ve been anyone.

When we were together, he wouldn’t let me in when he was in a bad mood. He’s not going to just break down and tell me he’s breaking the law.

“What happens now? Should we start walking?” I scan the area. There are no discernible trails.

“Rescue team is on the way. We sit.”

I should reach out to Sophia.

“I left my phone…”

“It’ll stay in there,” Dorian says absentmindedly.

I force myself to nod, though every instinct screams to get the phone and my luggage—to see what survived. The tracking software, the encrypted messages, the surveillance photos—all of it potentially recoverable if my phone and laptop survived the crash.

---