Page 90 of Crash
As the call disconnected, I began to tingle all over. Everything was locked in, and all I had to do was turn up, but that was the hard part. Ash was taking me to the airport, and Josie was meeting me on the other side, so I’d be fine. I had to deal and right now, I felt like I could take on anything…including a horde of people at two of the busiest airports in Australia. I had this.
Sydney here I come.
**
I’d been on a plane once when I was twelve with my parents.
We’d gone on a family holiday to the Gold Coast in Queensland. Ash had been busy with an MMA tournament, and since our dad had cracked the shits with him,Ash’dstayed behind. He and Dad had always struggled with one another from the moment Ash hit puberty. He’d been a troublemaker in school and had been suspended and expelled more times than I cared to remember, so I was the sole child when it came to family holidays. Then he and his rebelliousness tainted me, and I was left for dead, but that was another story.
I sat in the little plane on the tarmac in Melbourne, fastened my seat belt to the point it was cutting off my circulation, and held on for dear life.
Ash had driven me to the airport, helped me through the check-in desk, and held my hand all the way to security. From there on out, it had been all up to me. There had been people everywhere, all of them in a hurry to get to wherever it was they were going, and the chaos had confused me to the point I wanted to dry-heave, but I’d gotten through all of it so far. My bum was in my seat, and there was no turning back until I got to Sydney.
Closing my eyes as the plane rumbled down the runway, I tightened my grip on the armrests as the engines kicked in and we left the ground. My stomach dipped and there was a split second where everything was weightless, and then we were climbing. Up and up until we were shooting through the clouds.
Josie met me on the other side of the baggage carousel.
I hadn’t seen her in what felt like an entire year. That was probably right considering she spent most of her time in Sydney with the Twins these days. Pushing six foot with movie star good looks and legs for days, she made a perfect Public Relations manger. It also helped that she had balls of steel in the male dominated world of professional fighting. She could play hardball with the big boys, who continually tried to push her back into the kitchen, and come out the other side without a scratch.
“Violet!” she exclaimed as she caught sight of me weaving through the sea of people. Running forward, she held out her arms out and embraced me.
“I made it,” I said through a relieved sigh.
“I knew you could,” she said, pulling back and giving me the once over. “You’re looking good, girl.”
“Thanks. So do you.”
“You’ve got a nice flush in your cheeks,” she declared. “A good man will do that to you.”
She chatted all the way to the car about the things we could do in town, and by the time I was sliding into the front passenger seat, I was getting excited to see Lincoln.
“How is he?” I asked as she pulled the car out of the spot.
“He’s okay, but he’s been down a lot, you know.” She wound down the window to put the ticket into the machine, and the boom gate opened, letting us out of thecarpark. “He’s always been pretty enthusiastic about training and his fights, but ever since he came back from Melbourne, he’s been having trouble getting back into his routine.”
I glanced at my hands, knowing I probably had something to do with it.
“He’s going to flip when he sees you,” Josie said as we merged onto the freeway. “It’ll be just the thing he needs to pick him up.”
“You think?”
“I know so. I’ve gotten to know the Twins pretty well since I got this job, and I’ve seen the difference in him. I mean,I talked to him a lot over the phone when he called about his doctor’s appointments, and Icouldtell that somethinghadchanged. Something good.” She let out a laugh. “Man, he was pissed when we tricked him into going back to Melbourne. And then when the doctors told him he’d be out at least six months, he was as wild as anything.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but his attitude changed pretty quick smart. Now I know why.” She glanced at me and winked before turning back to the road.
I sank back into the seat with a grin. Watching the streets of Sydney flash past the window, I realized I’d done the right thing by coming here. In a way, it was the biggest fear of them all because it was the last barrier that was keeping us apart…and I’d just smashed it.
Empowered had nothing on it. It was all about love, and if Dr. Ormond asked me that question again, the answer would be yes all the way.
I loved Lincoln Hayes.
Thirty-Three
Violet
Josie left me at the elevator after she helped me check in at the QT. I had my own room to get ready in, and in my pocket was a duplicate keycard for Lincoln’s.
