Page 39 of A Light in the Darkness
“W-What?” I stutter. “Go where?”
In all the time he’s been my babysitter, he’s never gone further than across the hall from me. And now he’s striding to his room, adjacent to mine and Rhea’s, and gathering his possessions as I follow him like a puppy dog.
“My sister’s in trouble.” He says coldly, drawing a gun out of his bag and checking the ammunition… as if his sister is around the corner and he can run to save her from whatever trouble she’s gotten into.
I decide to swallow my question about how he got that gun on the plane. “Is she okay?”
“Doesn’t sound like it.” He snaps.
“What can I do?” I ask, watching him strip down to his boxers and immediately averting my eyes. He pulls a pair of black jeans up his legs a second later then slips into a tee shirt.
“You can’t do anything. Stay here and enjoy your vacation while I try to go deal with real problems, okay?”
He’s an ass, but I already knew that. It doesn’t stop me from caring, from trying to offer some kind of assistance. “Should I come with you?”
That gets him to stop long enough to look at me, though he doesn’t do it fondly. “No, princess. You’re not my top priority right now. Keep your little ass here and don’t put yourself in danger so Boudreaux won’t killme, hmm?”
Something about the way he shut me down makes me feel stupid, but it’s probably just because I’ve been planning to do the exact opposite of what he is telling me to. “Where is your sister?” I ask, wondering if I should drive him. The look in his eyes is wild, erratic. He probably shouldn’t be driving right now. He’s a menace on a good day.
“Vegas.” He says shortly.
“Vegas?” I repeat. I’ve never been, but Nevada is several states away… and time zones. Moose can’t drive there himself.
“Claire?” He stops, looking at me, exasperated. “Do me a favor?”
“Anything,” I say, before realizing I actually mean it.
“Stay safe. I’ll call Boudreaux from the road and let him know to send a replacement, but until you have one, it’s not the time to be petty. Got it?”
There’s a lot of things I want to say, most of which are petty, so I sigh and nod.
“Good girl.” He nods, patting me on the head like a dog he’s just told not to destroy the house while he’s gone. He’s taking his phone out again as he turns, leaving me there like that’s it.
I follow him to the front door with my arms crossed, watching as he hefts the single bag in one hand and speaks into his phone in what I think is a foreign language. I had no idea he was bilingual.
There’s already a car waiting at the end of the long drive, and Moose stalks toward it without hesitation, leaving me to watch him, bewildered, as he opens the trunk and swings his bag in before slipping into the passenger seat. He doesn’t even look back at me before the car pulls away from the curb.
“Everything okay?” Rhea asks, popping her head through the door behind me.
“Moose had an emergency.” I tell her, unease tugging at my stomach. I hope his sister is okay.
“Damn.” Rhea says quietly. “I guess that means Austin will have to be your partner for beer pong.”
I turn around to tell her she’s got to figure out her priorities, but the smile on her face disarms me. Last year was the only time I’ve ever seen her not being her chipper self, and Ihatedit. I hated that I was part of the reason for it.
“Stop thinking about who you are,”Moose had said,“and start doing stuff that will make you who you want to be.”
For tonight, one last time, I’ll be who my best friend needs me to be. And in the morning, I’ll take the first step toward becoming who Iwantto be.
Chapter twenty-four
Remy
The pilot doesn’t stop for the gunshot, perhaps not knowing it came from inside the plane. As soon as we clear the threshold, he starts to move, the wheels bouncing over the uneven terrain.
Victor’s eyes are wide as he presses a cloth against Kaia’s neck, assessing her pulse with his fingers on her wrist. He’s talking to her, but I don’t know what he is saying. All around us, captives are shaking, rocking, crying, singing to try and block out the sounds of the ones crying.
“Kaia!” I drop to my knees at her side, and Kaia’s dark eyes slide to mine, though they’re rapidly emptying. I don’t need to feel her pulse to see the life leaving her. “What the fuck happened?” I demand, glancing up at Victor for an answer.
