Page 25 of Wraith
The whole drive, Liam barely said two words to her. He’d gotten colder, if that was at all possible. He probably blamed her for his friend’s death and she couldn’t say she would deny it. If it hadn’t been for her, Wraith would have been safe in his cabin in Nowhere Land, and Cuzo would be alive. It seemed ever since she opened the letter to Poppy LaCroix, her life turned to crap.
“Liam. What about Lili?”
“Lili can take care of herself.”
“I was just…”
“I know what you’re saying. Forget about it.”
“Right.” She glanced up at the sign for Terminal One and made a left at the fork in the road. “Okay.”
She followed his terse directions to a parking spot and turned off the engine before he could tell her to. She then watched as he pulled a small, silver tube from this bag, shook it then tossed it in the car and closed the door. Amelia asked no questions. It seemed no matter what she did around Liam, she couldn’t seem to catch a break. He probably hated her. Her existence was a thorn in his side. After they parked, Amelia gathered her things and merely waited. She had no control over her life anymore—she might as well play along until she wound up like Cuzo.
Liam held her hand and escorted her across the street and into the glass structure of Pearson International Airport. They continued, through a checkpoint then down a long corridor. He stopped to speak in hushed tones with a guard and soon they were being driven in a golf cart down another and out toward a rather large plane.
Inside, they found seats over one of the wings and she stashed her bag under the seat between her legs. Wraith did the same.
“I’ve never been on such a long flight.” Amelia admitted.
“Don’t worry. It’ll go by before you even know it.”
“Easy for you to say.” She shifted, trying to get comfortable. “I really wish I could call Lisa.”
“Who?”
“My best friend. She’s the only family I have left and now she won’t know what happened to me.”
Amelia turned her gaze out the window to watch the men on golf carts going back and forth. Just to the left, a few men tossed suitcases to one another and she frowned.
“Dicks.”
“Once we land, I’ll try and find you a way to call her,” Wraith promised.
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“It can be. You just can’t tell her where you are or what you’re doing.”
Amelia sighed. What was the point then? She’d always shared everything with Lisa. No matter what, Lisa was always there for her and now when Amelia didn’t even know if she could go home again, she can’t even reach out to the woman who had been like a sister to her.
Where was the justice?
“No. I’ll wait,” Amelia said. “Thank you, though. I’d rather keep her safe and stay away than call and put us all at risk.”
“If you change your mind.”
“My mother died alone,” Amelia said. “I was at school. Dad was—wherever he was doing whatever or whoever he was doing and my mother died alone, at home. I never thought I would end up like she did. I couldn’t have done things differently—well it’s not entirely true, is it? I’ll be doing it another way because I’ll die alone, in a foreign country with a bullet to the head like Cuzo.”
“You’re not going to die alone, Amelia.”
“Why? Because you’re protecting me? I don’t even…” She sighed.
“How did your mother die?”
“The coroner said it was a heart attack.”
“You don’t believe him?”
“No. I think she died because my father broke her heart so many times it just couldn’t heal after the last battle.” Amelia rubbed her palms against her thighs. “I can’t believe I still believe in love. I’m so stupid.”
