Page 38 of Shadow Blind

He lengthened his stride, vaguely aware of light gray walls and a dark gray sidewalk. The gray on gray was disorienting, blending into an endless, monotonous tunnel. They’d opted not to grab a utility vehicle. Cosky claimed it was quicker to take the elevator.

Aiden was tempted to hijack the next vehicle that came along. It was embarrassing how much stamina those four days in isolation and the ER had cost him. Hell, his heart was pounding like a motherfucker.

Had Tag and Tram arrived yet? Had they secured the targets? Was Demi okay? If anything happened to her…

“She’ll be fine.” Cosky’s voice was flat. Certain. “Tag and Tram won’t let anything happen to her. They’ll protect her like she’s one of their own.”

Aiden didn’t doubt that. But that didn’t mean the bastards at Demi’s door wouldn’t still prevail and whisk her away.

“Zane and Rawls are meeting us at the hangar,” Cosky said, his tone even, his breathing controlled despite the rapid pace he’d set.

Cosky’s calm breathing sent shame curling through Aiden. Here he was gasping like the little train that could, as he huffed and puffed his way to the elevator.

He took another quick look at the cell phone. Maybe it had rung without him noticing. Nope. The elevator doors whooshed open. He and Cos stepped inside. Cosky punched a button marked HANGAR and the doors snapped closed. The floor beneath his boots vibrated, and the lift rose.

Cosky shot him a knowing look. “Give Tag time. He’s kinda busy right now. He’ll call when he has something to report.”

Aiden grimaced. That advice did nothing to mitigate the frustration of waiting, or the praying for good news. There were no guarantees that Tag and Tram would get to Demi in time. No guarantees that Demi could distract and stall the bastards at her door.

Cosky must have glimpsed his fear, because he squeezed his shoulder. “Relax. Trust your brothers to keep your woman safe.”

That advice brought a scowl. “Yeah? Would you say that if Kait were in trouble?”

With a shrug, Cosky released his grip on Aiden’s shoulder. “A redundant question. She’s here on base.”

Bastard.

“That scowl’s not gonna make things move faster.” The elevator doors snapped open, and Cosky stepped out.

Aiden followed him out, only to stop dead.

There was no corridor ahead of them, just a cavernous space filled with aircraft of every shape and size. The hangar went on and on, as far back as he could see. So did the various aircraft. Directly in front of him was a UH-1Y Venom, to the right of it a Boeing Apache, and behind that, a UH-60 Black Hawk. Further back, a Boeing Chinook and a Sikorsky Seahawk—which was weird as all shit since the Seahawk usually operated off ships.

Did Shadow Mountain have a Navy? Nah, that wasn’t likely. A Navy would be impossible to keep under wraps.

Behind the choppers was a Cessna Citation X+, which was the fastest private jet available. Hell, he’d checked into that model, even come close to picking one up for himself. Thanks to his talent, which showered him with more money than he’d ever need, he could cover the twenty-three-million-dollar price tag. But explaining how he could afford a multi-million-dollar jet, while on an Uncle Sam budget, had nixed the idea.

Other than the money he periodically won through his pseudonyms, which he funneled into various charities, Demi’s condo was the most expensive purchase he’d made. He’d covered his tracks well, making sure everyone, including Demi, thought the condo had been possible because of an unexpected inheritance, one Donnie had come into prior to his death.

The memory brought on a grimace. She’d certainly loved the guy. It was a constant itch that she didn’t have the same depth of feeling for him. In retrospect, focusing on sex had been a poor decision. But he’d been certain the quickest path to her heart was through her bed.

Sucking back a sigh, he glanced back down at his phone. Still nothing from Tag.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

He wasn’t feeling Demi’s fear though, not like he had three years ago when Chester had accosted her outside the elevator. He’d felt the icy bite of her fear then, even over the adrenaline and exertion of charging down a flight of stairs. This was the first time she’d been in danger since the Chester incident. Why wasn’t he feeling her terror? Was it because of the distance between them? Not just physical, but emotionally as well?

Cosky had stopped next to the Citation X. The jet’s ramp was down. Must be their ride. Aiden lengthened his stride. Although the color of asphalt, the ground felt strange beneath his boots. Soft, rather than hard, as though it absorbed his footsteps. Weird. What was even stranger was how close to each other the aircraft were parked. How did the crew maneuver them out of the hangar and onto the airstrip?

“How do they get anything to the runway?” He joined Cosky in front of the ramp.

“That’s right, the Thunderbird doesn’t have any windows.” Cosky turned to face him. A slow smirk spread across his face. “You never saw the bird land, did you?” The smirk spread wider. “Hell, man,” Cosky grinned. “I won’t spoil the surprise.”

“Flying isn’t new to me.” Aiden glanced back down at the phone.

Still no call. His fingers had gone white again.

“Trust me,” Cosky sounded certain. “You’ve never flown Shadow Mountain style.”

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