Page 50 of Peaceful Chaos

Distance

Sin

I pacethe length of the plane like a caged animal. One delay after another kept us from taking off from Devil's Crossing immediately. First we had to get Grant medical care. Then there was an issue filing flight plans. It took over an hour before we were finally in the air.

Another pass down the aisle, and I'm close to picking a fight with someone just to relieve some of this fear gnawing away at my gut. Lucien seems like a good target. My world is crumbling down around me, and he sits whispering with Ted.

He catches me glaring at him and flips me off. I wonder if Raven will be pissed when her brother comes home with black eyes or a broken nose. Well, she has to be safe for her to get pissed off. It wouldn't be the first time Lucien and I have blown off steam by pounding on each other. She should probably get used to it.

I take a step toward him, violence practically radiating off me. Javier grabs my arm and forces me to stop. "Sit the fuck down. Your constant movement isn't going to get us there faster. And I don't think your wife is going to be thrilled with you beating the shit out of her brother."

"Oh, come on, Javi. Sin needs a good fight or—" Lucien cuts himself off.

"You just remembered I'm married to your sister didn't you, dumbass?" I snap.

Ted chuckles. "Sin has a Blackthorne for all his needs."

I lurch forward, and Javier yanks me back down again. "Will you boys stop acting like middle schoolers on the playground? We've got real shit to deal with, so manage yours, or I'll lay your asses out."

Lucien smirks, and now that his attitude isn't directed at me I want to hit him slightly less. Only slightly. "It's cute you think that could happen," he taunts Javier.

Javier leans his head back on the headrest and grumbles under his breath, "How did I get stuck with a bunch of violent fucking children?"

Part of me is appeased now that he's pissed. It's enough for me to be able to focus on what's important, Raven's safety. "Have you gotten a hold of anyone back at the apartments?"

Javier seems to appreciate my change of subject and tips his head back down. "Not yet. I called Mt. Chaos and they're sending a team down to investigate."

I shake my head. "Lucien and I both warned you not to underestimate Damien, and what did you do?"

"I have good men posted at the apartment. They'll respond."

Lucien finally turns his attention away from Ted. "Those men are dead. Maybe not all, but there are going to be casualties. You better pray my sister and our friends aren't among them."

"Or what, Lucien? Are you threatening me?" Javier asks.

"You already underestimated one Blackthorne. Are you sure that's a mistake you'd like to make twice?" His voice is low and deceptively soft. It doesn't lessen the threat implied by his words, but it somehow amplifies how serious he is. He can go from laughing to murder in a split second, and anyone who doesn't recognize that might find themselves on the wrong end of his gun someday.

Javier is back to being annoyed with us. Without another word, he gets up and locks himself in the office at the back of the plane.

Despite the fact we're cruising along around thirty-thousand feet, I get out my cell phone and try to call Raven's phone. After the third attempt goes straight to voicemail, I quit trying. "Something had to have happened. Raven isn't answering her phone." She always answers when I call. Every single time.

"I'm afraid you're right," Ted says, scowling at his own phone. "I can't get anyone to pick up either. I've tried Amber, Jen, and Shane. Ford's phone goes straight to voicemail."

Javier finally exits the small office in the rear of the plane. His face is creased with worry, and he appears to have aged ten years in the last few hours. He sees the phones in our hands and scowls but seems to decide not to lecture us for bullshit flight safety guidelines.

He rubs his temples and drops into the same seat he occupied earlier. "This is what's going on. There was an attack on the apartment complex. The gatehouse was breached. The door outside of the gate was accessed, and we think the guard was killed immediately or knocked unconscious. The other door leads into the complex and we'd recently upgraded it with a thicker steel and more advanced biometric locks. The good news is that door held, but it meant that the only way into the complex was by taking out the entire structure. We think Raven and Ford happened upon the gate right before it exploded."

My fists clench by my sides. "What do you mean, you think? Javier, where is my wife?"

He inhales long and slow. "She's in the onsite infirmary, along with Ford. She's got lots of cuts and bruises, and a mild concussion, but she's going to be fine."

"What about Ford?" Ted intrudes.

"He was closer to the building than Raven, so he's being closely watched. He's still unconscious. There's some swelling on the brain. He punctured both eardrums, and he's also got an assortment of cuts and bruises. He's under observation for the next twelve hours. If he doesn't wake up then, we're going to have to transfer him to a hospital."

"Why aren't both of them at a hospital now?" Lucien demands.

"Because we can't protect them in a hospital. Not as easily anyway. Look—" Javier rubs the palm of his hand against his forehead, "my soldiers were able to keep the attackers out of the complex. The hole in the perimeter is being repaired as we speak. Security will be upgraded. We've got a top of the line medical facility, and there've been doctors treating both of them.

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