Page 56 of Shattered Dreams

I nod. She was torn between going to LA and staying with me.

“Then a black truck sped down the road toward the airstrip. She perked up, and I thought she was expecting someone to join her, even though the flight log indicated she would be the only passenger. A platinum blonde woman jumped out of the truck and asked to talk to her—”

“Platinum blonde?” Zane asks, confused. “It wasn’t Stella.”

“No, not Stella. Fucking hell.” Rage vibrates through every cell of my body. “It was Jerricka Solis.”

“That’s right,” Maureen says, appraising me for the first time. “They spoke in the plane, and Miss Maddox asked if I would serve coffee. I hovered, waiting to see if they needed anything else. The things that woman said to Miss Maddox...” Maureen’s mouth pulls down into a sad twist.

“Like what?” I ask, but I can guess.

“She wanted Miss Maddox to go to a lake house. That woman said she couldfixher, turn her into a woman who—” Her gaze whips to mine. “They were talking about you. Gage, right? That’s your name? They were talking about you, and how she’d help Miss Maddox be good enough...” She rubs her forehead. “They were talking about...you two getting married. Being good enough to get married. I’m sorry. I don’t recall the exact words she used, but I remember Miss Maddox shrinking, physically shrinking, with every horrid word that woman said. I wanted to tell her to leave her alone, but it wasn’t my place. Miss Maddox agreed to go with her and I wanted to cry. I should have said something.”

Awkwardly, Zane pats her arm. “My sister trusts that woman. There’s nothing you could have said that would have helped. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Did she happen to mention where the lake house was located? Where they were going?”

“No. They never said. Miss Maddox told Jackson, the pilot, that she wouldn’t be flying after all. I retrieved her suitcases out of the back of the plane, she got into that woman’s truck, and that was it. I cleaned up their coffee, put the jet to rights, and reported in. I’m booked on a flight to Chicago that was short a flight attendant later this afternoon.”

Zane stares at the tabletop, and the airport director and Maureen sit, waiting for instructions.

“Zane?” I prod.

He flicks his fingers. “You can go.”

The director clears his throat, visibly grateful the meeting’s over. “Thanks, Maureen. I’ll clear your flights for the rest of the day and we’ll compensate you. Go home and get some rest.”

“Thanks, Mr. Kowloski. I appreciate that.” Maureen stands and hesitates. “I hope you find her.”

I try to smile. “I hope so, too.”

Zane assures Mr. Kowloski he didn’t do anything wrong, and the airport director says he has other matters to attend to. He scurries across the lounge and hoofs it around a corner. I can just imagine his relief, fleeing Zane’s silent fury.

I scrub Baby’s head. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“That Dr. Stephen Mallory is getting a visit sooner than he thinks he is? Yes, yes, I am.”

CHAPTER NINE

Zarah

As the scenery races by, doubt and unease crowd me. I wish Jerricka wouldn’t have thrown my phone out the window, but I won’t be able to text Gage every five minutes or check to see if he’s texted me. By now Zane will have told him my message, and I wonder if that will be the last straw. He can’t be happy with me and the wishy-washy way I treat our relationship.

Maybe I don’t want to know what he has to say after all.

Jerricka glances at me. She’s declined two calls since we set out. She doesn’t speak, and as the miles fly by and she keeps her mouth shut, I force myself to relax. I know this is the right thing to do, but I couldn’t handle her starting in on me so soon. I need a moment to come to terms with the fact that what I’m doing could all be for nothing.

Well, not nothing. If Gage leaves me over this, I’ll date again one day, won’t I? Maybe. It hurts too much to think about. But even if I stay single for the rest of life, Jerricka’s time will help me in other ways.

The city melts away, and all I can see is miles of empty, barren field. We’re headed toward Spring Lake, but there are so many smaller bodies of water in this area that it may not be where her house is located. It doesn’t matter. A lake is a lake, and it will be frozen over.

“Have you been taking your medication?” she asks, reaching out to hold my hand.

“No. You said it wasn’t safe for pregnancy, and I don’t know if I am.”

She squeezes my fingers until the bones rub together. “We’ll give you a test. It’s important that you stay on any medication I prescribe.”

“Would I be far enough along to take one? It’s been barely two weeks.”

“Not a urine test. We’ll draw blood.”

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