Page 71 of Shattered Dreams

“Then they would have married, and he would have beaten her at night and pretended to love her during the day.”

“You’re probably right, but that doesn’t matter now.”

No, it doesn’t. I asked out of my own depraved curiosity. Perhaps to torture myself. If Ash had been decent, like Zane and Kagan, Zarah most definitely would be married now, and I let the idea burn like acid. She wouldn’t be mine, and these five short months we’ve been together, she hasn’t felt like she’s mine, either.

“I didn’t think he’d make it easy,” Zane says, stomping across the parking lot, “but that could have gone a lot worse.”

“Who the fuck was he talking about? He sounded a couple cards short of a deck.”

“He’s not crazy. It’s possible he was playing for the cameras, but he’s not crazy. Everything he does is calculated, designed to have a specific outcome.”

I climb into the truck and burrow deeper into my jacket trying to find a warmth that isn’t there. “Like what?”

“Insanity plea, maybe. But I also got the feeling hedidwant to share information but didn’t dare give us anything outright. He was talking to you most of the time. You must know who he was referring to.”

I replay the conversation, but I can’t find anything to prove Zane correct. “He was?”

“He couldn’t stop staring at you, and yeah, that’s as creepy as it sounds.”

“He knows I’m dating Zarah and he hates it, that’s all.”

“No. You know who he was talking about. He said it plain as day. You never listen and he wanted to teach you a lesson. Whoever blew up your truck knows where Zarah is.”

“Christ. How the fuck am I supposed to know?”

“Whoever it was told Ash to shoot Max. He wasn’t too happy Max was asking questions.”

“You’re assuming Black was talking about the same person, but I think he shot Max for himself. Listen, he still wants your sister, still thinks they’re going to have a life together. At the fundraiser, he knew Max and Zarah were together. He said he keeps up with the news, and he knows Zarah and I are seeing each other.Truth or Dareflashes it around whenever they can.”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t feel right, but even so, that doesn’t help us find Jerricka’s lake house. I hope to Christ she isn’t doing anything to Zarah. That she really did convince her to use the two weeks to only talk.”

“According to the flight attendant, she wanted to fix Zarah so she would be good enough to marry. I’m not stupid. She only said that to convince Zarah to go with her. Jerricka hates me,and by the time we find Zarah, she won’t want anything to do with me. Jerricka’s managed to turn Zarah against me once and she’ll do it again.” I try not to sound as fearful as I feel, but my heart cracks. We’ll find Zarah, and I’ll lose her for good.

Fuck, I’m selfish. This isn’t about me.

Zane turns onto the highway and heads toward the airport. He’s already shaking, and he shifts in his seat, rolling his shoulders in agitation. “We won’t give her enough time to do that, to do anything. We’ll ask Stella what she thinks. It will keep my mind off being in the air. All this points to one person.”

“Who? This guy is like a fucking ghost.”

“When I’m through with him, he will be.”

Zane calls ahead and notifies the airport we’re on the way and to ready the plane. The pilot and grounds crew are waiting when we turn onto the airstrip, and Zane, leaving the engine running, passes off the rental.

Stella and Baby are outside, and she’s sniffing around the plane’s wheels. Baby, that is. Stella tries to gauge Zane’s mood, but he’s stoic until we climb the stairs and settle inside. The delicious scent of coffee permeates the air, and I tug off my jacket and drop into a seat, breathing in the comforting aroma. Baby lays in the aisle and rests her head on my boot.

“It didn’t go well,” Stella guesses, pouring coffee. She serves me a mug and kisses my cheek. Zane scowls.

“Thanks. Not as well as I hoped it would go.”

“It went better than he thinks it did,” Zane says, stealing a kiss of his own and one-upping me, licking Stella’s lips.

The pilot warns us there’s a fifteen minute delay in departure. A cargo plane is ahead of us, but Zane and I buckle in.Stella takes a legal pad and a pen out of her bag, sits in the seat next to her husband, and rubs his leg. She hasn’t forgotten he’ll have trouble, but we don’t have time for her to kiss it away. We need to figure out what the fuck is going on.

“Is it a good idea to leave?” Stella asks, echoing my doubts.

“There’s nothing here but the prison, and Ash wasn’t doing so hot when we left. I doubt they’ll let us in to see him again anytime soon,” Zane says, his hands wrapped around his coffee mug. “Banks paved the way—it’s the only reason we got in tonight.”

“You didn’t get anything out of him at all? He had no idea where Zarah is?”

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