Page 79 of Owned By Shadows

“I’ve sent Nik a message about what’s happening,” Bubby informs us, his laptop in his hands as he types furiously. “Just waiting to see if he gets it and responds.”

I briefly glance away from the radar I’ve been studying to look at the teenager. I shouldn’t have underestimated him. He’s been a real fucking asset this whole time. “Who knew all that gaming would come in handy?”

“Fuck off,” he huffs back, but his lips tilt up into a smile, just visible underneath his hood, his usual hoodie firmly back in place now that we’re no longer on a tropical island.

I go back to looking at the data we have, trying to figure out if this fucking plane that’s stalking us is more than just a people carrier. We need to know its capabilities because that will determine what we’re up against and how we deal with the threat.

We have a few options, none of them great, but then we’re between a rock and a hard place. Another thing that makes me rage.

We can continue to the UK with evasive measures, though we’re limited because of Iris’s medical condition. We could also change our course and land at an alternate location, although we won’t have the military backup that Nik has somehow managed to get us. My Sweetheart has some major connections that he is using for us, for her. The last option is attempting to lose this tail, but that I fear would require more than Iris can give and we’d run the very real risk of her going into early labour, and we just don’t have the equipment to support that right now.

“It looks like the plane following us has military capabilities,” Captain Pat Skinner says, and I curse under my breath as my heart pounds inside my chest.

“Meaning?” I question, though I know his answer. I just need to hear him say it.

He doesn’t look away from the windshield. “It could be armed.”

“Fuck!” Bubby swears, and I can’t even call the kid out as Iris would usually because he’s right, this is not good.

The door behind us slides open, Andrei walking in. He’s disheveled, the skin around his eyes tight, and my stomach sinks.

“She’s stable, resting, and her blood pressure is no longer critical. But I had to go up a notch with treatment, and she’s still very much at risk of a seizure and early labour,” he informs me without me having to even ask.

I swallow hard past the barbed lump in my throat. I know what a seizure would mean. Up here, in this aircraft? We would lose her, and possibly the baby too.

Fuck.

“The aircraft following us has military capabilities, so is possibly armed and hostile. Though they won’t try to shoot us down, not with Iris on board,” I tell him, trying to come up with a fucking plan of action that doesn’t result in the death of my soulmate. “We need to change our route, but not make it so long that she’s in the air for longer than necessary.”

“And we can’t do many more of those evasive manoeuvres, Hunt. Even out of it like she is, it will stress her.” His tone is firm, and I want to snarl at him that I would never put my Peaches in danger, but that’s the rage talking. I know he’s just doing his job as her doctor.

“There are other routes we can take that they won’t expect, and a weather front that would be bumpy, but they’re unlikely to follow us into it so we could lose them in there,” Captain Pat says, and I’m grateful Nik found this talented pilot for us. He’s older, maybe in his early fifties, and possibly one of the tallestmen I’ve ever met. Fuck knows how he fits in the seat. He also has some wild stories of his time flying planes to Angola and back during some pretty serious civil wars. I’m not sure all of his work is exactly legal, which makes him perfect for us as we can’t exactly throw stones, given what we do.

“Can you get us through the storm?” I ask him, and he looks away from all the dials to stare straight into my eyes, his own twinkling.

“We can fly over it. I’ve faced tougher bastards than this, boy. I’ll get you and your girl to Northolt in one piece and show these young’uns a thing or two.”

I laugh and give him a nod. I knew Pat was our kind of people.

“Andrei, go back to Iris and make sure everything is secure. Bubby, strap yourself in and keep trying with Nik,” I order, and they both do as I command. My heart settles a little inside my chest now that we have a plan, a way forward.

“Entering the airspace above the weather front in two minutes, might want to strap in yourself, boy,” Pat advises, and I pull out the extra seat behind me, dropping into it and putting my seat belt on.

The plane banks, making my stomach swoop, and I clench my jaw. Not because I fear flying, though after a quick glance at Bubby’s pale face and his closed eyes tells me he very much still hates it. I’m more worried about Iris and Roman, especially as I can’t currently lay eyes on either of them, and what with having Nik and Rowan out of my sights too, it’s like an itch I can’t reach. I need to have the people I’m protecting close, preferably in touching distance.

I know it’s not healthy or sustainable, and I’m sure Iris will suggest therapy once all this is done. I won’t even argue with her, I’ll go gladly if it means we all get out of this fucked up situation with Sergi, him dead and my family alive and well.

The plane suddenly judders, my pulse thrashing as we get a little thrown around by the turbulence. Bubby makes a small noise, and I huff a laugh just as it feels like we drop several feet. Fuck, even I found that unpleasant.

“Why do I wear two pairs of socks when I go golfing?” I ask him, and he doesn’t even crack an eye open, his brows furrowing.

“What the fuck are you on about, Hunt? You’ve never been golfing.”

“In case I get a hole in one,” I answer. My lips tug up when his head slowly turns to me and he cracks one eye open.

“That was fucking terrible, Hunt,” he says, though his lips twitch a little. “I guess you have to get practice in for those dad jokes now.”

I huff a laugh. The plane judders again, and Bubby closes his eyes, swallowing hard.

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