Page 69 of Ends of Being

I tilt my head, my surprise obvious by my expression, and frown, but instead of saying anything else, I remove the watch from my wrist and hand it over. I make my way up the steps and enter the jet cautiously.

One good thing about being transported in such luxury is it’s highly unlikely I’m going to be brutally murdered when the cleaning bill would be so high. While a lot of these people have more money than sense, the idea of blood splatter all over their pride and joy doesn’t really appeal to them. They might shoot me on the tarmac as soon as I land, but at least I’ll get one good ride before I go.

Surprisingly, there’s no one waiting for me inside. I make my way through the cabin and sit in one of the big chairs, then lean back and close my eyes, willing myself to relax for a few minutes. At this point, I may as well get a nap in and at least attempt to prepare myself for whatever will be waiting for me on the other end of this flight.

Toni

I’ve now been staring at that little green dot for what feels like weeks. I know it’s only been days, but the time that has gone by since we found out we had a lead on Dare has all jumbled together.

I have to actively push down the painful anxiety that’s building up in my chest, and I feel twitchy to get out there and do something. I’m still fucking mad that Dare made such a nonchalant declaration of his affections at such an inopportune time. It certainly wasn’t at a moment where I could tell him how I felt in return.

Do I love him? Probably. Am I capable of letting those words spill from my lips just because someone else confirmed they feel the same way? Probably not.

Other memories are still slowly trickling in since the warehouse revelation, but it’s difficult to determine how accurate any of them are. The one thing that I don’t question is the feeling I get when I think about him.

My most recent memories of my relationship with Dare have been contrary, and I’m starting to realize now that he would’ve had to push down his own true feelings for me in order to fit into the relationship that I decided we were having. Whereas in the past, we were likely building the beginnings of a romantic relationship, this new Toni had wiped that clean, so all we had left was conflict.

Don’t get me wrong, intertwined in that conflict, there were a few instances where Dare ripped off that controlled mask and took me for a little ride, only to then immediately snap back to the ever-cool and controlled Darius Hughes. I still have to ask him how he ended up working at the same place that I did, as it seems unlikely that he was there to keep track of the business accounts of a very rich man, considering he seems to be one of those very rich men. And from what I’ve gathered from the sporadic conversations I’ve had with Matt and Tony; he didn’t become a very rich man by staying on the right side of the law.

I’m so wrapped up in my own thoughts that, at first, I don’t notice the green dot moving. I stand up so quickly that I knock the chair over behind me, and I shout, “He’s on the move!” Everyone jumps to attention, and we all run for the door and head out to the SUV. The green dot is moving faster now, and I give Tony directions and tell him to hurry the fuck up. Luckily, it’s not rush hour, so we’re not hindered by much traffic, and Tony weaves around the cars with ease as he continues to push the accelerator.

My heart is pounding in my chest to the point I’m having a hard time keeping my breath in check, and I lean back against the seat and attempt to center myself. Lilith is sitting beside me. She reaches out and rests her hand on my arm. I shiver, and she says, “We got him. We got him.”

I curse as the green dot stops, and I tell them the location, which Matt confirms is an airfield. My blood goes cold. We’re still a couple of minutes away, and that’s a lot of time for someone to slip away by air.

I reach into the pocket on the seat in front of me and pull out the handgun that’s stored there, checking to make sure it’s loaded and the safety is in place before I sit back, my leg bouncing nervously. The whole car is tense, and I can practically smell the tension oozing off everyone as Tony barrels ahead, the tires squealing as he turns into the airfield, driving right through the metal gate and racing out onto the tarmac.

I look down, and see the green dot is still there, not moving, but I can make out the tail of a jet at the end of the runway, going at full speed, and I know we’re too late even before the jet’s wheels leave the ground.

I look down and the green dot is still blinking at me, mocking me, and I scream in frustration as the SUV comes to a halt, and we all exit onto the pavement. This means one of two things: either they brought him here to execute him before making their escape, or I have a little surprise here waiting for me, and he’s in the wind.

I glance around, seeing that the green dot is still unmoving, so I wander around a bit until I come across what looks like a square in the distance. I run over and see that it’s a gift box, a black one with a nifty silver bow, and I suddenly have flashbacks ofBrad Pittin a field, and my urge to vomit intensifies.

The others have caught up to me, and they’re all looking at the box with concern. I vaguely hear them muttering to each other over the roaring in my ears, questioning the likelihood that it’s a body part. I don’t think it looks big enough to be a head, so I guess I should be reassured by that, but if I open that box and there’s a hand in there, I’m probably going to freak out.

Tony nudges me then asks me if I want him to do it. I give him a shake of my head and then step forward, crouching down and closing my eyes as I take a deep breath and lift the lid off the box. I peek one eye open, exhaling loudly in relief as I note Dare’s watch at the bottom of the box. I reach in, pulling it out to find there’s a note underneath. I pick it up and open it. Tony speaks behind me, “What does it say, Nettie?”

I swallow the lump in my throat and read it to them. “Let it go, or he’ll die a 17th-century death. And then you all will be next.”

I clutch the watch in my hand, then hold the note out to Matt as I mull over the words for a moment. I can see everyone is trying to figure out who the heck may have left this note for us, and it seems like everyone’s coming up blank.

I finally look up and see they’re all looking at me expectantly, and I’m not entirely sure what they think they’re waiting for. All I know is some fucking idiot took it upon themselves to take something that’s mine. They’ve taken something that’s mine without my permission and then acted like they have the power to control my next move. And not just mine; they took something that is Tony’s and Matt’s, and even Lilith’s if you want to get down to the dirty details of it all.

Some fucking idiot took something that didn’t belong to them, and then tried to put conditions on their thievery.

My blood boils in my veins, my hands fisting at my sides, and it’s almost as if that rush of fury clicks some of those missing pieces back into place, and I meet Lilith’s gaze. Excitement brims in her eyes, and she whispers, “There she is.”

I look at Matt, and then at Tony. I stand up taller, straightening my spine, my jaw clenched so tightly my teeth hurt, and I feel my own beast rattling in my chest as I respond.

“Burn it all.”

Dare

Somehow, I manage to sleep the entire flight, which is a relief, but also hugely inconvenient, considering I have no idea how long I’ve been in the air. So, when I’m jarred awake by the wheels thumping down on the runway, I’m more than a little disoriented.

I sit up and attempt to stretch out while ignoring the pounding in my head. There’s a bottle of water beside me that I normally would ignore, considering it could easily be poison, but I’m so thirsty that I have no choice but to open it up and guzzle it down. My stomach lurches from the sudden influx of fluid, and I take some deep breaths as I fight the urge to throw it back up.

The jet comes to a stop, and thumping sounds outside. The door opens, and a man appears. He doesn’t say anything, he just motions me to follow him, and so I do. I can’t make any moves until I have a full scope of what I’m up against, so in the meantime, I just have to fall in line and figure it out.

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