Page 57 of Their Virgins Secret

Burke hadn’t said a damn word since they had tied up Hilary and gotten the call from Dex confirming the location of the airstrip and vowing to call in the police. After that, Burke had shut down.

“It shouldn’t be more than a half a mile. Do you think she’s already in the air?” Burke’s voice was a flat monotone.

“If they’re in as small a plane as I believe, they would be insane to take off in this storm. And Marco isn’t crazy. Evil, but very intelligent. She’s still here. ” As Cole slowed the SUV, he hoped he wasn’t giving his brother false hope, but it was pouring, the rain lashing at the vehicle in straight lines. “Besides, he thinks Hilary is dead. From his perspective, we would have no way of knowing which airport they were at. This one isn’t even listed. It’s a miracle we had a number. ”

It was a miracle. And a clue that they would get her back. Cole felt it deep in his soul. She was out there waiting for them. He knew he was the one who usually took the pessimistic view of life, but with his brother sitting beside him, guilt eating away at him, Cole had to bring the balance. That’s the way it had been all of their lives.

And they’d felt complete because they had found Jessa. He’d given up on her once. He wouldn’t do it again.

He caught sight of a line of flashing white lights blinking in the distance. He moved cautiously. “Get the binoculars. ”

Either Marco hadn’t been sure of which car was theirs, or he’d been smug that they couldn’t catch up. Either way, the binoculars were right where he’d left them in the SUV.

Cole stopped the car. Burke peered through the lenses and turned on the night vision.

“I see a hangar. There’s only one. Nothing on the tarmac. If they’re still here, they have to be inside the hangar, waiting out the storm,” Burke said. “We’re going to have to walk. ”

They couldn’t take the chance of tipping off Delgado. The element of surprise might be their only possible advantage. They didn’t even know how many men were in the hangar, between them and Jessa. Everyone would be armed, for sure. They didn’t know exactly where Jessa was being held. Inside the plane? Deep in the hangar? Did she have a gun to her head? Was she tied up? Had Delgado already assaulted her?

Every one of those thoughts terrified him, but he couldn’t give in to panic. Rushing in wouldn’t save Jessa, just get them all killed. And Burke didn’t have his head on straight.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Cole assured him. “We don’t have time to go into freaking therapy over this, but you have to know that. Hilary was living out some fantasy in her head. That is not your fault. ”

Burke’s face turned down. “I knew she thought of me as more than a boss. I should have found some way to gently squelch her feelings long ago. ”

Cole groaned. He knew what his brother was thinking, but Burke had to let it go. “I knew she had a crush on you, too. But neither of us ever imagined she would go to such lengths. You can’t go after Jessa with your head all fucked up. Put the guilt and shit out of your mind for now. You have to go in there confident in one thing. ”

His brother finally looked at him. Cole could see the guilt weighing him down. “What is that?”

“That we have the right to protect her, to love her. She belongs to us, and we’re going to save her. No more mistakes. No more letting things come between us. ” Cole had been right where Burke was. In many ways, he still struggled not to fall into that dark place in his soul. But he refused to let guilt and doubt cost him another minute with Jessa. She might never forgive them, but by god she would have to deal with them. She would have to see them because he wasn’t going to let his son grow up without a father. And he wasn’t going to let her be alone again. Even if he had to protect her from afar, he would.

Burke took a deep breath. “I love her. ”

“And she loves us. We just have to remind her. ”

Cole felt a deep sense of relief as Burke’s eyes hardened and his hand curled around the Glock on his lap. “We’re going to kill him. ”

Cole understood what his brother meant. No matter what happened, Marco Delgado was going to die. They wouldn’t hold him for the police. They wouldn’t make a case against him and hope that the justice system worked. Marco Delgado’s trial was over. He was guilty, and his punishment would be swift.

“We’re going to kill him,” Cole agreed.

They took a moment to discuss strategy, making a few assumptions based on what they knew of Delgado, combining tactical experience. They threw in a few prayers for good measure.

“Then let’s go. ” Burke tucked his gun under his coat and took off in the pouring rain.

Cole followed. There was no other person he would want watching his back than the man who shared half of his soul. And he knew one thing for sure. Somehow, someway, they would win.

* * * *

Jessa shivered. She tried to hold it in, but she’d gotten drenched in the rain, and now the cool air of the hangar in which Delgado held her prisoner mingled in her blood with shock. She couldn’t stop shaking.

“There’s no use pretending, Miss Wade. I know you’re awake. ”

His voice filled her with dread. She’d come back to consciousness as they were carting her into the hangar. She’d listened to him scream about the weather and threaten to kill the pilot, who had simply told him that taking a small plane into straight-line winds was the same thing as putting a bullet in his brain, and the bullet was faster.

Marco had backed off, but he hadn’t been happy about it.

There was a long sigh. “Keeping your eyes closed will not solve the problem, Miss Wade. And you’ll continue to be cold. If you give up the game, you’ll find I’ve provided you with a blanket. ”

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