by A. J. Macey
“Thanks,” I murmured, walking forward and dropping my bag on the belt. With one quick glance at a distracted Hunter, I went through the body scanner and headed to my gate.
Hunter
Her smile was forced, seeming almost like a cringe, but I didn’t question it before she followed the flow of travelers into the security line. I wanted to turn and leave right away, to forget the ridiculous last day of events, but I hesitated. What the hell is wrong with me? I tore my gaze away from Chloe’s deep black colored hair but hadn’t made it two steps before my phone was ringing.
“Hey, Sam,” I greeted after seeing who was calling.
“How’s it going?” he questioned.
“Uh... good?”
“I meant how’s shit going with Chloe. You two haven’t stabbed one another yet, right?”
“Why would you think that?” I countered with a frown.
“Maybe because you threw a tantrum during the meeting yesterday?”
I rolled my eyes and bit back a sigh. “Is that the only reason you’re calling?”
“No, just wanted to give an update. Theo and I have found nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to the Phantoms.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Just as I finished my question, an announcement sounded over the speakers of the airport, and I held my breath to see how Sam would react.
“Is that the airport in the background?” His tone was low and deadly.
“It’s the movie I’m watching,” I lied effortlessly. “You were saying?”
“Right, but here’s the weird part. It’s actually the exact opposite.”
“What is?” I questioned, growing increasingly irritated. My mood had quickly turned sour when we arrived at the airport, and the roundabout conversation wasn’t helping. Just spit it out, Sam.
“It’s abnormally silent. No whispers, no movement, literally nothing we could dig up. If they were staying on the downlow, there would be at least something. Instead, it’s like the Phantoms were wiped off the map.”
A lead weight formed in my stomach, my mind going back to the piece of paper Chloe had brought to us.
“So, whatever they’re planning, it’s big?” I hedged. “Bigger than them dropping bodies all over the city, anyway,” I tacked on, remembering that’s what they’d done in the recent months until Liam and Harper had taken out a chunk of their members.
“Yeah, so it’s best to keep an ear open and your head on a swivel, especially while Chloe’s here under our protection.” I involuntarily cringed at the reminder that I was breaking my father’s rules. “I just wanted to give you an update since I wasn’t sure if you were coming in soon.”
“Possibly, we’ll see how the day goes. Call if you have anything else, alright?”
“You got—”
When the start of another announcement sounded, I hung up, not wanting him to question it again. Sighing, I glanced once more to the security line, realizing Chloe had already gone through. I bit back the traitorous emotions that grew, knowing I’d missed seeing her one final time, and spun on my heel to leave the airport and everything to do with Short Stuff behind.
8
Chloe
Two hours until my flight boards, I noted with a frown as I reached the terminal where my gate was. Traveling was something I loved and would continue to do. However, flying was always a struggle, no matter how many times I’d been on an airplane.
Scanning the area, I tried to decide what I wanted to do—sit and try to relax until the boarding time or hang out at one of the airport restaurants. When I saw a bar that had a few empty seats at the counter, I instantly made my decision.
“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked.
“Whiskey straight or whatever you have to take the edge off flying,” I joked. My reasoning wasn’t a lie per se, but it also would help keep the negative train of thoughts about Hunter at bay. Or so I hoped.
The guy chuckled and grabbed a bottle from the shelf, pouring a low ball. “One flying anxiety remedy,” he offered, passing over the liquor. I smiled, already feeling the tension in my shoulders drain as I picked it up. Downing it quickly, I slid it back with a ‘more, please.’ Thankfully, the bar wasn’t overly busy, so he filled it up two more times without me having to wait.
“Okay, I think I’ll just nurse this one,” I said when he passed over my fourth glass. “Don’t want to pass out before my flight takes off.”
“Good plan. I just wish everyone thought like you,” he murmured, eyeing another customer who was slumped in one of the small booths, snoring. The sight made me laugh, but I smothered it behind my hand so I didn’t seem like an asshole.
I wasn’t sure if it was the warmth pumping through my system or the building stress of flying, but I felt my stomach flip. At the odd warning sign, I glanced around the terminal. On first pass, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, everyone glued to their phones or books as they waited for their flights or perusing the various shop stands, but the worrying sensation only grew.
On my second pass, I saw two men eyeing me, their intent focus making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. No amount of logic calmed me, and when they pushed off the wall where they were standing, I felt adrenaline flow through me. Digging out the small bundle of cash I’d had with my passport, I tossed what I assumed was way more than necessary onto the counter and got up, leaving my half-full glass and payment behind.
If they don’t follow, that means I’m on edge and overreacting. I quickly pulled on my backpack. They were nearing the bar, but I left before they covered the exit. When they changed direction, I knew I wasn’t paranoid.
My heart rate raced as they followed me, picking up their pace as I started back toward security. There was no way I could hold them off until my flight boarded, and for all I knew, they had tickets, too. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to be in the secured part of the airport.
There were a hundred questions swirling in my mind as I shifted from a fast walk to a jog, like how the hell they knew I was here when this wasn’t my original plane ride home. Glancing over my shoulder, one of them looked at his partner, and I saw the familiar black ink of a Phantom on the side of his neck. Before I could process the confirmation, the Phantoms found me and ran after me. I shoved all thoughts away and focused on getting as far away from them as my legs could carry me.
The one benefit I had over them was, while I was shorter, I was tinier and able to weave between the other travelers. The two men were burly and tall, their size forcing them to slow each time they weaved around people, but I knew it was only a matter of time before they started to just barrel through.
My breathing grew shallow, and my vision tunneled the longer I ran, panic clawing up my throat when I realized I had no plan in place other than to run. Hunter was right. He wouldn’t be there to save me.
But at that moment, I wished he could.
Hunter
Shoving my phone in my pocket, I strode out of the airport and back to the parking garage. It took a bit to reach the section where I’d found a parking spot, each step making my frown deepen.
“Get a handle on your shit, Hunter,” I muttered. First, I couldn’t wait to get rid of her, but somehow in the course of a day with little interaction, I didn’t want to see her go.
What the hell is wrong with me?
A horn honking somewhere in the structure pulled me out of my head, and I slowed to a stop. My eyes narrowed at the cars around me. All of them were normal, nothing out of the ordinary, except one that looked oddly familiar—the license plate number holding my focus.
Digging out my phone, I sent a quick text to my brothers, asking if they remembered what kind of car one of the main enforcers of the Phantoms drove. Unfortunately, the solid concrete of the building cut off any service, so I had to choose if I would let it lie and leave or head back to the airport entrance to send it.
I wasn’t far from my car, so it would have been easy enough to just forget about it, but something in me refus
ed to let go. Groaning loud enough, it echoed off the stone pillar nearby, I turned around and headed back to the airport.
“If this turns out to be nothing, I’m going to punch something,” I muttered, hating how on edge I was becoming. We just got out of a huge battle with the Phantoms a week and a half ago. Was it so hard to ask for some peace and quiet? The rueful thought was immediately discarded when I walked through the sliding glass doors and saw Chloe panting hard as she sprinted back through security.
Hot on her heels was Gage Ventrinali and another Phantom. Rage surged as I ran forward to grab Chloe.
They’re about to find out what it’s like to fuck with the Auckland Kings.
9
Chloe
Almost to the front, I chanted, holding tight to the hope maybe airport security could help. Everything ached and throbbed, my shoulder searing in pain with each pump of my arm, but I didn’t slow. I scanned the security area through the quickly darkening tunnel, trying to find a security officer to help, but my eyes found something else… someone else.
Someone better.
Hunter.
I nearly cried out when I saw his harsh gaze on the two men behind me, but my throat and lungs burned, keeping the plea contained on the tip of my tongue. Thankfully, he seemed to know the stakes, sprinting to catch up to me. Snatching my elbow, he guided me toward the doors.
I wanted to question why, but at that moment, all I could do was keep running to keep ahead of the men who clearly didn’t have my best interest. We retraced our steps to where he’d parked not that long ago, but the men slowly crept closer and closer until they finally reached us.
A sharp tug on my bag yanked me backward, stumbling into a solid chest and a steely grip. A rough yell ripped through me at the man’s arm wrapping around my torso, his arm jarring my injured shoulder.
“I don’t fucking think so,” Hunter hissed in anger, kicking out at the other Phantom.
The adrenaline in my system was pumping, making me hyperaware of everything around me, and the pain dulled as fast as it appeared. Twisting sharply, I tried to loosen the man’s grasp long enough to put some distance between us.
It worked, my body’s momentum carrying me until I practically spun around far enough to see him. The hard, cutting glint in his gaze made my stomach drop as I scrambled back, fear making the acid in my stomach creep up my throat. There was no way I could let them take me, but try as I might to get away, I couldn’t get past a couple of steps.
I kicked, punched, and tried to jerk my body around to dislodge him, stop any attempts of him grabbing me, but it wasn’t enough. He had enough weight and brawn on me, all he had to do was get one strong grasp, and it kept me from running.
Hunter’s fight and the pained cries of the other Phantom sounded fuzzy and far away in my panicked haze, my heart beating out of control, thudded loudly in my ears. I hoped Hunter could save me, but I didn’t dare turn to look and see how he was faring.
“Come here, you little shit,” the man hissed, one meaty hand clamping down on my arm and tugging with all his force. A pop sounded, and immediate pain seared my arm and torso on my injured side, my shoulder dislocating from the jarring pull.
Each step away from Hunter included a fresh yank, and I couldn’t stop the scream from ripping through me. Bile rose from the slowly diminishing adrenaline mixed with the blinding pain and fear that iced my veins. But no matter what I tried, I was still forced farther and farther from Hunter, so I finally gave in and looked back, hoping to find him coming for me.
Without him, I was so fucked.
Hunter
The pained scream Chloe loosed echoed off the hard surfaces of the parking garage. My focus wanted to turn to her, but I couldn’t. Not until I finished with this piece of shit. I growled, punching out in rapid succession until he finally crumbled in a bloody heap.
When I finally turned to the second man, he was dragging a struggling Chloe down the aisle to the car I’d noticed earlier. My upper lip curled, and adrenaline pumped through me in time with my fury. Sprinting, I barreled toward the second man just as he reached the trunk of his car. Before he could open and toss Chloe in, I collided with him, the force knocking down both of us. Chloe’s cry was sharp in my ears as I ripped the man away from her.
While the first man had been quick and scrappy when it came to fighting, this one was too bulky. It slowed him down, and I took advantage of every opportunity I could to lay a hit. All my emotions, everything that had piled up in the last few weeks, came tumbling out, fueling my punches until I heard a loud girly shout pull me from the repetitive movements.
“Hunter!” Chloe called in a hoarse yell. “He’s passed out. We need to go!”
At her statement, I finally looked at the Phantom beneath me. His bloodied face was turned to the side, and he was knocked out cold. I worried I might have lost control for too long, killing him, but his heartbeat was strong against my fingers when I checked. I would have loved nothing more than to give the two of them what they deserved, but it was risky enough just leaving them beaten in the airport garage.
“Come on,” I instructed, standing quickly. “We need to get out of here.”
Chloe’s wide eyes never left me as I shuffled her toward the car, but I didn’t stop to tell her why. All I wanted to do was get out of the garage and get to somewhere safe, so I could check over the two of us for injuries.
The drive out of the garage dragged on, the adrenaline still flowing freely, making me jittery. The car was utterly silent except the soft sound of the tires over the pavement and our ragged breathing. There was no music, no talking, no anything, except getting the hell away from the Phantoms. After a good half-hour of driving through random streets in Auckland, I finally pulled into a secluded alcove to look at Chloe.
“Are you alright?” I asked, but she didn’t react. Grinding my teeth, I reached over and snapped in front of her dazed expression. The loud sound made her jump slightly, her face creasing in pain. “What’s injured?”
“My shoulder,” she murmured, whimpering. “I think it’s dislocated.”
My jaw ached from how hard I clenched and ground my teeth, the fury at them nearly taking her, growing as I got out of the car. She eyed me when I opened her door, confusion blatant with the furrowed brow and tiny frown.
“What are you—”
“Come on, get out,” I commanded, waving her out of the seat.
“You’re just going to leave me on the side of the road?” she exclaimed, disbelief filling her tone.
“What?” I tilted my head. “Fuck no, I’m not leaving your ass anywhere. I’m going to put your shoulder back in its place. The longer you wait, the more it’ll hurt.”
“Oh…” she murmured, finally shifting carefully out of the car. Examining the joint, I frowned, knowing it might have been better to go to the hospital where she could get some anesthesia, but we couldn’t risk it.
“It’s going to hurt like to hell and back, okay?” I tried to warn her, leaning down to look at her tear-streaked face. I hadn’t noticed the wet tracks until now, her honey-brown eyes red and puffy, and a fresh bout of anger filled me. The Phantoms are going to pay for hurting her. I tucked the possessive thought away, unsure how to react to the newest development I was feeling for my forced protectee.
“Okay…” she said, her hushed tone barely audible despite how quiet it was.
“Lean into me, hold on to my shirt, or wrap your free arm around my waist, whatever you need to do when I put this in. Feel free to scream,” I added, knowing even if she tried to hold back, she wouldn’t be able to.
When she stepped into me, I realized just how small she was, not only in height but in weight. She was thin. When she wrapped one arm around my waist and pressed her face into my shirt, I wouldn’t have been surprised if she got carried away by a strong wind. No wonder the asshole got so far with her, I noted with a frown. The revelation did nothing for my already irritable mood, so I focused on grabbing her arm as gently
as I could, hating the sound of her whimpering cries.
“Ready?”
“Just do it,” she told me, already holding onto me with a death grip.
When the joint shifted back into the socket, Chloe trembled, screaming loud enough to make my ears ring. Once it was done, I let go of her now set limb and wrapped her in my arms, holding her as she sobbed. It took a long moment for her to settle, her arm loosening around my stomach but not releasing.
“Now what?” she mumbled, my shirt muffling her words.
“Now? Now, we figure out just how much they know about you. So, I hope you like Vegemite because you’re going to be eating a lot at the safehouse.”
10
Chloe
Everything ached. My body felt as though it was weighed down by a heavy blanket. Safehouse. That’s where we were going. It was surreal, the number of changes in my life in the last day really wearing me down, but even though I felt like I was a zombie, I still couldn’t fall asleep against the window of the car.
“Alright, we’re here,” he told me gruffly, tossing the car into park when he pulled into a narrow driveway. Finally, focusing on the space outside the car, I saw a tiny residence. It wasn’t necessarily a run-down area, but it wasn’t luxurious like the other places I’d seen of the Auckland Kings.
Following Hunter’s lead, I slipped out of the car and headed toward the front door. The closer I got to the home, the more I saw chipped paint on the windowsills and weeds growing in the small flower bed. It clearly wasn’t somewhere they kept up, and I could only hope they had it stocked with food—other than Vegemite.
The mindless observations kept my shock at bay, my mind unable to process so much in such a short time frame. Once we were inside the darkened home, Hunter had other ideas.