Bravura (Portentous Destiny Series Book 3)

by S. E. Rose

  “You weren’t a math geek, huh?”

  “Nope,” I answer as I cough.

  “Seriously, Zoe, have you gone to the doctor?”

  I start laughing and then start coughing. “Dude, I’m a nurse, remember?”

  He gives me a stern look. “Yes, and nurses and doctors make the worst patients!”

  I shrug. “True.”

  “Promise me that you’ll go if you don’t feel better by Monday.”

  “If I promise, will you stop bugging me about it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine,” I huff and cross my arms.

  “You are hands down the most adorable stubborn person I have ever met,” he says with a smile.

  “I’m not stubborn,” I explain. “I’m just right, all of the time,” I snicker.

  He rolls his eyes, and I start coughing again. “Princess, I’m going to let you go and sleep. Please take care of yourself.”

  I salute him in between coughs, and we hang up. I fall asleep about thirty seconds later. The next day I feel even worse. I don’t get out of bed until I hear a knock at my door sometime in the afternoon. I grumble as I make my way to the door. I open it and some guy is standing there with a giant box.

  “Uh,” he looks at the state of my appearance and backs up as though I have Ebola. Then he clears his throat. “Delivery for a Miss Zoe Greene.”

  I sign on some electronic box, and he hands me the giant package. I set it down on my dining room table and look at it suspiciously. I grab some scissors and open the box. I start laughing at the contents. Inside is a box of Kleenex, chicken soup, a thermometer, cold medicine, cough drops, a vaporizer, and a new Kindle. I open the Kindle and see it’s fully loaded with a bunch of books. There’s a note as well. I open the get-well card.

  Princess—Some things to help you feel better. Keep taking your temperature and if it gets above 101, then go to the doctor! Love, Prince Charming

  I dutifully stick the thermometer in my mouth, one hundred and one. I shrug, make some soup, and tea and crawl back into bed. I call in sick to my next shift and end up sleeping through most of the next few days. I definitely have the flu. By Thursday, I’m feeling better. Cody calls each day and checks in on me. He threatens several times to come up to Philly and make me go to the doctor, but I explain there’s nothing that can be done other than resting.

  By Saturday, I’m back at work, albeit, I’m dragging a bit, but I manage to make it through the weekend. Alex continues to give me a run for my money and a new patient with a badly broken arm and leg keeps me busy most of the time. It’s the typical work day for me. When I get busy at work, the time seems to fly by, and before I know it, I’m back at home. I get a few texts from Cody, and by Sunday night, I’m ready to crawl home and go back to sleep.

  Chapter 11

  Zoe’s Playlist: “Firework” by Katy Perry

  The next week flies by as I pick up an extra shift and start feeling one hundred percent again. The days seem to run together. I’m either working or thinking about Cody. OK, sometimes I’m doing both. I feel like a schoolgirl who has a crush every time Cody texts me. By the end of the week, I’m exhausted and ready for the weekend. I finally hear from Lily, who pesters me about the whole Cody thing. I can tell Cody never told Lance about the Miami weekend. C’est la vie! What happens in Miami, apparently stays there.

  On Friday, Olivia is checked back into the PICU. As soon as I hear she’s there, I come running into her room. Mandy and Ethan are sitting by her bed. I give them hugs and then sit down with Olivia.

  “Fancy meeting you here,” I say in a silly voice as I check her pulse.

  “Hi, Nurse Zoe,” she says in a weak voice. I can tell she doesn’t feel well.

  “Let’s get a treatment started and see if we can get some of that gunk in your lungs broken up, OK?”

  She nods meekly at me, and I give her a big hug. I wish I could just take away her pain. I lift her chin up and smile at her.

  “You are an amazingly brave girl, and I’m really proud of you!”

  “Thanks,” she says grinning slightly.

  We get her a treatment, and I sit with her so Mandy and Ethan can grab some food.

  “So, you up for watching Brave tonight?” I ask her.

  “Sure,” she says with a shrug. Then she gets a mischievous grin on her face.

  “Soooo, how’s your love life?” she says like she’s twenty-eight instead of only eight.

  “Olivia!” I say, feigning shock.

  She giggles a little, which leads to a coughing fit. Once she settles, she looks at me, waiting for my response.

  “It’s, well, interesting.”

  “So, you found Prince Charming?” she asks. I almost choke on my water.

  “Uh, yeah, you could say that.”

  “I mean, he’s really the one?” she asks, putting emphasis on the last word.

  “Olivia,” I give her my best impression of a “mom look.”

  “Nurse Zoe, sometimes you just have to go for it. You may only get one chance to do something, so don’t regret it,” she says with wisdom beyond her years, and once again I know that it comes from her life experience and that makes me so incredibly sad for her.

  I pat her leg. “OK, Olivia. I will.”

  “Good,” she says, crossing her arms. “You, grownups are so difficult.” She smiles at me and I laugh.

  “I know. We really are, aren’t we?” I say with a wink as her parents come back in from eating. The rest of my day flies by and before I know it it’s Saturday and the first thing I see is a text from Cody.

  Cody: Video chat?

  Zoe: Five minutes.

  I do my best to make myself look decent and then call him.

  “Hey,” I say as Cody’s face pops up on my screen.

  “Hi,” he answers as I see him walking around his bedroom.

  “How’s it going?” I ask.

  “Have you talked to Lily?” he asks.

  “Briefly, why?”

  “Well, there’s been a lot going on, and I’m just wondering if she’s spoken with anyone back home.”

  “Not that I know of; is everything OK?”

  He shrugs and runs a hand through his hair.

  “That seems like a ‘no’ to me,” I say as I look at him. I frown, suddenly very concerned about my cousin.

  “If I tell you what I know, then promise to keep it to yourself until she tells you,” he says and sits down.

  I nod, although I hate when people ask me to promise something before I know everything. “Promise,” I say hesitantly.

  Cody launches into the crazy story of Lily searching for info about her biological family. Apparently, her mother was raped when she was fifteen and died from complications when Lily and Nick were born. Lily has found her grandparents and is still trying to figure out who her father was.

  “Wow,” I say when he finishes. I pause, unsure about what I should say, but I decide to take a leap of faith and share with him some of what happened to our family last summer. “Lily’s been through a lot. Last summer she was abducted by some sex traffickers who were going to sell her and another girl. It’s a long story, but she was rescued, and I know this year has been tough for her.”

  “Jesus, I had no idea,” Cody says as he sucks in a breath.

  I nod. “Maybe I should come down there. I know Nick wants to come down at some point, but maybe next week, I should just come down.”

  “I know I’d like it,” Cody says with a smile.

  I laugh and raise my eyebrow. “Oh really?”

  He smiles. “OK, so what day should I expect you to arrive?”

  I roll my eyes. “Give me a few days to figure out my schedule.”

  “OK, but I’m not known for my patience, princess.”

  I bat my eyelashes at him. “I thought Prince Charming was always patient with his princess.”

  He groans. “You’re killing me, darling.”

  “I know,” I answer with a smirk.

&
nbsp; Chapter 12

  Zoe’s Playlist: “Harder to Breathe” by Maroon 5

  On Monday as I’m trying to plan my trip to Colombia, I get a call from Nick that he’s going down to meet his biological grandparents. I grin as it’ll be even more fun to spend time with my cousins too. I ask if I can hitch a ride, and he laughs. We make plane reservations for the following weekend using my exorbitant amount of airline points. I spend the rest of the day thinking about Lily and Nick. I mean really thinking about them. It has to be so weird to be finding out about your biological family when you are in your twenties. And to find out that your bio dad is a sinister real-life villain is crazy. It thrills me that they have found their grandparents, and I can’t wait to meet these new family members. It is probably strange how close I feel to Lily and Nick, but again, if my mom hadn’t gotten so close to their mom after my uncle Pat died, then we probably all wouldn’t be so tight. Strange how things work out.

  The time flies by and before I know it, I’m packing my bags on Tuesday when my phone rings. I smile as I see Cody’s name on my screen.

  “Hey there,” I say, surprised to hear from him so early in the day.

  “Zoe,” he answers in a voice that makes me sit down slowly on my bed.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask, not really wanting to know.

  He sighs. “It’s Lily.”

  I force myself to breathe. “Is she OK?”

  “She’s safe now—”

  “What? What do you mean now?” I interrupt, my voice rising several octaves as I stand.

  “Calm down. She was abducted, but—”

  “What?!” I scream, cutting him off.

  “She’s safe now. Remember she was looking for her biological father?”

  “Yes,” I answer, trying to maintain my cool, but inside I want to know everything that’s happened, and I want to know it now.

  “Well, she found him, and he is not a good guy. And then…Jesus…it’s all so messed up!” I hear him hit something.

  I take another deep breath. “Cody, I need you to tell me exactly what’s happening.”

  “It’s a very messed-up story, Zoe. I’m not sure it’s my place to tell you. I think Lily should talk to you.”

  “Where is she? Can I talk to her now?”

  “No, she’s getting patched up at the hospital—”

  “Wait, what? What’s wrong with her? You said she was alright.”

  “She’s OK. Minor cuts and scratches and I think she twisted her ankle when she escaped,” he says, trying to explain.

  “Escaped? Escaped from who?” I practically yell in frustration.

  “Listen, I need Jack’s number,” Cody demands as he completely ignores my previous question.

  “Why?”

  He sighs again. “Lance told me to call him because he’s apparently some CIA guy. I’m pretty sure a man I do business with is involved in human trafficking, and he was doing business with Lily’s biological father. Lily was abducted by her father. She was trying to stop him from taking kids, and she was taken, but she escaped and got the kids out too.”

  “What?! Holy shit!” I say as I desperately try to wrap my head around what is going on, but I feel like I only have a few puzzle pieces, and it’s one of those thousand-piece puzzles.

  “Yeah, tell me about it.”

  “Uh, just a second. OK, I’m texting you his number right now.” I skim through my contacts, glad that I added his cell number when he moved in with my aunt.

  “Got it. Thanks. I need to call him. I’ll call you back later, OK?”

  “Yeah, uh sure,” I mutter as my mind explodes with “what-ifs” and “what is going on.” I suddenly remember we are still on the phone. “Wait,” I start as my mind comes back to the present, “Cody, I don’t understand exactly what is going on, but please, be careful.”

  “I will, princess. I promise.” I hang up and stare at my phone. I’m not sure how long I stare at it, but I see Nick’s face pop up on the screen, and my phone starts buzzing.

  “Nick?!”

  “Zoe, oh my God. Did Cody call you? We’re all catching a plane tonight at ten thirty. We can’t get there till the morning, but I just switched my ticket.”

  “OK, I’m switching mine too then.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m coming with you. I don’t exactly know what’s going on, but you can debrief me at the airport. Who’s all going?”

  “Mom, Jack, you, and I.”

  “Alright, just a second, let me get in the app. OK, just a minute. Yep, got it, the ten-thirty flight, and then the first one out to Ibague in the morning?”

  “Yep, those are the ones.”

  “Booked. I’m getting in my car and driving down as soon as I finish packing. I’ll see you at the airport this evening,” I say exasperated. “She’ll be OK, Nick. She’s strong,” I add, mostly to assure myself.

  “I know. I’ll explain everything on the flight, OK? And, Zoe?”

  “Yes?”

  “Thanks.”

  “Love you guys,” I say, and I hang up. I text Rob and my mom, and they call and freak out insisting they come too, but I tell them to stay put. I finish packing, give Marvin a slow-release fish food tablet and water the one plant I have left. I put my key under the mat by the front door, and text my neighbor Steve to ask if he can check on stuff while I’m gone.

  I take the express train down to the airport. I get to BWI Airport at 7:30 p.m. on the dot. I make my way to the gate. We’re flying through Miami, so I don’t have to worry about the international travel stuff yet. I slump down in a chair by the gate and wait for my family to show up. I fall asleep and wake up to someone poking me.

  “Zoe, wake up,” Nick says.

  I sit up and stare into the eyes of my aunt. I can tell she’s upset, and I give her a hug. “They’re boarding in ten minutes, sweetie. I didn’t want to wake you,” she says.

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “I’m glad you are coming with us,” she says and gives me a squeeze before returning to the arms of Jack. Jack Ross is the epitome of James Bond meets Scottish royal sex god. He also happens to be Aunt Laura’s fiancé. And he also happens to be the reason my cousin Lily got mixed up with human traffickers while visiting Scotland last summer. Jack has since been living in the U.S. training various special agents on human trafficking issues. Jack gives me a small encouraging smile.

  “She’ll be OK, love,” he says to Laura as he pulls her tighter against him. “You got everything you need, Zoe?”

  I look around and grab my backpack. “Yep.” He nods to the gate, and we all board. Jack has somehow arranged first class for us. Go figure. After switching to our international flight in Miami, I fall asleep and wake to Nick poking me again.

  “We’re here, Zoe.”

  I nod and grab my bag. Passport control takes forever. While we wait in line, Nick debriefs me. Apparently, Lily’s biological father is a former priest turned human trafficker. Lily caught him taking children from the orphanage where she was volunteering, and then she was abducted. She somehow managed to escape, and is now at a secret location in Ibague, while the national police look for both her father and Cody’s business partner, who is also somehow involved in the human trafficking. The story is so crazy that I can hardly believe Nick. I simply nod my head a few times as he relays it all to me.

  After finally clearing customs, we make it to our domestic flight just in time. We have to take a bus to a small airplane that looks like a glorified prop airplane that you see bush pilots using in Africa. I know it’s way bigger, but to me, that is what it looks like. Nick takes a seat next to me, and I grip his hand.

  “It’s fine. It’s a really short flight, less than an hour.”

  I nod and close my eyes. Our takeoff is fine. I watch Bogota get smaller as we start flying over the mountains, and then I hear a giant pop and the plane shifts to one side. Several passengers scream, and I look out the window. One of the engines is on fire. Worst nightmare co
nfirmed.

  The pilot comes on the intercom and starts speaking rapidly in Spanish, but I don’t understand what he’s saying. I look helplessly at Nick.

  “The engine blew. He has to make an emergency landing.” His eyes are wide, and he grips my hand.

  I watch in horror as the plane descends, bouncing back and forth in a very unnatural way. I look down and see a small clearing ahead and I know the pilot is trying to land us on that extremely small piece of land as it is surrounded by mountains with no other flat clearings for miles. All I can think is “this is how I’m going to die.” Images of my family, friends, and Cody slideshow through my brain. Nick squeezes my hand, we look at each other. Passengers are crying, calling loved ones, and professing love for their travel partners. I’m in shock as I stare into Nick’s eyes. We don’t have to say a word to each other. The captain comes back on, and Nick informs me he is saying to brace for impact. The oxygen masks fall from the overhead compartments, and we put them on and crouch down so our heads are touching our knees. I hear beeping and the whooshing of air, and I look over at Nick who is still clutching my hand. And then…nothing.

  Chapter 13

  Zoe’s Playlist: “Alive” by Sia

  Beep. Beep. Beep. It’s the beeping that wakes me. I’m confused. What is that sound? Did I forget to turn off my alarm? I try to reach out for my alarm clock, but I can’t move my arm. I try to open my eyes, but it’s difficult. Someone’s talking to me.

  “Zoe? Zoe? It’s me, Cody. Can you hear me? I’m right here, princess.”

  I try to speak, but I suddenly realize my throat is super dry and sore. I think I’m moving my lips, but I can’t tell. I feel someone squeeze my hand, and I try to squeeze it back. The effort of doing all this has me exhausted, but why? I want to open my eyes. Eventually, I succumb to sleep.

  The next time I wake, I don’t hear the beeping. I try to open my eyes. It takes too much effort. Instead, I try to listen. I hear someone breathing and feel a hand on mine. I try to speak, but my throat is still too dry. I manage to move a finger.

  “Zoe?” It’s Cody.

  I try to speak. “Zoe, don’t speak yet, darling. I’m going to get a nurse. I’ll be right back.”