Deep Under (Tall, Dark and Deadly #4)(76)

“I’m nervous,” she says. “I don’t know if I can still fake it with him anymore. I’ve been away from him and-”

“You can. You will. And this is not how I wanted to tell you this, but I love you. I am so f*cking in love with you. I think I was even before I met you, as crazy as that sounds even to me.”

“Why are you saying this now? Stop staying it like it’s goodbye. It’s not goodbye.”

The door opens behind her, forcing me to let go of her hand, and she mouths, “I love you, too,” before she rotates to exit the car. I stay with her, ready to grab her if necessary. Hell, I just go ahead and do it.

I step to her side and shackle her arm, while Juan appears in front of us. “Inside the plane,” he orders.

“Is Michael here?” Myla asks eagerly.

“Go inside and find out,” Juan says, a snide taunt to his voice, his eyes meeting mine, a challenge in their depths I plan to counter with a bullet between his eyes.

My hand goes to my gun. “She’s not getting on that plane until I talk to Alvarez.”

“Do you really think you can resist at this point?”

“Do you really want to risk her getting hurt in the struggle?”

His thin lips get thinner and he pulls his phone from his pocket, punching in a number and then listening a moment. “He wants to talk to you.” Juan hands me the cellphone.

“Kyle here,” I say.

“Had you let her get on that plane without contacting me,” Alvarez says. “I would have killed you.”

“Why am I taking orders from Juan?”

“I have plans for him,” he says. “Don’t worry about him.”

“I seem to remember we discussed the opposite.”

“That order stands.”

“So I do need to worry about him?” I ask, looking directly at Juan, and making damn sure he knows we’re talking about him.

“Keep her close and him at a distance.”

“You realize what a conflicting message that is?”

“That message will become crystal clear in about four hours. Let me talk to Myla.”

“Where are we going?”

“I repeat. Let me talk to Myla.”

I hand the phone to Myla. She presses it to her ear, her gaze going to Juan, who’s staring at her, which prompts her to give him her back. “Where have you been?” she asks, eager. “I was worried.” She is silent for several beats. “Yes. I’m glad. See you soon.” She rotates forward again and hands me the phone. “He hung up.”

Juan reaches for it, yanking it from my hand. “Angry much?” I ask, with an arched brow.

“Just get in the damn plane.”

I shackle Myla’s arm and we start walking, two men, one of which is Ricardo, flanking us. Myla walks up the stairs first, with me on her heels, and I can tell she is unsteady, anticipating Alvarez might have tricked us and be inside, while I’m preparing to reach for my gun and kill him. Myla enters the plane, with me there immediately after. She turns to look at me, giving me a shake of her head, telling me Alvarez is not here.

I glance over her shoulder, eyeing several rows of leather seats. “All the way to the back,” I instruct.

“Myla, you’re up here with me,” Juan says, appearing in the walkway.

“That’s not happening,” I say, motioning for her to get moving.

Juan’s hand comes down on my arm, and I pull my gun, pointing it at him. “Touch me again and you’re dead.”

Ricardo is suddenly beside him, pointing his weapon at me as well. Myla steps to my side. “Michael hired him. He wants him alive. Pilot! Call Michael.”

“Don’t call anyone,” Juan calls out. “Holster your damn weapon, Ricardo.” Juan lifts his chin at me. “Go take your f*cking seat.” Ricardo lowers his weapon, moving to sit down.

“Go sit, Myla,” I order softly, lowering my Glock.

“She’s protective of you,” Juan observes. “Michael isn’t going to like that.”

“Is that a threat?”

“I don’t need to threaten you. Not when Myla is this close to you.” He walks to his seat and claims it.

I back away, moving down the aisle with my gun at my side, re-holstering only when I’m sitting next to Myla in the seat at the back of the plane. “Sig Island, right off Long Island,” she says. “That’s where we’re going.”

I hold up a hand, silencing her, certain we are being recorded and maybe even filmed. She inhales and sinks into the leather of her chair. I do the same, hoping like hell our team heard her tell them our destination. That is the question we’ll both be asking for the next four hours in the air.





Chapter Twenty-One





Kyle





Hours of sitting next to Myla, wanting to touch her, wanting to talk to her, pretty much kills me. I manage to randomly touch her, though, trying to send her the message that we’re together. We’re okay. The plane finally starts to descend, and she takes off her seat belt. “Bathroom,” she says, standing and heading toward the back of the plane.

I follow, knowing this is one of the only locations where I can talk to her, and even if it’s bugged, we’re at the end of this trip, and it’s worth the risk. She enters the tiny room, and I catch the door before she closes it.