Page 104 of Raze
Chapter twenty-seven
Jackson
It’s time.
All my planning, the blood I’ve spilled, everything has led up to this moment. And I’m ready for it. I had every intention of tucking my little one away while I took care of GE once and for all, but my arrogance at this all going according to plan was outclassed by her stubbornness.
And her love for me.
I know she didn’t say it, but she doesn’t have to. I see it in the way she looks at me. The way she fights for me, forus.Seeing her matching tattoo is all the proof I’ll ever need, and now I feel like I’m invincible.
That tattoo will be our talisman, our good luck charm. I don’t usually believe in that stuff, but when I saw it on her, I knew I could believe in it. It’s our bond given physical form for the world to see that we can’t be separated.
So, even though the plan has changed, my determination to see this through doesn’t waver. Raegan was never meant to sit back andlet others take care of her problems for her. She’s a warrior. A fighter. I should have known she wouldn’t cower and run from danger. She’ll run right to it if someone she cares about might be in trouble.
That strength and bravery are only the tip of the iceberg of why I’m so obsessed with her.
The helicopter is already waiting on the pad by the time Raegan and I get there. We climb in, buckling ourselves next to one another across from Thorne. My hand immediately seeks out hers, intertwining our fingers together.
And with that simple gesture, any annoying flutter of concern dissipates. Her touch brings my feet back to the ground, reminds me of who I am and why I’m here. There is no end to this other than getting what we need and escaping together. Whether we kill everyone on the island to do it or not; it doesn’t matter. Only that I’ll protect her at all costs.
Thorne tries to have a conversation through the bulky and uncomfortable headsets he has us wearing. He didn’t offer one to Raegan, so I almost declined mine, but I was too curious to hear what he had to say to me.
Nothing.
He blabbers on about what we’re going to accomplish, and I tune him out. I know I need to keep him from being too upset with me while I’m pretending to be on the same side, but the fact that he listened to Raegan’s pleasure still has rage burning in my gut. I turn my face away from him, casually dismissing him and whatever he’s saying, to lean over to Raegan and press a kiss at her temple.
She bites back a smile, flicking an annoyed look at Thornebefore her ocean blue eyes soften once they reach me. I smile back, constantly enamored with her reactions to me. I want to learn every single one. If I could spend an entire day drawing each of them from her until I’m satisfied, then I would.
Maybe after this is all over.
Soon.
Thorne’s glaring at me when I look back at him, and my smile twists into a smirk. He knows, has always known, about my feelings toward Raegan. There’s nothing he can say or do about it because she’s the only reason I’m supposedly helping him right now. He’s forced to swallow that bitter pill, and it’s a pleasure to witness.
Thankfully, that puts an end to any conversation or haughty remarks for me to have to endure, and the remainder of the flight is silent between the three of us.
It’s only an hour or two before the island appears ahead. As we draw closer, it looks mostly un-lived in, apart from a few small buildings maybe a mile inland from the southern beach. If this is supposed to be one of their strongholds, I expected far more buildings, more activity, more…everythingfrom what I’m seeing now.
Raegan squeezes my hand in concern.
It wouldn’t be entirely unexpected if they were to make us meet at a lesser island for their protection, so I don’t let any negative feelings cloud my thoughts. We stick to the plan. They should have computers connected to the rest somehow, so there will still be a way in. I’ll reach out to Dane if I have to in order to help us once we’re online.
Worst case, there’s always a paper trail.
I rub my thumb over the back of her hand to reassure her that everything’s going to be okay.
The helicopter lands, and there’s a man with a clipboard waiting off to the side. I have Thorne get out first, and then I follow behind him with Raegan behind me. Before I’m even out of the helicopter, I’m scanning the area around us for signs of danger. Like the sound of a gun cocking. I check the helipad is clear, and there are no buildings at this height around us.
Just the man with the clipboard, the helicopter pilot, and us.
When I’m certain that we’re not under immediate threat, I jump down and turn to offer Raegan a hand down, recapturing it in the process once she’s clear of the chopper.
“You made good timing!” the man with the clipboard shouts over the helicopter, which departs once we’re all out of range. It means we no longer have that as our escape, but I’ve seen plenty of boats around when we were landing.
Thorne approaches the man and shakes his hand. “Yes, we did. Is the meeting still running on schedule?”
The GE employee pushes his glasses up his nose and nods emphatically. “Yes, yes. I’ll bring you to the meeting room and then let them know you’ve arrived.”
