Page 84 of Deserving Lara
Owl was tired, but not exceedingly so. He’d gone more than one night with only a few hours’ sleep before, and while he’d gotten used to sleeping throughout the night lately, his body could still operate on little rest.
He’d been extremely worried about Stone last night, but somehow Lara had managed to not only pull him out of the depression his nightmare always caused, but she had him smiling and joking not even half an hour later.
He’d always known she was amazing, and last night just proved it all over again. She had a huge heart, and he’d do whatever it took to protect it, no matter what the cost.
Lara had fallen asleep during the movie, and seeing her lying so trustingly next to his best friend had Owl feeling more content than he’d felt in a long time. Lara had turned in her sleep, snuggling against Stone as if she’d known he still needed comfort. There was no jealousy in Owl’s heart as Stone placed a gentle hand on the back of her head and continued to watch the movie.
They’d talked quietly so as not to wake her, about the helicopter they were buying, about how well the trip was going, about when the hangar back at The Refuge would be completed, and other mundane things.
It wasn’t until Owl had carried Lara back over to their bed and turned off the light once more that Stone said, “You’re a lucky man,” in a soft voice.
“Trust me, I know. There’s someone out there for you too,” Owl had felt compelled to say.
But Stone snorted and said, “I doubt it. Who would want to put their life in their hands, just by sleeping next to me night after night?”
Owl wasn’t sure what to say to that, but Stone had shut down the conversation by adding, “Maybe we can get an hour or two catnap before we have to get up and get going.”
So Owl had curled up behind Lara and held her in his arms as she slept. He didn’t fall asleep again, and he didn’t think Stone did either, but they were both more than ready to head toward home.
They’d returned the rental car the evening before and were taking a taxi to the regional airport that morning. They got up at the crack of dawn and packed their bags and showered before heading down to the lobby to check out. The taxi pulled up just as they exited the hotel, and they all climbed in.
When the car pulled up to the airport, Owl noticed that there wasn’t anyone around. It was early, but it seemed odd that there was no movement inside the main building. Just when he was contemplating asking the taxi driver to hang around for a moment, Ricky Norman appeared from around the side of the building. He waved at them as he approached.
“Good morning! It’s going to be a great day to fly,” he said jovially.
“Figures he’s a morning person,” Lara mumbled under her breath.
“If you’ll follow me to the hangar, you can help me get the bird out and ready to go,” Ricky told Stone and Owl.
Nodding, Owl fell in step beside Lara as they headed through a gate in the fence surrounding the runway and toward a hangar a short distance from the main building.
“We’ll get the paperwork done first and by the time that’s finished, and you guys have done the preflight checks, the tower control employees should be here,” Ricky told them.
“Is it normal that they aren’t here yet?” Stone asked.
“For this airport? Yeah,” Ricky said with a nod. “There’s a larger airport not too far away that most people use, but I’ve always liked this one. It’s not as hard to get on the flight schedule and it’s a lot quieter.”
Owl would normally agree, but something about how deserted the place was at the moment didn’t sit well with him. Lara must’ve felt the same way, because he felt her move a little closer to him. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it in reassurance. She shot him a grateful smile. Owl would feel much better once they were in the air.
Ricky led them into the small hangar. It was very dim inside the building without the big hangar door open, but Owl saw the chopper waiting. Pride welled up inside him. Soon this beauty would be theirs.
They all walked over to a tiny administrative area alongside one wall, and Owl tried to be patient as Ricky shuffled through a pile of papers.
Owl wasn’t sure what made him turn and look behind him. Maybe some kind of subtle sound…clothing rubbing together as someone moved, a light footstep.
But by the time what he was seeing sank in, it was too late.
A muscular man wearing what looked to be a black three-piece suit was swinging a large rubber mallet at Stone’s head.
He opened his mouth to yell a warning to his friend, but his shout came out more as a grunt when he felt Lara’s hand ripped from his own.
Spinning, he saw Lara against Ricky’s chest. He had one arm around her neck and the other held a syringe. Owl froze as Stone fell to the floor with a loud thud. The man with the mallet had obviously managed to take him off guard.
Owl’s blood ran cold. This was literally his nightmare come true.
His mind raced through his options, which were pretty damn bleak right about now. He should’ve paid heed to his uneasy feeling earlier.
He wouldn’t let his mistake be Lara’s downfall.
