King’s private jet.
“Have a lovely evening, my queen .” Stefanos dipped his head and shut the door after the pilot climbed in.
“Make yourself comfortable.” The pilot proceeded to the front cabin and shut the door behind him. The engine cranked almost immediately, but instead of a roar like I’d seen in movies, the sound was a quiet purr.
I stood there staring at the empty chairs, wondering where the real alcohol was hidden.
“We are about to depart, Miss Turner,” said the pilot over the intercom. “Please take your seat.”
I felt the floor lift beneath me straight into the air, and my stomach lurched. I definitely need whiskey .
I sat patiently for a few minutes, twisting my body toward the window to watch us make our way over the ocean. But instead of going north as I thought we would, the helicopter headed east, away from the setting sun.
I kicked off my heels to make walking a bit safer and popped open the door to the cockpit. The noise was deafening.
“Hey!” I screamed. “Where are we going?”
The pilot, a thin man with gray hair, couldn’t hear me with his headphones on, so I poked his shoulder.
He glanced at me with a startled expression.
“Sorry.” I repeated my question, and he pointed to a headset hanging on the wall. I carefully slid it over my hair. “Where are we going?”
Looking ahead, the pilot responded, “I have been instructed not to speak to you or answer your questions.”
“Seriously?”
“He does not want the surprise ruined. We’ll be at our destination in an hour. I suggest you relax and make yourself comfortable.”
Great. It was clear I wouldn’t be getting any answers from this guy. I missed Mack already. At least he spoke to me.
My gaze momentarily set on my right wrist as I thought of him. Yes, I’d worn the bracelet. I’d told myself it was because I needed something to go with the outfit, that I would never run and leave my parents to deal with the loss of two children. But truth was, it gave me comfort knowing that if things got bad, really bad, I had an option. As an added precaution, I still wore the ring King had given me. Also from King’s arsenal of powerful goodies, the giant solitaire did more than simply decorate one’s finger. It could bring a person back to life if they wore it at the time of death. Yes, I’d already used it once. Not so fun, but very handy.
“Oh, and Miss Turner?” said the pilot, just as I was about to slip off the headset. “If you prefer, there is a nice bottle of scotch in the cupboard above the sink in the back. I had to secure it so it wouldn’t break.”
King’s pulling out all the stops tonight.
“Thank you.” I slipped off the headphones.
Back inside my soundproofed luxury cubbyhole in the sky, I found my prized elixir of the nerves and poured two fingers’ worth. I couldn’t make out the distillery on the old faded label, but the golden brown liquid tasted like velvety smoke and sweet toffee. This was an expensive treat, no doubt.
I took a seat and breathed it in, using the beverage as a way to keep my mind from feeling anxious. Wherever we were going, I imagined it would be interesting. Someplace special , he’d said. The man really wanted out of his curse, so it made sense he’d be making a special effort. Hell, maybe that was why Mack had seen a change in him—not that I had. But after three-thousand-something years, King had to be going crazy. He was so, so close to seeing his suffering end.
Of course, I needed to be on my guard. Not that King would ever welsh on our deal, but King was still King, which meant he always had some other agenda.
Getting into your pants, maybe? I smiled to myself. Probably.
An hour later, the helicopter set down in a field or something—I couldn’t see—nestled in complete darkness. From the lack of lights, I knew we weren’t near any cities or towns. The engine quieted and the pilot emerged from his cabin. “Right this way, Miss Turner.” He opened
“Have a lovely evening, my queen .” Stefanos dipped his head and shut the door after the pilot climbed in.
“Make yourself comfortable.” The pilot proceeded to the front cabin and shut the door behind him. The engine cranked almost immediately, but instead of a roar like I’d seen in movies, the sound was a quiet purr.
I stood there staring at the empty chairs, wondering where the real alcohol was hidden.
“We are about to depart, Miss Turner,” said the pilot over the intercom. “Please take your seat.”
I felt the floor lift beneath me straight into the air, and my stomach lurched. I definitely need whiskey .
I sat patiently for a few minutes, twisting my body toward the window to watch us make our way over the ocean. But instead of going north as I thought we would, the helicopter headed east, away from the setting sun.
I kicked off my heels to make walking a bit safer and popped open the door to the cockpit. The noise was deafening.
“Hey!” I screamed. “Where are we going?”
The pilot, a thin man with gray hair, couldn’t hear me with his headphones on, so I poked his shoulder.
He glanced at me with a startled expression.
“Sorry.” I repeated my question, and he pointed to a headset hanging on the wall. I carefully slid it over my hair. “Where are we going?”
Looking ahead, the pilot responded, “I have been instructed not to speak to you or answer your questions.”
“Seriously?”
“He does not want the surprise ruined. We’ll be at our destination in an hour. I suggest you relax and make yourself comfortable.”
Great. It was clear I wouldn’t be getting any answers from this guy. I missed Mack already. At least he spoke to me.
My gaze momentarily set on my right wrist as I thought of him. Yes, I’d worn the bracelet. I’d told myself it was because I needed something to go with the outfit, that I would never run and leave my parents to deal with the loss of two children. But truth was, it gave me comfort knowing that if things got bad, really bad, I had an option. As an added precaution, I still wore the ring King had given me. Also from King’s arsenal of powerful goodies, the giant solitaire did more than simply decorate one’s finger. It could bring a person back to life if they wore it at the time of death. Yes, I’d already used it once. Not so fun, but very handy.
“Oh, and Miss Turner?” said the pilot, just as I was about to slip off the headset. “If you prefer, there is a nice bottle of scotch in the cupboard above the sink in the back. I had to secure it so it wouldn’t break.”
King’s pulling out all the stops tonight.
“Thank you.” I slipped off the headphones.
Back inside my soundproofed luxury cubbyhole in the sky, I found my prized elixir of the nerves and poured two fingers’ worth. I couldn’t make out the distillery on the old faded label, but the golden brown liquid tasted like velvety smoke and sweet toffee. This was an expensive treat, no doubt.
I took a seat and breathed it in, using the beverage as a way to keep my mind from feeling anxious. Wherever we were going, I imagined it would be interesting. Someplace special , he’d said. The man really wanted out of his curse, so it made sense he’d be making a special effort. Hell, maybe that was why Mack had seen a change in him—not that I had. But after three-thousand-something years, King had to be going crazy. He was so, so close to seeing his suffering end.
Of course, I needed to be on my guard. Not that King would ever welsh on our deal, but King was still King, which meant he always had some other agenda.
Getting into your pants, maybe? I smiled to myself. Probably.
An hour later, the helicopter set down in a field or something—I couldn’t see—nestled in complete darkness. From the lack of lights, I knew we weren’t near any cities or towns. The engine quieted and the pilot emerged from his cabin. “Right this way, Miss Turner.” He opened
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