Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
TWELVE
Was I dreaming or not? I couldn’t tell. I heard voices other than Agan’s. Things like:
Over here.
We have a pulse.
She needs fluids.
Haley. Can you drink?
Only they all sounded so far away. Yet I sensed movement a lot closer.
We need to get an IV going. Can you find a vein?
I wanted to open my eyes, but it was too hard.
“Agan,” I croaked, unsure if I was calling for him or asking about him as I felt myself being lifted.
They have him, hon. Stay with me.
She’ll need her passport.
Strangely, I think I found it.
But I couldn’t hang on. I slipped into darkness.
Sometime later, I jolted awake. I popped my eyes open and glanced around. I would have asked where I was, but I heard the engine noise. The small windows revealed we were just above the clouds.
“Haley, you’re okay.” A woman appeared in my line of sight.
“Where’s Agan?”
Her immediate frown said it all. The news wasn’t good. “He’s with his father’s people.”
“Is he okay?” I asked, feeling tears form in my eyes. It hadn’t been a dream. I glanced down at my arm and saw I was still hooked up to an IV.
“We don’t know. He wasn’t good. That’s all they told us when they gave us your location.”
I didn’t like the sound of her words. “Wait. They came and got Agan and left me?”
Her lips pursed. “I’m afraid so. I can’t say why other than they knew we were looking for you, too. Maybe they felt Agan needed more attention.”
She could try to pretty it up, but I hadn’t been doing well either. I knew our last bottle of water had stretched far longer than it should have. I suspected Agan had given me the lion’s share. But that didn’t make it hurt any less that his people had thought me expendable.
But there was a more pressing question. “Can I borrow a phone to call my daughter?”
It wasn’t that Zoe hadn’t been a higher priority between her and Agan. I’d asked after him first because he’d been in as bad shape as or worse shape than me. My mother might have not been a good one, but I didn’t think Zoe’s life was in danger with her.
“Unfortunately, we are over the ocean, and we don’t have a sat phone to use. Once we get closer to land, I will let you use my phone to call your daughter.”
That only made more questions pop in my head? I didn’t think they were with the Coast Guard. The plane was nice, not as luxurious as Agan’s father’s plane, but it was definitely owned by someone with money.
“Who are you?” I asked.
She smiled, and though it was pleasant, I wanted answers, not platitudes. “I’m sorry. I’m Jan. This team was assembled specifically to find you. I’m a doctor and I’m here to make sure you are okay. And if you need to talk about what’s happened, I’m qualified to listen and advise.”
“Okay,” I said slowly, dragging out the word. “Who hired you?”
“Luckily, I’m authorized to share that information with you. That’s not always the case.” I waited, saying nothing because she was still only paying me lip service. “Um—Mitchell Bowmen hired us.”
It wasn’t exactly a sucker punch, but it was definitely a shock. I hadn’t seen or spoken to him since our one and only hookup. This surely meant that he knew he was the father. Avery had thought maybe he didn’t, but why else would he have someone looking for me?
“Where is Zoe?” I demanded. Was Zoe with Mitchell or my mom?
“I’m sorry. I don’t have that answer.”
I held out my hand. “Your phone?”
“Like I said—”
“Your phone. Now.”
The woman stood and went over to her seat, which had a table in front of it that held an open laptop. She picked up her phone and came back over. I took it from her outstretched hand.
“The call likely won’t go through,” she said, but I was already tuning her out.
I dialed Avery’s number.
“Hello?” The reply came through crackly.
“Avery,” I said.
“Haley. Is that you?”
“Yes.” Tears leaked from my eyes. “Zoe. How is she?”
“She’s fine. Missing you.”
“Where is she?” I finally asked.
“She’s—” The call that had been patchy at best died.
“Avery?” When she didn’t answer, I pulled the phone from my ear and looked down at the display. The call had been disconnected. I tried a few more times before giving up. I held it back to the doctor, who wore a sympathetic expression. “Is there a bedroom?”
I’d been wary of the one on Agan’s father’s plane because of my own insecurities. Now I just wanted to be alone with my emotions. Though the area where I sat was quiet, there were several other people seated nearby.
“Yes. Back there.” She pointed toward the back of the plane, and I got up. She handed me the IV bag I was still attached to. “Just hook it on the bedpost.”