Chapter 112 Chapter one hundred and eleven
ARA
Thayne stirred when the landing gear whined and the jet began its descent into New York. He blinked awake slowly, his eyes finding me first, softening the way they always did.
“You okay?” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep.
I nodded. “Just thinking.”
He came over and kissed my forehead.
The jet touched down smoothly. When the seatbelt sign dinged off, Thayne unbuckled and stood, his body stiff, wincing as the movement pulled at his back.
He started issuing orders the second his feet hit the tarmac, quiet commands to his men about vehicles, routes, security sweeps.
I was jet-lagged, bone-deep exhausted, but I kept telling myself the final days of battle were always the toughest. If I could just hold on a little longer…
I waited until we were buckled into the back of the waiting SUV. The privacy glass was up, and the engine was humming beneath us.
“I want to be involved in your plans to take out our fathers,” I said.
Thayne turned to face me, surprise flickering across his features.
“You need to rest while I take care of things, Ara,” he said gently. “I’ll handle everything. I promise.”
“You’re wounded.” I kept my voice steady. “While you’re recovering from the poison, you need someone who can handle things on the ground. Right now they think you’re dead. By tomorrow the truth will leak. We have a window. Let me help use it.”
He stared at me for a long moment, something new in his eyes, respect, maybe, or recognition.
“You’re pregnant, baby,” he said softly. “You don’t need that kind of pressure.”
“We can talk about it after the doctor takes a look at you,” I said finally.
He studied me another second, then nodded once.
“Okay.”
He leaned over, cupped my face with both hands, and kissed me, slowly, tenderly, full of everything we hadn’t had time to say.
He reached between us to place his hand on my swollen stomach.
In that moment, it just felt right. I wanted to climb into his lap right there in the back seat, straddle him, drag his mouth back to mine, and beg him to finish what we’d started on the jet.
I wanted to feel him move inside me again, slowly this time, like he was proving to both of us that we were still here.
But now wasn’t the time.
The SUV rolled to a stop in the underground garage of the penthouse. Thayne’s hand lingered on my belly a second longer before he unbuckled and stepped out first.
He offered me his hand; I took it and let him help me down, even though I could manage perfectly well. His fingers stayed laced with mine as we walked toward the private elevator.
The moment the doors slid open on the penthouse floor, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
Something was wrong.
The feeling had nothing to do with the fact that I had been away for so long.
It was quieter than it should have been. Too still. The air felt… watched.
“Are you okay?” Thayne asked, spreading his arms so he could carry me over the threshold.
I almost laughed. “I’m okay, babe. You’re the one carrying poison in your back.”
“Why, thank you for reminding me,” he murmured, letting his arms drop to his sides with exaggerated defeat.
The doorman, new and younger than the last one, nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw Thayne. His eyes went wide, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
“He… he… helloooo, sir!” the man stammered, recovering just enough to extend a hand.
Thayne shook it briefly but politely.
“Sir, the new doctor is in already,” the doorman added after a beat, still staring at Thayne like he’d seen a ghost.
Thayne and I exchanged glances. We hadn’t booked any new doctor.
Gerald, the regular doorman, would have known that.
Thayne’s smile stayed in place, but his eyes went sharp.
“We haven’t booked any new doctor, Felix,” he said, voice light. But I heard the edge beneath it.
The doorman scratched his head, confused. “She said you called her personally and asked her to wait up for you.”
She? My stomach dropped. I even held my stomach because I thought it actually would.
Thayne’s hand tightened on mine twice, then released. He stepped in front of me, casual but deliberate, his body shielding mine from the hallway that led to the living room.
“Describe her,” he said to the doorman, his tone still friendly.
“She's tall, and she looks like you, sir, now that I think about her. She's also very… professional. White coat. Said her name was Dr. Ellis. She arrived about an hour ago with her own equipment bag.”
Thayne’s jaw ticked.We didn’t know any Dr. Ellis.
He looked at his men, the two had followed us up from the garage, now stationed at the elevator doors. They exchanged quick glances, their hands drifting toward concealed holsters.
Thayne turned back to me, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
“Stay here with them. I’m going to check.”
I shook my head. “No. We're doing this together.”
His eyes searched mine. I saw worry and frustration, then resignation.
He nodded once.
We moved down the hallway side by side, the other hovering near his waist where I knew his gun was holstered. I pretended to walk faster when he tried to place his hand on my back.
My husband had zero idea I had a gun in the band of my jeans.
The living room lights were on, soft and warm, but the air felt wrong. It smelled thick and expectant.
A woman stood near the floor-to-ceiling windows, her back to us. She was in a white coat, and her hair was swept into a neat bun. Her medical bag was open on the coffee table, where syringes, vials, instruments were laid out neatly.
She turned, and I blinked. Ursula?
She smiled, like she’d been waiting for years for this exact moment.
“Hello, brother” she said to Thayne. “You look like hell. Lucky for you, I brought something to make you feel better.”
She lifted a syringe from the table, the clear liquid glinting under the lamp.
Thayne’s hand moved to his gun. His sister's smile didn’t falter.
“I wouldn’t,” she said softly. “Not unless you want the second dose to go straight into your pretty wife’s neck.”
My blood ran cold, and Thayne froze.
“Why are you on my property, Ursula?” Thayne asked coolly.
“What? Sisters can't visit their brothers?” She asked, cocking her head.
“Not the murderous ones. What do you want, Ursula?” I shot back.
“You've got a backbone now. Impressive.” She stepped forward, and I pretended to cling to Thayne who immediately pushed me behind him.
Perfect cover. “Isn't what I want obvious?” Ursula asked, coming closer.
I had the pistol in my hand now.
“Not obvious enough, try again.” I said and pulled the trigger, and next thing I knew, the table shattered with the contents on top.