There’s a story there. Has to be. From the anger and the pain in his eyes, the idea of going back to his hometown fills Freddie with the same horror and panic as the idea of staying in Orellana probably would. There will be time for questions later, though. Right now, I just want to get Laura and Natalia into the Widow Makers compound. I won’t feel that they’re one hundred percent safe until those gates have closed behind us, and the outside world can no longer reach us.
Carnie navigates the plane toward the fenced-in structure ahead of us, and I can make out a line of people already waiting at the gate for us. I asked Carnie not to say anything to Jamie about Laura. My friend has spent just as long looking for her as I have, he has every right to know she’s alive, but telling him over the radio just seemed wrong somehow. The plane stops a hundred feet from the compound—protocol in case there’s trouble at the clubhouse, or equally any trouble on board the plane—and we begin to disembark.
A huge plume of dust kicks up in the air, spiralling up toward the sky as a masked rider burns toward us on a motorcycle. It’s Jamie, of course. I know from the sound of his bike’s engine. I also know it’s him because he would never allow anyone else to ride out here. He’s always the first to face any potential danger, before the other members of the club. That’s why sending me alone without him to Ecuador was so damned hard for him.
Both Natalia and Freddie look worried, while Laura, leaning against me for support, looks a little apprehensive herself. “Is that—” she whispers.
“Yeah,” I answer. “He’s going to shit the bed.”
“I can’t believe it. A motorcycle club.” She shakes her head. And then, “He’s going to be mad at me,” she says quietly.
“What? Why the hell would he be mad at you?” I hug her holding her to me, and I can feel her trembling.
“We fought the last time we saw each other. I was angry with him. I said things I shouldn’t have.”
“Do you really think he’s been clinging onto a handful of angry words for the past seven years? God, you’re crazy, girl. You’re fucking crazy.”
She clings to me, burying her face into my chest as Jamie gets closer. The grunt and snarl of his engine fills the air, drowning out the thrum of the plane’s engine when he arrives. Suddenly all is quiet as both machines are powered down. Jamie hops off his motorcycle, ice blue eyes roving over our party, studying each person in turn, assessing the situation, until finally his gaze falls on me…and the woman in my arms.
“Cade?” he says. “What…?” He’s confused, and I don’t blame him. Fuck. I’m still confused, myself. It’s a lot to take in, even though I was there to witness everything unfold myself. Jamie steps forward, and then stops again, raising his hands, threading his fingers into his hair, interlocking them behind his head. “What the fuck?” he whispers. “I thought…”
Laura hasn’t turned to face him yet. She’s still hiding in my shirt, but her identity must be obvious to my best friend, who has known my sister since before any of us could walk.
“What happened?” he asks me.
“It’s a long, weird story,” I reply. “I’ll fill you in once we’re inside.” From the very brief conversation we had on the plane, I know that Ocho turned against Fernando when he cut out his tongue. That he has been like a protective father figure to my sister ever since he helped her fake her death at the Villalobos estate. I’ll explain all of this to him and more. For the time being, Jamie just nods. He looks like he’s in shock.
“Laura?”
She goes still in my arms.
“Laura, look at me,” he says.
Slowly, she releases her death grip on my shirt and lifts her head. Her eyes are swimming with tears. I give her a quick squeeze before I let her go. “It’s going to be okay. It’s all going to be okay now. I promise.”
She nods, giving me a weak smile. “I just feel like I’m in a dream.”
She moves like her limbs are made of lead as she turns to face Jamie. His expression is a mixture of joy and concern as he takes in her appearance. Just like the rest of us, she’s covered in blood and dirt. She’s still Laura, though. She’s still my blood.
“Hey,” she says softly. “Good to see you.”
Jamie swallows, looking from Laura to me, as if he doesn’t quite know how to conduct himself in this unexpected, surprising situation. “Good to see me?” he says, repeating her words. “Are you fucking kidding me?” In a heartbeat he’s striding toward her, throwing his arms around her, pulling her fiercely to his chest. “You have no idea,” he says. “We turned the world upside down looking for you,” he rasps.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Laura’s crying, her shoulders shaking as she weeps. She must be running on fumes, but she somehow manages to stand upright as Jamie rubs his hand up and down her back, whispering soothingly to her.
“God, don’t apologize,” he tells her. “Do not fucking apologize. None of this is your fault.”
“If I hadn’t left the house that night, sulking like a fucking child, none of this would have ever happened.”