I could bust his balls, but I can’t right now. I look him straight in the eye. “Take care of my sister.”
His face sombers. “You know I will. She’s my life, John.”
“I know. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“You know you’re crazy if you think I’m just going to let you go off to Florida and get yourself killed. Your sister will never forgive me.”
“You worry about my sister. I’ll worry about me.”
He pulls me in for a quick hug and pats me on the back. “Take care, brother.” I nod and look at him suspiciously. That was a little too easy, but I don’t have time to figure out what he’s got going on in his head. I have to pack and then figure out how to save Madison’s ass.
3
Madison
I stuff my carry-on bag in the overhead compartment before taking my seat against the window. I’m a mess and have been since I left Jenna yesterday evening. I know she’s in good hands, but I know I should be there with her instead of traveling out of state to help my brother. The same brother that only calls me when he needs something, and I swear he barely even remembered me the last time I saw him. I’m going to help him this one last time, and then I’m going to try and get him into rehab again. If he says no, I’m done. I have to be.
With that decision made, I clench my hands together in my lap and lean my head back on the seat. The sounds of people boarding and opening and closing the bins overhead fill the air. I try to tune it all out and take deep, soothing breaths. I’m glad I have until tomorrow before I have to meet up with the man Ethan owes. I need more time to prepare.
Someone sits down in the seat next to mine, and all my senses are on high alert. I recognize that smell. I take a deep breath, and the scent of masculine and woodsy aroma fills my nostrils. Don’t look, don’t look, I tell myself, but I don’t listen. I open one eye just to peek at the seat next to me, and my eyes pop open when I see my best friend’s brother in the seat next to mine. “John! What are you doing here?”
He’s huge, and his broad shoulders are up against mine when he pulls the seatbelt around his waist. “I’m going to Florida.”
He says it so nonchalantly I first think it’s a coincidence. Surely, Jenna did not send him to go with me. I shake my head. I didn’t even tell her where I was going. “Uh, I’m surprised you’re leaving. Jenna’s due any day.”
He turns and looks at me, his gaze calculating, and I know he’s up to something. “I could say the same thing about you.”
I wrap my hand around the hand rest. “Look, I don’t need you to make me feel guilty. I feel guilty enough on my own.”
“So why are you doing it?”
The crew is preparing for takeoff, and the flight attendant is standing in the front going through all the safety motions. I whisper to John, “Because I’m afraid if I don’t, my brother will be dead by tomorrow night and then I’ll have that guilt to deal with. I was willing to leave Jenna because I knew you and Dylan would be with her.”
He opens his mouth and closes it again. The pilot’s voice comes through the speakers, and he talks about the sunny and beautiful weather of Florida and says the flight will be an hour and twenty minutes. My mind is racing, and I grab on to John’s hand. There’s a jolt all the way up my arm, but I ignore it. I’ve felt it before. Heck, my whole body reacts just from being around him. I’ve learned to hide my reactions. “Please, please, please tell me that Jenna did not send you to go with me.” I bite on to my lower lip and before he can respond, I know the answer. Of course she did. That’s exactly what Jenna would do.
“She asked me if I would come to make sure you’re okay.”
I grab the belt at his waist. “Get off the plane, John. You can’t go. You need to stay here.”
He grabs my hands and holds both of them in his. “The only way I’m getting off this plane is if you’re getting off too.”
I should. I know I should, and there’s a big part of me that wants to do just that. But I shake my head. “I can’t.”
He squeezes my hands and releases them before sitting back in his seat and laying his head back. The plane starts to move, and I gasp. I look out the window and feel nauseous watching the scenery outside going by. I slam the little window covering shut and lean my head back. My whole body is tensed up.