Our Love Story

“I’ll call the cops,” Mason says.

I nod, pulling my phone from my pocket and calling the investigator. If Jordan had left the country, I can’t imagine him not notifying me of it.

The PI doesn’t answer, and I don’t think I can wait. Neither can the guys. Besides, I am not going to leave Chloe’s well-being to the hands of a hired guy. If I love her, I need to take her life, and safety, into my own hands.

“We gotta get to the private airport. Now,” Noah says, fists clenched. “If Jordan got her, which I’m guessing is what happened, he can get off this island crazy fast.”

We nod in agreement and head back toward the mansion. I grab the keys and we jump in the Jeep. We careen down the freeway, not caring about the speed limit.

There is no limit when it comes to how fast we need to find her.

“Turn right,” Enzo directs. I nod, using my blinker and taking the exit. Thank God this island isn’t too large, and we know where the private airport is, having arrived here that way ourselves.

In the distance, I see an airplane taking off the ground.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Noah yells, slamming his fist against the dashboard. I press down on the gas, feeling rage surging through me with the fear that Jordan may have already taken her way.

I keep driving, needing to confirm that it was his plane. The idea of her being with him in that jet makes me ill. When she came to the mansion she was trembling, her face covered in tears, she was so lost and alone. But that all changed when we opened our arms and invited her to stay.

Chloe doesn’t deserve to go backward. Her life has been hard enough already.

I pull into the airport parking lot and see a traffic control man. After parking the car, the four of us run toward the airstrips. There are a handful planes sitting here, all privately owned jets.

And all I can hope for right now is that Chloe isn’t on the one that just took off.

“I’m looking for a guy named Jordan, do you know him?” Mason asks the first employee he sees.

The guy raises his hand, clearly not knowing. “I don’t know, man, but I can call to find out?” He looks at us questionably.

I know we must look like crap. Half dressed in pajamas, just jumping outta bed. Maybe he thinks we’re here to make trouble.

If that’s what he’s thinking, he would be damn right.

“I can’t wait for that,” Enzo says, running off toward a plane. He has the right idea.

Mason, Noah, and I peel off toward different planes ourselves.

I run as fast as I can. I may not be a marathoner, but I am in shape. I’m a cliff jumper, and I’m used to diving headlong into the unknown. Diving into bodies of water that may be filled with rocks, jagged edges that will slice me, destroy me. Kill me. Some people think it’s ludicrous—diving from such heights, not knowing what’s beneath the surface.

But that’s just a great metaphor for my life. I’ve always thought of myself as fearless.

And that is because I have had nothing to lose. I had the guys, sure. But no family—no one who counted on me for shit.

But now I do.

Now I have Chloe.

Now the idea of being fearless sounds ludicrous—because losing her is terrifying.

I run with intensity and I bound up the steps of a plane, swing open the door, and step inside.

My heart stops. My rage mounts.

Someone will pay.

Chloe is here. Tears cover her face; her muffled cries fill the tiny cabin of the four-person plane.

And the prick leans over her. He’s pulled off her extra-large hoodie, leaving her naked and vulnerable.

He’s tied her up with a rope. Has gagged her. He is trying to take my virgin’s honor.

But I sure as fuck won’t let him.

Not now. Not like this. Chloe is our virgin, she’s ours to protect.

I hear the guys behind me and I know I’m not alone in this fight, but neither is Chloe.

We pull Jordan off her. We punch him, we make him bleed. We slam our fists into his jaw, throwing him to the ground and kick him in the gut.

I need more blood, more pain. He screams in agony, begging for relief.

I will give him none.

I told Chloe last night I don’t trust myself alone with her, don’t trust what will happen when my lust for her is unleashed. But now I know how dark I am.

I want to see this man’s blood.

I want his bones to break.

I want his face to be nothing but ripped flash.

I want him to suffer.

Eventually, though, Noah and Enzo grab me by the arms, and pull me away.

We all started the fight, but I’m not ready to end it.