Reclaimed

“No, it’s good to see you again,” Marie reassured him. “Thanks for coming.”

“Well, I’ll leave you girls alone, but I’ll talk to you later, Sabrina?”

She stared at him in stubborn silence, unsure how to answer. Why did he want to talk to her, anyway? She didn’t plan on agreeing to anything right now, thank you very much.

“I’m sure she’d like that, right, Sabrina?” Marie nudged Sabrina’s calf using the tip of her foot. Sabrina glared at her sister wordlessly, who shrugged in confusion, and turned to Isaac to explain further. “She had a rough night last night. She isn’t herself. Don’t mind her.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, she had a bad dream,” she stated. “You don’t know anything about that, though, do you, Isaac?” she asked slyly.

Isaac looked from Marie to Sabrina in confusion, and Sabrina lifted a shoulder in response. She had no idea what her sister had gotten into now. And she didn’t give a damn either.

“Um, no I didn’t,” he stammered. Shifting on his feet, he looked at Sabrina for help. She frowned in return and sighed in irritation.

“Let’s go, Marie. I could use some more coffee on the way,” she said before stomping out the door and holding it open for her sister. Isaac motioned Marie forward, collected her bags, and followed her out the door. Glaring at his retreating figure, she barely resisted the urge to throw her keys at his head.

But…maybe she had a better punishment. Biting her lip to hide her pleasure, she followed Isaac and Marie to her car. She waited as he said his goodbyes, speaking only when he started to climb into his car.

“Isaac, could you drive us to the airport? The traffic will be horrendous, and it will take forever. Hours, I’m sure. I’m too tired to concentrate.” She added a big, loud yawn for Marie’s benefit. It didn’t take much effort to bring one on. Her body barely had the energy to move, yet alone think.

But if Isaac hated anything more he despised than cars, it would be traffic. She almost cackled in glee at his disgruntled expression. He glared at her before forcing a polite smile to his face.

“Certainly, Sabrina. Anything for you.”

He slammed his car door shut, stalked back to her side, and snatched the keys out of her hand.

Maybe today wouldn’t be so bad.

***

The silence in the car on the way to the airport sounded louder than a gunshot…and just as uncomfortable. Isaac and Marie chatted occasionally, but Sabrina remained silent in the back seat, quietly basking in her revenge. The ride proved to be as long as she’d suspected because they hit rush-hour traffic. Sabrina could practically feel the impatience flowing off Isaac’s tense shoulders. She chose not to dwell upon the fact that his anger stemmed from finding her kissing Elijah. She much preferred to focus on her anger at his treatment of her last night.

Marie glanced over her shoulder and Sabrina forced a tight smile. Obviously, her sister sensed the tension in the air. She kept glancing between Sabrina and Isaac, as if trying to see some sort of invisible sign on their foreheads that blinked, we fought, and here’s why.

Eventually, even Marie fell silent.

Arriving at the airport came as a bit of a relief to all of them, Sabrina suspected. They exited the car, collected the luggage, and her and her sister walked side by side while Isaac followed with the bags. She felt Isaac’s eyes glaring at her from behind and resisted the urge to look his way. The anger that kept her going all morning no longer held her up. The pain had returned. She didn’t want to look at him, terrified of what was—or wasn’t—in his eyes.

Lost in thought, she got taken off guard when Marie turned and said, “Okay, this is where you leave me. Security and all.”

“But we need to check your luggage!” Sabrina cried, causing Marie to stare at her in confusion.

“We just did,” she said slowly, as if she were talking to Sam, her two-year-old daughter.

“You must have been so distracted over your sister leaving, you were in a daze,” Isaac said sympathetically. His face softened, and he put a hand on her shoulder. She almost cried at the tender gesture. Almost.

Get a hold of yourself, Sabrina.

“I’ll miss you so much,” she vowed. She shrugged Isaac’s hand off her shoulder under the guise of pulling her sister into her arms for a tight hug.

“I’ll miss you, too, Bree,” Marie whispered, tears in her voice.

Sabrina turned to hurry away. She became forced to stop, however, when she realized Isaac didn’t follow her. A glance over her shoulder revealed he’d been held back by Marie’s hand on his arm.

“Go ahead, Sabrina. I just want to ask Isaac a quick question.”

She groaned, immediately on guard. What now? “Marie, you promised to behave.”