“Shane is extremely experienced on a boat. He would have seen the storm and gotten to shelter. I want a map of the islands, and I want search crews sent out immediately. I’m on my way.”
Rafe hung up the phone and glared at it. After taking a calming breath, he dialed his pilot, then told his secretary he was leaving and to cancel everything. There was only one quick stop to make before he boarded his jet.
Pulling up to Ari’s building, he sprinted to her apartment and hammered on the thick wooden door. He could have called, but he needed to see her for just a moment. She calmed him, and he didn’t know how long this might take. It might be weeks before she was in his arms again.
She hadn’t returned his calls since their night together at the library, and that was three days before — three very long and unsatisfying days.
Ari opened the door, and her eyes narrowed in irritation, but one look at his face and she grew worried. If he thought he had it together, he was clearly mistaken.
“What’s wrong, Rafe?” Her tone filled with concern, she lifted her hand and placed it on his arm.
“Lia is missing. She and Shane were on his yacht when a storm hit. No one knows where they are. I’m leaving for Italy now, but I wanted to let you know what is happening. I may be gone for a while.”
Ari looked at him for several seconds in stunned disbelief. He knew how she felt. He was still in shock. Then, to his surprise, she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside her door.
“Give me ten minutes. I just need to grab a few clothes.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked.
“I’m coming with you. Lia is my friend, one of my best friends, and I won’t be able to stay behind. It would kill me, Rafe. I need to be out there searching for her.”
She left the room before he could respond. He didn’t know if he could handle the distraction of having Ari there, but on the other hand, she might be the only person alive who would also be able to keep him from melting down.
If they couldn’t find Lia... No! That wouldn’t happen. If something were terribly wrong, he would feel it in his gut. His sisters meant the world to him, and he would just know if something weren’t right.
Shane had gotten them to safety, and the two of them were just waiting to be rescued. He was sure of it. His best friend would never let something happen to his sister. He’d die first.
That thought made Rafe’s stomach clench. The world would be a much sadder place without his best friend in it. Shane was one of the few people who knew Rafe inside and out, who could talk him down when he was ready to explode, and whom Rafe could trust with his life.
Rafe couldn’t lose one of his sisters, but he couldn’t lose his best friend, either.
“I’m ready.”
Rafe didn’t say another word as he looked at Ari standing before him with determination, holding a duffel bag and her jacket. He simply took the bag from her and walked out her front door, waiting as she locked up.
He sat silently by in the back of the car as she made the necessary phone calls to have her class covered and her mail picked up. He could see her fright, but she was holding herself together well — much better than he was, it seemed.
Just having her there in the car with him was somehow giving him the strength not to completely lose it.
“She will be fine, Rafe. I can feel it. If she’s with Shane, he will protect her. There’s no way he’d ever let something happen to her. Shane can be a fool, but I have no doubt that he truly cares about Lia. He’s just not the wisest for ticking her off,” Ari said with a crooked smile.
“Yes, you and my sisters can certainly carry a grudge,” Rafe said, sending her a pointed look.
“Yes, we can. It’s best you remember that.”
“Believe me, I remember well,” Rafe replied as they pulled up to his private jet.
Rafe escorted Ari up the stairs, then spoke to his pilot for a few moments before the doors closed and the giant machine began slowly moving forward.
He should be thrilled to have Ari all to himself, but as he leaned back, all he could think about was his sister, who was most likely lost and frightened. He found himself near panic, which was a state he never thought he’d be in.
He accepted a stiff drink from his flight attendant when they reached cruising altitude, but it didn’t help much. There didn’t seem to be anything that could at this point. Refusing a meal, he couldn’t even muster up the energy to speak to Ari.
When he felt Ari climb into his lap and hold him, he didn’t say a word. He just clung on tight and let her be his strength. His hands automatically came up and began stroking her back. The feel of her resting in his arms did the trick.
He felt his heart begin to slow its frantic beat, and his muscles relax gradually. He’d been wrong — it seemed he could be comforted. He’d just needed his other half — Ari.
He knew that Ari and his sisters were close, but until now, he hadn’t quite realized how close. He was glad to have Ari with him, glad she was his rock in this moment. It just underlined what a fool he’d been to treat her so poorly.
Dammit, he would prove to her that they were meant to be together. Right now, he had to focus on his sister, but they would have a long flight back home — all alone — and then his focus would be solely on Ari, because Lia and Shane would be safe and Rafe would be able to breathe again.
“They’ll find them both, Rafe. I know it.”
He knew she was right.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ari
Several hours into the flight, and more than a few drinks later, Ari looked up in surprise to find Rafe sending a glare her way. “Are you going to just pretend that what happened between us didn’t happen?”
She hadn’t really thought this trip through. All she knew was that Lia was missing and she had to be there to help find her. It never occurred to her that she’d be locking herself inside Rafe’s jet for the next ten hours.
Maybe after the library incident, he was just assuming that everything would go back to the way it had been before. That she would just be his very high-priced call girl. If he was, he was going to be severely disappointed.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” she said before turning away.
“That’s not a very mature attitude, Ari.”
“Rafe, with Lia and Shane not found yet, I don’t want to fight with you. I want us to be there for each other. Can we do this afterward, after my friend is found?” she asked in exasperation.