Page 110

Hearing my childhood nickname on her lips, the name only one person in the world ever called me, hits me like a lightning strike. It confirms what my heart already knows. She’s here.

My Darla is… here.

My best friend, the girl who knew every piece of me, who became my first love. The girl I lost when she vanished with her father on a flight that never made it home when we were only thirteen.

Losing her shattered something deep inside me. I’ve never stepped foot on a plane since. Never looked at another girl the way I looked at her. No one else ever came close.

And she’s beenright-fucking-herefor fifteen years.

“W—”

BOOM

A large explosion behind us has me instinctively diving on top of her, our bodies landing in the sand as I try to shield her from any flying debris. Just as I think we’re in the clear, another explosion erupts and I tighten my hold on her.

After a minute, West lets out a curse. “Fuck.”

I lift my head and look back where the explosion came from.

“That’s both of them,” he says. “They’re gone.”

Staring at the burning remains of steel from both helicopters, I suddenly realize why he’s soupset.

We’re stranded.

To be continued…