Lost and Found (A Werewolf Wars Novel Book 4) (22 page)

“Hey,” Vincent bumped her arm gently. “Try to eat something,” he encouraged, making a point to shove a large piece of toast in his mouth.

The corners of her mouth turned up as she lifted the cold eggs to her lips. She forced the food into her mouth and chewed, swallowing them down. Her stomach lurched and she closed her eyes, willing herself not to vomit. She needed to calm down. Everything was going to be okay.

Nora pushed her plate away and gave Sarah a knowing look. “I don’t think I can eat, either.”

“Well I, for one, am famished,” Vincent joked, jabbing his fork into Sarah’s sausage and taking a bite.

“Help yourself,” Sarah said, motioning for him to eat off her plate.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Vincent said, helping himself.

“Aren’t you worried about today at all?” Sarah asked, looking to Vincent, then to Daniel, who seemed equally at peace as he shoveled food into his mouth.

Vincent shrugged, his face serious for a moment before he grinned. “Sure I am, but everything is going to be okay,” he promised.

“We should go over the plan one last time,” Daniel commented as he sipped his juice.

“Yes, because that will help make them feel better,” Vincent mumbled.

“Knowing the details of the plan will ensure nothing bad happens,” Daniel explained.

“It’s a pretty simple plan,” Sarah shrugged. “You and Vincent will talk to Malakai while Nora and I wait in the distance.” It was easy enough—and the park would be very crowded—but she couldn’t help worrying something could happen.

“I want you both carrying weapons,” Daniel insisted, glancing at Nora before turning back to Sarah.

“Okay,” Nora agreed.

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Sarah said, sipping her water. The liquid slid down her parched throat and she took another drink, glad it seemed to be calming her belly.

“I’m leaving my keys with Nora,” Daniel started. “At the first sign of trouble, I want you to take the car and get home. Don’t stop, just go,” he instructed.

Vincent shook his head. “I don’t know why you’re even wasting your breath. I don’t know Nora that well, but I know Sarah isn’t leaving. I can’t imagine Nora fleeing either.”

Vincent was right; she wouldn’t leave without him. They were in this together and were seeing it through to the end. She smiled, taken aback by how well he knew her. A part of her found it endearing how Daniel, Devon, and Gene tried to protect the women they loved. She also loved that Vincent wanted to protect her, but knew she would do what she pleased one way or another. If it bothered him, she couldn’t tell, judging by the grimace on Daniel’s face, it did upset
him
.

“I’m still leaving the keys,” Daniel grumbled. “If something does happen, please use common sense.”

Nora shook her head and smiled, kissing Daniel’s cheek then whispering something into his ear. Sarah could tell from the simple action how much they loved each other. Nora wouldn’t leave Daniel behind either.

At least if something did happen, Sarah and Nora could work together. She prayed it wouldn’t come to that. The four of them would leave the park together and their plan would be set into motion.

***

V
incent drew Sarah closer to him, inhaling her sweet scent. He wanted to enjoy this moment before they went into the park. Daniel and Nora were in line purchasing tickets while he stood to the side with Sarah.

He wanted to comfort her, knowing she had been on edge earlier. “How are you feeling?” he asked, resting his head on hers.

Sarah sighed and burrowed closer to him. “I’m a little worried.”

“Nothing is going to happen,” he promised. He knew he couldn’t necessarily keep the promise, but he was going to do everything he could to keep his word.

“I’m just ready for this all to be over. If this works...” she trailed off.

Vincent held her tighter, wondering what she was going to say.
What does our future hold? Would they be together...apart?
He knew what he wanted, but did she want the same? Those were all questions he would have to answer, but now was not the time.

“Me, too,” he replied. Sarah pulled back from him, her sapphire eyes full of concern. He should do something to help her relax. “Hey,” he started, “maybe we could ride another coaster today. There are a couple more I’d like to try.”

Sarah laughed, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. “Be careful, you might be turning into a rollercoaster junky.”

Vincent shrugged and gave her a crooked smile. “Would that be a bad thing?”

Sarah narrowed her eyes and appraised him, as if considering her answer. “No.”

“Good. I’m thinking it might be fun to join a coaster group,” Vincent grinned.

Sarah frowned in confusion. “A what?”

“One of those groups that visits parks all over the world and rides coasters and then reviews them,” he explained, watching as her eyes widened. It would be fun to do that, but only if he had a certain blonde companion.

She laughed and shook her head. “That could be fun.”

Vincent beamed. His plan had worked—her smile gleamed brightly and the unease fled her petite frame. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as he saw Daniel and Nora approaching out of the corner of his eye.

Sarah twisted, following his line of sight. “Guess it’s show time, huh?”

Vincent cupped her chin, encouraging Sarah to meet his gaze. “Don’t worry about me.” He leaned in and placed a tender kiss to her lips. “I’ll see you in a few.” He kissed her again, caressing her tongue with his. Sarah melted against him, her fingers curling into his shirt, tugging him closer.

The moment was interrupted when Daniel cleared his throat. Sarah pulled back quickly and wrapped her arms around herself, a flush of crimson tingeing her cheeks almost as if she were embarrassed.
Is she embarrassed?

Daniel interrupted the silence encompassing them as he shoved two tickets at his younger brother. “We should get inside so Nora and Sarah can get situated and we can get to the meeting spot.”

“Lead the way,” Vincent said, clapping his brother on the back.

***

S
arah squinted at Vincent and Daniel from their spot on the Oil Derrick, the large tower Daniel had insisted they visit during the meeting. She could understand why he suggested the spot; they were high up in the air and it would be impossible for someone to sneak up and grab them without causing a scene considering people were constantly coming and going. On the bright side, as long as they kept feeding quarters into the machine, they had a fantastic view with the viewfinder. They could see everything from a safe distance, except there still wasn’t anything for them to see yet.

“They still aren’t there,” she explained as she stepped back from the viewfinders.

“I’ll take a turn,” Nora offered, switching places with her.

Sarah sighed as she looked over the railing. It would be nice to know what was going on and if Malakai was even coming. Maybe she’d gotten all worked up for nothing. She’d be perturbed if nothing happened after all the effort they’d put into this meeting. If this fell apart, they would be back to square one. They would have to come up with another way to defeat Luna and Malakai.
No, that is not going to happen. This is going to work.
She had to stay positive.

“Do you want to take another turn?” Nora asked, pulling back from the machine.

“Yeah. All this anticipation is killing me,” she mumbled.

“Me, too. I just want to get this over with and get Daniel and Vincent home safely,” Nora replied, exasperated. She ran a hand through her coppery hair and looked wistfully down at the spot where Vincent and Daniel were before changing the subject. “I didn’t realize you and Vincent were so close,” she said carefully.

Sarah bit her lip as she took over the viewfinder. “It just kind of happened,” she explained.

“That’s how it started with Daniel and me. It was a happy surprise. Are you two...serious?”

Sarah hesitated.
Are we serious?
“We haven’t really talked about our relationship. Vincent doesn’t exactly do that type of thing.” She pulled back from the machine and stared down at the red wrought iron grates beneath her. “It’s complicated.”

Nora nodded as she leaned against the railing. “Daniel said he’s never seen Vincent so in-tune with someone before.” Nora chuckled. “He’s actually afraid you’ll break his heart.”

“Me?” Sarah snapped her head up and furrowed her brows in confusion. If anyone’s heart was in jeopardy, surely it was hers. “Vincent’s never had a real relationship. Why would I be any different?”

Nora shrugged. “He says he’s never seen Vincent so comfortable with someone.” Nora paused, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. “And from what I’ve seen, I think you two are into each other. Sometimes life has a funny way of getting us to our happily ever afters.”

Sarah nodded as she took a moment to register what Nora had said. She stepped down from the viewer so Nora could have a turn as she thought about her words. She and Vincent had been thrown together under dire circumstances, but somehow they had made the best out of an impossible situation. Together they had overcome a next-to-impossible scenario. Maybe fate had played a hand in everything that happened to them and their loved ones.

“He’s here,” Nora said, sharply, snapping Sarah out of her thoughts.

Sarah placed her hand over her brow and tried to pick out Vincent in the crowd. She would give anything for werewolf vision right about now. Too bad this viewer was the only one that could easily see where Vincent and Daniel were.

“They are just talking at the moment,” Nora murmured breathlessly. Her knuckles paled as she gripped the handles on both sides of the headpiece tighter. “Daniel’s giving him the information now and Malakai is looking it over.”

Sarah held her breath, staring at the crowd below. She should have stayed down there—it’s not like Malakai could abduct her or Nora in broad daylight with thousands of witnesses. Being stuck helplessly up here was killing her, especially when she couldn’t see what was happening. Nora remained silent for several more unbearable moments. “He’s still looking at the papers. Do you want a turn?” Nora asked, not moving her head.

Sarah’s stomach dropped.
Do I want a turn?
If things went south, she wasn’t sure she wanted to see—but then again, she did want to know what was going on.

“Yes, please,” she answered meekly.

Nora stepped back and Sarah quickly took her spot. She honed in on the men and cursed under her breath wishing she could read lips. The conversation had resumed and she had no way of telling what they were discussing.

“I wish they would just finish and we could be on our way,” Nora grumbled.

Sarah swallowed. “They’re talking again. Do you read lips?” she asked her companion.

“No.”

“Darn.”

Sarah bit her lip. Whatever was being said seemed to be getting heated. Malakai pointed his finger at Daniel accusingly. Sarah inhaled as Vincent stepped between the two and began to speak. She pressed her forehead against the device harder, as if that would help her to see better. Now it seemed Daniel and Vincent were arguing, but about what she was unsure.
What can they possibly have to fight about in front of our enemy?
And then it all clicked as Vincent shook Malakai’s hand. They had made some sort of deal.

Sarah gasped and gripped the metal with her sweaty palms. Her heart stopped as Vincent took a step forward and stood next to Malakai. Daniel nodded and turned on his heel.
Is he leaving him? Daniel wouldn’t leave Vincent? What was going on?
Questions tumbled through her mind.

“What is it?” Nora asked.

“He left him,” Sarah breathed, pulling back. The sky tilted and the earth spun around her.

“Whoa,” Nora said, catching her and easing her to the metal floor. “What happened?”

“Daniel just walked away and left Vincent with Malakai,” she choked out. Maybe she’d seen it wrong. Her mind was playing tricks on her—it had to be.

Daniel won’t leave his brother, would he?

S
arah’s heart raced as the elevator slowly descended to the ground.
Can’t this thing move any faster?
She needed to find Vincent and find out what was going on. The longer they spent on this leisurely ride, the further away Vincent got.

Finally, the doors opened and she rushed out, colliding with Daniel’s solid form. Sarah shoved Daniel hard, but he wouldn’t budge. His arms snatched hers and held her in place. “Please stop. You’re going to make a scene,” he pleaded, his face strained and angry.

Sarah ignored him, thrashing about in an attempt to get free. She didn’t care if people were staring.
How could Daniel just let Vincent leave with Malakai? What is he thinking? What is Vincent thinking?
She and Vincent had agreed to stick together.

“Sarah. Sarah,” Nora soothed, touching her arm. “We need to leave. This isn’t helping Vincent.”

“Is everything okay here?” A man asked as he approached, eyeing the three of them wearily.

Sarah froze, looking to Nora and then Daniel. She closed her eyes and quickly composed herself. Nora was right—having a breakdown in the park wouldn’t help Vincent.

“It’s fine,” she replied, her voice coming out smoothly despite her frazzled nerves.

The man quirked a brow as if he were uncertain of her answer.

Sarah swallowed. He wasn’t buying it; she needed to say something else. “It’s my boyfriend. He is doing something stupid. He’s not allowed to ride coasters for health reasons, but decided to do so anyway,” she blurted.

Sarah held her breath as the man shifted his gaze to Daniel, who promptly released her arms. Sarah instantly stepped back only to bump into Nora.

“If you’re sure,” the man queried.

“I am. Thank you,” she assured, mustering up a genuine smile. At least he’d been kind enough to step in when he thought something was wrong.

Daniel motioned her and Nora forward with his hand. “Come on. Let’s go meet up with Vincent,” he said.

Sarah waved at the kind stranger before speed walking after Daniel. Her mind raced as they zigzagged through the park. There was a plan—surely they had a plan.