“Wonderful.” River’s hand is resting on my lower back making the skin underneath my shirt tingle as he leads me further inside.
There are six spacious reclining leather seats, three on each side of the aisle, with a four-seater light blonde wooden table behind the chairs on the left. A door at the back of the plane catches my eye, and I can only assume it’s private sleeping quarters. It’s overwhelming to think River owns this, even though I shouldn’t be surprised, based on the size of Thompson Manor.
Sebastian’s already aboard, sitting in one of the white reclining seat with headphones over his ears. He gives us a curt nod as we walk down the aisle to the seats toward the back.
“Have dinner with me?”
“Sure.” I smile, trying to act like none of this is out of the ordinary. I’ve never been on a private plane and have nothing to compare it to, but this is beautiful.
River gets settled across from me. “I ordered for you, I hope you don’t mind.”
I swallow a chuckle. He has no clue how picky I am about my food. “You did?”
“Yes, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
River glances behind me, lifting his hand up. Before I can ask what he’s doing, Ben appears at my side with a rolling a metal cart.
“Miss Lux.” He places a plate with a tin lid in front of me. “Lovely to see you again.”
“Lovely to see you too.”
“I have made a grilled chicken salad, my signature vegetable soup, and a coconut cake for dessert.”
“Coconut cake?” I ask, shocked by the choice since it’s not as common as chocolate or cheesecake.
“River said it’s your favorite,” he explains, placing River’s meal on the table.
When I glance over at him, River’s rubbing the back of his neck, trying to hide a smile.
“How did you know?”
“I have my ways.”
I giggle, because I’m not surprised he found a way to learn my favorite dessert.
During dinner, River shares with me details about how the kill is planned to go down. The more we talk about taking Nolen’s life, the more I get visions of my blood-soaked dream. And as time goes on, the more I realize it isn’t only rage fueling me because this feels natural in some small parts of my mind.
Although I didn’t kill Rich myself, I was in the room and that makes me part of what happened. Before that night, I could barely eat, I wasn’t sleeping, and my thoughts were clouded. I was a shell of the person I was before. Although short lived, I slept for short bursts throughout the day. But now I find myself itching for another one of those men to see their demise.
I need my story to keep moving.
When we’re almost done eating, River’s eyes meet mine from across the table. It’s silent except for the dull echo of Sebastian headphones in the background.
“How are you feeling?” he asks, picking up on my change in demeanor.
“I’m doing all right,” I say. I should thank him for opening up to me more. These few little things he’s sharing are helping me feel included, but also giving me a glimpse into who he is. “Thank you for sharing things with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“In the garden and now during dinner. You’re letting me in to the details of what we’re doing.” I exhale a heavy sigh. “It’s difficult to explain what was taken from me that night or how something inside of me changed, but it did. It feels like I’ve been chasing that old version of myself since then. And thank you for including me.”
River rests a comforting palm on my hand from across the table and gives a soft smile. “My parents were murdered when I was young, so I don’t know if I would have been the same person I am today if I hadn’t witnessed it, but I do know something changed in me too. We all process trauma differently—some healthy, other unhealthy.”
Are River and I not as different as I believe us to be?
Did the taste for vengeance unlock something in him too?
A tightness in my chest forms as tears prick the back of my eyelids from both him losing his parents and having someone to relate to. Before they can fall, I rise from my seat. I want to release these emotions, but we’re not alone at this moment because Sebastian is right behind us.
