CHAPTER 82 : AGAINST THE CLOCK

Bryan was about to ask her what was wrong when the call suddenly ended, increasing his panic.

"Kira?" He called out, his eyes widening as he stared at Aiden's phone. "Kira!"

"What's happening?" Aiden asked, "Did you hear that? You heard her call for help, right? I wasn't the only one."

Immediately, Aiden dialed her number again, but the line was switched off, it could not connect.

"What the hell is going on?" Bryan got up, pacing around the room. "I will call Ryker."

"Yes, do that." Aiden agreed. 

Bryan unlocked his phone, fingers moving fast to find Ryker's number and call. Holding the phone to his ear, it rang, but Ryker was not picking either. It rang once…twice… thrice…still no response.

"Where exactly is he?" Bryan muttered under his breath, "Pick up already," he sighed and switched the phone to his other hand. "Come on."

He was even starting to get worried with the way Ryker was also not picking up. They just wanted to know if everything was okay with Kira.

Aiden, on the other hand, remained seated, waiting for Ryker to pick up as well, but listening to Bryan complain about Ryker not picking up, only got him more frustrated.

"I'll call Dad," Aiden said to Bryan, his expression cold as he started calling their father, "Keep trying Ryker's line."

Bryan nodded and kept trying Ryker's number, even though he was not picking up.

"Hello? Sorry, I was taking a shower," Ryker, who finally picked, explained to Bryan.

"It's okay, it's okay," Bryan replied and then turned to Aiden, informing him that Ryker had picked up.

Aiden stopped calling his father since they had now gotten through to Ryker, got up from the bed he was sitting on and walked up to Bryan.

"Is everything okay? You sound somehow" Ryker asked, noticing how off Bryan's voice was.

"Well, we are not entirely sure of the situation. I need you to go check on Kira," he told Ryker, urgency lacing his words. "We did not really have much time to know what was wrong, but I am very sure she said 'help' and then the call ended," he explained.

"I'm already dressed and on my way," Ryker said as he left his house. "I will get back to you."

"Thank you Ryker and if anything has happened, you know what to do," Bryan uttered.

"I do," Ryker concurred before Bryan ended the call, lowering the phone from his ear.

"We are leaving," Aiden said, his voice calm but final as he started packing his things.

Bryan didn't even hesitate in agreeing with Aiden. Even though they were not sure about what was really wrong, they felt it, and they will only be relieved when they know that she is fine.

Aiden zipped open one of their bags, his movements quick and smooth as he tossed his clothes into it. 

"Aiden," Bryan called out, walking and standing by the window. "Please help me pack my things too. I need to get the jet sorted."

"Sure, got it," Aiden said, giving him a sharp nod. "I hope she is okay."

"I hope so too," Bryan rubbed his face and then made the call.

Within two rings, a professional voice answered. "Good evening, Mr. Bryan. How can we assist you?"

"Good evening. I need a Gulfstream out of Keflavík in the next two hours, if possible earlier than that," he requested, not wasting any time. "Destination : New Orleans."

There was a brief pause on the other end as the concierge processed the request. "Of course, Sir. Same arrangements as usual?"

"Yes," Bryan responded, "Although we have our car, so no need for transport."

"We will have the Gulfstream prepared shortly," The concierge spoke again. "Just confirming, Sir, your NetJets account will cover this flight, correct?"

"Yes," Bryan said. "Charge it to the same account and make sure everything is in order."

"Very good, Sir, and of course. We will also notify you the moment your jet is ready. The estimated time to departure is one hour and forty-four minutes," the concierge informed him.

"How long?" Aiden asked, glancing up from the bags. He was already done packing and was zipping shut the last bag. They didn't bring many things, though.

"Less than two hours," Bryan replied, taking his phone away from his ears for a second.

Aiden nodded, grabbing both packed bags and placing them by the door, "All set." He told Bryan. 

Despite the calmness they were exuding, there was a lot of urgency.

"We will drive ourselves to the airport," Bryan told the concierge as he raised the phone back to his ear. "Just make sure the jet's ready by the time we arrive."

"Of course, sure. I will ensure the flight plan is filed immediately, smooth and everything is prepped for departure."

"Thank you. I appreciate it, and please make sure there are no delays," he said.

"Consider it done, sir."

Without another word, Bryan ended the call, turned and stared at Aiden who was standing by the door, ready to leave. 

"We good?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah," Bryan nodded, trying to stay positive as all he could think about was Kira. "Let's move."

They left the room and stepped into the cold Icelandic night air, heading to where their car was packed. They thought they would have a chance to bid Baba Razz goodbye before leaving, despite his mysterious nature, but the situation right now did not permit that. They were not even going to stay to get the answers they were waiting for from the business deal they offered to the leader of Reykholt. But it was okay, everything was okay.

They both slipped into the front seats-- Aiden behind the wheel, and Bryan in the passenger seat. Without wasting another second, Aiden started the engine and moments later, they were out of the village.

As they sped down the road, Bryan's phone rang suddenly. It showed the name, Ryker. He grabbed it quickly and hit the answer button, then put it on speaker. "Ryker, you are on speaker. Any good news?" 

"I'm sorry, this will not be good news. We found her phone smashed on the path that leads to her parents' grave. I also confirmed from your parents that she indeed went to visit them," Ryker said, relaying the information to them.

Bryan's lips pressed into a thin line, a low growl rumbling deep in his throat, while Aiden's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

"What else?" Aiden asked, his face cold and his tone laced with anger. "Where is she?"

"I have rounded up warriors," Ryker answered, "We are still searching inside and outside the pack. So far, she is not in the pack."

"Keep looking," Aiden ordered. "Check every inch of the pack and beyond, every single place should be checked. If she is in danger…" Then he took a deep breath before he would rip off the steering wheel.

"Just keep searching," Bryan said to Ryker, trying to maintain control, although he was raging from the inside. "We will be there soon."