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  Isabella- Fae felt sickness twist in her stomach. Already, she was getting a terribly bad feeling about this, a horrible, sick feeling that alerted her to the fact that things were going to get bad pretty quickly.

  Darcy turned onto the highway and Isabella- Fae was greeted by the sight of the country's nature on either side of her. It seemed like the whole area was one big jungle, ranging from smaller areas of trees to large, towering ones off in the distance, only broken up by buildings, and stretches of road that seemed to carve a map and huge scars in the land. She shivered. It was huge, it was majestic. It made her feel like she might never be able to find her father in all of this. Darcy seemed to understand what she was thinking, sense the worry, because he sighed, "At least he was smart enough to hire backup."

  "Backup?" Isabella- Fae questioned.

  "Yes. What do you think I am?" He smiled, and it looked grim, "He hired me to watch him, to keep him and the rest of the party safe." He shook his head, "In the event that they went missing, I was to look for them." Darcy frowned, a dark look in his eyes, "I was not to contact you, or anyone else." He shook his head, "Your father wants you safe."

  Isabella- Fae swallowed, feeling more and more of the dark clouds of worry descend over her, "Why did he hire you?"

  Darcy glanced at Isabella- Fae, as if weighing her up, "He hired me because he's taking on some dangerous people. He's more use to them alive, instead of dead, and I think that we still have a hope of finding him. They may have him, or he may be in hiding." Darcy shrugged, "So far, I have had no luck in finding him, but the moment I drop you off at the hotel, I'll be going straight back out there."

  Isabella- Fae felt a spike of worry and anger, merging to twist inside her like a dangerous poison, "Dropping me off?"

  "Yes, at the hotel. You sent me through the details, if you recall."

  Isabella- Fae felt the anger rise inside of her stronger than ever, "Darcy, you have just told me that my father is in serious danger, that my father might be dead, or at least captured by these dangerous people, and you expect me to just let it slide?!" She shook her head, "You expect me to just hide out at a hotel room and do nothing at all? She laughed and shook her head again, "No way, Darcy, no way."

  "And what help do you suppose you're going to be?" He snapped back.

  "I might not know much about this situation, but you're going to tell me and, more importantly, I know my father! I know him and I am here to save him, so you can just suck it up."

  His jaw was tight, his grip on the steering wheel white. Isabella- Fae felt a twinge of pleasure in getting past the calm façade that he was holding so tightly until now, "He's my father and I'm going."

  "Well you're not coming with me." Darcy's voice was short.

  "Oh? I thought my father wanted me safe? You seem to give a damn, so why would you just abandon me? In fact, why did you answer me at all?"

  Isabella- Fae could feel the realization dawning on her and, suddenly, she understood his frustration, the anger that seemed to be pouring off him in waves. She shook her head, "You have to, don't you?" She swallowed, a smile breaking out on her face, triumphant, "My father hired you to guard him, but in the event that he went missing....and I showed up..." It all made sense now, "You have to keep me safe too."

  "I don’t have to do anything." He snapped back, a dark look on his face,

  "Of course not." Isabella- Fae nodded, "But I'm sure he paid you to, and if you have any sort of honor..."

  Isabella- Fae could tell that she was striking a chord with him, but she did not care. She had figured it out and she was planning to take full advantage of that. She was going to use it to look for her father and fulfil her intention of coming here in the first place.

  Darcy was gritting his teeth, "I will keep you safe and if you insist on coming with, I will do everything that I can. But I do not take orders from you and you had better stay the hell out of my way. I have a job to do."

  Isabella- Fae felt determination twist like a knife in her heart, "So do I." This was it. She would find her father, no matter what. She would find him and save him and they would figure all of this out. Darcy's words, of dangerous men and her father being in trouble kept echoing in her head. She would make things right, and she would get more answers later, from Darcy, from her father, from the men who dared to threaten her father's safety in the first place. She was not about to lie down and die. She was going to succeed and she was going to get her father to safety, even if it was the last damn thing that she did.

  She glanced at Darcy, with the strong, determined edge to his jawline, the way the tension rolled in his muscles. She looked at the anger and intensity in his eyes and realized, with a jolt, that he did not scare her. He was dangerous, that much was very clear and Isabella- Fae was not cocky about her ability to take him, not at all.

  There was something about him, no matter how much he frustrated her, no matter how harsh he sounded...there was something about him that screamed loyalty, that screamed honor and integrity and a man who could get the job done. She knew that, if her father was in any sort of danger, he would have hired the best man for the job.

  Isabella- Fae could only hope that they found her father, so that they could get everything sorted out and straightened out. She only hoped that she was not too late.

  She only hoped that she could help.

  Chapter 2

  Isabella- Fae woke the next morning, exhausted but ready to take on the world. She sighed, stretching out and reaching for the old familiar comfort of her book. She ran her hands over the pages, sighing quietly as she thought back to yesterday. The hotel was good, the sheets lovely and cool, everything incredibly lovely and luxurious. She sighed, smiling quietly to herself. None of it meant anything, not with her father missing, but she still appreciated the comforts.

  Hoping to steady herself for the huge day that loomed ahead, Isabella- Fae reached for her book and flicked through its pages.

  Isabella- Fae flicked through the story she had read on the plane, flicked through it again and sighed. She did not know what was wrong with her, but she just could not settle, could not get her mind to rest, not even for a second. She needed to focus, and the only thing she had brought was this book.

  She sighed and started to read the first page, hoping against hope that it could help resettle her and focus her mind in some way, help prepare her for what was ahead.

  The offspring of the Czar Played with a skipping ball In the May morning, in the Czar's garden, tossing it forward and backward. It fell among the flowerbeds Or fled toward the north entryway. A sunlight moon hung up In the Western sky, bare white. Like Papa's face, said Sister, Hurling the white ball forward.

  While I ate a prepared potato Six thousand miles separated, In Brooklyn, in 1916, Aged two, silly. At the point when Franklin D. Roosevelt Was an Arrow Collar advertisement. O Nicholas! Too bad! Tsk-tsk! My granddad hacked in your armed force, Hid in a wine-stinking barrel, For three days in Bucharest Then left for America To end up a lord himself.

  I am my's dad, You are your kids' blame. In history's pity and dread The tyke is Aeneas once more; Troy is in the nursery, the shaking horse is ablaze. Tyke work! The youngster must convey His fathers on his back. Yet, seeing that such a great amount of is past And that history has no ruth For the person, Who drinks tea, who comes down with bug, Let outrage be general: I detest a conceptual thing.

  Sibling and sister skipped The bouncing, unbroken ball, The shattering sun tumbled down Like swords upon their play, Moving eastbound among the stars Toward February and October. In any case, the Maywind brushed their cheeks Like a mother watching rest, And if for a minute they battle About the ricocheting ball And sister squeezes sibling And sibling kicks her shins, Well! The core of man is known: It is a desert flora sprout.

  I am my's dad, You are your kids' blame. In history's pity and dread The tyke is Aeneas once more; Troy is in the nursery, the shaking horse is ablaze. Tyke work! The youngster must
convey His fathers on his back. Yet, seeing that such a great amount of is past And that history has no ruth For the person, Who drinks tea, who comes down with bug, Let outrage be general: I detest a conceptual thing.

  The ground on which the ball skips Is another bobbing ball. The wheeling, spinning world Makes no will happy. Turning in its spotlight dimness, It is too enormous for their hands. A savage, purposeless Thing, Arbitrary and unspent, Made for no play, for no youngsters, But pursuing just itself. The pure are surpassed, they are not guiltless.

  They are their dad's fathers, The past is unavoidable. Presently, in another October Of this sad star, I see my second year, I eat my prepared potato. It is my buttered world, But, jabbed by my unlearned hand, It tumbles starting from the highchair And I start to yell. What's more, I see the ball move under The iron door which is bolted. Sister is shouting, sibling is yelling, The ball has sidestepped their will.

  Indeed, even a bobbing ball Is wild, And is under the garden divider. I am surpassed by fear Thinking of my dad's fathers, And of my own will.

  The book brought her comfort, brought her peace and she smiled, jumping up to get ready. She dressed quickly, packing her bag and grabbing everything that she might need.

  The words were haunting, aching and intense. She swallowed the hurt in her chest, at the thought of death and danger. She shook it off and focused instead on the familiar feeling of warmth that flooded her chest, that left her feeling safe and supported. The conflicting ideals summarized her life right now very well.

  Comforted, and frightened. Confident and achingly sad. But she would get through this. She was so close, she could feel it. With Darcy on her side, however reluctantly, she would be able to find him. She thought about Darcy, words echoing in her heart again- there was something about him that screamed loyalty, that screamed honor and integrity and a man who could get the job done. She knew that, if her father was in any sort of danger, he would have hired the best man for the job.

  Isabella- Fae could only hope that they found her father, so that they could get everything sorted out and straightened out. She only hoped that she was not too late. She only hoped that she could help.

  Chapter 3

  Darcy knocked on the door, the sound echoing through the room. Isabella- Fae thought that it sounded loud, far too loud to be a simple knock on the door. This was something more, this was a call that she needed to answer, this was a call that was so strong she did not know how to say no and she did not know if she wanted to. It was time to go out there and find her father, time to start the journey that she had come so far to start. It was time to find her father and make her way to him. It was time to bring him home.

  Isabella- Fae could feel the tension gathering at the base of her spine, feel the tension building inside of her, twisting like a snake.

  "I'll be there in a minute." She called, her voice echoing through the hall until it reached the front door. She turned and checked on her things, making sure that she had everything she needed to go on this trip, to be part of the search party. She had packed everything that Darcy had suggested and more, but she had made sure to pack as light as possible. Darcy had made it clear that she would be carrying all of her own things, making her own way and that he expected her to be able to keep up with him. She could understand that. He had a duty to fulfil and he wanted to do what he needed to. Isabella- Fae took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. She checked herself over, her long, sensible pants, short sleeved shirt and a coat tied around her waist. Tough boots and a hat completed the outfit and Isabella- Fae felt confident that this would see her though most of today.

  Darcy said that, once they were out of the city, they would be travelling by foot. Isabella- Fae could only assume that they would be travelling through the jungle. She made a note of needing to grill Darcy more, to insist that he tell her everything that he knew about her father and what had happened, down to the last, most insignificant detail. It was important to her. It was important that they got through this in one piece, and that she knew exactly what she was looking for, exactly what she was up against and what Darcy had and hadn't considered already.

  She headed over to the door, pulling it open. Darcy was standing there, looking similar to yesterday, dark clothing, dark hair neatly pushed back and an intensity to his stare that made Isabella- Fae feel a little light headed. She shivered, feeling something like desire start to crawl up her body and beneath her skin. She smiled a little, and it felt strange to do it.

  "Darcy."

  He nodded, "Isabella- Fae. You ready to go?"

  She nodded, and adjusted the straps of her bag, "Where are we going, exactly?" She did not move from the spot, did not move to follow him. She had decided that she was not going anywhere without answers. She deserved that much from him, if nothing else.

  "The East side of the jungle. It is where I tracked your father to last. I haven't been able to find him as of yet."

  Isabella- Fae felt stunned, the tension draining out of her. She had expected an argument, a fight, something. She had expected to have to insist and to push and to argue her point just to get a word out of him. Yesterday, he had been completely closed up, but today, he seemed to be giving information much more freely. Isabella- Fae stared at him in surprise. As if guessing what she was thinking, or perhaps sensing it, Darcy shrugged, "You are coming with me. I cannot leave you in the dark that would be foolish."

  Isabella- Fae nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable and a little silly for all the tension that she had been holding. Darcy looked at her for a long moment, "More details in the car. We really should be going." He frowned, "I do not want to lose another moment of daylight." He turned and headed down the hall. Isabella- Fae locked up her hotel room and hurried along after him. Once they were in the car, everything loaded, Isabella- Fae turned back to Darcy.

  "Where are we meeting with everyone else?"

  Darcy looked at her, and she could see the confusion in his eyes, "Everyone else?"

  Isabella- Fae nodded, "Yes, the rest of the search party."

  Darcy smiled and it was a grim smile, "There is no one else, Isabella- Fae. No one else is foolish enough to travel into the depth of the jungle, and search for someone, for anyone." He laughed and shook his head and Isabella- Fae could sense the darkness in him, "But I made a promise. I gave my word and I will not abandon him." He shook his head, "That is not in my way, not in the way that I believe things to be."

  Isabella- Fae felt something in her stomach, something intense and shuddering shift through her. He was standing up for her family in a way no one else ever had and it moved her. She swallowed and felt a second emotion join her, shudder through her body. If it was so dangerous no one else would do it, then what the hell was she getting herself into by being a part of this? What the hell was she signing up for if no one else was willing to do it? Isabella- Fae was not sure about the next step, but she was willing to press forward, regardless, because her father meant the world to her, and it was not something that she could deny.

  She could not deny the sensation that was moving through her at Darcy's words, at the devotion that he seemed to have for her father, for his employer. She did not know why he was so loyal, why he was so determined to help her father when she could not see much reason for it. Okay, so he wouldn't be employee of the year, but this was his life that he was risking. He was risking everything and Isabella- Fae could not see a good enough reason why. She shivered and shook her head. He was a good man and she needed to be grateful for that, for the fact that he was here at all, when he could be anywhere else, if he wanted to be.

  Isabella- Fae took a deep breath and nodded, "Well, I'm here. So, why was my father here in the first place? What was he looking for? What was he doing?" She looked at him intently, "You said that you would give me answers in the car, that you would let me know what was going on before all of this happened. So?"

  Darcy sighed and shook his head, "You are not going to stop, are y
ou?"

  "No, not until I get answers." Isabella- Fae answered, feeling the tension hit her hard. She was not one for confrontation, but she knew that she needed to presume this, to insist that she got all of the answers that she was looking for, so that she could actually be of help, instead of just being a burden. That was not why she had travelled this far.

  Darcy sighed again and nodded, "I can see that." He seemed to consider what she was saying, "Okay. Your father was trying to help end a budding civil war." The words rung out in the car, quiet as a whisper and packing all the punch of a violent shout. Isabella- Fae felt like she had been sucker punched, like she was reeling. She shook her head and stared at Darcy with wide and disbelieving eyes. Stopping a civil war? Her father was a good man, but why was he involved in the first place?

  "What?" That was the only word that stumbled out and she shook her head again, unable to believe what she was hearing.

  "A civil war." Darcy frowned, darkness enveloping his features, "Your father was determined to help stop it from starting. He blamed himself, and the rest of the American businesses that have been flooding this economy in these past few years." Darcy gripped the steering wheel tighter, and Isabella- Fae could see his stress and tension rolling off him in waves, tight and potent.

  "Look, the economy was in bad shape already. When businesses from the US started flooding the country, it got harder and harder for business here to be sustainable and even harder to keep the economy afloat in any real, meaningful way." Darcy sighed and Isabella- Fae could see real hurt on his face, a real ache that was not easing, as he spoke.

  "Certain groups have been frustrated about that, frustrated about what that might mean for the future of the country. One in particular has been advocating violent action." Darcy shook his head, "Honestly, when your father heard about it, all he wanted to do was help diffuse the situation."