Chapter 4
Breely sat back in her seat, feeling a little weight lift off her chest. Running away from home at twenty-eight years old might have seemed silly to anyone else.
To her, it had been terrifying. She’d grown up sheltered to the point of living in a very tight cocoon. The freedom of being her own person without having to answer to anyone had been heady and welcome.
She’d learned a lot about freedom she hadn’t realized before.
Foremost, she’d learned a person was never truly free. She had to answer to others no matter what she did. As a waitress, she’d had to answer to her boss, the customers and herself.
Doing what was right wasn’t always easy. Living out from under her parents’ oppressive desire to keep her safe wasn’t the answer. Running away might not have been the right answer. All she knew was that she needed to make her own decisions. Live her own life.
But, after nearly being kidnapped, maybe she needed a little help to keep from costing her father a huge ransom. She knew he’d pay it.
It chapped her ass that she had to have help.
As long as her parents were billionaires, she’d be a target.
Her father would have to publicly relinquish every last cent and control of his many corporations before his family was free.
She’d been kidding herself to think she might escape the noose of wealth.
“I just want to blend into society, to be a regular Joe.”
Moe smiled. “You could never be a regular Joe. And Breely suits you and your flaming hair.”
She lifted a hand to her curls. “I should dye it. I’m sure it’s not helping me stay hidden from kidnappers and the paparazzi.
” Memories flooded her thoughts. “Ever since I spent time with my grandmother, who had the same red hair, I’ve been proud of my legacy.
Now…” She pulled on a strand. “Maybe I should shave it off. Anything to make myself invisible.”
“Shaving off your hair will make you stand out even more than the red hair.” Moe’s gaze swept over head and face. “Don’t do it. Your hair is beautiful.”
Though her chest and cheeks warmed at the compliment, Breely shook her head. “If I don’t shave it off or dye it pink, I need to buy a wig or hat and keep it covered. It’s a dead giveaway.”
“If you must hide it for the short term, a hat can be easily undone. More so than pink dye or a buzz cut.” He glanced at the map on the control panel.
“We’ll be landing soon. I have a hat stashed in the back of your seat.
Transporting organs can sometimes involve journalists looking for a story on a slow-news night. ”
“Seriously?” Breely shook her head.
“Catching a photo of a multi-billionaire’s daughter stepping off a plane in Denver might be considered more newsworthy than saving lives with organ transplants.”
“Sadly, true,” Breely agreed. She unbuckled her seat harness and got up on her knees in her seat to reach into the pocket on the back.
Moe received instructions from Denver ATC to establish a flight path for landing at the Denver International Airport.
Breely had her hand in the seat’s pocket, looking for the hat Moe had offered when the plane suddenly lurched and dropped.
Thrown off balance, Breely tipped sideways and fell into Moe’s lap, hitting the yoke and sending the plane sideways.
When she tried to get up out of Moe’s way, he ordered, “Stay still until I right the plane.” With one hand on her ass, Moe pulled her hip away from the yoke, pressing her body firmly against his. Then he extricated his other arm from beneath her, grabbed the yoke and eased the plane back on course.
Breely’s heart pounded against her ribs. Cradled in Moe’s arms, her breasts smashed to his chest, her cheek pressed to his neck, and she couldn’t decide if it was fear or desire making her breathing and pulse erratic. “I’m sorry.”
He chuckled. “Can’t say that I am.” He winked. “I’ve never flown with a beautiful woman draped across my lap.”
Knowing she should move back to her seat, she hesitated, loving how warm and solid he was. The man wasn’t a hulking, muscle-bound guy. What he was, however, was compact, wiry and strong, based on how he held her entire body tightly against his with only one arm.
The Denver ATC jolted Breely out of her lusty stupor, giving Moe instructions to turn and establish his flight path to a runway.
His mouth twitched. “Much as I like this, I need both hands to land.”
“Right. I’ll just…” Breely pushed her hand against his thigh, her fingertips brushing against the hard ridge beneath the fly of his jeans. Her breath caught.
“Told you I liked it,” he murmured as he helped her off his lap and back into her seat. “Buckle up, Buttercup. We’re going in for the landing.” He reached behind her seat, fished out a Denver Broncos ball cap and handed it to her.
While Moe focused solely on landing the plane, Breely twisted her hair up into a bun, secured it with an elastic band and shoved it all up into the ball cap before pulling the bill down low on her forehead.
She’d never been in the co-pilot seat of one of her father’s airplanes and found it both exhilarating and terrifying to witness the landing. A crosswind made it even more challenging. The wings tipped, and the aircraft seemed to wobble as they hurtled toward the tarmac.
Breely pressed her feet into the floor as if she could slow their descent by pressing on imaginary brakes.
When Breely thought they would surely crash onto the runway, Moe eased back on the yoke and the small plane kissed the tarmac, landing with a soft bump.
They rolled halfway down the runway until he turned off onto a taxiway and stopped in front of a building where an ambulance waited with people standing beside it.
Breely finally remembered to breathe. “That was amazing.”
Moe chuckled. “Thank you. Were you worried?”
She nodded. “The ground seemed to be rising up to meet us, we were going so fast.”
“It is a little disconcerting when you’re learning how to fly, but it becomes second nature the more you do it.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “I’ll have to believe you. I’ll never learn to fly.”
“Never say never,” he said with a grin. “You might want to stay inside while I make the transfer.”
“Good idea.” Breely pulled the bill of the hat down lower over her brow and remained in her seat.
Moe pulled the plane to a halt and switched off the engine. While the propeller blades slowed to a stop, Moe unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed into the back of the plane to retrieve the precious cargo.
With the container in his hands, he stepped down from the plane and met the medical personnel there to transport the organs to their destination.
After the tag was scanned and the medical staff had signed for the container, the organs were loaded into the ambulance.
The gate opened, and the ambulance left the airport, engaging the emergency lights to get to the hospital faster.
Moe stepped up into the aircraft. “You can come out now.” He held out his hand to help her disembark.
Once on the ground, she slipped her arms into her jacket, looped her purse over her shoulder and stared at the disappearing ambulance lights.
“I hope all goes well with the transplants.” Those people really were getting a fresh start in life.
It made her feel proud to have been on the flight that delivered so much hope.
“You’ve done a good thing,” she said softly.
“I’m glad to do it.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him watching the ambulance disappear around a corner.
Breely turned and looked up at him. “What now?”
He faced her. “It’s getting late. I hadn’t planned on flying back to Bozeman tonight.
Besides, we don’t know where your kidnappers are or if they’ll make another attempt.
I doubt they’ve secured a flight to Denver on short notice unless they have access to a private plane.
You’re better off staying in Denver for the night.
It will give you a chance to think about your next move. ”
She nodded. “I should have enough cash in my purse for a hotel room.”
“I made a reservation for a rental car and a hotel room downtown. You can come with me.”
She smiled. “Seeing as I don’t have a car waiting for me, I’d appreciate the ride.”
He dipped his head. “My pleasure.” Moe reached inside the plane, grabbed a backpack and slung it over one shoulder. He closed and locked the door to the aircraft and led the way into the building.
A dark-haired woman at the counter stood as they approached. “Mr. Cleveland, your rental car is in the parking lot.” She handed him a set of keys.
He gave the clerk a smile that melted Breely’s knees. “Thank you,” he said.
The brunette’s cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink. Apparently, Moe’s smile had the same effect on the woman as it had on Breely.
“Do you want us to top off your fuel?” she asked. Was she really batting her eyes at the man?
“Yes, please,” he said. “We’ll be leaving around ten o’clock tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll have them fill it up tonight in case you decide to leave earlier.
I made the reservation for your hotel. It’s a good thing you requested a room ahead of time.
There’s a Broncos game in town as well as a big concert.
The hotels were filling up fast.” She handed him a printout of the hotel room reservation.
Again, he smiled, charm oozing from his handsome face. “Thank you for taking care of the arrangements.”
Breely had been the recipient of that same smile at the tavern.
The man had a way of making a woman feel like she was the only person in the room.
Seeing that magic work on someone else had butterflies storming inside her belly, at the same time as it made her want to claw the other woman’s eyes out.
That thought made her blink and take a step backward. Where the hell had that come from? She’d never been jealous of another woman. Envious, yes. Jealous?
Moe wasn’t her man. She’d just met him that evening.