Chapter 8 #2
When they reached the helicopter, he handed their overnight bags to a man dressed in black pants, a white, button-down shirt, a red tie, and dark sunglasses, who introduced himself as their copilot, Kairo Torres.
Sir then helped Tiffany through the open door into the back seat.
A woman, with long, brown hair pulled up into a ponytail and dressed similarly to Kairo, minus the sunglasses, turned in her seat and held out her hand for both to shake.
She appeared to be in her midthirties and had a beautiful smile and bright, hazel eyes.
Tiffany liked her immediately as she greeted them.
“Good morning, Mr. Roberts, Ms. Armstrong. I’m your pilot—Serenity Warren.
Mr. Montgomery told us to give you the tourist treatment today.
We’ll take the scenic route—if that’s okay with you—and show you some of the local sites from a different perspective.
It’ll add about twenty minutes or so to our flight time. ”
“That sounds great, Ms. Warren, thank you,” Cordell said.
“Please, feel free to call me Serenity.” Her gaze shifted back to Tiffany. “Ms. Armstrong, are you okay? You look a little pale. Is this your first time in a helicopter?”
She nodded more times than necessary. “Yes, it is. Please tell me you have a lot of experience flying this . . . this contraption.” On their way to the heliport, Sir had tried to reassure her that everything would be fine—he’d flown in helicopters several times during his law enforcement career—but she was still nervous as hell.
The woman chuckled as the copilot climbed into his seat next to her.
At least she didn’t seem offended by Tiffany’s inquiry when she replied, “Yes, ma’am.
I’ve been flying helos for over fourteen years now—starting in the Marines.
I’ve been Mr. Montgomery’s personal pilot for the last four years.
Kairo flew in the Air Force and has been my copilot for about eighteen months now.
We work very well together, and our baby here is in great condition and gets routine maintenance.
We’ll get you to Miami safe and sound, and I’ll do my best to give you a smooth flight.
We’ve already done the preflight checklist, so if you’ll both strap yourselves in and put on those headsets that are right over your shoulders, we’ll let the tower know we’re ready to take off. ”
Sir helped Tiffany with her headset before putting on his own.
He also double-checked her seat belt and then took her hand in his, resting both on his thigh.
After donning a pair of sunglasses, Serenity flipped a bunch of switches and turned some dials as her copilot spoke to someone in the tower.
The rotors above them started to spin slowly at first before picking up speed.
A high-pitched whine got louder by the second before it turned into a flap-flap-flap.
The helicopter began to vibrate, and Tiffany reached over with her free hand and clutched Sir’s arm.
Suddenly the aircraft lifted off the ground.
Tiffany squeaked, slammed her eyes shut, and buried her face into Sir’s shoulder.
She could feel more than hear his chuckle as he switched her hand he’d been holding to his other before putting his arm around her shoulders and tucking her into his side as best he could.
His voice came through her headphones. “It’s okay, pet. I’ve got you.”
It was a good five minutes after the helicopter had leveled off before Tiffany’s stomach seemed to settle a bit.
She took a deep, cleansing breath and let it out slowly before lifting her eyelids.
It took a little longer before she pushed herself off Sir’s shoulder and sat back in her seat.
She was grateful he kept his promise and didn’t let go of her hand.
When she finally found the courage, she peered out the window to her right, and there was the Florida Keys Scenic Highway and the islands it connected on its 106 miles from the mainland to Key West. To her left, out Sir’s window, was teal-blue water glistening in the sun all the way out to the horizon.
It took her a moment to realize they were going west, not east. She was just about to ask why, when Serenity said, “We’re taking a little side trip to Grassy Key before heading east. If you look out the right window, we’re coming up on the Dolphin Research Center.
My cousin works there, and they rescue injured or sick dolphins and either rehab them to be released or keep them if they can’t be returned to the wild. Great place to visit.”
The helicopter dropped altitude a little and hovered over a dock were it looked like a woman was talking to a dozen or so tourists, many of them children.
In the water, two dolphins were bobbing up and down near the dock.
The area they were in was surrounded by a large pen to keep them from swimming far out into the ocean.
The woman glanced up at the helicopter and waved.
She must have said something to her group because many of them looked up and waved too.
“That’s my cousin Trisha down there. I usually rock us back and forth to say hello, but I don’t think your stomach would be happy with that, Ms. Armstrong.” She glanced back at them. “You’re just starting to get the color back in your cheeks, and I don’t want you going pale on me again.”
Tiffany couldn’t help but laugh. “I appreciate that, Serenity. Thank you, and please call me Tiffany.” She pointed out the window as the helicopter climbed again.
“I read about this place and have been meaning to check it out. I love dolphins.” That and the Turtle Hospital in Marathon were on her list of places to visit when she got a chance.
She was hoping there would be time before the grand opening to go do some more sightseeing.
Sir had taken her a few times when they’d first arrived in Florida.
He’d also signed her up for the scuba class he’d offered to treat her to, so they could go diving together after she passed.
It started next month and was on Mondays which would be her scheduled days off along with Tuesdays.
“On the return flight, I’ll bring you some free passes Trisha lets me have to hand out to people.”
“That would be great, thank you!”
“No problem. Now, let’s head east and show you some other sites.”
As promised, Serenity and Kairo had given them a smooth ride.
After a while, Tiffany’s muscles relaxed and the butterflies in her stomach stopped fluttering about, and she enjoyed all the different sites the pilots pointed out to her and Sir along the route to Miami.
She was surprised when they landed on the top of a skyscraper instead of an airport.
Serenity explained that Reed Montgomery owned the entire building.
Its lower half was all offices, while the upper floors were condos.
As the rotors slowed, a door opened about halfway across the roof, and Dante strolled out and waved to them. He had the weekend off, leaving Jared and Troy in charge of the resort, and had flown to Miami yesterday afternoon, after getting off work, to meet Reed for dinner.
Once they were given the okay to exit the helicopter, Sir helped her down. They ducked their heads until they were far enough away from the slow-moving rotors that hadn’t stopped spinning yet. Dante greeted them as they approached. “Welcome. How was the flight?”
He and Sir both looked at Tiffany, and she glanced back and forth between them before smiling. “I didn’t throw up or have a heart attack, so, all in all, it was good, I guess.”
They laughed along with her, and then Dante took their bags from Kairo when he brought them over.
Serenity was still in the helicopter, and Kairo said, “We have you scheduled to head back tomorrow afternoon at three. We’ll meet you up here, but if there are any changes to the plan, Mr. Montgomery or Mr. Calvano can let us know. Have a good weekend.”
“Thank you,” Tiffany and Sir said in unison before following Dante into the stairwell.
They only went down one flight and exited into a small hallway.
At the other end was another doorway, and she was surprised when they walked into a kitchen that rivaled those found in any five-star restaurant.
The only difference was that this was obviously the kitchen of the penthouse where Dante and Master Reed lived, since Cooper was there to greet them with a woof and a rapidly wagging tail.
They followed Dante through the huge apartment, which appeared as though it occupied the entire floor, as he led them to a guest bedroom suite.
He set their bags on the king-sized bed that didn’t even come close to taking up the whole room, which had its own sitting area.
The decor was beautiful, with complementing maroon, green, and gold fabrics on the furniture, bed, and window treatments.
The ivory carpet under Tiffany’s feet was so plush, she thought she could sleep on it comfortably.
Dante pointed to another door. “Bathroom’s right through there, and it’s fully stocked with anything you might need—if there’s something missing, just let me know.
Take a few minutes to get settled and then come back out to the living room for a drink and some appetizers.
Master will be another hour or so in his office downstairs with a small emergency, then we’ll head across the street for dinner before going to the club. ”
When he and Cooper left them alone, Sir pulled her into an embrace and used the fingers of one hand to tilt her chin up until she was looking directly at him. “What’s your safeword, pet?”
Her eyes narrowed in confusion, but she answered him anyway. “It’s red, Sir.”
“Good girl. I’ll be pushing your boundaries tonight, but I expect you to use your safeword if you need to. Understood?”
A shiver went down her spine as his intense gaze bore into her. She swallowed hard before responding, “Yes, Sir.”