Chapter 19
The warm breeze whipped around her as Audra stepped out of the car onto the tarmac at the small regional airport just outside of Las Vegas. A small commuter plane sat in front of the hangar. The engines made a high-pitched rushing sound that made it hard to hear much else. The pilot was already in the cockpit, getting them ready to go.
“Ready?”
Audra looked at Sam, who’d come around the car to her side. She nodded, tipping her head closer to his so they could hear each other. “Who is this again?”
“His name is Jim. He’s a friend of a friend.”
“Ah. Yes. Ezra. The guy you all know. I’m still not convinced he exists.” After they’d decided to go to London, Max and Dean had disappeared, only to come back an hour later with flight details to get her and Sam across the Atlantic that night. Every time one of them had a question about the trip, Max—or Dean—disappeared to call Ezra. She wasn’t sure why they didn’t just call in her presence.
“He does, I promise.” With a hand on her back, Sam steered her toward the airplane.
Audra eyed the stairs to the cabin with trepidation. She hadn’t tried more than a couple of steps since she injured her hip. It hadn’t been a pleasant experience.
“Take your time.” Sam gripped her hand, the other still on her back.
She squeezed his fingers, thankful once again that he was here with her.
Holding his hand, she started up the steps, clutching the railing with her other hand. Between him and the rail, she was able to take most of the pressure off her thigh muscle and make it to the top with little problem. Ducking through the doorway, she glanced at him with a smile. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”
“I’m glad you’re healing. I didn’t think it would happen so quickly.”
“Me either. A lot of what I have is muscle pain from getting tossed around. There isn’t much actual damage, other than the massive bruise.”
“Good.”
They made their way into the cabin and sat down across from each other in the plush leather seats. Audra was thankful they weren’t on a commercial jetliner. While she felt decent, thanks to the painkillers she’d been routinely downing, hours upon hours cramped into a tiny, stiff airplane seat would have been agony.
“Hello, folks.”
The pilot emerged from the flight deck, smiling as he paused just inside the main cabin. “I’m Jim. We’re about ready to take off. There are snacks and drinks here, if you want anything.” He pointed to a set of cabinets to his left. “Help yourselves. Do you have any questions for me?”
Audra glanced at Sam, who shook his head at the pilot.
“No,” he said. “We’re good. Thank you for taking us on such short notice.”
“Not a problem. I owed Ezra a favor, anyway. If you need anything during the flight, use the intercom there.” He gestured to a panel beside their seats. “I’ll try to make things as smooth as possible. There’s a bit of rough air over the Rockies, but after that, it should be fine.”
“Great, thank you.”
Jim nodded. He moved to the door and pulled up the metal stairs, stowing them away, then pulled the door in and locked it. Once the plane was secure, he went back to the flight deck.
Audra got up and walked to the mini-fridge, taking out a bottle of water. She glanced at Sam. “Do you want one?”
“Sure.”
She grabbed another and walked back to her seat, handing it to him as she sat down. The plane rocked as Jim released the brake. They slowly rolled forward. She buckled her seatbelt. “This is a nice plane.” She cracked open her water and took a drink.
“It is. The one we’ll be in on the flight to London has an actual bedroom, so we’ll be able to sleep.”
She raised an eyebrow, slowly lowering the bottle. “Who is this guy?”
Sam grinned. “Ezra was a Night Stalker. An Army Special Forces pilot. He retired and went to work for Appalachia Resorts. Brooke—the woman who was on the group call and Ford’s fiancée?” He paused. It only took her a moment to recognize the name, and she nodded. He continued. “Her family owns the resort chain. Ezra now works for them, flying her and the other executives for the chain around the world. It’s her plane we’ll be on.”
“She just lends it out? All willy-nilly? What if someone in the company needs it?”
“They have more than one plane and more than one pilot. And yes. Brooke will be the first one to offer assistance. It’s just the way she is. I think she also feels a need to repay us for helping her.”
“Helping her? What did you do?”
“It’s a long story.”
“We have a wee bit of time.” Audra gestured to their surroundings.
Sam grinned. “I guess so.” He propped his ankle on his knee, settling in. “Last year, she got into a bit of trouble with her ex-fiancé. He was a real piece of work.” He waved a hand. “Anyway, Ezra—” He stopped, his jaw working, then glanced away. Inhaling a breath, he looked at her. “Sorry. My brain is—it’s moving too fast.”
Audra wished they weren’t seated across from each other. She wanted to hold his hand.
After a moment, he continued. “Ezra knew she needed help, so he brought her down to Costa Rica and asked Ford to keep her safe until Johnathan—her ex—could be arrested. She and Ford fell in love in the process.”
“And you all had a hand in keeping her safe?” She glanced out the window as they turned. The runway was close.
“Yes. Johnathan found her. Max and I helped get her and Ford to safety.”
“What about Dean?”
“He went to the U.S. to dig into Johnathan’s business dealings to get more evidence to take to the authorities. He met his fiancée on that case too.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Her name is Annabeth.” A bemused smile crossed his face. “It’s also what led to Edie marrying Jordan. I think it will lead to Max getting married too.”
“How so?”
“Edie went to the U.S. to help Dean when what he dug up turned dangerous. Jordan is his best friend—Dean brought him in on the case. When he needed—a”—he stopped again, clenching his fist—“when he needed help earlier this year with an unrelated issue, Dean asked Edie to step in. As for Max, well, he’s not attached yet, but Annabeth has a friend. Margot’s husband left her and their twin daughters abruptly last year. Those girls have Max wrapped around their little fingers.”
Audra frowned. “How are they involved in all of this?”
“Oh, sorry. Annabeth and Margot are doctors. The problems with Margot’s marriage cropped up while Dean was investigating Johnathan’s background. She’s just—she’s sort of been pulled in as Dean and Annabeth’s relationship took off. With all the uncertainty about her own future, she came down to Costa Rica with Annabeth to regroup. They’ve decided to open a clinic down there together. It’s part of the resort Brooke’s building.”
“Brooke’s building a resort?”
“Yes. In fact, Ezra and his family are coming down as well.” A gentle smile formed on his handsome face. “It’s nice. Having them all close. When my grandparents died, all I had was the military and my buddies there. I don’t know what I would have done without Ford and our other friends when my injury happened. Having that place to go—that—support—family—it probably saved my life.” He held her gaze, the look in his eyes turning intense. “Them and thoughts of you.”
Audra blinked twice. “Me?”
“Yeah.” He paused as the engines revved.
The plane lurched forward as they took off down the runway. A few seconds later, her stomach dipped and rolled as they left the ground. Once they were steadily climbing, Sam unbuckled and came to sit next to her. “I know now is not the time for us to think about where we go from here. But when this is all over—and it will end in our favor—we need to have a long chat.”
She nodded and leaned forward, tipping her head into his. Emotion clogged her throat. She hardly knew what she felt right now. But one thing was certain. She didn’t think she could walk away from this man again. This time, walking away might break her heart beyond repair.