5. Lee
5
LEE
I swiped at the sweat beading along my hairline. The afternoon sun beat down on my head, the mercury creeping up on ninety degrees. I scanned the area as I swiftly moved along the side of the hangar toward the front. Roaring engines, country music blasting on a radio, and the banging of mechanics’ tools filled the hot air. “Hangar Two, clear. I’m going to check out the parked limo.”
“Hangar One, clear,” Mike answered in my comms.
Viktoria’s white and teal jet came into view, sitting by itself on the tarmac between the two hangars to keep the runway clear. Not that there’d been any activity since our landing ten minutes ago.
“Jeff?” I crossed in front of the massive, open bay door that revealed two Cessna prop planes and a small jet inside and continued toward the limo parked at the other edge of Hangar Two, closer to the maintenance building. “How’s the ground crew coming with the fuel truck?”
“The truck is pulling out of the garage now,” Jeff answered. “We’re headed your way.”
I stood and waited, shading my eyes against the sun. Viktoria's schedule had us stopping for fuel at this small municipal airport east of Wichita, Kansas. Taking two days to arrive at a destination we could’ve reached in less than a day meant Viktoria’s father had mapped a lazy route with built-in stops. I understood his logic. Viktoria would be well secured in the air, and the stops on the ground shouldn’t be long enough for trouble to find us. This was as safe as her father could make her.
I glanced toward the third building and spied Jeff jogging beside the lumbering fuel truck. The poor man had sweat dripping off his face, and his gray T-shirt clung to his body. Hopefully, Viktoria wouldn’t mind Jeff borrowing the shower after we were back in the air.
“Approaching the limo now.” I walked the entire perimeter of the black new-model stretch. No rental advertisement stickers adorned the body, and it looked well cared for. The tinted windows didn’t allow me to see much inside, so I pressed the side of my hand against the glass and peered in. Nothing. I tried the handles on all the doors as I passed, but they remained locked. “Limo is clear, but I don’t like it. It’s got no reason to be here, parked in the open.”
“Could be someone stepped out for lunch,” Jeff said.
“Could be,” I agreed, but I couldn’t see any other planes refueling, or any other flight crews milling around. And who would walk in this heat when they had a limo?
I quickened my pace as I marched back to the plane. I pulled my phone out and cursed. One missed call. Checking the voicemail log, I saw Boom’s name listed.
Figures . I’d thought I felt the device vibrating in my pocket earlier, but I’d been locked in another battle of wills with Viktoria. Keeping her on the jet while my team secured the area had not been easy, and?—
“I’m fine. Step back.”
My head snapped up at the sound of Viktoria’s voice, and I spotted the copilot trying to help her down the steps. Viktoria brushed his hand off, and I rolled my eyes. Of course she’d done exactly what I’d asked her not to. So much for her promise to trust me.
At least she waited until we finished the security sweep .
She was moving fast, almost running. I frowned, then relaxed when I caught sight of Jeff veering to meet Viktoria at the bottom of the stairs. Wherever she was headed, he’d slow her down.
I watched Mike shake hands with a mechanic outside Hangar One, then trek back toward the jet. Excellent. With my team on Viktoria, I could call Boom back from the privacy of the plane. With any luck, Boom would have final clearance on the copilot, and the pit in my stomach could take a break.
A pair of sexy heels clicked smartly on the tarmac as Jeff moved to flank Viktoria’s other side. “Lee,” she beamed, her blue eyes daring me to challenge her. “I needed the fresh air, what with the smoke in the cabin.”
“The what?” Jeff spun on his heel. Every nerve in my body came online at once, every sense, every instinct set to high alert. The copilot was moving down the steps. Viktoria was turning, pulling away. Jeff’s eyes went wide, then he crumpled to the pavement.
NO! I jammed my phone in my back pocket and sprinted for the stairs. I drew my Sig Sauer from its holster and aimed, but I was too late. The copilot was dragging Viktoria toward the limo, her body pulled flush to his. A human shield. Shit.
Viktoria screamed something in Icelandic and brought up her elbow, smashing the copilot hard in his ear.
Yes! Go, warrior woman .
The man’s head rolled back, and he blundered to one side, but instead of letting go, he yanked Viktoria closer, twining his fingers in her hair. He jerked down, her pale throat exposed. If I fired now, I’d hit her. I holstered my weapon.
“Secure Viktoria,” I yelled—not an order, but a distraction. A loud noise to cover for Mike circling around, running up from behind the pair, bent low to the ground.
Mike was almost on them when the copilot wheeled, catching Mike’s knee with a cracking low kick. Viktoria screamed. Mike went down hard, but he’d bought precious seconds for me to surge into action, ripping Viktoria free and shoving her toward the hangars. “Get her inside,” I ordered Mike, who scrambled to his feet and raced to obey.
The copilot lunged after me—after Viktoria—but I grabbed the back of his shirt and spun him away. I ducked the copilot’s right hook and shot my arm out, nailing the man in his unprotected stomach. The copilot coughed and bent at the waist, and I caught him with an uppercut. The copilot’s head snapped back, and he staggered left, careening out of range of my kick.
Undaunted, I chased him, blocking right and left hooks. I nailed the man’s gut again, then grabbed his head and jerked it down, shattering the copilot’s nose on my raised knee. The copilot snuffled, bloody and thick, then I smashed the sweet spot on his skull, knocking him cold, Ranger style.
So much for this being a simple babysitting assignment. Breathing hard, I whirled to spy Mike and Viktoria safe inside the hangar.
Jeff—
The trunk of the limo popped open, and a man leapt out.
“What the hell?” I ripped my Sig out of its holster.
Trunk Man raised a Glock, and I veered to the right. A shot whizzed past my head, close enough I felt it. I zigzagged toward the car, sighting as I went. I squeezed off a round, but it slammed into the limo. Crap . I kept on running, straight past the limo, away from the jet and the fuel truck parked next to it. The mobile bomb, more like, if Trunk Man fired on it.
I fired twice more. Two more rounds dotted the limo. Trunk Man dove, taking cover behind it.
Damn it. This had to end before an innocent got hurt. I ran to the limo’s front fender and took cover behind the wheel. Crouching down, I peered under the car and aimed for the knee resting against the pavement. My first shot missed— damn eye! —but my second burrowed through flesh and bone.
An unholy howl rang out, then a dull thud. I raced to the other side of the hood and peered around, Sig at the ready. Trunk Man lay curled in on himself, clutching his knee as he screamed. I ran up and confiscated his Glock, thumbing the safety on and jamming it into my belt.
Using the butt of my gun, I knocked Trunk Man out. “Call the police,” I shouted to the mechanics huddled inside the hangar.
“Already did—they’re on their way,” one of them responded.
I jabbed my headset on as I ran to Jeff. “Mike, is the plane safe? We need to go now .”
“If you’ve got Viktoria, then I’ll check it now,” Mike responded.
“Confirm no fire and no hostiles, then we’ll get Viktoria on board.” Dropping to my knees, I rolled Jeff over, continuing my instructions to Mike. “Don’t let the pilot file a flight plan. Tell him to go as far as he can on the fuel we’ve got, then once we’re airborne, he can work it out with ATC.”
“Consider it done. I’ve been in touch with Boom. That copilot’s file was real, but it wasn’t his. The real guy got carjacked, was left knocked out in a ditch.”
I pressed my lips together. That wasn’t good. I ran my hands over Jeff’s unconscious body but didn’t find a bullet wound. Jeff’s breathing was regular, his color good. I sat with him and Viktoria while Mike cleared the plane.
“I wasn’t defying you,” Viktoria said. “The smoke?—”
“I know.” I glanced at her and caught her biting her lip, back ramrod-straight to cover her fear. “Fire’s bad news on a plane. You were right to run out.”
My headset crackled, Mike giving the all-clear. Hoisting Jeff over my shoulder, I moved as quickly as I could toward the plane. The jet’s engines fired up, hurting my ears.
“Get on board,” I said, and Viktoria obeyed. I huffed up the stairs behind her and strapped Jeff into the closest recliner, pausing to recheck his pulse: good and strong.
“Help Viktoria,” I said when I locked eyes with Mike. I settled Jeff more securely in his seat, then worked to close and seal the door.
Ten seconds later, the jet was rolling forward. I kept vigil at the nearest window. Airport personnel slowly trekked out of their hiding spots and moved closer to the limo, the downed copilot, and Trunk Man. In the distance, flashing red and blue lights filtered through the trees and buildings, and I willed the plane to move faster. The threat seemed contained so far, but I wouldn’t trust anything until we were well out of reach.
As if the pilot had heard me, the jet picked up speed and soon began climbing, the ground falling away. I inhaled deeply, dropping my chin, then slowly exhaled to try to steady my pounding heart.
Viktoria . My eyes snapped open, and I turned to check on her. She was kneeling beside Jeff, checking his pulse.
“He okay?” I asked, moving to stand beside her.
“His pulse is steady,” Viktoria said, but she didn’t look at me. “What was that back there? How did it happen?” Her voice took on a sharp note, a hot blaze of anger. “Don’t I pay you to stop these things before they get started?”
My first instinct was to snap back. To tell her I’d tried that in San Diego. She’d insisted on rushing the background check over my objections. I caught the defensive response before it escaped my lips. Behind the fire in her eyes, I was sure I spied fear. It tightened the skin around the corners of her mouth, leached the color from her skin, and tensed her muscles until they were hard as stone. This, I understood—the urge to hide terror and helplessness behind anger.
“Viktoria,” I said softly, wrapping her clenched fist between both my hands. “I promise, I’ll keep you safe. Even if it means jeopardizing my life. I’ll never let anything happen to you.”
With a start, I realized I truly meant the words. They weren’t some platitude but a promise from deep within.
Viktoria held my gaze, a mix of emotions warring behind her eyes. I’d bet my left nut she wouldn’t want me seeing any of it. But she didn’t look away, and finally, she nodded. She tugged her hand free of mine and marched toward the bedroom.
I let her go without a word. With every step she took, I realized this assignment was going to be harder than I’d expected. For one, someone was definitely targeting Viktoria. For two, every instinct I had urged me to pull her close and comfort her. My body yearned to give in to my need to be there for her…but this was strictly a hands-off mission.
A snort burst from my throat. Yeah, it might be hands off, but that didn’t stop my heart racing whenever she touched me. Whenever she looked my way with that fire in her eyes. If I didn’t watch it, I might find myself falling for a woman I couldn’t have.