20. Chapter 20
twenty
C urtis studied the hangar they drove into with wary eyes. A car had picked them up an hour ago, and they’d left Barcelona and now were god-knows-where. He’d seen only trees in the last half-hour of the drive, until they passed a gate and came to this hangar.
A one-engine plane was parked close to the open door. A couple of men stood by it, watching their car approach. One looked like he bench-pressed tanks for fun.
“Who are those men?” Curtis curiously asked.
Lina didn’t answer the question but said, “Can you help Javier with the bags? I’m gonna touch base with Raul and the pilot.”
With a deepening frown, Curtis watched Lina approach the men, and the huge guy enveloped—scratch that—almost swallowed her as he wrapped her in his Popeye arms.
Javier, the driver, yanked his door opened, making Curtis jump. Breaking his gaze from Lina and Raul, he followed Javier. They took out their two bags and his guitar case and stowed them inside the small cabin.
Curtis eyed the propeller plane skeptically. “Are we all flying in this thing?”
“Wait here,” Javier instructed.
“Are you coming with us, Javier?” Curtis asked, mostly just to make a conversation.
Javier wasn’t the talking type, either. His resounding no was plain and short as he left to join Lina and the two men.
The ride had been long, and Lina hadn’t been talkative. She was back in bodyguard mode again, all silent and stoic. He liked it better when she was moaning and calling out his name.
Curtis grinned as images from earlier played in his head like a movie. He might’ve imagined how Lina would be in the throes of passion, but he hadn’t expected her to run volcanically hot. But what shocked him most was his reaction to her.
He couldn’t exactly say what it was, but when Lina told him to never risk his life for her, he’d meant it when he’d said he couldn’t promise her that. He knew if her life was on the line, he’d do everything to prevent that.
The grin on his face vanished.
Curtis recalled the time when his sister had been abducted by her psycho ex. Brandon had been out of his mind, and when there was a slight chance of rescuing her, he hadn’t hesitated. Brandon would’ve put himself in between a bullet and Callie.
Shit.
He shook his head.
No way.
Like Lina said, it was an infatuation that could happen between a client and their protector. It was just that he’d been cooped up with her for days. Sure, he’d gotten to know her in a way he couldn’t have done before. And seeing her relaxed and just being human had been refreshing.
It ’ s just a crush.
Curtis nodded forcefully, as if the act would make his thought true and final.
“Curtis,” Lina called him. She was already by the open airplane door. “I want you to meet Raul Rojas. He’s an old friend of mine from when I was in the service.”
Curtis frowned slightly, but nodded at the built man wearing all black. “Good to meet you. You were in the Army?”
“The Spanish one. Lina and I worked on some joint missions.”
Raul’s smile was roguish. A little too roguish for Curtis.
“You’re with B&Y now, too?” Curtis asked.
“A private contractor. But I come when they need me. And tonight, Lina said she needed me.” The guy winked at Lina. “I’m actually hurt you didn’t call earlier.”
“We were hiding, remember?” she replied evenly.
Despite Lina’s bland reply, Curtis didn’t like how the Spanish man looked at her. Was something going on between them?
“Are you ready to go?” Lina turned to the pilot.
“ Sí .” He moved to the pilot door. “I’ll do my final preflight.”
Curtis watched the pilot get into his seat. “Where are we going?”
“We’ll talk once we’re in the air,” Raul answered.
Curtis turned to him. “You’re coming?”
“You haven’t told him yet?” Raul eyed Lina.
Her lips flat as a line, Lina shook her head once. Curtis’ brows rose as he stared at her. “Tell me what?”
“Raul is taking you out of the country,” Lina said.
Curtis blinked, not understanding her. “Taking us out of the country, you mean?”
“Raul, give us a moment, please,” Lina asked.
Raul promptly turned and walked toward the car where Javier was.
“Raul will guard you now,” Lina started. “He’s very good. I’ve worked with him many times. I trust him. I wouldn’t send you with just anyone.”
“What?” Curtis stepped off the plane and stood in front of her. “You’re leaving me?”
Lina looked away for a second before she visibly forced herself to meet his eyes. “It’s for your safety. I can’t…”
She sighed. “I’ve let my personal feelings get in the way. I can’t effectively protect you anymore, Curtis. I’ve already almost gotten you hurt once. It can’t happen again.”
“What are you talking about? I’m still here because of you.”
“It’s too close of a call. For the sake of your safety, I have to step back. I told you if we couldn’t keep things professional, I had—”
“That’s bullshit.” Curtis couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “After what happened between us, you’re dumping me? Is that what it was? A goodbye fuck?”
Lina’s eyes sharpened at his accusation and pierced him. “If that’s what you want to believe.”
“No, I don’t believe that.” Curtis gritted his teeth, trying to keep it together. He took a step closer to her, crowding her. “You feel something for me, Lina. Don’t you fucking hide from me again.”
She stood her ground and never broke her gaze from his. “That’s why I have to step back, Curtis. Don’t you understand?”
“What do I not understand?” he demanded.
“My feelings for you jeopardize my ability to keep you safe. And I can’t have that,” Lina said. “I can’t lose you, too.”
Curtis stared deep into her eyes and witnessed that turmoil he’d seen from time to time. Before he could say anything more, Raul ran to them.
“We gotta go. We got incoming. Hostile,” he warned.
“What? How the hell did they get our location?” Lina said.
“Don’t know. But it’s not the time to hash things out,” Raul said and shouted at the pilot. “Start the engine.”
“I’m not leaving without Lina,” Curtis insisted stubbornly. He didn’t care if they called him a diva. He wasn’t leaving without her.
“Curtis…” Lina started.
“No time for a discussion,” Raul said. “Get in, both of you.”
Lina didn’t like being ordered around by Raul, but he was right. It wasn’t time for a discussion. She rushed Curtis back into the plane, jumped in beside him, and buckled up. She heard Raul shouting out orders to Javier and his man waiting in the other car before he got in next to the pilot up front.
“? Vamonos !” Raul ordered.
He looked back at her. “My men will try to intercept and block them.”
The pilot moved fast, and they were already out of the hangar and heading to the barely lit runway. Curtis must’ve had the same thought as she did when he leaned to her and asked, “Can he take off like this?”
Lina repressed her own doubt and said, “He knows what he’s doing. Raul wouldn’t have hired him otherwise.”
Curtis didn’t have time to ask another question because suddenly a chain of cracks from a machine gun filled the quiet, dark night.
“Get down!” Lina pushed Curtis down over his lap.
“Fuck!” Curtis yelled. “What the fuck is that?”
“Go, go, go!” Raul roared as the plane sped to lift off the ground.
A few more rounds of shots filled the air, but they were already too far for the machine gun’s range even if the assailant’s car was gunning after them. And then they were up in the air and climbing.
“Is everyone okay?” Raul asked for a sitrep.
The pilot gave a nod as he kept the plane at its climbing trajectory.
Lina felt Curtis’ body shake, and her already racing heart rate picked up. “Curtis, are you hurt?” She felt all around his side and head.
Curtis shook his head. “I’m fine. Did they shoot at us?”
“We’re good back here.” Lina let out a relieved breath.
Raul looked down at the ground. “Looks like my guys scared them away. They’re running back down the runway.”
“It can’t be the Stilettos. How the hell could they figure out where we were that fast?” Lina rationalized. Nobody had known they were meeting Raul at that location. Not even Marcus.
“Can they be after you?” she asked Raul. “You’ve made a few enemies doing what you do.”
Raul’s face hardened. “There’s always that possibility.”
“Fuck, Raul,” she cursed. She made another mistake, and she almost put Curtis into an even more dangerous situation.
“We can’t be sure who those people are until I can reach the team,” Raul said. “We’ll figure it out when we land. And then you and our boy here need to decide.”
“I stick with Lina,” Curtis said. He glared at her as if challenging her to argue.
Curtis had his earlier trembling under control. Being shot at wasn’t something someone shook off easily, but he’d recovered well. His anger, though…that he hadn’t gotten over.
“We’ll discuss it when we land,” she said, buying time to make a final decision.
“No,” Curtis said. “I’m done with discussion. Either I have you, or you can send me straight to Serafina Stiletto.”