Chapter Nineteen
FOUR DAYS LATER, Ford watched Nat’s beautiful face as she slept next to him in the private plane’s plush seat.
Even the skillful landing at Van Nuys airport hadn’t been enough to rouse her.
He glanced out the window of the private jet as it taxied toward the small general aviation airport.
The early evening sun baked the San Fernando Valley dry, eliciting shimmery waves from the tarmac, and glinting off every shiny surface.
He turned his attention back to the woman tucked up against his side and leaned close. “Nat,” he said in a stage whisper, reluctant to disrupt her peace. She’d struggled to sleep the last couple of nights, worried that her enemies would find them before she could ensure Erik’s safety.
Once she explained her situation to multiple—somewhat disgruntled and disbelieving—consular staffers, things had moved…
slowly. At least initially. There was a lot of paperwork.
Discussions with the Swiss police about her aliveness.
Discussions with the embassies in Paris and Bern. Calls to her parents and Gretchen.
The official who’d talked to Natalie’s mom handled the whole thing with exceptional care, paving the way for her to share a tearful video call with her parents. They’d been at once ecstatic and in shock, torn between celebrating her return while losing their minds over her brother’s kidnapping.
Thankfully, they’d kept the personal effects that the Swiss police had sent home with her “remains,” and could provide the embassy with copies of her birth certificate, passport, and driver’s license to prove her identity.
Due to the unusual situation, the amount of press coverage, and the danger to her life, the US State Department expedited her request to return to the States.
Ford and Natalie had waited out the embassy’s vetting process in an apartment in Marseille’s Le Panier district that Lehmann had procured, once again proving her worth.
The old part of town with its narrow cobblestone lanes, stone walls covered in vibrant street art, and potted plants outside recessed doorways was the perfect place to hide out.
Difficult to access, maze-like paths, and a high population density.
But still neither of them had been able to fully relax.
He doubted either of them would breathe easy until Erik was safe and Natalie’s adversary was behind bars. Or dead.
It was during the downtime in Marseille that Nat had finally revealed the true extent of her job, shared that she and her teammates weren’t simply investigative journalists but more like…
Well, honestly, they weren’t much different at all, except for the part where they illegally “redirected” their targets’ funds to the victims, like a modern-day Robin Hood with a feminist twist. Oh, and occasionally used questionable tactics to obtain evidence.
Nat had been shocked at how well he took it. “I thought this would violate your morally upright, law-abiding sensibilities.” She’d said it with enough fondness that he hadn’t taken her words as a slight.
He’d had to think about why her admission didn’t bother him more.
Holding her hand while he figured it out helped.
“Laws are supposed to exist to promote safety and security for everyone. I’m for that.
What you’re doing is making the world safer for the people who need protection the most. My main concern is the risk to you. Legally, and especially, physically.”
Gretchen and her family’s involvement in the formation of the team had also initially surprised him, but the more he thought about what the woman had been through, maybe not.
She’d rallied Blaze’s victims to share their stories with law enforcement and ultimately prevailed against that human shit stain.
That she’d mobilized her energy and her new network to take on additional deserving targets wasn’t such a stretch.
“You’re really okay with it?” Nat had asked, her gaze roaming his face warily.
“It scares me, but I’m proud of you.”
She beamed at him, her cheeks flushed.
“You’re doing something important. Something impactful.” He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed her fingertips. “That’s rare.”
Her eyes warmed at the touch of his lips, but she tilted her head. “You think you don’t?”
He shrugged, distracted by her soft skin.
“Ford.” She waited for him to stop and look at her. “You saved my life. That alone is enough, but because of you, I’m here to do what I do.”
He’d been trying to keep the conversation about her, but his chest warmed at her words. He may not have gone about it well, but he had ultimately kept her alive. Twice now. Thank God.
“And you’re protecting Henri. Again, plenty enough on its own, but if his testimony helps convict Deschamps, you’re a part of that too.
” She leaned close and kissed him hard on the mouth.
“Don’t sell yourself short. Everyone has an impact.
Good or bad. Yours is pretty outsize compared to the general population, and heavily weighted towards good. I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.” He’d kissed her back. “Have I told you I love you lately?”
“You might’ve mentioned it once or twice.” She gave him the saucy smile that heated his blood. “Ditto.” She leaned in and gently bit his bottom lip.
They’d ended up in bed for the rest of the afternoon.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like that. Had he ever? So…happy?
Definitely not since Con died. Even before then, visible joy had been more his brother’s purview.
But while Ford had pursued quieter forms of contentment, was it possible that Connor had been using his outward exuberance as a shield?
As a buffer from the harshness and negativity he didn’t know how to handle?
Only recently, observing how Natalie navigated the world, had Ford begun to recognize her flash and distraction as protective barriers. As the sacrificial coating that insulated her soft heart.
He loved all of it, all of her, and wasn’t quite ready to start sharing.
Much like their time in Nice, those few days in Marseille had been like living suspended in time, out of the flow of normal life. A last reprieve to enjoy each other before they faced the harsh realities of the real world.
Of course, Erik’s kidnapping and the cloud of danger above Nat’s head had cast a pall over every moment. As much as Ford tried to distract her—and frankly, himself—from the looming confrontation, she’d been jittery.
When the green light came from the embassy, Gretchen graciously put up the money for a private jet to bring her and Ford to Los Angeles, and he decided not to wonder how she could afford it.
The privacy had been a relief. For about twelve hours, he and Nat had been able to relax a little, temporarily freed from worry about her enemies.
All that was about to change.
Someone with the right resources could’ve figured out their flight details and be waiting for them right now.
B&A didn’t have a large footprint in LA like they’d had before Ford moved to Geneva.
The few local protection specialists they had in town were booked with long-term clients.
Good for business, not great for him. But Emma’s boyfriend ran the West Coast operations for Steele Security.
They were a newer, smaller company operating in the same sphere as Beaumont, though there was enough work for them to be more cooperative than competitive.
Jason had assured Ford he’d have a team protecting the area in and around the general aviation terminal well before they landed.
That made Ford feel marginally better, but his unease had grown the closer they got to LA, because at some point soon the fucker who’d taken Erik would be in touch.
If his hired guns weren’t at the airport today, he’d find another way.
Natalie was understandably impatient to hear from Erik’s kidnapper, but Ford couldn’t see how she’d get her brother back without putting herself in danger.
He swallowed past the hard knot in his throat and took a deep breath.
When he had himself under control, he paused to take in Natalie’s sleep-softened features.
She was so beautiful it hurt. And so tough.
Yet her physical and mental wounds were still healing, and he almost wished the flight were longer so he could let her rest. But the sleek plane had stopped taxiing, and the flight attendant was already working to open the door, so he gently squeezed Nat’s hand and said her name softly. “Hey. We just landed.”
She groaned and made a pouty face, curling toward him. “Too soon,” she murmured.
He smiled, his heart swelling. God, he loved this woman. In the tiny apartment in Marseille these last few days, they’d slipped easily back into each other’s arms and a selfish part of him hadn’t wanted it to end.
At the front of the plane, the door opened with a clunk and the fuselage filled with the sound of engines and the stink of exhaust.
Nat’s eyes flew open and she sat up, suddenly wide awake. “We’re here.” Unlatching her seatbelt, she stood and grabbed her bag from the luggage closet.
“Wait up.” Ford followed, heart trying to escape his chest. As soon as they stepped out of the door, everything was going to change, and he wasn’t sure he was ready. Not to mention, he wanted to check the scene before she stepped out. “Let me go first.”
She rolled her eyes, softening the aggrieved response with a forbearing smile. “You really think I’d just barrel out there, caution to the wind?” An undercurrent of disappointment belied her light tone.
Cupping the nape of her neck gently, he said, “I think you just woke up, and you’re excited to see your family and friends, and you’re worried about Erik. That’s enough to distract anyone.” Her muscles relaxed beneath his palm. “Also, before we rejoin the real world, I wanted a chance to do this.”