Jordan Summers (19 page)

“You need to return to work. Now.”

She pointed to the back galley, her ears straining to hear over the engines’ loud hum. “What does he think he’s doing?”

“It’s not your concern.”

Delaney balled her fists.

“I said get back to your job.”

“What if I refuse,” she fired back.

“Fine.” Rico pulled out a 9 mm Glock. “The next person I shoot will be on your conscience,” he said, turning to choose a victim.

Passengers around them cried out.

Delaney’s mind blanked as she focused on the barrel. How had he gotten that past security? Probably the same way he’d been able to load weapons onto a commercial flight—inside help.

“Wait!” Delaney grabbed his elbow. “Don’t,” she pleaded, hating the show of weakness. “It’s okay, folks. He’s a sky marshal,” she said attempting to halt the panic.

“He doesn’t look like a sky marshal to me,” someone shouted.

Rico glowered.

“He’s not supposed to. He needs to blend in,” Delaney lied.

Rico looked around the cabin, meeting the eyes of several people. “I’m here on official business, so get back to doing what you were doing,” he shouted, then holstered his gun.

“Listen to the marshal, folks. There’s nothing to see here,” she assured.

“Are you going to go back to serving drinks like a good little girl?”

“Yes,” she spit out between clenched teeth. Tears of frustration filled her eyes as she thought about Barbie in the back galley. She couldn’t save her anymore than she could save these passengers, if Rico decided to kill them.

Delaney glanced at Jack as she passed and saw only compassion. She returned to her cart, kicking the lock to release the wheels so she could roll it down the aisle.

With quivering fingers she poured her drinks, her eyes glued to the back of the plane. Delaney saw Jeremy’s head snap around to stare at the closed curtain. He checked on the passengers one last time, then slipped in to the galley. Rico hadn’t noticed—yet.

“I thought I told you to get back to work.”

“I am,” she sputtered.

He shook his head. “Some people have to learn the hard way,” he said, walking to where Jack sat.

What was he doing now?

Delaney saw Rico stop in front of Jack. She strained to hear their conversation. She couldn’t make out the words, but the emotion behind them thickened the air until she could barely breathe.

Rico reached for his Glock, then pointed the barrel at Jack’s head. Instead of recoiling, Jack stood to face him.

“Don’t be a hero, Jack,” she whispered, her heart threatening to explode.

Rico tapped and racked the gun, preparing to fire.
Nooo!
Delaney screamed silently as she reached under her pants leg to retrieve her pistol.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Delaney raised her SIG Sauer to aim. She had a clear shot at Rico, but there was a good chance that if she took it, he’d still manage to fire a round and kill Jack. She whipped her gun between Rico and Jack. It seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a second or two.

Jack Gordon—expendable,
echoed in her head.

Her orders were plain. Take out the main target no matter what. The situation was clear-cut in her mind. Delaney’s world narrowed to black and white as it always had in her life. She aimed at Rico, placing his head in her gun’s sight. She pictured Elaine’s face and started to squeeze the trigger.

Too bad her heart had other ideas. Her clear-cut world switched to gray before her eyes. Delaney’s hand jerked and she bumped the trolley with her hip. The cart wobbled and started to roll down the aisle, picking up speed as it went.

“Oh, God, no!” Delaney’s eyes widened as she realized her cover was gone.

Everyone turned from the two men and focused on her. It was all the time Jack needed. He fought Rico, shoving him into the aisle in front of the oncoming beverage cart.

The steel contraption, which rattled like a hundred-and-forty-three-pound tin can stuck in a blender, bore down on him. Rico attempted to move out of the way, but wasn’t fast enough.

It hit him in the thigh, flipping him like a pancake onto the top of the trolley. His weight didn’t seem to slow its descent as it chugged like a runaway locomotive toward the back galley.

Delaney couldn’t move. The cart traveled ten more feet, then hit an armrest and abruptly stopped, sending Rico airborne. He sailed about three yards before landing with a loud thump into the aisle. His Glock flew over his head and out of his hand, spinning under a row of seats.

Delaney saw the curtain pull back slightly and Jeremy peek out. His eyes followed the weapon for a beat, then he moved faster than she’d ever seen him. He swan-dived into the empty row of seats, searching for the pistol.

Passengers craned their necks to get a glimpse of the action. Jeremy came up a moment later, gun in hand, then raised the weapon in triumph above his head. He grinned at Delaney, then started to hand the weapon back to Rico.

“No! Don’t!” Delaney shouted.

Jeremy pulled back in confusion.

“He’s the bad guy,” she said, approaching at a run.

Jeremy smiled an evil grin right before he kicked David Rico in the chest with his Italian loafer. It was a testament to his anger that he hadn’t stopped to consider that he might scuff the leather.

“Remind me never to piss you off, Jeremy,” Delaney muttered under her breath, before asking, “Is everything okay back here?” She glanced at the closed curtain.

“Everything is under control,” Jeremy said. His voice never wavered.

“Good. Can you handle this for a minute?”

“Sure.”

Delaney handed him her gun with the frangible rounds and took the Glock. She didn’t want Jeremy accidentally shooting himself. She headed back to check on Jack. She didn’t think he’d been injured while fighting Rico, but she needed to see with her own eyes.

Jack met her halfway down the aisle.

Her heart swelled at the sight of him. “We have Rico,” she said. Her fingers trembled as she touched his face.

He glanced over her shoulder. “I see that. Were you really going to shoot me?” he asked, his blue gaze boring into her.

“I didn’t exactly have a choice.” She rocked back on her heels and stared at him. “I couldn’t allow Rico to kill you.”

“So you were going to kill me instead?” he asked.

“My gun has frangible rounds in it.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. “If you don’t mind, can we talk about this later? I have to check on Barbie.”

“Do you want me to do it?” he asked, compassion lighting his face.

She knew he was trying to save her from what might be behind the curtain. Delaney also knew that this was something that she had to do. “No, I’ll go.”

He nodded reluctantly, but the look in his eyes told her their conversation was far from over.

Delaney made her way down the aisle. Some of the passengers were crying, while others whispered questions, asking what was happening. Call buttons dinged throughout the cabin.

“It’s over, folks. Everything is under control. We should be landing in Phoenix anytime now,” she assured, not knowing whether it was true.

Her knees wobbled from the fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins. Delaney walked past the wayward beverage cart, which until now had been the bane of her existence, and patted the bent steel frame. She wondered if the airline would let her keep it when this case was over.

Jeremy hovered over David Rico in his best Dirty Harry stance, daring the man to move.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked as she neared him.

Jeremy nodded, but didn’t take his eyes off Rico. “I’ve got him covered.”

“Okay,” she said, noting his steady hands. Newfound admiration filled her.

Jeremy flicked his gaze to hers for a second. “What?”

“What kind of shape is Barbie in?” Delaney asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

“Why don’t you ask
Barbara
yourself?”

Delaney steeled her spine in preparation. She stepped over Rico, who still looked stunned, if his glassy eyes were any indication, then reached for the curtain covering the back galley.

She threw the curtain aside and gasped when she saw Tony sprawled out on the galley floor with airline issued handcuffs binding his meaty wrists. One of the metal coffeepots sat near his head, its base marked with blood. Barbie was on the jumpseat holding an emery board, filing away at her nails. Not a hair on her blond head was out of place and her makeup remained flawless, exactly like the woman in training had been.

Delaney gaped. She couldn’t help it. She’d expected to come back here and see Barbara blooded and bruised, maybe even unconscious or worse. She’d expected to have to comfort a victim. That’s what she’d braced herself for, trained for. Instead, Delaney saw a camera-ready woman, poised for her close-up.

“You want to tell me what happened here, Barbara?” she asked, finally finding her voice as the shock began to wear off.

She shrugged. “He reached below my Mason-Dixon line and tried to pick me up like a six-pack. You don’t think you’re the only one who attended the voluntary three-day self-defense training course for flight attendants, do ya?”

“I—I guess not,” Delaney sputtered. She didn’t even know there was such a class.

“Besides,” Barbara said, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder, before leveling Delaney with a no-nonsense gaze, “that Yankee should’ve known better than to mess with Texas.” She went right back to filing her nails without missing a beat.

J
ACK WAS WAITING
when Delaney stepped out of the galley. “Is the flight attendant okay?” he asked, his gaze searching her face.

Delaney snickered. “She’s better than okay.” How could she have ever thought her crew was anything but competent? It shamed her to realize that she’d underestimated them both.

Delaney helped Jeremy secure David Rico with the only other set of handcuffs on the plane. They sat him up and strapped him into a seat, then wrapped the seat belt demo around his legs to keep him from moving.

That left one man to secure and Delaney had no idea how she’d do it. She made her way to the cockpit, shooting a glance at Jack as she walked by. He’d been comforting the passengers while she checked on Barbara. His gaze followed her, and she could feel the heat settling in the middle of her back, before dropping lower.

Delaney narrowed her eyes playfully. He didn’t bother trying to hide the fact he’d been checking her out. She shook her head. How could he think about those kinds of things after what they’d just been through? Come to think of it, how could she?

Delaney smiled, then turned back to the task at hand. She needed to secure Rico’s man in the cockpit.

She pressed the button next to the intercom a couple of times and picked up the interphone. “Hey,” she said cheerfully. “I wanted to check and see if you guys needed anything to drink before we land.”

There was silence for a moment, then the phone crackled. “Yes, a couple of coffees would be nice. Bring them right up.”

“You got it,” Delaney replied. She entered the cockpit and handed a cup of coffee to the first officer, then pulled Rico’s Glock. “ATF,” she shouted. “Hand over your weapon.”

Delaney saw the flash of surprise in the man’s eyes, and then his gaze dropped to the coffee. “Don’t even think about it,” she said. Her finger stroked the trigger in warning. “Put down the coffee. It’s over.”

He hesitated.

“I’m not going to ask you again,” Delaney growled out, fully aware that she’d kill him at this range and probably penetrate the fuselage.

“With your left hand, I want you to reach into your jacket and remove your pistol with two fingers.”

The first officer complied.

“Captain, my name is Agent Delaney Carter. We have an emergency situation.”

“What kind of an emergency are we dealing with here?”

“We have a cargo problem, sir,” Delaney said cryptically, her mind going to the weapons in the belly of the plane.

“Understood,” he said, then added. “Should I be worried about landing this bird?”

“I don’t think so. We’re dealing with criminals here, not psychotics. They wanted that cargo intact and they’d planned for us to land in Phoenix. I have to assume it’s been stowed
properly
.”

He nodded. “You don’t sound sure.”

“I’m not.” The silence stretched between them.

“Roger that. Then we’d better prepare for an emergency landing.”

Delaney’s stomach clenched. She wasn’t ready for this. She’d barely qualified with the FAA. The plane might not be full, but these people were still counting on her to save their lives.

“You better get a move on. We’ve been cleared to land,” the captain said, before putting his oxygen mask on and answering the tower.

“Yes, sir.” Delaney escorted the first officer out of the cockpit and left him with Jack, then made her way down the aisle to Barbara and Jeremy. “We have to prepare the cabin for an emergency landing. Hydraulics,” she added hastily. They grabbed their emergency briefing cards, and then proceeded to reposition the passengers at the exits.

Delaney walked to the front of the cabin and turned the lights to full bright before picking up the mike. “Ladies and gentleman, the captain has indicated we’re having mechanical problems and need to prepare the cabin for an emergency landing. I need you to place all loose items into the seatback pocket in front of you. Ladies, if you have on high heels, I need you to take them off and put them in there, too. Barbara and Jeremy are making their way through the cabin right now to ensure compliance. Please look at your emergency briefing cards to locate your nearest exit. Remember, it may be behind you.”

Her voice quivered and her hands shook as she finished relaying evacuation instructions. If she wasn’t trying so hard to put on a brave front, Delaney was convinced she’d have gone into the lavatory and thrown up.

Jack watched her with something akin to pride in his eyes. He hadn’t said anything when Jeremy asked him to take his seat and buckle in, but she felt the strength that he silently lent her.

T
HE MOMENT THE WHEELS
touched down in Phoenix, her week of training kicked in. “Heads down. Stay down. Heads down. Stay down. Heads down. Stay down,” Jeremy and Delaney shouted in unison. They didn’t stop until the captain came over the P.A.

“We’re being taken to a position away from the terminal. When I give the command, I want you to evacuate the aircraft.”

This was it. Everything came down to this one moment.

The aircraft stopped. “Evacuate,” the captain said.

“Unfasten your seat belts. Unfasten your seat belts. Unfasten your seat belts.”

Delaney was up and out of her jumpseat and assessing conditions outside the window. She swung the door wide until it locked against the fuselage, then grasped the safety handle. The slide inflated.

“Come this way. This way out. Leave everything. Come this way. This way out. Leave everything,” she shouted as the passengers poured out of the exits.

The evacuation went smoothly. They got all the passengers off the plane in forty-five seconds. The only ones left onboard were Jack, Rico, Tony, the first officer and the crew.

Delaney looked down at the gathering agents with their guns drawn. She identified herself and tossed out all the weapons.

After the passengers were clear, Delaney detached the forward entry door slide so that stairs could be pushed forward. Agents rushed the plane, surging in like an angry swarm of bees. They swept for explosives in the cabin, while the deadly cargo was unloaded, then signaled the all-clear when it was safe for their superiors on the ground to board.

McMillan ambled up the stairs as the ATF took David Rico, the first officer and Tony into custody. Special-Agent-in-Charge Anderson waited on the ground, surveying the progress. The paramedics boarded next, giving Rico and Tony a quick check before being read their rights.

“Do you have a pair of cuffs I can borrow?” she asked McMillan.

“You plan to arrest someone?” McMillan asked, his gaze following Delaney’s to where Jack sat.

“Temporarily.”

“Sure you know what you’re doing?” He glanced at Jack. “He looks like he’s been through enough. The man hasn’t taken his eyes off you since I climbed aboard.”

Delaney took the cuffs from McMillan without answering, then strolled down the aisle. She wasn’t sure exactly what she planned to do, but decided with her new way of looking at the world, that wasn’t a bad thing.

Jack’s eyes widened as she neared. “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” she asked, cuffing one of his wrists.

“You’ve got to be kidding? First you almost shoot me, now you’re going to arrest me?” His expression held disbelief and staggering disappointment.

Delaney hardened her heart against the tug of emotions. She was doing this for his own good. “Tell me if this hurts.” She clicked the cuff onto his other wrist, pulling his arms forward.

Jack cursed. “Yes, that hurts. I can’t believe that you’re going through with this.” The accusation in his voice staked her heart. “What are the charges?”

She steadied herself and pulled Jack to his feet as David Rico and his goons were lead down the aisle. Rico grinned at Jack.

“I see I wasn’t the only one fooled by her innocent face,” he spat.

Jack scowled. “No, we were both duped,” he said bitterly.

Delaney led Jack down the stairs and onto the tarmac. She stopped at McMillan’s side. “Is there a car here that I can use?”

Away from the sedans with their flashing lights, he pointed to a brown car off to the side. “You can put him in that one. I’ll notify the agent that you’re borrowing the car.”

She nodded. “Thanks.” Delaney took Jack over to the vehicle and propped him against the door while she reached inside to unlock the back.

Delaney opened the car door and stepped aside, waiting for Jack to slide in. His eyes smoldered with anger and betrayal as she shut the door behind him. Delaney prayed that after she explained, he’d forgive her. If not, well, at least she’d saved his life.

Now that Rico believed that Jack had been arrested, he could return home without fear of retaliation. Delaney watched as Barbara and Jeremy came down the stairs. She pushed away from the sedan and sprinted to meet them.

She stopped a few feet in front of them and grinned. They stared at her, then took in the melee. “You guys were terrific. I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said, stepping forward to hug them. “I’m sorry, Barbara.”

“For what, darlin’?”

“For everything.”

Jeremy was the first to pull back. “You want to tell us who you really are now, since it’s painfully obvious you aren’t one of us?”

“I thought I’d done okay.”

He laughed. “Are you kidding? Barbara and I have been busting our humps to pick up the slack.”

“Is that so?” Delaney asked.

Barbara looked at her and grinned. “Darlin’, you leave a lot to be desired as a flight attendant.”

“It’s a good thing I’m an agent with the ATF then, isn’t it?”

Jeremy’s eyes bugged. “They let you carry a gun? Oh, my God, Barbara, catch me, I think I’m going to faint.” He threw a hand to his forehead and wobbled dramatically.

The two women burst into giggles, connecting for the second time that night. Respect shone in Barbara’s eyes, reflecting exactly how Delaney felt. She’d been wrong about this woman, about flight attendants in general. They weren’t a bunch of brainless trolley dollies with no skills. They were well-trained men and women who did a tough job and often weren’t appreciated for it.

Delaney turned to Jeremy. “I thought you had a hot date waiting.”

He straightened. “You know I do.” He scanned the area. “Hey, isn’t that the hottie from the plane?” he asked, pointing at Jack in the back of the sedan.

Delaney glanced over her shoulder. “Yes, it is.”

Jeremy frowned. “I thought you two were tight or was that part of your cover?”

“Yes. No. I mean, it’s complicated.”

“It’s going to get a lot more complicated if you’re arresting him,” he said, looking at her in confusion.

“I’m sure we’ll work it out.” At least Delaney hoped they would. She didn’t know if Jack would forgive another betrayal, albeit temporary.

Fire lit Jeremy’s eyes. “You don’t have an extra pair of handcuffs, do you?”

“Jeremy!” Barbara nudged him with her elbow playfully. “I do believe you have a little kink in your tail.”

He swiveled around. “Honey, you don’t know the half of it.” An agent approached and ushered them over to an awaiting van. “I guess that’s our cue to leave,” Jeremy said, eyeing the man’s backside. “It was nice meeting you, Delaney Carson or whatever your name is.”

Delaney shook her head and waved goodbye. She realized she’d actually miss them. Not enough to keep flying, but she would miss them.

McMillan approached, his ear buried in a cell phone. “Yes, sir, that’s right. We’ve apprehended the dealer and the contraband. Disaster averted.” He glanced at Delaney. “Yes, we nabbed them, too. They were waiting on the ground, ready to unload the cargo, when we arrived. An L.A. unit retrieved the others twenty minutes ago. Thank you, sir.” He snapped the phone shut and looked at her.

“Who was that?” she asked.

“Acting Special-Agent-in-Charge Griffin.”

“Is everything is okay?” She wondered when Griffin had taken over the case.

“Perfect.” McMillan grinned, a big beefy smile that turned his face into a pumpkin without the orange. “We about have it wrapped up here. The passengers and crew are being loaded into vans and taken for debriefing. We hope they won’t speak to the media, but there’s always one in the bunch who loves the camera.”

Delaney nodded in agreement. “The only thing they can mention is the sky marshal incident. None of them know the truth about how close they came to dying. What about Special-Agent-in-Charge Anderson? He told me that I was to report to him on this case.” She glanced over his shoulder at the scowling supervisor.

McMillan’s expression grew fierce. “That was before he refused to send you the backup that you requested. He has other things besides Jack Gordon to worry about now.”

“How did you know?”

He gave a sly smile. “I monitored the phone calls between you two, so that I could keep abreast of the case. I want you to know that you handled yourself like a pro during that evacuation,” he said.

Delaney grinned. “Yeah, I did. Didn’t I?” Newfound pride filled her. She’d conquered her fear long enough to do her job. With any luck, her fear of flying would be gone permanently.

“What do you have in mind for Jack Gordon?” he asked, curiosity in his brown eyes.

She shrugged. “Release him after Rico and the others are booked and transported.”

McMillan cocked his head, his gaze piercing her calm facade. “I made sure they were led past the sedan holding Gordon just to ensure they got a good look at him. Rico laughed, convinced that Gordon was in worse shape. I’m sure he’s going to try to lay the whole mess in Jack’s lap.”

“Let him try. We know better,” Delaney said, defending Jack without thought.

McMillan’s eyes narrowed in speculation. “He got to you. Didn’t he?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

McMillan watched her in silence until she started to squirm. “You ready to revise your earlier assessment of Jack Gordon?”

“No.” Delaney felt the heat rise in her face. “I recruited him for the mission and that was all.”

“Sure seemed like more to me. That wasn’t anger flaring between you two on that videotape. I may be old, but I do recognize passion when I see it. You could always give a relationship a try and see what happens.”