The concern for her anxiety was misplaced; the truth being she loved flying. In spite of having a fear of heights, the feeling of flight enhanced her senses; the roar of engines, the lifting of the landing gear and even the occasional bump during wind turbulence. The rapid exhilaration of speed, sending her back against the seat usually filled her with euphoria.
After hearing the captain’s voice a deep concern materialized.
The voice of the pilot sounded enough like Carter Johnson, one of the agents she’d met a year earlier, to cause paranoia. Could hearing the intercom voice when she slept activate memories of her past with a secret organization called Enigma?
Against her will, Tessa had been forced into a national security emergency. She used her skills as a geographer to thwart an impending attack in northern California. Shrouded in mystery and funded by unknown benefactors, Enigma did the work other government agencies felt might get their hands dirty.
Closing her eyes she felt the landing gear lower.
The probability of Carter flying this plane bordered on impossible. Even though he must have better things to do, she imagined the ex-astronaut flying the plane. Yet there could be no mistake in recognizing the voice. If he flew the plane chances were he’d had sex with one of the flight attendants somewhere over the Ohio River Valley. In spite of herself, she smiled.
The notorious playboy had been one of Captain Chase Hunter’s team members in their mission to save an isotope plant. A former astronaut would not be flying a passenger plane to D.C., she reasoned. He had access to faster toys at an unmarked hangar at Sacramento International Airport. An overactive imagination must be out of control. Again.
Fighting the compulsion, to once again dwell on thoughts of Captain Hunter, Tessa realized he’d haunted her dreams since the week he’d burst into her home and saved her; the first of many times over the days that followed. What would have become of her if Enigma hadn’t sent him to intervene? The mysterious agents vanished from her life as quickly as they’d crashed into it.
Sometimes she wondered if it had all been a dream; like the one she conjured up several nights a week. A bomb nearly forced her death along with the capture and torture of her neighbor. The events catapulted her into the secret battle against terrorism. Caught in a forest fire, Tessa died for a full three minutes before the captain revived her. There were other events during those days; an assassin tracking her family, assisting a hostage who went into labor at a most inconvenient time and her own capture by a terrorist named Essid.
None of those moments woke her in the middle of the night with guilt and uncertainty. The memory of waking up in the captain’s arms in total bliss now consumed her each night. That scene played over and over, sweaty bodies tangled as one, large hands pulling through her hair and the strength of something wild and wonderful saving her every night.
Just like the dream where the captain died in her arms, the romantic interlude never occurred. She suffered from a guilty conscience for something she’d never experienced. There had been no love making resembling wild abandonment. The captain, tired of sleeping on the floor, slipped into the king size bed after she’d fallen asleep. Somewhere between darkness and dawn, Tessa found herself wrapped in his warm arms against the freezing temperature of the air conditioner he’d cranked on high.
Not very romantic, she reasoned.
Captain Hunter, a gentleman to the end, remained aloof and protective as his mission pulled her into unknown danger. Only when they’d said their goodbyes did she sense their emotional connection. He strode out of her life like a ghostly aberration, never to be heard from again.
“You are the bravest woman I’ve ever known.” His words, strong and sincere, haunted her even today.
People began to rise from their seats. Overhead bins snapped open and the sound of bags being dragged out with an occasional “excuse me” reached her ears. Clicks of laptop covers, shuffle of feet and grunts of maneuvering out of narrow seats filled the cabin. Before she could stand, the congressman pushed up and over her, reaching for the carryon bag the flirty flight attendant extended to him.
She stood to block the other passengers for him. He put his hand on her hip with a smile. A whisper and a nod spoke of something later between the two. A business card palmed into her long, slim fingers appeared to close the deal as the congressman moved away toward first class and off the plane. Grumbling accelerated the throng of travelers forward.
The urgency to exit evaporated when Tessa decided to hang back to catch a glimpse of the pilot. What if it really were the unapologetic playboy from NASA? Carter would be shocked to see her, maybe even a little pleased. The man was a romantic scoundrel drawn to any pretty face and a few curves. She’d idolized the accomplishments of his work at NASA for years, nothing more.
The thought of Chase also being on board heightened her awareness of those exiting. She stole another look back down the aisle. Imagining him in a camo jacket, he might hold a copy of Anna Karina. The ear buds of his IPod funneled music of Chris Botti into his ears. She liked to envision him with longer hair, ebony and thick, even though he usually wore it short. His head would be bowed over the words as he occasionally let his hand slip inside his jacket to reassure himself the nine millimeter weapon was secure and ready for action.
Disgusted at fantasizing about a man who took great delight in giving orders, the memories returned of how he saved her life numerous times. He deserved a little respect, she reasoned as she edged out into the aisle with her backpack. Wouldn’t a man like that have better things to do than fly commercial? Wouldn’t he be actively saving the world from itself or something?
Finally she could stand straight feeling the weight of her backpack. A slight twinge in her shoulder caused Tessa to wrinkle her nose. The flight attendant by the door glanced at her watch hinting at impatience. It was the woman who had taken the congressman’s card. Tessa wondered if they were meeting sooner rather than later.
Their eyes met only for a moment before Tessa diverted her attention to an older gentleman having difficulties with his carry-on bag in front of her. An exasperated sigh escaped as if some great tragedy had occurred. Tessa grinned. She helped him shift it to move smoothly toward the exit.
The gentleman tipped his old fashioned tweed hat then offered a smile which looked too small for his chubby face. He stopped then straightened his tie. “Thank you, young lady. I’m afraid my wife packed more in this carry-on than I realized. It doesn’t seem to want to roll very well. Sorry I’m holding you up.”
Tessa’s eyes left the cockpit door as it swung open. “It’s all right. Here, let me square it up a bit. There.” Tessa reached down and adjusted it again. “The wheels may need a little W-D 40 when you have time. Looks like you’ve put a few miles on it.” Tessa now followed him taking baby steps.
The gentleman chuckled then continued in a Bostonian accent. “Oh my, yes. I should just have Martha buy a new one but I’m rather attached to this old thing. Martha’s my wife.” He pulled at ears that reminded her of Dumbo. He bowed toward her with an extended hand. “I’m Dr. Francis Ervin. I’m in D.C. for the World Geographic Conference.”
The backpack began to slip off her shoulder as she reached for his hand. The weight made her grimace, but managed to raise her shoulder suddenly to keep the bag from falling across her extended arm. He quickly reached out to assist with the shove of her backpack onto her shoulder. “Sorry,” she said grasping his hand, noting that it was calloused and tan, unlike most professors she’d known. “I’m Tessa Scott. I’m here for the conference too.” She nodded toward the front which brought his attention back to exiting.
“Oh,” he said moving clumsily forward once more. “Are you a presenter?” His bushy gray eyebrows lifted in curiosity.
Tessa laughed at the thought. “No. I’m an attendee. My two colleagues should have landed an hour ago. We couldn’t all get on the same flight. Our grant didn’t cover all the expenses. We took whatever was cheaper.” Another passeng
er in front of the plane now complained about something that occurred during the flight drawing her eyes to the cockpit then back to the professor.
“What is your presentation? Maybe I can drop by.” Tessa didn’t want to promise in case the session might involve a new textbook promotion or something like “Isotherms and the Classroom.” She felt drowsy just thinking about it.
The professor cleared his throat. “I’m a Biblical Archeologist. I’ll be helping teachers set up an archeological dig for their classroom. I also offer trips to the Holy Land for graduate credit in another session. There are grants available if that is something you’d be interested in. Are you a geographer?” He stopped moving even though no one was ahead of him.
Tessa’s heart leaped. “Yes, I’m interested and I am a geographer. This is amazing. Count on me attending both your sessions.”
Traveling to the Holy Land someday where her Christian faith sprouted along with Judaism and Islam, never failed to spark a desire to explore. Meeting this man could only mean that once again God must be stirring up her life. She wouldn’t fight fate. An excitement bubbled up inside her.
First the dream of the captain dying in her arms, the voice of Carter Johnson, and now this man suggesting a trip to the Holy Land might be possible. Was God about to play another cruel joke on her?
The sound of someone clearing their throat drew both passengers’ attention to the flight attendant. “Guess we better get going,” she whispered. “I think she has a date.”
The professor nodded enthusiastically and started forward. “Right.” He offered a smile to the young woman. “So sorry, dear.” His voice remained pleasant. “Nice flight. Thank you so much.” Tessa noticed the plastic smile and nod of unconcern on the attendant’s face.
She stopped in front of the flight attendant. “Is the pilot still on board? I thought I knew him.”
The woman’s smile started to fade a bit. “Sorry. He just left.”
Tessa noticed the professor made his way into the exit tunnel. “Maybe I’ll catch up with him.” Before the flight attendant could respond she slipped out of the plane and easily overtook the professor. “Did you see the pilot by any chance?” she asked looking ahead of her.
“Why no, Ms. Scott. Problem?” His concern showed.
“No. Just thought I…” She didn’t finish when he turned his eyes on her in bewilderment. “It’s nothing.”
She tried to breeze past him when his bag tilted, preventing a quick escape. Entering the airport Dr. Ervin stopped, blocking her way once again. Scanning the throngs of people who arrived or waited for flights dashed hopes of seeing Carter.
Tessa hadn’t asked the flight attendant the name of the pilot. Chances were good Carter used an alias. The president might frown on his fair-haired boy letting the general public know what he was up to.
Dr. Ervin touched her arm. “Here’s my card, Ms. Scott. I hope to see you at the conference and thank you for your assistance on the plane.” He tipped his tan hat revealing a bald head.
“Thank you, Dr. Ervin.” She glanced down at the card. It wasn’t anything fancy; white with black lettering on heavy cardstock. Without reading the information, Tessa shoved it into the still unzipped top of her backpack. “See you soon.” She smiled before pulling a cell phone from the side pocket of her backpack.
~~~
The professor watched Tessa stride off, scanning the crowd for someone she recognized. He heard the theme song of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade coming from his cell phone. His wife had downloaded the ringtone for him just a few days earlier. The choice made him chuckle.
“Hello.” He said drily, having lost the jovial tone in his voice. “Yes. She just left.” He could still see Tessa Scott with her cell phone to her ear, stopping occasionally to look into terminal shops for someone. “You didn’t tell me Tessa Scott was such an enchanting creature.” He listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. “The business card I gave her will jam her phone for the next twenty minutes. That should be plenty of time for you.” The call ended before the phone ended up in the pocket of his jacket.
~~~
For the tenth time Tessa looked down at the information her friends, Shelly and Kate, had given her before they departed earlier in the morning. The overhead monitors, full of information concerning arrivals and departures, led her to believe they should be waiting for her. She wasted nearly a half hour searching for them. But they were nowhere to be found and they weren’t picking up their phones.
She’d given up on finding Carter. Maybe he had been a figment of her imagination. Dreams conjured up Captain Hunter of the Enigma. Now she felt silly thinking the possibility someone like Carter would be flying her to Washington D.C.
Tessa dialed again, wondering why her phone dropped each call. Whatever was keeping her from contacting her friends for the last twenty minutes suddenly disappeared. This time someone picked up. “Shelly. Thank heavens. Where are you?” Spinning around her eyes searched for friends to magically appear. “A bar.” Taking a deep breath she rolled her eyes upward to keep from sounding irritated. “Seriously, couldn’t you wait until tonight?”
In the end knowing her two friends liked their fancy drinks and a good time forced her to smile. They jumped at the chance to come on this trip with Tessa, even though they knew her ‘good girl’ image might spoil their fun. The three of them were best friends at work.
“Okay. I’ll be right there. Don’t wander off.” Tessa folded the paper slipping both it and the phone back in the front pocket of the backpack.
Racing down Terminal B, she found The Chamber Bar and Grill in quick order. There, sitting at the bar laughing and sipping on colorful drinks were her friends. Tessa couldn’t help but grin as she came up to them, dumping her things on a bar stool.
“Got an early start, I see. What am I going to do with you two? Those drinks are expensive.”
Shelly lifted hers up to toast with Kate. “Nope.They were free.”
“Free? You expect me to believe they’re giving drinks away?” Tessa saw the female bartender approach. “Ice tea?” She nodded and went off to fill Tessa’s order.
“Tea. Honestly, Tessa you are as interesting as a bag of cotton balls.” Shelly growled with great fanfare.
She laughed, taking the tea from the bartender. Hurling insults was Shelly’s way of showing friendship. “Yes these drinks were free. A good looking pilot strolled in and said ‘you ladies look thirsty.’”
Kate nodded. “He’ll be right back. Said he needed to make a call to an old friend he saw on the plane.”
A chill of nervous anticipation forced her hand to tremble. She sat the tea down gingerly when her cell phone chimed. Lifting it to her ear, Tessa felt panic engulf her as the voice spoke on the other end of the line. “Hello, Tessa. Remember me?”
Turning to stare out the glass windows of the bar, Tessa did a quick scan of the travelers moving in the corridor. The voice remained quiet as if he were waiting for her to reassure herself. Some twenty feet from the bar, a pilot stood with his back to her holding a cell phone to his ear. Standing in front of him was a woman. She looked to be wearing a TSA uniform but Tessa couldn’t be sure.
He spoke again after the woman’s lips moved near his ear. “You’ve found me. Good. I’m sure you’re surprised. You were sleeping like a baby when I boarded in St. Louis.”
Words remained paralyzed on the back of her tongue. She could see the TSA woman lean forward and whisper something as he covered the phone.
“Who is it, Tess? Robert checking up on you?” Shelly turned to Kate. “He must be afraid we’ll corrupt her.” She laughed loud enough for others to look their way.
A nod followed by an eye roll made her friends moan. “That’s right, Robert. I’m here safe and sound.”
A chuckle came through on the phone. “You’re here, but I’m not sure how safe and sound you’re going to be.” The pilot remained with his back to her. “The captain wants to see you about a matter.”
Tessa faked a laugh. “I’m pretty busy so you’re going to have to make other arrangements.”
“He’ll be in touch. I might add you’re looking extremely lovely today.”
The pilot shoved his phone in his pants’ pocket before nonchalantly walking away toward an exit. His companion remained, staring at Tessa with a smug grin on her face. Raising her hand to form a gun with her index finger and thumb, she proceeded with an imaginary shot toward her. Dropping her hands to her side, the female Enigma agent disappeared into the crowd.
Every nerve ending in her body began setting off alarm bells. She realized the female Enigma agent might be the death of her.
Chapter 2
The prime minister of Israel, Gilad Levi disembarked from his private jet. It was only the second time it had been in service since its purchase. The Mossad, his protection detail, had made a compelling case for its purchase after the last prime minister ran into trouble when he’d traveled to the United States.
Two years earlier, after landing at JFK Airport, protocol dictated that weapons be checked through in their luggage and transferred with the prime minister to Washington D.C. Unfortunately the four 9mm semi-automatics and three Glock17s never arrived.
The Pelican cases, which carried the weapons, had been inspected, according to directives established by Homeland Security, in front of the security guards to reassure them. Three days later the empty cases were located at the Los Angeles Airport. Without further inspection they traveled back to Washington D.C. only to end up in O’Hare Airport outside Chicago. The FBI took possession at that time and realized the weapons had been removed. They were never found, forcing the Israeli security detail to let the Secret Service protect their prime minister.
Winds of Deception (Enigma Series Book 2) Page 2