by Seton, Cora
The woman handed them two individual boarding passes. “Please board immediately. The flight attendants will be closing the door any minute.”
Mitchell snatched the boarding pass, hiked her backpack up on her shoulder, and ran down the sky bridge to the aircraft, with Remy on her heels.
They arrived at the door as the attendant was reaching out to close it.
“Please, take your seats immediately. The plane will be taking off as soon as everyone is seated and buckled in.”
Mitchell looked at her pass and hurried down the aisle toward her seat. When she reached it, she realized it was a center seat, and people were in the ones on either side. Disappointment drooping her shoulders, she looked back at Remy. “What seat do you have?”
He glanced at his boarding pass. “Actually, I’m back a row or two.” Remy looked over her shoulder at hers. “This is yours?”
She nodded.
Remy’s lips pressed together. “Not what I had in mind.”
“Me either.” She checked her connecting flight and his. “Looks like we’ll be split on the next one, too.”
“Great.” Remy shook his head.
“At least, we’re on the flights.”
“There is that.” He didn’t look happy. “Hey, kid, do you mind switching with me?” Remy asked the boy in the aisle seat.
The boy pulled one earphone from his ear and glanced at Remy’s boarding pass. “No, thanks. I prefer the aisle.” He plugged his earphone back in and ignored Mitchell and Remy.
“Whatever happened to teaching your kids to respect their elders?” Remy muttered and turned to find his seat.
Mitchell pointed at the seat in the middle. “I’m there.”
The teenager sat in the aisle seat, listening to his music, blatantly ignoring her.
She tapped his shoulder, and he glared and pulled his knees in, but didn’t get out so that Mitchell could step in easily.
She had to climb over him to reach her seat. Before she could find her seat belt, the flight attendant was there, telling her that as soon as she was buckled in, they could leave.
From where she sat, Mitchell could see Remy. He was already in his seat, surrounded by two pretty young women, probably in their early twenties, who were laughing and giggling at something he’d said.
Mitchell’s hackles rose, and she curled her fingers into the denim of her jeans since the teenager on one side and the bulky man on the other had already claimed the armrests. Sandwiched between the two, she tried to relax, but couldn’t.
So far, this vacation had been more of a pain in the ass than fun. She made a mental note to ask Remy to make their next vacation within driving distance.
The plane taxied down the runway and lifted into the air. Even though they were finally on their way, Mitchell’s stomach still roiled over being on the TSA watch list, and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. The feeling that someone was staring a hole into the back of her head made her crane her neck, but she couldn’t see over the top of the seat.
She closed her eyes and tried to nap through the flight. Because she knew Rocco was still on the lam, Mitchell chalked up the ultra awareness to paranoia.
Chapter Five
‡
Remy kept up a game face throughout the flight. He had planned on sitting beside Mitchell, holding her hand, letting her know how much he cared. Instead, he was seated between two pretty girls, knowing that wouldn’t go over well with Mitchell. She was fully confident in herself as a person. But, she did have a few image issues about her femininity. Although she’d proven she was up for the task when she’d posed as a pole dancer at Rocco’s strip club.
Holy shit, she’d been so hot, Remy hadn’t recognized her. Just the thought of her in that stripper outfit had his body heating and his member hardening. When the flight attendant came by with the drink cart, he asked for ice water, hoping to chill his libido before he embarrassed himself and scared his seatmates with a huge lump growing in his lap.
So, things hadn’t quite turned out the way he’d liked getting through the airport and onto the plane. He’d arranged for the cabin he’d rented to be perfect, having paid extra for the real estate company to provide an iced bottle of champagne and rose petals spread across the king-sized bed. As a last minute addition, he’d called a florist and had them deliver an embarrassingly large bouquet of roses in all shades available—just to make sure he had every meaning for the colors covered. Mitchell meant everything to him, from friendship, to passion, to joy. He couldn’t wait until Christmas morning when she opened her gift, and he got down on his knee and proposed. He had it all planned out.
From the first moment he’d met Mitchell, she’d made it clear that she wasn’t much of a romantic, but Remy was enough of one for both of them. Though she hadn’t spoken much about her childhood or previous relationships, he suspected reticence had to do with her upbringing. She had told him that her father raised her, which would explain a lot.
Remy had been around when she’d been engaged to Derek, before he was killed during an operation. Derek had bought her flowers one time, and though she scolded him because cut flowers died, Remy had caught her burying her face in the blossoms to inhale their scent. She’d been pleased with the gift, even if she wasn’t very good at expressing it.
Though he would have preferred sleeping away the hours in flight, the two ladies on either side of him insisted on entertaining him the entire trip. By the time the plane landed at the Atlanta airport, his ears were ringing and he couldn’t wait to get on the next plane, with Mitchell beside him. She only spoke when necessary. They could sit for hours in comfortable silence without feeling the need to break it just for the sake of hearing noise.
Once the sky bridge was pushed up to the plane and the passengers started disembarking, he moved to the side to allow others to pass until Mitchell made her way toward him. Then he stepped into the aisle in front of her. “How was it?” He glanced over his shoulder at his future fiancé. If all went well, in less than three days time she’d be accepting his offer, and they’d celebrate over a bottle of champagne and a soak in the cabin’s hot tub, naked.
She shrugged. “Okay. I’m ready to get there. One more flight. After we land in Denver, how long is the drive to where you’re taking me?”
He grinned. Other than the flight details, he hadn’t told her where in Denver they were going, only to bring clothes to ski in. “About two-and-a-half hours.”
“That gets us there around ten o’clock. Will we be able to get into our accommodations?”
“I have all the details worked out. We’ll get in.”
Using the underground train, they found their way to the next gate.
As they walked through the terminal, Mitchell kept looking around at the moving people, her brows furrowed.
“Something wrong?”
Her lips pressed together briefly before she smiled. “No. It’s just a bit crowded.”
“All these people are probably trying to get home for the holidays.”
“And we’re getting away from home.” She hooked his arm in hers and leaned against him. “Have I said thanks for making me take a vacation?”
“When you put it like that, trip doesn’t sound like fun.”
“Oh, but it is. I’m terrible about taking off time.” She squeezed his arm. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We aren’t there.”
“True. But we’re away from Virginia, and the drama there.”
They boarded their plane and once again sat in their assigned seats with five rows between them. This time, Remy sat between a business man and an old man.
Mitchell was tucked between a woman with a lapdog barking beneath the seat in front of her, and a very tall man who kept putting his legs out in the aisle.
Not exactly according to Remy’s plan, but they were getting there. He even managed to take a short nap on the three-hour flight. The descent into the Denver airport was a bit choppy, but the plane landed safely.
Again, Remy waited for Mitchell on the sky bridge, and they followed the signs to the baggage claim carousels where they waited for bags from their flight.
Within fifteen minutes, the bags had all been loaded onto the carousel. Remy claimed his, but Mitchell’s was nowhere to be seen.
“You’re kidding me.” Mitchell laughed and shook her head. “I cannot catch a break today.”
When the last passenger grabbed his bag, the remaining bags were piled to the side—none of which were Mitchell’s.
“My personal handgun was in that bag. I can’t just leave and risk it being set aside like these.” She waved at the suitcases piled up with no one watching to ensure the right people claimed them.
“Let’s go to the lost baggage desk. Maybe they can locate the bag.” Remy guided Mitchell to the room labeled Lost Baggage Claim for their airline.
The woman behind the counter had circles beneath her eyes and a red, dripping nose. “How can I help you?” she said in a hoarse voice, and then sneezed into the crook of her arm. “Sorry. I’ve got this darned head cold, and nothing seems to be kicking it. My nose has been running like a faucet all day.”
“My bag didn’t arrive with my plane.” Mitchell handed her the baggage claim ticket and stepped out of spray range.
The woman pulled a tissue out of a box beside her keyboard and blew her nose before keying the number into the screen. After several minutes of alternating between wiping her nose on the tissue in her hand and racing her fingers across the keyboard, she looked up. “I’m sorry, but your bag was held up at security in Norfolk. It did, however, make it onto a later flight in Atlanta, and will be on the next flight arriving in two hours.”
Mitchell looked from the woman to Remy. “Two hours?”
Seeing her slack-jawed amazement, Remy chuckled and cupped her elbow. “That will give us time to get the keys to our rental car, have a leisurely dinner, and for you to have a glass of wine before we get on the road. It’ll be okay.”
Mitchell allowed Remy to lead her away to find a restaurant. “Two hours means it will be after midnight before we arrive at our destination.”
“I know.” Remy slid a hand along her back. “Just that much longer to enjoy the anticipation of the surprise.”
Mitchell breathed in and let go of a long breath. “I’m not very good with surprises.”
“I promise, this surprise will be worth the wait.” Remy dropped his bag and rubbed her shoulders, amazed at the amount of tension he could feel in her muscles. “You didn’t sleep on the plane, did you?”
“No.”
He continued to massage the back of her neck, wishing things had gone much smoother. “Are you afraid of flying?”
She leaned her head forward, giving him better access to rub the muscles in her neck. “Not at all.”
“You never got to tell me what went down with the TSA.”
“I will, over dinner. Let’s get the keys to our car.” She glanced at the stack of unclaimed bags. “I’d say leave my bag, but I can’t when it’s got my weapon inside.”
He bent to retrieve his bag and took Mitchell’s hand in his. “We’re staying until it arrives.”
“What if it doesn’t show up on the next plane?” Mitchell argued.
“It will. The clerk wouldn’t have known to tell us it was on the next plane from Atlanta if it hadn’t shown up on the flight manifest. The bag will be here.”
They walked back through the busy airport and found a restaurant. The hostess led them to a quiet table in a corner. They ordered appetizers. Mitchell ordered a chicken salad and Remy ordered a burger and fries. As they lingered over their meal, Mitchell told Remy what had happened in Norfolk.
“I bet that bastard Rocco had something to do with me being added to the TSA watch list,” Mitchell said. “I should have shot him while I had the chance. He has access to some talented hackers to get into that system.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through the hassle in Norfolk.”
“It wasn’t your fault. Speaking of being on the TSA watch list, do you mind if I borrow your phone?”
Remy pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her.
She called her boss in Virginia and told him what had happened. “What’s the status on the search for Rocco?” She paused, listening. “Nothing? Damn. You have Remy’s number now. Please keep me informed. Yeah, I know I’m on vacation, but I have a stake in this. It’s my ass he’s after.”
Mitchell hung up and handed back Remy’s phone, then let out a sigh. “Patrick promised to check into the watch list and see what he could do to fix the hack into the computer system. Hopefully, he’ll have me off it before our return flight.”
“We need to get you a new phone,” Remy said, tucking his into his pocket. Remembering the panic he’d felt during minutes they’d been separated made his gut clench. “I don’t like that if I lost you in the airport, I couldn’t find you.”
“I can pick up a disposable phone. I bet there’s a shop here.”
They’d managed to spend an hour and a half of their two hours over the meal.
By the time Remy paid the bill, they discovered most of the shops were closed. Fortunately, they did locate a newsstand that also carried gadgets and disposable phones. They purchased one and activated it on the spot.
Remy checked the arriving flights, and spotted the one from Atlanta. Things were looking up. After the delays, they would finally be on the road to their destination where he’d spent a good chunk of his savings to secure the nicest cabin for this special occasion. So they’d had a few setbacks. Their trip could only get better from here, right?
Fortunately, Mitchell’s bag was on the carousel, and they were reached their rental car with no further incidents. On the two-and-a-half hour drive along interstate seventy out of Denver, she focused on relaxing. The feeling of being watched had persisted all the way from Norfolk, through the Atlanta International Airport and on the flight to Denver. Every time she turned around, she didn’t see anything or anyone that raised alarms. She’d even made trips to the lavatory on both planes, just to see if she recognized any faces she should be concerned about.
The ones she could see clearly didn’t ring a bell.
Now that she and Remy were alone, she let herself relax and start feeling a little of the excitement he radiated. She glanced out the window, enjoying the sight of snow-covered hills. “Why is everything a secret? Why not tell me where we’re going and what your plans are?”
Remy shot her a smile. “I thought a woman liked her man to be a little mysterious.”
“What? More advice from your buddies?” She shook her head. “For the record, this woman isn’t interested in having her man be a little mysterious”
He winked, stirring up the little butterflies that always fluttered in her belly when he did that. The man didn’t have a clue how sexy he was, and what his smiles and winks did to her insides. If she had her way, they’d have stopped at the nearest hotel and started their vacation there, making love through the night. All this traveling was cutting into the time they could be spending together, just the two of them…in bed…naked.
Somewhere between Idaho Springs and when they turned off the interstate highway onto a state highway, Mitchell fell asleep. She woke when the turn signal clicked and the vehicle slowed. “Wh…where are we?” She straightened, tipping her head side to side to work the kinks out.
“Almost there.”
“Where is there?” She yawned and stretched.
“Check out the sign.” He slowed as they approached a blue sign at the side of the road.
“Vail!” Mitchell leaned forward and her breath caught in her throat. “You’re taking me to Vail?”
“That’s right.”
Her excitement waned. “But isn’t that crazy expensive?”
“Not if you get a package deal and lock in three months in advance.”
“You’ve been planning this for three months?” Her heart sank furthe
r. Not only had he spent a lot of money on this trip, he’d been planning it for so long. Hell, she hadn’t even gotten him a gift or put any thought into the trip. Damn it, the man deserved better than her.
“Why did you bring me, Remy?” Jerking her left leg onto the seat, she turned to face him. “You could have brought a friend who skis a lot better than I do. I’ve only been on beginner slopes, and only twice during college.”
He laughed out loud. “Take a friend? Babe, you’re my friend. And I don’t care if you ever ski. I want to spend the time with you, not someone else. And I definitely don’t want to spend time with anyone else naked, like I plan on spending with you.”
“Are we staying at one of the resort hotels?”
Grinning, he shook his head. “Nope. Wait until you see the place I have reserved.” He drove through the picturesque town of Vail, decorated in twinkle lights and Christmas wreaths. The view was like a photograph on a Christmas card. He passed the huge resorts at the base of the ski slopes and turned onto a narrow road that led up the side of a hill. “Not much farther. Look for the mailbox.”
As they rounded a corner, flashing red lights rose above the tree line like spotlights and reflected off the heavy layer of snow coating the trees and hillside.
She scooted forward. “Looks like there might be emergency vehicles ahead. Maybe they’re following the snow removal equipment.”
“I don’t know. That’s a lot of red flashing lights.”
When he rounded another corner, he nearly ran into the back of an SUV marked Eagle County Sheriff. Ahead of it was another Sheriff’s SUV and several Vail city police vehicles. But the sight of two long, red-and-white fire trucks made her catch her breath. Smoke billowed out from a location at the center of the vehicle convergence. “We shouldn’t go in there. Looks like they’re working a fire.”
Remy studied the mailbox on the other side of the sheriff’s vehicle, and then glanced ahead. “Damn.” He pulled to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and got out.