Pursued

by Lisa Harris

  Nikki shook her head, hating feeling flustered and vulnerable, but she could still feel the panic threatening to suffocate her. Instead of giving in to the fear, she focused on Tyler. Because with him was where she’d dreamed about being these past three months.

  “This isn’t the way I imagined your homecoming,” she said, pulling his coat closer around her.

  She’d imagined it for weeks. Dinner with him and Liam at their house playing with the Wii or watching a movie. Really, she hadn’t cared what they’d do as long as they were together. His three months away had seemed like forever.

  “None of that matters,” he said. “All I care about is the fact that you’re alive. Because if I’d lost you now …”

  “You didn’t lose me, Tyler. I’m here.” She forced a smile as she looked up at him. “And I’m going to be fine.”

  “But you’re still shaking.”

  He grabbed her hand, led her over to one of the few empty chairs in the busy lounge, and told her to sit down while he went to grab her some coffee.

  “I really am fine, Tyler,” she said as he came back and handed her the drink.

  At least she hoped she was. Maybe the agent’s implications had been right. Maybe Erika had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination, and she was losing it. Maybe she should just let it go. Erika—if she really had been on that plane—had been understandably upset. She’d probably managed to avoid the emergency personnel and took a taxi out of there.

  “I’ll take you home in a few minutes,” Tyler said, “but humor me for now. I want to make sure you’re okay and warmed up a bit before we leave.”

  She took an obligatory sip of the coffee and felt the warm liquid flow through her. Maybe he was right. She’d felt okay during the aftermath of the crash. Adrenaline had kicked in during those first few minutes, giving her the focus she needed to help get people off the plane. But now that there was no one else to save and the shock was beginning to wear off, she couldn’t stop shaking.

  “What about you?” she asked, taking another sip. “You’ve just finished a tough few months and that long trip home.”

  He sat down on the edge of the seat next to her. “I’m still suffering a bit from jet lag. My body’s completely swapped day and night.”

  She stared at the black liquid swirling in her cup. The coffee was bitter and not hot enough, but her hands were already feeling steadier from the shot of caffeine. “I wanted to be there when you landed, but when I got called to go to this training in Houston …” She looked up at him. “I hated missing your homecoming.”

  “I missed you too, but Liam and my mom were there with a bouquet of balloons and a stuffed bear.”

  She smiled, catching his gaze again. “I helped him pick out the bear. He was so excited for you to get back.”

  “I’m convinced he grew at least an inch while I was gone. But it makes me wonder—”

  “Stop.” She brushed her hand against his arm, at the regret she saw in his eyes. She knew exactly what he was thinking. “He missed you, but I honestly think he understands—as much as a six-year-old can understand—how important this job was for you. And how much you love him. He’s going to be okay, Tyler. I have no doubt of that.”

  “I hope so. All I want right now is to be the best father for him I can. And I’m back and ready to be exactly that.”

  She understood why he was questioning his decision. She had struggled at first to understand his determination to take the job in Liberia. He’d told her that not only would it give him a foothold into another job here in the US, it would also help him figure out who he was on his own without Katie so he could move on. It was something he’d needed to do for himself in order to be a better father for Liam. And in the end, she knew he was right.

  “What about your parents?” he asked, standing up to toss her empty cup into the trash can beside them. “Have you been able to get ahold of them?”

  “Not yet. The battery on my phone is dead.”

  “I tried to call them, but didn’t get through.” He pulled his phone from his back pocket. “Try again with mine. They’ll worry if they see this on the news.”

  His voice was soothing as he handed her his phone, helping to keep her focused. She dialed her father’s number, wishing her fingers would stop trembling. He’d be working at the family restaurant like he did every day with her mom, hopefully so busy with customers that he wouldn’t have had time to look at the news. But if her brothers watched the news or one of their friends who knew she’d been gone had called to ask …

  The call went straight to voice mail. She tried again, then wrote a text, adding her brothers and sister-in-law Jamie to the message in hopes that would help them not to worry until she could stop by and see them herself.

  “We’ll keep trying until I can get you there,” he said.

  She dropped the phone back into his hand and nodded. “This isn’t exactly the reunion I expected.”

  He laced his fingers through hers. His touch was warm. Protective. It was what she needed. His presence and strength. Even when she’d tried to be there for him, he was always her rock.

  He squeezed her hand. “We can stop by your parents’ and let them know you’re okay, then I’ll take you home.”

  A flash of red caught her eye as they started for the door. A woman with brunette hair, wearing a red sweater, was talking to someone in uniform on the other side of the room.

  Nikki paused midstep and let go of Tyler’s hand. The woman turned around, looking past Nikki at a man who’d just walked into the room. Nikki let out a sharp breath. It wasn’t Erika.

  “Nikki, what is it? You seem … distracted.”

  “It’s nothing. I just thought I saw someone.”

  She glanced around the rest of the crowded room. There were reunions taking place all around them. Paula, the woman from the plane, stood in the corner of the room with her son and a man who was holding her tight around the waist as they spoke.

  Commentary from the flat-screen TV, where one of the passengers was being interviewed, played in the background. Nikki glanced at one of the airline staff, wondering why they didn’t turn off the news feed. Most of the people in this room had been on that plane. The last thing she wanted to do was relive the scenario by watching what had happened.

  Everyone she could see had been tagged green. They’d been the lucky ones who might leave emotionally traumatized from the experience, but physically they were okay. She didn’t want to think about what it was going to be like for families of those who’d been taken to the local hospitals with injuries. Or those who hadn’t made it.

  Like the man two seats over.

  “Nikki?”

  She looked back up at Tyler. “I’m sorry. There’s something I need to do before I leave here.”

  His brow furrowed. “What’s that?”

  “I need to speak to someone in charge. There was this woman in the seat next to me.”

  She knew she shouldn’t worry about her. A complete stranger she’d only spoken to briefly on the plane. And yet she had to be here somewhere. “You’re going to think I’m nuts, but I checked with one of the agents earlier, and according to the manifest, she wasn’t on the plane. Except I know she was. And she was really upset when she got off the plane.”

  “I don’t know, Nikki. Things seem fairly organized, but a mix-up doesn’t seem that unusual at this point. And besides that, between passengers, family members, and the emergency crews, there are hundreds of people here. Just because you haven’t seen her doesn’t mean she isn’t here.”

  He was right. She was overreacting. But she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

  “I just … I need to at least try to find her. She was so nervous flying. I told her it was safer to fly than to drive. And then … and then we crashed.” She rubbed the back of her neck, willing the knots to disappear along with the worry. “The agent told me to see a doctor. That I might have a concussion and basically had imagined
the woman sitting beside me.”

  “Nikki, if there’s even the slightest chance of a concussion …” Tyler cupped his hand around her elbow. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but she’s right, Nikki—”

  “I don’t need to see a doctor.” Nikki pressed her lips together, trying to tone down the frustration in her voice. “I’m sorry. But I’m fine. And I didn’t imagine her. She was on that plane.”

  “I believe you, but it’s still not a bad idea. I heard someone say when I got here that there are a couple doctors here to see passengers who have concerns but don’t need to go to the hospital. It probably wouldn’t take that long.”

  Nikki squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push away the growing fog settling in the corners of her mind and, for a moment, doubting herself. What if the woman was right? What if the manifest was correct and there hadn’t been anyone sitting next to her? What if Erika had somehow been nothing more than a figment of her imagination? Some kind of coping mechanism in the middle of a crisis.

  Except she could see the woman’s face as clearly as she could see Tyler’s right now.

  “What do you think?” Tyler asked.

  “That the whole thing sounds crazy. I know she was sitting beside me. We talked about the book she was reading. The turbulence. How she didn’t like the middle seat. And you. We talked about you. But according to the manifest she wasn’t on the plane. Why isn’t she on the manifest?”

  “I don’t know, but right now my concern is you and making sure you’re okay. If there’s any chance that you hit your head, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

  Nikki blew out another breath. Maybe he was right. Not about Erika, but maybe she should make sure she didn’t have a concussion. And besides, if she didn’t see a doctor, her mother would bug her until she did. What did it matter, really? It would only take a few minutes.

  “Fine. I’ll see one of the doctors, then you can take me home.”

  She’d make sure he and her family didn’t worry. But she wasn’t crazy. Erika had been on that flight. And she was going to find her.

  4

  12:41 p.m.

  Nashville International Airport

  Ten minutes later Nikki sat in the middle of the makeshift consulting area with a doctor who didn’t look old enough to have graduated from med school. He waved a light in her eyes, his expression solemn. “Any unusual symptoms? Headache? Nausea? Ringing in the ears?”

  “Headache, yes, and I’m still a bit shaky. But other than that, I’m fine.”

  She shifted in her chair, trying to relax. Trying not to replay those last moments of the crash. And trying not to wonder about what had happened to Erika. Because more than likely, Erika had simply managed to step off that plane and leave the airport grounds without talking to anyone.

  Like Nikki should have done.

  “It’s always better to be safe than sorry in cases like this,” the doctor said, switching to her other eye. “Because here’s the thing with concussions. They can be particularly challenging. Every patient reacts differently, not always following the same symptoms. What about any memory loss, pressure in the head, slurred speech, or confusion?”

  “None of those.”

  “Good.” The doctor took a step back, then ran his fingers through his spiked blond hair. “My advice to you is to go home and get some rest, but make sure you schedule a follow-up visit with your own doctor if you end up having any of the symptoms we discussed, or if you notice anything that feels off. Pay attention to any feelings of panic, any sleep disturbances, and any depression over the next few days.”

  Nikki frowned, wanting to tell him that feeling panicky and not being able to sleep were normal consequences of surviving a plane crash. Instead, she stood up and thanked him, then stepped back into the crowded lounge and searched for Tyler.

  She found him standing near the coffee machine next to Jack Spencer and Gwen McKenna, her partners who worked with her on the task force. She let out a sharp sigh, grateful for more familiar faces.

  “You don’t know how glad I am to see you,” Gwen said, pulling Nikki into a tight hug.

  “Sorry I haven’t called yet. My phone died.”

  “All that matters right now is that you’re okay,” Jack said. “What did the doctor say?”

  “The doctor just cleared me,” she said, glancing back across the room. “No concussion. Just a bit shaky.”

  “Anything we can do?” Gwen asked.

  “I don’t think so.” Nikki shook her head as the four of them headed toward the exit and onto the patterned carpet. “I’ve been encouraged to go home and rest this afternoon.”

  “At a minimum,” Gwen said. “I spoke briefly with Carter on the way here. The boss flies back from Boston in the morning, but he’s already told us to make sure you know you have no business coming back to work for the next few days.”

  Except she wasn’t sure resting at home was what she really wanted. In order to forget what had just happened, she needed to stay busy. Someone on the overhead speaker welcomed them to Music City. Lines of passengers were glued to the monitors covering the crash. An older woman stood in front of one of the screens, no doubt saying a prayer of thanks she hadn’t been on flight 1545.

  Nikki slowed down as a couple of FBI agents hurried past them, one of them engrossed in a phone conversation. The FBI wouldn’t be involved as consultants with the National Transportation Safety Board unless there was believed to be the possibility of a criminal act behind the crash. Nikki wondered if they knew yet that an air marshal had died in the crash. And she couldn’t help but wonder as well if there was a connection between Erika and the marshal. She hadn’t seen any interaction between the two of them beyond a few bits of casual conversation, but the man’s death had clearly upset Erika.

  Just like it had upset herself.

  No. She was letting her imagination get the best of her. Looking for a conspiracy theory in every corner.

  “Something wrong?” Gwen asked as they passed a boutique selling sweatshirts and luggage.

  “It’s nothing …” Nikki hesitated, not sure if she wanted to get Gwen and Jack involved, but still unable to shake the nagging. “At least I don’t think it’s anything. There was this woman on the flight who sat next to me. I haven’t been able to find her.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Jack said. “This was a major commercial crash with a couple hundred passengers involved. Finding one woman—”

  “It’s more than that.” Nikki stopped in front of a newsstand, knowing what tomorrow’s headline would read, and glanced at Tyler before continuing. “When she got off, she was extremely upset—which, granted, is perfectly normal—but when I talked to one of the agents, there was no record of her on the flight manifest.”

  “She could have changed seats—”

  “She was in her seat,” Nikki countered. “And on top of that, there was an air marshal sitting next to her. Maybe it’s all just a coincidence—”

  “But you don’t think so,” Jack said, finishing her thought.

  “No,” she said, scooting aside to let a family with a double stroller pass.

  “You’re right that it doesn’t make sense,” Jack said. “With all the current security measures in airports, they have to keep accurate records that are checked and double-checked.”

  Jack was normally good for a round of comic relief, but today Nikki caught the hint of skepticism in his voice. “Which is what the agent said. Implying I imagined the woman.”

  “No one believes you imagined her.” Tyler moved in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. “But you were just in a plane crash and saw the man beside you die. That alone is enough to unsettle any rational person.”

  “Maybe,” she said, taking a step away from him and walking again down the crowded concourse. Normally she loved people-watching at the airport, but today … today the crowd was closing in around her. “But I’m trained to be able to cope with a crisis, and I’m supposed to be able to handle
something like this.”

  “Training can’t stop you from feeling, or even going into shock,” Jack said. “None of us are immune.”

  “I know, but—”

  “He’s right,” Gwen said. “Everything you’re feeling is normal. You’ve been through a huge trauma, and it’s going to take awhile to put it behind you. I know it would for me. I’m not sure I’m ever going to want to fly again, and I wasn’t even on that flight.”

  “Everything might be normal that I’m feeling, but something just doesn’t add up.” She was overanalyzing the situation again. One that wasn’t any of her business, and yet for some odd reason, the image of Erika’s face wouldn’t disappear.

  She shoved her hands into her front pockets, then stopped again.

  Erika’s watch. She had Erika’s watch.

  “Wait a minute. She was wearing this.” Nikki dug the silver watch out of her pocket, trying not to sound frantic. But even if she couldn’t prove it to them, she needed to prove it to herself. She needed to know she hadn’t made up the entire conversation in her mind as some kind of coping device.

  “Where did you get this?” Jack asked.

  “I picked it up off her seat on the plane as I was leaving. She’d shown it to me right before the plane went down. The clasp was loose and it had fallen off.”

  “Listen, Nikki. I’m convinced that there’s a perfectly logical explanation to all of this,” Gwen said. “But let me handle this. I’ve got a few contacts in the TSA. I’ll see what I can find. I bet it won’t take long for me to find out who she was.”

  “Okay.” Nikki nodded, shoving the watch back in her pocket. At least it was a start and would help put her mind at ease. “Her name was Erika—I don’t have a last name—but she was in seat 29B, next to me. And find out who the air marshal was sitting beside her in the window seat as well. If there’s a connection between the two of them—”

  “We’ll find her,” Jack said, “because Gwen’s right. There’s got to be a logical explanation. As hard as the airlines try to avoid them, mistakes happen.”