He spoke to the thin black man who arrived at their sides, and the man nodded and lifted a radio to his mouth.
Ernie stepped back and reached inside the plane. He withdrew another duffel, shoving his wet hair out of his eyes. Beside them, Julia shifted from foot to foot, her low, elegant heels sinking into the rapidly soaking soil. “Looks like I’m not going anywhere.”
“What about your plane, Ernest?” Julia asked, frowning. “Is it safe to leave it here?”
He smiled and patted her hand. “Armand will get someone out here to tow it under cover. It’s a small island, but they get more air traffic than seems necessary and he can get it tucked into the hangar the rich vacationers use. None of them are here now. They can handle it.” He lifted his duffel strap onto his shoulder, handed Julia her makeup case, and grabbed the suitcase, taking her arm. “I guess you’re stuck with me for the duration, Julia. Lucky you.”
She snorted, a surprisingly unladylike sound from such an elegant woman. But with every bit of fabric stuck to her slender body, revealing more curves than he’d suspected, and glossy red locks of wet hair stuck to her face and neck, he supposed she deserved a pass on the Miss Manners routine. She and Ernie followed Armand to a golf cart and they piled in, along with Carson, and wheeled off the landing strip and to whatever dive of a hotel they’d be spending their time in after a quick stop at Customs to declare their firearms. Grey would have arranged the special license necessary. Amazing how quickly the man could handle every detail.
His pity for the pilot ended when he caught the sparkle in Julia’s eye as she leaned close to Ernie in the backseat and whispered something to him. Looked like at least someone would be making the most of their downtime. Pulling out his phone, Carson tried to call the office, but he had zero connectivity. Damn hurricane.
The Omega Team: Spurs (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 10