occurred to her.
“What?” Zane asked those green eyes locked on her face.
“The engineering department, my department, has access as well,” she reluctantly admitted.
It felt like a betrayal to even mention it. There was no way anyone she worked with could be involved in something so horrific. But her engineers did have complete access between flights and the ground crew wouldn’t think twice about someone from engineering boarding the plane.
Although Zane didn’t make a sound, the muscles across his shoulders bunched.
Simcosky watched him for a few moments before turning those steel eyes on Beth. “Tell us about this dream of yours. Start to finish. Everything.”
The three men listened intently as she described her nightmare. When she mentioned the blocks of clay-like substance they’d used to blow the cockpit doors, Zane hissed. “C4,” he said and the other two nodded. “They’re pros. Too much and they’d blow the plane. Not enough and they wouldn’t breach the cockpit door.” Zane’s comment was followed by another round of nods. “What kind of guns?”
“I don’t know.” She frowned, thinking of the Die Hard and James Bond movies she’d been subjected to throughout the years. What was it about first dates and action movies? She eyed Zane. He probably loved those fast-paced, blow-everything-up in-sight action flicks. Just one more thing they didn’t have in common. “They looked like machine guns.”
A slow smile spread across Zane’s face, one of pure indulgence. “They couldn’t have been machine guns. They’re long-range weapons that require tripods.”
Beth rolled her eyes. “They had lots of bullets and they killed you. What more do you need to know?”
“The make and model. That way we’ll know how many bullets to dodge,” the blond said, his blue eyes back to laughing.
She folded her arms across her chest and set her shoulders. They were running out of time. “Look. I don’t see how the model is going to make a difference. We know they’re on board. Can’t you guys just make some calls and have someone check the plane?”
“The type of weapons tells us how they got them on board. You said they look like machine guns, so it’s likely they’re submachines. An MP5 would have to be hidden in a tote—like a toolbox. Which means the inside guy could be from maintenance.” Simcosky’s gaze shifted between Beth and Zane. “Or engineering,” he added, his tone flat.
From Zane’s tight expression, this information wasn’t news to him.
She ignored the suggestion that someone from her department might be involved. They didn’t know her engineers. It simply wasn’t possible. “There’s less than seventy minutes before the plane boards. Isn’t there someone you can call to get the plane searched but without alerting the hijackers?”
The silence that fell was even deeper and more intimidating than it had been earlier when she’d blurted out his name. Beth’s stomach clenched as she got a good look at the grim expression on Zane’s face.
“See, we have a problem, sweetheart,” he finally said, rubbing his heart. “I can make some calls. I can get that plane searched. Once you point the hijackers out, we can contain them until the white knights arrive.” He fell silent, the tension solidifying the air surrounding them, until it pulsed like a bass drum.
“But that’s good. That’s exactly what we want. I don’t see any problem with that,” Beth whispered, forcing the words out her suddenly tight throat. She waited for the other shoe to drop, because something was obviously very, very wrong.
Zane sighed, shook his head and wrapped an arm around her waist. With a gentle tug, he pulled her closer. She didn’t fight him. Something told her she was going to need the comfort.
“The problem… is there’s obviously an inside accomplice. Someone from PacAtlantic. Someone with access to the plane between flights. And once the FBI starts investigating,
“What?” Zane asked those green eyes locked on her face.
“The engineering department, my department, has access as well,” she reluctantly admitted.
It felt like a betrayal to even mention it. There was no way anyone she worked with could be involved in something so horrific. But her engineers did have complete access between flights and the ground crew wouldn’t think twice about someone from engineering boarding the plane.
Although Zane didn’t make a sound, the muscles across his shoulders bunched.
Simcosky watched him for a few moments before turning those steel eyes on Beth. “Tell us about this dream of yours. Start to finish. Everything.”
The three men listened intently as she described her nightmare. When she mentioned the blocks of clay-like substance they’d used to blow the cockpit doors, Zane hissed. “C4,” he said and the other two nodded. “They’re pros. Too much and they’d blow the plane. Not enough and they wouldn’t breach the cockpit door.” Zane’s comment was followed by another round of nods. “What kind of guns?”
“I don’t know.” She frowned, thinking of the Die Hard and James Bond movies she’d been subjected to throughout the years. What was it about first dates and action movies? She eyed Zane. He probably loved those fast-paced, blow-everything-up in-sight action flicks. Just one more thing they didn’t have in common. “They looked like machine guns.”
A slow smile spread across Zane’s face, one of pure indulgence. “They couldn’t have been machine guns. They’re long-range weapons that require tripods.”
Beth rolled her eyes. “They had lots of bullets and they killed you. What more do you need to know?”
“The make and model. That way we’ll know how many bullets to dodge,” the blond said, his blue eyes back to laughing.
She folded her arms across her chest and set her shoulders. They were running out of time. “Look. I don’t see how the model is going to make a difference. We know they’re on board. Can’t you guys just make some calls and have someone check the plane?”
“The type of weapons tells us how they got them on board. You said they look like machine guns, so it’s likely they’re submachines. An MP5 would have to be hidden in a tote—like a toolbox. Which means the inside guy could be from maintenance.” Simcosky’s gaze shifted between Beth and Zane. “Or engineering,” he added, his tone flat.
From Zane’s tight expression, this information wasn’t news to him.
She ignored the suggestion that someone from her department might be involved. They didn’t know her engineers. It simply wasn’t possible. “There’s less than seventy minutes before the plane boards. Isn’t there someone you can call to get the plane searched but without alerting the hijackers?”
The silence that fell was even deeper and more intimidating than it had been earlier when she’d blurted out his name. Beth’s stomach clenched as she got a good look at the grim expression on Zane’s face.
“See, we have a problem, sweetheart,” he finally said, rubbing his heart. “I can make some calls. I can get that plane searched. Once you point the hijackers out, we can contain them until the white knights arrive.” He fell silent, the tension solidifying the air surrounding them, until it pulsed like a bass drum.
“But that’s good. That’s exactly what we want. I don’t see any problem with that,” Beth whispered, forcing the words out her suddenly tight throat. She waited for the other shoe to drop, because something was obviously very, very wrong.
Zane sighed, shook his head and wrapped an arm around her waist. With a gentle tug, he pulled her closer. She didn’t fight him. Something told her she was going to need the comfort.
“The problem… is there’s obviously an inside accomplice. Someone from PacAtlantic. Someone with access to the plane between flights. And once the FBI starts investigating,
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