you’ll rise to the top of their suspect list. “
* * *
Zane watched every ounce of color leech from Beth’s face.
Her eyes widened. “But I’m trying to stop it.”
“I know.” He ran a soothing hand up and down her spine. He could sense her fear rising. It vibrated against his hand and brushed against his mind. An alien emotion. Unfamiliar. A texture and tone that didn’t originate within him.
The bond was already forming, acting as a conductor, linking them. If he could keep her close—close enough to touch—the bond would form faster. Physical contact accelerated the connection. He needed to cement the link as soon as possible, tie her to him. If he suddenly went wheels-up, he’d deploy with the peace of knowing Beth was already his.
“But the agents investigating won’t. One of the things they’ll look at is behavior. And yours will look pretty damn suspicious.”
She thought that over, the worry lines in her forehead deepening. “Why?”
“It’s a combination of things. Number one, you work for PacAtlantic and in a department with access to their planes between flights. Number two, you listed yourself on standby mere hours before the flight boarded. You did this spur of the moment, without telling your coworkers, and without telling anyone about your dream. Number three, this is a plane to Hawaii, but you only took one day off and brought no luggage. When they start looking into passengers, your behavior is going to stand out. It’s going to look suspicious as hell.”
The muscles of her throat trembled. Another surge of fear brushed against his mind. He rubbed her back again. Up and down, a slow soothing glide. What they needed was an explanation for her behavior. His hand slowed as the solution occurred to him.
He swallowed a grin. Christ, it was perfect. A fucking gift. And they’d already set the stage with that hot-as-hell kiss. Plus, it would serve a dual purpose. It would keep her tied to him as he fanned these flames, and forged the connection between them, but it would also give the investigators a concrete reason for her behavior. They might not cross her off their suspect list, but they wouldn’t look at her quite so closely.
It was perfect.
When she pulled away Zane let her go, and that odd, whispery tickle brushing against his subconscious vanished.
“But I don’t have access to the planes. I’m just clerical. I don’t have clearance. My engineers do, although—” She shot Cosky a so-there look. “They don’t use toolboxes or totes so they couldn’t have smuggled the guns on board.” She blew out a relieved breath, as though that news would eradicate any suspicion directed her way.
Zane shook his head. “If your guys have access to the plane, they could have figured out a way to get the guns on board. And you could still be involved. At the very least, they’ll believe you knew about the planned hijacking, but didn’t come forward to report it.”
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I’ll explain about the dream. If I was involved, I wouldn’t be trying to stop the hijacking.”
Zane sighed. He hated the fear in her eyes, but she needed to be prepared. “They won’t believe you. What they’ll believe is you got cold feet and tried to back out. What they’ll believe is you made up the dream to give yourself a reason for knowing something you shouldn’t.”
Beth gulped and bit her bottom lip, but she held his eyes. “Maybe you’re right. But we still have to tell someone—even if it’s going to get me into trouble. Without my dream, how will we convince someone to search the plane?”
Pride speared through Zane, followed by a healthy dose of respect. Even knowing the cost, she still insisted on intervening. She was willing to sacrifice her life for those passengers on the plane. Because at this point she had to know that if she became the major focus of such an investigation, it could well destroy her.
“We’re not going to tell
* * *
Zane watched every ounce of color leech from Beth’s face.
Her eyes widened. “But I’m trying to stop it.”
“I know.” He ran a soothing hand up and down her spine. He could sense her fear rising. It vibrated against his hand and brushed against his mind. An alien emotion. Unfamiliar. A texture and tone that didn’t originate within him.
The bond was already forming, acting as a conductor, linking them. If he could keep her close—close enough to touch—the bond would form faster. Physical contact accelerated the connection. He needed to cement the link as soon as possible, tie her to him. If he suddenly went wheels-up, he’d deploy with the peace of knowing Beth was already his.
“But the agents investigating won’t. One of the things they’ll look at is behavior. And yours will look pretty damn suspicious.”
She thought that over, the worry lines in her forehead deepening. “Why?”
“It’s a combination of things. Number one, you work for PacAtlantic and in a department with access to their planes between flights. Number two, you listed yourself on standby mere hours before the flight boarded. You did this spur of the moment, without telling your coworkers, and without telling anyone about your dream. Number three, this is a plane to Hawaii, but you only took one day off and brought no luggage. When they start looking into passengers, your behavior is going to stand out. It’s going to look suspicious as hell.”
The muscles of her throat trembled. Another surge of fear brushed against his mind. He rubbed her back again. Up and down, a slow soothing glide. What they needed was an explanation for her behavior. His hand slowed as the solution occurred to him.
He swallowed a grin. Christ, it was perfect. A fucking gift. And they’d already set the stage with that hot-as-hell kiss. Plus, it would serve a dual purpose. It would keep her tied to him as he fanned these flames, and forged the connection between them, but it would also give the investigators a concrete reason for her behavior. They might not cross her off their suspect list, but they wouldn’t look at her quite so closely.
It was perfect.
When she pulled away Zane let her go, and that odd, whispery tickle brushing against his subconscious vanished.
“But I don’t have access to the planes. I’m just clerical. I don’t have clearance. My engineers do, although—” She shot Cosky a so-there look. “They don’t use toolboxes or totes so they couldn’t have smuggled the guns on board.” She blew out a relieved breath, as though that news would eradicate any suspicion directed her way.
Zane shook his head. “If your guys have access to the plane, they could have figured out a way to get the guns on board. And you could still be involved. At the very least, they’ll believe you knew about the planned hijacking, but didn’t come forward to report it.”
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I’ll explain about the dream. If I was involved, I wouldn’t be trying to stop the hijacking.”
Zane sighed. He hated the fear in her eyes, but she needed to be prepared. “They won’t believe you. What they’ll believe is you got cold feet and tried to back out. What they’ll believe is you made up the dream to give yourself a reason for knowing something you shouldn’t.”
Beth gulped and bit her bottom lip, but she held his eyes. “Maybe you’re right. But we still have to tell someone—even if it’s going to get me into trouble. Without my dream, how will we convince someone to search the plane?”
Pride speared through Zane, followed by a healthy dose of respect. Even knowing the cost, she still insisted on intervening. She was willing to sacrifice her life for those passengers on the plane. Because at this point she had to know that if she became the major focus of such an investigation, it could well destroy her.
“We’re not going to tell
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