They walked casually toward the gate. Caitlin looped an arm around John’s again and made chattering noises about the weather and the skiing in Colorado.
At the gate, an attendant scanned their boarding passes and identification, and then wished them a pleasant flight.
The plane was a Boeing, either a 767 or 777, Caitlin thought. It appeared to be only about two-thirds full, and they were lucky enough to get two seats alone in a bulkhead row just ahead of the port wing. John stepped past the seats, waited for her to slide in, and then took the middle seat.
She slipped her bag under the seat in front of her and gazed out the window at the rain swept tarmac. There was no sign of flashing blue lights, no unmarked cars sliding to a stop next to the plane, no sign of anything out of the ordinary. But what was ordinary? Should two men still be unloading baggage? What was the man with the funny looking flashlights doing? For once Caitlin wished she’d paid more attention at all the other flight preparations she’d ignored over the years. Normally she’d be engrossed in a novel or working on a proposal at this stage of a flight.
She heard a sound near the front of the plane and looked up, half expecting to see Holdren.
John placed a hand on hers, and his voice was soft, “That’s the door closing. I guess we made it.”
Her skin was warm where his lay against hers. She turned her head, and his lips were scant inches from hers. While his face was rough and scarred, his lips looked as firm and tender as they had been that time she had kissed them all those years ago. Without conscious volition, she leaned toward him. To her surprise, he turned away, as if he hadn’t noticed her movement.
For a moment, embarrassment locked her throat. Then she cleared it and spoke as softly as he had, “John, I want to thank you again. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t helped.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Caitlin hesitated, unsure of how to phrase the question. She leaned closer to John and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Felipe mentioned something about the type of people you’ve helped before. Just what is it that you do?”
With a half nod, he said, “I do a fair impression of Abraham Lincoln imitating George Washington.”
“No, seriously.”
He grinned boyishly. “Another time. Some things shouldn’t be discussed in public.”
“All right, but I’m going to hold you to that.”
In a few minutes, they were airborne, and Caitlin watched the rain-shrouded bay disappear below the low clouds. They broke out into late afternoon sunlight. The plane banked to the right, and the sun disappeared aft. For a short time, Caitlin watched the undercast that stretched as far as her eye could see, then gave it up, and closed her eyes.
***
John got a Samuel Adams from the flight attendant, waved off the offered glass, and sipped from the bottle. Beside him, Caitlin dozed. He studied her and wondered about the feelings he’d once felt for her. What had it been that attracted him to her back then? Her looks? She was attractive, even with the skin-lightening makeup and the red wig; her natural beauty was still visible. So many years. She’d been the last great love of his life. He’d had a few crushes before her, but none after and none of the others had drawn him with the inescapable pull that she had. For less than two weeks, so long ago, he had spiraled around her. Growing closer and closer until, like a meteor caught in a gravity well, he had burned himself out against her love for Scott.
Now Scott was gone, and she was back in his life. Was there any way he could find that love again?
He took another sip from the bottle and leaned his head back. There were more important things to consider. Mama Squeeze would keep the Feds off them for a week or so, but then they’ll realize their prey was no longer in the Bay Area, and by then John would have to be ready. Ready for the NCIX, the other Feds, the Japanese businessmen, and this Frenchman. What was in that thumb drive? It held the key. They would have to decrypt it if they were to have a chance.
That brought up Louie. He had to do something about Louie, perhaps drop a line to his contacts in CHAOS. If it was the NCIX that had him Louie could handle it, but if it was Holdren’s group. Well, in that case, it might already be too late to help Louie.
***
Caitlin awoke with a start. John was lightly shaking her elbow. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with the heels of her thumbs and looked out the window. The sky was dark, but there was a faint trace of sunset on the horizon. In the foreground, the Front Range was pitch black except for an occasional light.
She turned to John. “We’re on final?”
“Yeah, please place your seat in its full uptight position.”
“Uptight?”
“Yeah, makes more sense, don’t you think?”
“How many beers did you have?”
He grinned a half smile that only curled up the right corner of his mouth. It gave him a roguish look. “Not that many. Why? Do I need a breath mint?”
“No, just don’t breathe on any policemen.”
The plane shook, and Caitlin’s stomach tightened. “Seems like there’s always turbulence coming into the Springs.”
“You fly home often?”
“A couple times a year. Sometimes we used to fly in for a ski weekend, when we were coming to visit the folks, we’d usually drive up.”
“I’d have figured you’d take the Denver airport.”
Caitlin shook her head. “Denver’s airport is just too damn big. It’s great for connections, but it’s crowded
