She shook out her fist and hurried back to her seat to grab her backpack. A few seconds later, she returned to the man with a roll of duct tape in hand.
The other passengers watched her with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.
“Don’t worry. I’m a pro.” Shay pushed the half-stunned man into his seat. The rip of duct tape filled the cabin as she treated the man as if he were a leaky pipe, starting with his mouth.
The co-pilot and two flight attendants ran down the aisle and stopped a few feet behind Shay, astonishment on their faces.
Shay continued taping the man into his seat. “Always be prepared. Duct tape is a necessity on all trips.”
The other passengers cheered and applauded.
The flight attendant from before approached Shay. “Are you an air marshal? I didn’t realize we had one on the flight.”
Shay shook her head. “A teacher.”
“Oh, I get it. You’ve done this before.”
“Something like that.”
“Thank you. Is there anything we can do to pay you back? We can at least offer you complimentary drinks.”
Shay shook her head. “If you really want to show your gratitude, make sure this plane lands in Los Angeles.” She pointed with her thumb at the duct-taped man. “He’s not going anywhere.”
Finally!
Shay yanked her phone out of her pocket and turned it on as she hurried down the LAX jetway. She winced as she spotted the missed call from Brownstone.
She played the message he’d left as she stepped into the boarding gate.
“Hey, Shay, it’s me. You know me…I hate to ask anyone for a favor, but I’m trying to be real about how shit might end up in the next few days.” He took a deep breath. “Look, don’t know if you’re coming back, but if you are, don’t come to LA. I’d rather you stayed with Alison until I figure out how to take care of the Harriken and get this hit taken care of. The Harriken know about her, even if they don’t know where she is. For all I know, they might still think they can weasel her mother’s inheritance out of her.
“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. She’s in a magic school surrounded by a bunch of wizards and witches who could turn their asses into toads or whatever. I thought she’d be safe there, but now I’m not sure. Maybe it’s like in Raiders of the Lost Ark where the guy has the sword and Indy just pulls out the gun. You know, like don’t bring a magic wand to a gunfight. How many of these magical asshole professors have ever been in a fight? How do I know they don’t have some stupid rules about killing bastards who come for them?”
“Anyway, I’d appreciate it if you make sure Alison is okay. And thank you. You make a hell of an aunt.”
Shay let out a sigh, her left hand cradling her forehead.
A few more steps moved Shay away from the stream of disembarking people, and she rubbed the back of her neck as she thought about her next course of action.
Damn it, Brownstone. Why did you have to make this harder than it already was?
The field archaeologist hurried toward baggage claim, still trying to decide what the hell she should even do.
Brownstone could be right about the school.
Of course, a hitman who could use magic was a different matter entirely.
Shay stepped on an escalator. Even if the hitman didn’t have the same power level or skills as the teachers at the school, he still might be able to take them out.
The problem with violence was that people misunderstood what made a dangerous killer versus a victim.
The key wasn’t what tool a person used.
If Brownstone had made that call he was in over his head, which meant he needed her help. But he’d also asked her to watch Alison.
A long groan escaped Shay’s lips.
Peyton would never be able to kick ass like Shay or Brownstone or even Lily, but there was one skill he could learn that would impress the hardened ex-killer.
He patted his long, white apron and smiled at the stone oven in the corner. It had taken a little work to get proper venting set up, but now it was ready and aching for him to use it and deliver some good old-fashioned pizza to his stomach.
Maybe I’ll open my own pizza place. Cooking has to be easier than what I do on a computer every day. It’s just about following a recipe. How hard could that be?
Peyton cracked his knuckles and moved over to the small folding table he’d set up to hold his ingredients.
“You ready for this?” He grinned at Lily who even managed a smile. He had drawn a decent rendition of a flying dragon over the multi-colors on her cast. Having her around was even making him miss his beastly family less.
“It’s not too late to order something. Purity Solutions could even pick it up. I’m starving.” Lily patted her belly.
“You’re always starving. It’s your resting state. Have a little faith. I can figure this out.”
Yeast, flour, salt, and a little water. It was almost the simplest recipe in the world. It wasn’t like he was making mole sauce.
“One teaspoon? Hmm.” He measured out some yeast and added it to a bowl on the table. “Huh. Wait. That was one tablespoon, but it shouldn’t make that much of a difference. Way more flour than yeast anyway. I’m sure it’s just an order of magnitude thing.”
Peyton added the water, flour, and salt and then started whisking away while humming.
“This is kind of relaxing, actually. Wait, added too much flour. Probably should add some more yeast to balance it out. A couple more tablespoons shouldn’t hurt. Still a lot more flour.” He nodded.
“Are you talking to me or the pizza.”
“Then it’s time to knead. Watch out, Shay, I’m going to make all other pizzas seem like garbage.”
“The
