who walked in a purposeful circle, BlackBerry in hand. They’d arrived at the departure gate fifteen minutes earlier, but the plane to Del Rosa hadn’t arrived yet.
He wanted to check in with Chris, but didn’t want to be overheard by the surprisingly stoic young woman. He’d expected a lot of questions during the flight from Atlanta. But after they’d gotten settled in first class—she’d won that argument as soon as they’d arrived at the airport—she’d fallen asleep almost immediately, her eyes covered by a black silk mask, a custom-made contoured pillow protecting her neck, her personal blanket tucked around her shoulders.
To be honest he’d been disappointed. He’d expected questions, and he’d prepared answers. But that was the problem. He hadn’t had the opportunity to console the woman he’d been able to ascertain from his hurried investigation was a bit on the flighty, spoiled, entitled side.
As soon as they’d boarded the flight to California, she’d gotten comfortable, not wanting to eat or even drink anything except mineral water. Then she’d reclined her seat, tucked her hand under her chin, her neck against her pillow, and had fallen asleep.
Her beauty was flawless like that of a black porcelain doll, natural big black curls cascading over her shoulder nearly to her breasts. His mind began to play tricks on him as the plane streaked through the sky.
In his mind he’d taken her to Spain and Egypt, Russia and Europe. At first thought it had been an act, her falling asleep so perfectly. But then ten minutes rolled into a half hour, and then an hour, and then he realized he was the only one in their section not watching the movie or asleep. He’d been staring at her off and on for two hours.
Hunter stretched his back, relieved. To be off the plane and out of Atlanta felt good, but now Alexandria was attracting attention.
“I’ll make sure our connection is on time,” he said to give himself the benefit of distance.
“Where exactly are you going?” she asked, her eyes rich and vibrant, like the flavor cinnamon.
He looked at the desk and attendant five feet away. “Right there.”
Maybe she was confused, he thought, giving her the benefit of the doubt. She’d just found out her husband was dead.
“I’m going to try Marc’s phone again.”
“If you wait a couple minutes, I’ll find a place where you can make your call in private.”
“I don’t want to wait. I want to talk to him now.”
“I understand that, Alexandria. Just give me a minute—”
“Hunter, I’m not a child. You don’t have to babysit me.”
What would happen if this was the time that she finally realized he was dead and she fell apart? Then he’d have an hysterical woman on his hands. What if Chris had been wrong and Marc answered the phone? Then he’d have an hysterical woman on his hands.
What was he thinking?
Marc was dead!
Alexandria was sucking him into her land of make-believe where there were toy dogs, sobbing assistants and lunatic family members, not to mention the queen bee herself, Alexandria. The Clampets had nothing on the Wrights.
Hunter moved forward in the line. If he didn’t stick to the facts, he’d be as batty as they were. Marc was dead, he was escorting her to California, and in a few days, he’d be going back to Atlanta to resume running his security firm and playing his saxophone.
He’d finally gotten an offer to play at a small restaurant. The idea of taking his hobby to the public was the coolest feeling. Like he was some hotshot sax player.
He’d been waiting for that day for a long time. The movement in his arm was nearly a hundred percent after being paralyzed three years ago. Now his life was his own and he was ready to live it on his own terms.
Hunter checked the perimeter, being patient. He’d be back in Atlanta soon, and all this craziness would be behind him.
Chris had been right. Alexandria wasn’t pretty. She was gorgeous, and that was causing a problem.
Passengers who’d been relaxing with their legs outstretched snatched them back as if she were Moses and they were the Red Sea. She threaded her way through them and stopped at the window. Once more she banged the phone against her palm, put it to her ear, then dialed again.
The irrational feeling of wanting to abandon his place in line seized him and Hunter understood the instinctual emotion. He’d worked in security for nearly ten years. He’d protected families of presidents, dignitaries and kings, and now that he was in the private sector, sitting in his office issuing instructions got boring. He was being overprotective.
“How soon will the flight to Del Rosa be boarding?”
“The plane just arrived,” the attendant Brittney answered with a smile that hinted at recent injections. “We should be boarding in about fifteen minutes.”
Brittney was a cute blonde, but not his type. He needed a woman on the East Coast, older than him, and someone with career demands so high she didn’t really need him.
“Your ticket, please?” Brittney offered him a look that held untold promises. He handed her both itineraries.
“Your wife?” she asked, her head tilted sideways. Jealousy lurked in her blue eyes, and he could see the explosive arguments before they happened. Accusations would fly like dessert plates, his CDs innocent victims of her rage.
Two men stood on either side of Alex, blocking her path. She tried to get around them, but they were playing a game of cat and mouse.
“Girlfriend?” Brittney sounded more hopeful, and he was rewarded with a fluttering of eye blinks.
“No, ma’am,” he answered. “I’m her bodyguard. Excuse me.”
Hunter accepted the tickets, grabbed the jewel-toned designer purse that looked out of place on the vinyl seat, the empty doggie bag, neck pillow and magazines, and made his way over to the unlikely group. He stepped between the men and took her hand. “Mrs. Wright-Foster, we’re ready to go.”
“These men stopped me from getting by.” She was breathless and looked close to tears.
“They’re moving now.” There was steel in his voice and Hunter knew he was invested in her. He’d hoped it was just in protecting her until he delivered her to the brother-in-law she’d never met, but he’d surpassed that level of impassioned professionalism four hours ago.
“I’m going to give you two scenarios,” he said to the man wearing the terrible floral-shirt-patched-baggy-denim short combination. “One, you can spend the rest of your holiday as a guest of the Department of Homeland Security being questioned for unlawful imprisonment, or two, you can step aside and go on about your business.”
Alexandria crowded him, her body seeking protection. There wouldn’t be a fight, he knew, but these weren’t the type of men to back down without a few words.
“She looked like she needed a real man to help her.”
The words
