Page 22 of Heart of the Sun

chaptertwelve

Tuck

The ride to the airport was spent listening to Charlie talk business with some director or another. Frankly, I was happy to have the time to sit in relative silence with Emily. For the first time since I’d started working for her, it felt mostly comfortable. I felt like we’d found a new understanding at her apartment a couple days before. Even if we weren’t going to be friends again, we weren’t going to be at odds either.

I could finally settle into my job and begin rebuilding my life. Planning. Strategizing. Thinking about where I wanted to be and where, ultimately, I might fit in.

This wasn’t it. Frankly, I had no real idea where or what or how I’d finally find a sense of purpose, because in so many ways, I was still floundering. This was merely a means to an end, which was fine for now. And hopefully my presence would bring Emily the peace of mind she needed to focus solely on her job and becoming…whatever it was she wanted to become.

Win. Win.

The car pulled onto an airfield and came to a stop. I opened the door of the limo just as the driver was rounding the car. “Sorry, sir. I’ve got that.”

“Hey, no problem,” I said as I got out. I didn’t want other people opening doors for me. It felt off.

Charlie climbed out, slipping the guy some cash. “Thanks, Cory,” he said as the guy nodded, hurrying to the trunk to retrieve our bags.

A few minutes later I was climbing the short set of steps to the private plane as Emily and Charlie waited for Cory to unload one piece of luggage after another. I swung my singular duffel bag through the door, lowering my head as I entered the cabin.

Wow.

Now this…this I could get used to. I’d only flown once before, when my parents and I had traveled to my grandpa’s funeral in Seattle. My family hadn’t had much time for vacations. It was too difficult to find people to care for all the crops and animals when the three of us were a vital part of the team who ran the place. We’d gone away for a weekend here and there, but always somewhere within driving distance.

I remembered that flight well though, and these conditions were in a completely different league.

This wasclass.

This was money.

Swiveling, camel-colored leather seats that were large enough to ensure even the most sizable man was comfortable. Polished mahogany paneling that made up the walls of the cabin. A glass-cased beverage/snack bar along the back wall that held all manner of in-air sustenance.

The pilot ducked out of the cockpit just as I was sitting down in a seat on the left side of the cabin. There was an empty seat next to me, and across the aisle, two more seats for Emily and Charlie. The pilot took the few steps to where I sat, shaking my hand and smiling.“Hi, I’m Russell Martin. I’ll be flying you to New York today. It looks like it’ll be a smooth flight.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Tuck, Emily’s security.”

“Ah, great. Well, I don’t expect any trouble in the skies today, but you never know,” he said on a laugh.

Emily and Charlie bustled in, Cory behind them draped in garment bags and holding a suitcase in each hand. Russell stepped aside and I looked out the window at the airfield as they got situated across the aisle and then greeted the pilot.

“Want me to toss that up into the overhead bin?” Cory asked, nodding to my duffel bag at my feet.

“Oh, ah, sure,” I said. I removed my current paperback from the side pocket before handing it to him. “Thanks.”

Cory wished us a good flight and headed out the door, and Russell closed it behind him and returned to the cockpit, only separated by a short, navy blue curtain.

“Tuck, I’m going to grab myself a beverage. Would you like anything?” Charlie asked.

“A water would be great. Thanks.”

Charlie stepped to the back of the plane and returned a minute later with a water for me and Emily, and a soda for himself.

“Buckle up,” Emily said, turning her head my way as she stretched the belt across her body, her arm accentuating her breasts. I looked quickly away, clicking my own seat belt into place.

We taxied to the runway, and as the plane started lifting into the sky, I glanced over at Emily, who was staring straight ahead, eyes wide, knuckles white as she gripped the armrests. Next to her, Charlie calmly sipped his drink, completely oblivious to the fact that she was clearly a nervous flyer.

Which was confusing since he had to have flown with her at least a few times before this. And he’d never noticed what I could see in a single glance?

I turned my head and looked out the window. I already knew that Charlie was more than met the eye. And not in a good way.

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