Page 46 of Bullets and Dandelions

The Learjet taxied down the runway and lifted smoothly into the air. Once we were at cruising altitude Stone turned to me. “This jet has a shower.” He pointed at a door. “While we interrogate Moses, go get cleaned up.”

“Cleaned up? Do I have chocolate on my face?”

Tex handed me a mirror.

I held it up. “Holy hell!” My face, hair and uniform were covered in soot. That explained the black stuff on Kamous’s mouth. I handed the mirror back to Tex, grabbed my gear and headed for the bathroom.

“You won’t need Bertha,” Johnson said.

The memory of a masked man attacking me in the shower flashed across my mind. “You would be surprised.” I shut the door and looked around. The room was the size of a closet. Both the toilet and sink were solid gold. Was Kamous rich enough to install real gold fixtures? Maybe. Or was this the jet stolen from a Saudi prince two months ago? I ran a hand along the white marble vanity and opened a drawer. It was filled with shower gel, shampoo, mascara, face cream and makeup.

I opened the bottle of shower gel and sniffed. Nice.

A muffled shriek sounded from the cabin.

I guess the guys had started their interrogation. I stripped down, stepped into the itty-bitty shower and turned the water on. I yelped as the icy cold spray hit me.

“You okay in there?” Rodriquez yelled.

“Just hunky-dory.” The water heated up to tepid. I grabbed the bottle of shower gel and quickly washed all the soot off. Thankfully, the shelf on the wall held shampoo and hair conditioner. By the time I was done, the water was frigid again.

Shivering from the cold, I quickly dried off and caught a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror. I was still too damn skinny, but my bruises were fading.

Stone bellowed, “Need any help hooking your bra?”

The squad roared with laughter.

“No.” Stone was such a jackass.

Tex cackled, “You’re sure?”

“Positive.” I rubbed some of the face cream on my sunburned skin and it immediately felt better. Scooping up another handful, I rubbed it all over my body and sighed in relief. This stuff was great. I’d have to buy some.

Someone knocked on the door. “If you need help, just ask,” Stone said quietly.

“I don’t. Go away.”

“Okay.”

I fastened the hooks in front of me, slid the bra around until the cups were under my breasts, and pulled it on. Ha! That fixed that problem, but my hair was another story. I dried it as best as I could and put it in a ponytail.

The jet began to descend rapidly.

What the hell? I hurriedly dressed. Was the jet having mechanical problems?

The aircraft shook violently as it hit turbulence.

Whoa! I stumbled backward and hit the shower. What the hell was going on? I took a cautious peek at the cabin.

“Stay put, Tess,” Stone shouted, opening the cabin door.

Dark storm clouds shot by as air rushed into the jet.

“Holy shit! Are you crazy?”

The tattooed man was laughing like a madman. “You will all die. Die! Die!”

Climbing ropes attached to their waists, Tex, Johnson and Rodriquez hurled the tattooed man out of the jet.

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