Page 48 of Etched in Stone
“I had help, but getting as far away as possible before Rose finds out what the hell is going on is a great plan.”
There was no time to explain Tas and he did pause a moment to consider going back, but Tas seemed sure enough of himself to carry on alone. It would just seed more confusion and chance that all of them would be swept up by possible reinforcements.
“Thankfully, Pablo was too lazy to drive himself very far. And he was too cheap to hire a helicopter big enough for his entire entourage,” Jesse said. “You okay, though?”
“I was going to ask you the same question. And Luis? Did he make it?”
“Luis is fine. Pablo lied. Stole his phone. Luis is hanging at his cousin's for a few weeks until the heat blows over, just in case. But Tommy assures me that Pablo is going to be stuck in jail for a long time.”
Relief filled Ray and he took a deep breath. Not that he didn't trust Margaret, but he'd be glad when he and Jesse were safely a galaxy or two away from the Rose Syndicate and their evil henchmen.
Tommy pulled the car into a lot with a helicopter parked. “I might have implied that I was still considering pressing charges on accomplice to attempted murder, so he's going to ferry you to the airfield. There'll be a chartered plane there ready to fly you to wherever you want to go. I'm gonna go the slow way. Rent a hotel room for the night, get a blissful night of sleep and then drive back in the
morning.”
Jesse reached over and hugged Tommy. “Thank you. And I really kinda wish I'd found you earlier.
I think you'd be an awesome cousin.”
“And you would have been a great babysitter!” Tommy grinned as he let go of the hug. “Go on, both of you.”
Ray got out of the car and he and Jesse approached the helicopter. Despite having enough money to hire one, Ray had never actually flown in a helicopter. He supposed he didn't trust such a flimsy craft when he could depend on his own wings. Despite his misgivings, he slipped in beside Jesse, resisting the urge to pull her onto his lap and kiss her silly. There would be time for that. For now, just holding her hand was going to have to do.
“Holy cow,” Jesse said as she stepped aboard. “This is so much better than flying commercial.”
“It's expensive. I don't do it that often,” Ray said as he settled into one of the seats.
“At least I can cross another thing off my bucket list.” Jesse said as she sat down across from him and stroked the leather of the armrests like she was caressing a puppy.
“Please tell me you don't have parachuting on that list,” Ray said.
“God, no. Why would I want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane? Besides, I think falling off a roof has spoiled me for wanting to fall.” He'd elected not to pop for a flight attendant. It was just a pilot and a copilot and the two of them aboard. Privacy was always a first concern.
“No, I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about flying in a helicopter and then a private jet.
Plus, you know, mile high club?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Also, going to Canada. I've never been to Canada.”
“It's cold.”
“You've been there?”
“I have. When we first came over, I considered moving Olivia and Midge to Canada. After all, it was a part of the commonwealth, and I thought it would be closer to living at home.”
“Why didn't you move there?”
“It's cold.”
“Really?”
“Plus, I got a good deal on a couple of buildings in New York, and Olivia was absolutely enchanted with the city. Big, loud and alive at all hours, like London, but with no bombs falling from the skies. She used to sit outside and stare up at the skies, even when it got too light out to really see any of the stars. I suggested several times that we go move to the country, but she wouldn't have any of it.”
Despite Jesse's insistence that she actually wanted to join the mile high club, once the plane reached altitude and Ray showed her how to completely recline her seat, Jesse fell asleep.
Since he'd spent a good portion of the last few days in stone sleep, Ray felt no need to recharge.
He had to draw up a list, delineating most of his holdings and what he wanted to go where. Ray thought it was safe to leave one building to Luis and the other to Giles. The bulk of his cash reserves would simply go to Tommy and his sister. They were the only family left, and Ray could trust Tommy to give a portion away to a list of nonprofits. He was a pragmatist, so it wouldn't trigger until he'd been “lost” in the Canadian wilderness for thirty days. That way, it would cover any accidents or
issues, in case the sigil was malfunctioning and there really wasn't a ride home. It wasn't good to give away your fortune just when you needed back.
