“If you’ll stay out of trouble.”

He laughed. “Fair terms.”

He had taken a baby step toward reconciliation. To protect herself from heartbreak and disappointment, she wouldn’t plunge headlong into reestablishing a relationship with him. She would approach with caution. But it was a start that made her smile as she disconnected the call and placed his key ring beneath the driver’s floor mat.

Rye asked, “Has he nabbed any shoplifters today?”

“Three so far. By the way, he thinks I would be better off with the wild Hendrix boy.”

“He’s right.”

“He’s concerned for my safety.”

“He should be. I about had a heart attack when you took off running down the hallway of that hotel. You should have given me warning.”

“What would you have done?”

“I don’t know.” Holding her gaze, his aspect changed. He reached across and stroked her cheek, then pressed the pad of his thumb against the corner of her lips. “You also should have given me warning about forgetting a condom the second time.”

She took a small, swift breath. “Yes, I should have, but I wasn’t thinking of—”

“Me, either,”

“—that. For the first time ever.”

“Me, too.”

Neither moved or said anything, only looked at each other with searching eyes, a taut silence stretching between them.

The spell was broken by two quick toots of a car horn. Jake had pulled in behind them. They had no choice except to brave the rain. Rye held the back seat door of Jake’s car for her; he got in front. Shaking rain out of his hair, he thanked Jake for meeting them on such short notice. “How was your flight?”

“Business as usual.”

“I didn’t know if you’d be back this early or not.”

“Barely. Haven’t been home yet.” He was still in uniform, except that he’d loosened his necktie.

“You up for a quick round-trip flight to Knoxville?”

“Now?”

“Soon as we can get wheels up. We’ll pay you, of course.”

“It’s not the money,” Jake said. “Hell, I would do it gladly. But I have to fly again this evening. Rules say I need eight hours in the sack.”

“I know all about rules,” Rye grumbled. “They’re killing me.”

“I could provide taxi service if you still need it.”

Rye shook his head. “No, if you can’t fly us yourself, what I really need is your Bonanza.”

Chapter 33

7:49 a.m.

Jake was taken aback, but he didn’t respond to Rye. He concentrated on getting them out of the congested parking lot. He sped across a heavily trafficked boulevard and pulled up to a restaurant that didn’t open until five o’clock. They had that lot to themselves. Jake put the car in park but left the motor running.

“You need my plane? You got it.”

“Not that simple.” Rye looked at his wristwatch. “This negotiation needs to be quick, but let me emphasize that you should think hard before agreeing.”

Then Rye laid out the basics of the situation. “We need to fly to Knoxville. I’m omitting the details for your own protection. Less you know, the better.”

“I picked up on that last night. Save the explanations. You’ve got the loan of my plane. You only had to ask.”

“Not a loan. I pay you.”

“Cover the gas, that’s all.”

“If you don’t let me pay for it, no deal. It needs to be a charter.”

“You can return me a favor sometime.”

“I’ll do that anyway, but I’m paying you.” He paused. “Shames me to say it, but the FAA and NTSB are on my case.”

“What the hell?”

“Nothing official yet, but they’re conducting an investigation.”

“Into what?”

“What I consider to be a minor crash. Their opinion may differ. I wasn’t drunk, wasn’t using drugs, wasn’t running drugs. I’m not breaking the law now, only outrunning it to avoid a tie-up that Brynn doesn’t have time for.”

Rye looked over his shoulder at her before continuing. “I know your offer to help is earnest, Jake, and I appreciate it. But these aren’t small considerations. If lawmen come looking for us, don’t stick your neck out. Tell the truth. I was licensed, instrument rated, my money was good, and that’s all you asked. Tell them you sensed we were in a jam, you just didn’t realize how serious it was.”

“How serious is it?”

“Serious. Because here’s the other thing. We’ve crossed swords with people in high places, and they have knee-crackers and throat-slitters at their beck and call. I shit you not.” He held up his left hand so Jake could see the cuts across his knuckles.

“I’m lucky the fingers are still attached. So, if someone who doesn’t have a badge comes asking after us, lie your ass off. Don’t challenge a thing they say. You’re as dumb as dirt, as innocent as the day you were born, you never heard of us.”

“What happens when you get to Knoxville?”

“As far as you’re concerned? Nothing. I fly your plane back. It should take only a few hours to cover the round trip.” He took a breath. “Look, Jake, any other time, I wouldn’t ask a stranger—”

“I’m a stranger to you; you’re no stranger to me.”

Rye chuffed a bitter laugh. “About that legend stuff, I’m not the guy you think I am, not the man you heard stories about, most of which were barracks bullshit. The hero doesn’t exist. Never did. But I swear I can fly the plane, and I’ll return it to you in one piece, not a scratch on it.”

“I’m not worried about the plane. It’s the two of you. The thought of cutthroats being after you—”

Rye interrupted. “If you’re feeling any hesitation, say no. Don’t do it.”

“I’m not saying no. I only wish you’d let me help more.”

“The help we need is the use of your plane.”

Jake turned to Brynn. “Life or death, you said.”

“Yes. And time is running out.”

He looked at Rye. “Another rescue?”

Rye hesitated, then said, “Something like that.”

“You always did volunteer for the most dangerous missions. And that’s not barracks bullshit. It’s a matter of record.”

Rye didn’t say anything to that.

“You’ve got my plane,” Jake said.

Rye reached across the console. “Thank you.”

As they shook hands, the other pilot gave a dry laugh. “Don’t thank me. I just flew in from KC. Have you looked at the radar?”

8:28 a.m.

Jake rented hangar space at an FBO twenty miles west of Atlanta. It was controlled, but Rye would be the only pilot flying in or out any time soon.

When the three of them came in, dripping rainwater, two corporate jet pilots waiting out the weather were sprawled in armchairs in front of a TV, watching a football game being played someplace where the sun was shining. The woman at the desk was engrossed in a paperback novel.

Brynn and Rye stayed in the background while Jake explained to her their determination to take off, despite the weather. Brynn overheard the words “Family medical emergency” and “may be their last chance to say goodbye.”

Rye filed his flight plan. He and Jake put the plane through its preflight check. Because of the rain, Jake arranged for them to board inside the hangar and have the plane towed out.

When all was ready, Brynn hugged Jake goodbye. “You’re doing a tremendous service. Some day I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Good luck with your patient.”

Rye thanked him again, but issued a final word of warning. “Remember what I told you. If anyone comes around asking, cover your ass.”

Jake slapped him on the shoulder and wished them a safe flight.

On their taxi, rain bombarded the windshield. Poised at the end of the runway, Rye reached over and squeezed Brynn just above her knee. She jumped. He smiled over her startled reaction and spoke above the engine noise. “Scared?”

She shook her head.

“Liar.”

He’d noticed her white-knuckling the edge of the copilot’s seat. Although the cockpit view of the elements was intimidating, she preferred sitting beside Rye to being in one of the four passenger seats behind the cockpit.

Solemnly, Rye looked directly into her eyes. “Brynn. This is what I do.”

His confidence calmed her. “I wouldn’t be here with any other pilot.”

He held her stare, then verbally acknowledged the clearance he’d received in his headset.

She recalled what he’d told her last night in the bar about the anticipation he felt before each takeoff. I still can’t wait.

When he gave it the throttle, she experienced the same level of exhilaration.

9:12 a.m.

Goliad would rather have taken another drubbing than return to the Hunts’ mansion with nothing to show for his efforts except failure.

The housekeeper admitted him into the house. “They’ve been waiting for you to show up. They’re having breakfast. I’ll tell them you’re here.”